A Cool and Lonely Courage: The Untold Story of Sister Spies in Occupied France
Written by Susan Ottaway
Narrated by Catherine Harvey
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
When elderly recluse Eileen Nearne died, few suspected that the quiet little old lady was a decorated WWII war hero. Volunteering to serve for British intelligence at age 21, Eileen was posted to Nazi-occupied France to send encoded messages of crucial importance for the Allies, until her capture by the Gestapo.
Eileen was not the only agent in her family---her sister Jacqueline was a courier for the French resistance. While Jacqueline narrowly avoided arrest, Eileen was tortured by the Nazis, then sent to the infamous Ravensbrück women's concentration camp. Astonishingly, this resourceful young woman eventually escaped her captors and found her way to the advancing American army.
In this amazing true story of triumph and tragedy, Susan Ottaway unveils the secret lives of two sisters who sacrificed themselves to defend their country.
Susan Ottaway
Susan Ottaway is the author of several books including Violette Szabo: The Life That I Have, a biography of SOE agent Violette Szabo for which she personally interviewed Eileen Nearne. She has appeared on BBC national television to be interviewed about her work, and she took part in the four-part television series for the Discovery History Channel entitled George Cross Heroes.
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Reviews for A Cool and Lonely Courage
76 ratings10 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What a story! Women showed their courage and sacrifice during the war...and we owe them.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A wonderful account of Women serving our country during WWII. And this account is first hand. Thank you for researching and telling this amazing story.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A wonderful story. There were, no doubt, many unknown heroes from that war. It's no wonder why many, just don't want to talk about it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5To know people like this, male or female, actually existed is so humbling. As a female, I am embarrassed that we celebrate females that by no measure compare to the bravery, selflessness, and presence of mind that these women possessed. Thank you for documenting such an important truth.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A very well written account of two women's courage and sacrifice in WWII. Highly recommend.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Marvelously narrated, and truly inspiring. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will look for more by this author/narrator
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An extraordinary story told with captivating writing. I couldn't stop listenimg.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It is always wonderful when true stories such as this are illuminated. Great story with wonderful narration.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A wonderful story that needs to be told and shared. This current generation knows nothing about war and sacrifice and how communism and socialism will destroy our world. A must read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It is quite possible that this story of two sisters who risked their lives repeatedly during WWII would have never been told. They were both British citizens but their family moved to France when they were children. Their mother had been French and they would not have succeeded if they had not been bilingual. An old woman who used to be seen walking her dog named Bobby, kept to herself very much. She died in August 2010 in Devon, England. An ordinary funeral was planned for her. But in order to find out who to notify of her death, the police searched her home and found war medals from several different countries. The old woman, Eileen Nearne had worked undercover as a wireless operator sending and receiving messages for the French Resistance. Her older Jaqueline Nearne was the first sent to France as an undercover courier. Both of them were inspired by their older brother signing up.I was really amazed by Jaqueline Nearne’s courage and intelligence. Eileen, aka Didi, was thought to be not smart enough and too naïve for uncover work. That proved to be completely false. She lost her naivety as the seriousness of the danger became real to her and but her intelligence was greatly underestimated. She was extremely brave and determined to survive. I don’t want to disclose any of the details because that would tell too much of the story. The book flashes back to the girls’ childhood and also tells of the other family members but the exciting part is definitely when they both were serving in France, risking their lives and using every bit of intelligent to outwit the Nazis. This book made a big impression on me and has encouraged me to read more about the bravery and intelligence of women during wartime.I received this book from the Publishers as a win from FirstReads but that in no way influenced my thoughts or feelings in my review.
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