Code Name Helene
I love a good historical fiction book, and Code Name Hélèn is going to be one of my favorites from 2020. This powerful and thrilling WWII story is fictional, but it’s based on the remarkable young woman, Nancy Wake, who went off to war while her French husband stayed behind. This book is intense and addicting, I was so enthralled I could hardly bear to pull myself away from it.
Told in interweaving timelines organized around the four code names Nancy used during the war, Code Name Hélène is a spellbinding and moving story of enduring love, remarkable sacrifice and unfaltering resolve that chronicles the true exploits of a woman who deserves to be a household name.
It is 1936 and Nancy Wake is an intrepid Australian expat living in Paris who has bluffed her way into a reporting job for Hearst newspaper when she meets the wealthy French industrialist Henri Fiocca. No sooner does Henri sweep Nancy off her feet and convince her to become Mrs. Fiocca than the Germans invade France and she takes yet another name: a code name.
As LUCIENNE CARLIER Nancy smuggles people and documents across the border. Her success and her remarkable ability to evade capture earns her the nickname THE WHITE MOUSE from the Gestapo. With a five million franc bounty on her head, Nancy is forced to escape France and leave Henri behind.
When she enters training with the Special Operations Executives in Britain, her new comrades are instructed to call her HÉLÈNE. And finally, with mission in hand, Nancy is airdropped back into France as the deadly MADAM ANDRÉE, where she claims her place as one of the most powerful leaders in the French Resistance, armed with a ferocious wit, her signature red lipstick, and the ability to summon weapons straight from the Allied Forces.
But no one can protect Nancy if the enemy finds out these four women are one and the same, and the closer to liberation France gets, the more exposed she--and the people she loves--become.
The plot for this book is character driven, and boy did Nancy Wake drive this plot! I loved Nancy’s character. She’s a feisty independent woman who knows how to cures with remarkable flair and can drink any man under the table. Her dry wit had me laughing out loud, her use of her signature red lipstick as armor to go into battle, and her supreme courage created a female character that I can get behind and cheer for.
Nancy was a formidable force, and she was integral to the French Resistance’s fight against the Nazi’s, smuggling people and documents across the border. Her strength of character, her determination to never give up, her loyalty to the men she worked with, and her hatred of the brutality of the Bosch gave her the respect that kept her men by her side. There were so many strong memorable moments in this story where Nancy pushed herself past the limits just for her troops and the hopes of a free France and Nazi free Europe. Truly…Nancy was an astonishing woman who should be a roll model to all.
Code Name Helene is an enchanting story of a beautiful marriage, friendships, war, bravery, tragedy and the sacrifices made by both Helene and Henri. Their story will capture your heart and soul.
In real life, Nancy became one of the most decorated women of World War II, and was forever remembered as a strong and respected military leader.
