The Spy Wore Red

The Spy #1

by Aline, Countess of Romanones

Paperback novel

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Memoir, World War II, Book Club, Espionage

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 12, 1987

About the author

Doña María Aline Griffith Dexter, Countess of Romanones, Grandee of Spain (born Pearl River, NY, 1923) is an American married to a Spanish aristocrat, socialite, writer and spy. She married the Count of Quintanilla in 1947 and they later became the Count and Countess of Romanones.

Aline was born in 1923 in New York, was working as a model when she was recruited to become an OSS agent in Spain where she met and married her late husband. She lives at Pascualete, the country estate of her husband's family, which she painstakingly restored.

Reviews

[Amanda Tero · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is hard to find words to describe this book. Intrigue. Action. Secrecy. Mystery. Culture. Danger. At times, it was hard to believe this book was non-fiction. You just couldn’t make up all this stuff that spies in WWII went through! From Aline’s desire to help in the war to her top-secret training to her mission in Spain... people around her being murdered for their work, her life being threatened, a double agent leading her to suspect every person she worked with... wow! If you like espionage, this book is a great read!

I borrowed this book from a friend, so language was conveniently marked out, but it is in there.

This is not a Christian book. There were references to some forms of religion, but overall, it was neutral on those grounds.

There was a hint of romance, but nothing too focused there. Also, I feared that there may have been some moral compromises, this being a spy trying to get information any way possible. There were passing comments of other agents getting friendly, but it was not really blazoned on the pages, which I appreciated.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

When WWII security official secrets sanctions were lifted, some very interesting books came out, such as Enigma, and biographies of various spymasters whose information changed the course of history. Aline Griffith's story was not unique, as there were many brave women doing dangerous undercover work all over the world then. Hers is certainly one of the most entertaining and glamorous, however. She was recruited by OSS while a 20 year old Hattie Carnegie model in New York. She was groomed and trained to slip naturally into the highest levels of society in Spain, where there was an active Nazi presence. A Cinderella story of a fresh-faced young American girl ultimately marrying into a centuries-old royal family, an exciting story of intrique, romance and danger....this series of four books has it all. The book may be more exciting to those who lived through the war years, and for whom the names and places are familiar. I read the four spy stories in the early 90s,and again a year or two ago, when I discovered them on a bookshelf I was cleaning. They particularly resonated with me because I was a child of 7 on VJ day and news of the war was a constant thing in adults' conversation, on the radio, in the newspapers, and between movies in newsreels. Movies like Notorious and Casablanca glamorized and romantisized the very real intrigue and danger that existed. I had uncles in uniform all over the world, and we knew all the military anthems. When hearing the line from the Marines hymn, "to the shores of Tripoli", our imaginations flew there. While looking for more books by this author, I found her first book, a memoir, The Story of Pascualete, published in Great Britain under the name The Earth Lies Lightly. It continues the wonderful story of her life. After renovating a country estate that had been in her husband's family for 700 years, and neglected for 100, large groups of guests began to be invited frequently. Another guest was danger from the past.....

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

May 26, 2009
I LOVE spy stories--books, movies. I love the intrigue, the danger, the action, and the gadgets. This spy story about a woman spy during WWII was so interesting, mostly because it was true. The gadgets made me sad about how little technology they had in the 1940's--in their training they learned to write with invisible ink, file down their finger and thumb so that they'd have the sensitivity necessary to break into safes, and my personal favorite--they learned to fold a newspaper into a weapon sharp enough to cut the fleshy area on the neck. Somehow I just can't see James Bond using these types of gadgets to his advantage!(spill your secrets, or I'll give you a papercut!)
The U.S. agents were constantly being betrayed by moles. There is a segment in the book where she can't trust ANYONE. That would be very lonely and isolating.
Looking forward to the sequels. Fun.
Good book group pick.

Just read this book again for a different book group. We had a fabulous discussion about it.
I got a lot more out of it about the setting in Spain now that I had actually been there.
Also, in this book discussion setting we talked about how much Countess's g-rated retelling of her spy adventures was accurate? Did she have to sleep with the people she was trying to get information from? Was that part of the job? The male spies in her division certainly did, so why didn't she write about it? Perhaps it made her husband the Count uncomfortable.
Fun story, great discussion.

[Heidi Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely delicious book.

It reads like a spy/espionage movie, only even more thrilling because it’s all true. I could not put this book down!

A clean and captivating read that is most certainly being added to my home library.

The ending was not as I expected, which added to the delight.

[Cherie Miller]

The perfect mystery book to read during a cozy winter, given to me as a Christmas gift by my husband 🫶🏼 The fact that it’s allegedly a true story makes it all the juicier!

[Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much! I’ve been reading and re-reading it since 1998. The first time I read it was in the hospital after I delivered my 2nd son.

It’s never lost it’s magic. Maybe because I space the readings out enough that I always forget who the mole is and I’m always happy in the love story.

It is the perfect spy story if I must say so.

[Sheree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a former American model wandering about the grandest palaces of Europe whilst wearing stilettos, haute couture designer wear and carrying a beretta in her evening bag. Jason Bourne and Jack Bauer could never pull that off! This spy thriller will leave you craving more as you learn a bit of "behind the scenes" activities of the OSS in Spain during WW II. This book includes tales of tea with royalty, intimate dinners with killers, delicate negotiating with Nazi's and avoiding death too many times to count. Sure, some of the charcters may be tweaked a bit so as to not compromise important OSS/unclassified details, but what a life this regular gal from NY lived during the War. This book, although written decades ago, it's fresh, thrilling and a must-read for any spy story enthusiast. This book was just as exciting to read this spring as it was 20 years ago.

[LuAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible story about an incredible woman. Aline Griffith was a model in New York in 1944 when she was recruited by the CIA and became a spy in Spain during WWII. I'm a fan of both espionage and WWII so this was a must read for me and didn't disappoint.

[Tima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aline Griffith wants to join her brothers in helping her country during the war. But she's female and not old enough for the few professions that allow women to help. She complains to a man she meets on a double date and the next thing she knows she's on her way to be trained as a spy.
Sent to Spain to learn the local gossip is the easy part. Telling who is on her side is the hard part.

This book is labeled as non-fiction, but I found that really hard to believe. There are quite a few critics out there saying why they think the book is real or not. But my personal observation begins in the forward. The author freely admits that she's changed circumstances or people to make the story more interesting or to hide the identity of someone.

But if you take the story as fiction it's a very fun and entertaining read. It sheds a little light on to how the people lived during the 40s and keeps you glued the entire book. I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it. You might not believe it's non-fiction, but you will enjoy it.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very intriguing book. I enjoyed reading it a lot. I kept forgetting while I was reading it that the story was true. I kept thinking it was a fiction book, instead of being the non-ficition book that it is. The fact that these events really happened to Aline is what made the book so interesting to me.

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read! It was fast-paced and well developed. My only reservation concerns the author's motivations to deliver a compelling book while sticking to the historical facts. Overall, I learned some interesting things about Spain during the war.

[Carol N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was such a good read. It's a memoir of a young New York woman who becomes a spy in WWII. Wow! She wanted adventure and she got it! Those spy movies you see, well, stuff like that really happens. I've ordered the next book, "The Spy Went Dancing" or something like that. What a character!

[RJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gets four stars, not necessarily for its writing, but for being interesting. The writing is fine: it's clear, and doesn't interfere with the subject matter. I just love espionage, so reading the true story of someone who actually did it was fun for me.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you can get your hands of this book - you will love it. It is one of my all time WWII Favorites. Aline is a model in New York who wants to do more and ends up posing as a spy in Europe - this is her story. I have loaned this book so much that it is held together by threads!

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1943, 20-year-old Aline Griffith, a recent college graduate and model, met John Derby at a dinner party. Her brothers were fighting in World War II and she wanted to travel overseas and be part of the action. Within the month, she was interviewed and ended up in Washington, D.C. She was trained as a spy and sent to Madrid, Spain as an agent of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the predecessor of the CIA. She quickly met famous matador Juan Belmonte, Spanish high society, the wealthy and powerful foreigners, and Edmundo “Top Hat”, her field contact. Code names were used from Magic, Whiskey, Jupiter, and Mozart to protect themselves. This was not a time of games but serious espionage as arrests, disappearances, and deaths ensued. President Franco fought and won a bloody civil war with the support of the Germans and Italians. However, one million Spaniards died in the three-year conflict, and the country was still recovering from the devastation. While Spain was considered neutral, Franco was politically and emotionally aligned with the Nazis. A much needed metal was excavated in northern Spain and shipped to German ammunition factories. The Americans needed Spain to remain neutral. Two invasions were planned in Europe that would effect the war’s outcome. The Germans wanted information as to when and where they would occur. OSS Spain was responsible for the Southern attack. Codes had to be deciphered, subagents recruited, information covertly exchanged, and Nazis and their friends followed. Somebody was leaking information to the Germans. A Gestapo agent was working for an U.S. intelligence group in Spain. Who could Aline (a/k/a Tiger) trust? Who was the agent? Operation Anvil needed to succeed.

The first of three books written of the real life exploits of the Countess of Ramanones was published in 1987. I found her career and life fascinating. She managed to juggle her work and social life easily becoming party of the Spanish society eventually marrying into it and quitting the service.

[Leah Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a fascinating read. This book is written as a memoir although you can find criticisms as to the legitimacy of that claim. Whether it is strictly true or not, it makes for a great read full of intrigue, suspense, and high society. However, I wouldn't recommend it to everyone due to the level of violence and the lack of moral scrupulosity on the part of some of the characters.

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a memoir, but told in way that makes it hard to distinguish fact from fiction, even though it is from the first person POV. Aline is an American model during world war II with two brothers overseas fighting in the war. She wants to be over there as well so when an opportunity to be a spy for the "baby CIA," called the OSS at the time comes up, she jumps at the chance and heads to Washington for training.


This is the part I liked. I liked reading about invisible inks, crawling around on the ground, weapons, and code. Aline also begins a bit of a romance with a fellow operative, nothing really juicy though the man does pop into her window while she is in Spain to steal a kiss. (sigh) The romance stays clean though....for full review, please click the link below.


See full review:
http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2010/...

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this last night. It's for our book club, which is Monday. I ordered it off Barnes and Noble and since it's out of print and I got it from a private seller three weeks ago, it hasn't come. So I found another copy and with under less than a week to do, I started reading it last night.

I was worried I wouldn't be able to put it down, but I read 175 pages last night, stayed up until 1 am in the morning reading it when I had to be up for work early. It is so much fun to read: WWII espionage, pretty American model turned spy--and it's based on a true story. I cannot put it down. I want to sneak and read it under my desk at work now.

Oh, and it's based on a true story which is really fun.

[julieannpatterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I always recommend when people ask if I've read anything worthwhile lately. Reading it is like watching a good Alfred Hitchcock movie. It describes the thrilling tale of an average woman (okay, she was drop-dead gorgeous) who is recruited by the OSS to spy in Spain during WWII. It is based on a true story and my husband even liked it. That is saying something. The sequel is fun too. PG for peril and swearing.

[amypete · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe a 2.5. I listened to this book, and I think that makes the experience quite different. I found her writing to be quite affected and somewhat melodramatic, and I doubt the authenticity of some of her experiences as remembered here. But I found the story (a young woman works for a CIA-like governmental agency in Spain during WWII) intriguing. Some flamboyant and interesting characters, but I won't be reading her other books.

[Jacque · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a long time ago when I was in junior high and have read it again since then. I love how it is based on real events of a female spy during WWII while it is written to read more like a fiction book.

[Jolene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery/Spy. Recommended to me by Jodi Burke in the Harvest Park 2nd Ward. It was a story based off of a woman's experiences as a spy in World War 11. It was very captivating, and I finished it in three days, staying up late into the night. It left me wanting to read her other two books.

[Alicia Heatwole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sure enjoyed this one! Written in the style of a mystery novel, this is a book I got impatient with the audio and wished for a physical copy, so I could read faster and find out who the double agent was. :)
Not a fan of the light view of human life.

[Beth Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a riveting spy story that doesn't spare any details. I found the less familiar connections to Spain in WWII to be intriguing. Based on the language and immorality present in the story, I would recommend this only to a mature adult reader.

[Norlene Knepp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting true account of a spy in World War II. So exciting that I almost had a hard time believing it was true.

[Joe Spoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this book is non-fiction, it read like a novel. The characters are interesting and the story was full of intrigue and suspense. It is not bogged down with unnecessary details.

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun with this autobiography by Aline Romanones, who has recently died. It takes place relatively late in WW2, mostly in a Madrid that would probably be unrecognizable today - without cars and still retaining stately palacios along the Castellana. The window into the wealthy globetrotter society (many of whom were spies) was James Bondish. Aline came from a family of more modest means, saying she never had a room of her own until she was sent to Spain by the OSS. She learned her social graces in spy school and had a familiarity with style from her work as a model, though models, it seemed, were not supposed to move in high Spanish society. I was a little surprised by the number of Mexicans among the hoi polloi and by the presence of Japanese spies such as the Lisbon harbor rats who would wait for a boat (or a PanAm flying boat) to be struck, then move in, ignoring cries for help among survivors, while grabbing any sensitive information they could find.

[Jessicahumphries · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of a undercover woman living in Spain during WWII. It is interesting how Aline worked as a spy and got to know powerful people in Europe at the time and went to parties to learn more about them. I got really into her different love interests and wondered who she really liked, who really liked her, and who were just spying. It was hard to know who to trust. So I was amazed that this is a memoir of a real woman that this story actually happened to. I had to keep reminding myself of that as I read it. I do wonder how much was filled in or elaborated over the years, but she says she tried to stick to the story.

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, thank you for telling us about it Tonia. I always like a good adventure, and when it is a true story it makes it that much better. When I was looking to help Joshua find books he liked we read a lot of books covering WWII, and it is a time era a actually enjoy, I also really like history as well. This is the first book I read that really showed the involvement of women, most of the ones Joshua and I read where more about the soldiers, generals, and the battles. Even Three Against Hitler was still young men.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aline is an American girl who volunteers to help fight the Nazis during the war. She is recruited to become a spy and is sent to Spain. During her training she learns to ditch someone who is tailing her, kill if needed, fight to escape etc. She tells her tale in a matter-of-fact manner with details and names familiar to anyone who has learned about the WWII. It's a fascinating book that I am delighted to have come across. I had no idea the role Spain had in the war, so I feel not only entertained, but educated. A real-life spy book that is hard to put down.