Group Reads Discussion - Code Name Hélène

[SRC Moderator, Moderator]

This is the discussion thread for the Spring 2024 Group Read Code Name Hélène in the category Fiction: Biographical Fiction. Please post your comments here. This thread is not restricted to those choosing this book for task 20.10, feel free to join in the discussion. Warning- spoilers ahead!

The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.

[Andy]

Andy P.
Task # 20.10 Group Reads
It is hard to find a novel about WWII that has something new to say but I believe that Ariel Lawson has done it. This book is obviously well researched and as the author's comments at the end of the book , her story is based on what really happened without stuffing the text full of disclaimers or voicing her own thoughts as commentary. Would that more authors would take her approach

[Andy]

Andy P.
Task # 20.10 Group Reads
It is hard to find a novel about WWII that has something new to say but I believe that Ariel Lawson has done it. This book is obviously well researched and as the author's comments at the end of the book , her story is based on what really happened without stuffing the text full of disclaimers or voicing her own thoughts as commentary. Would that more authors would take her approach

[Tammy AZ]

I'll probably be in the minority on this but I didn't care for this book. I'm glad I learned about an historical figure I hadn't heard about and her life is certainly very interesting. That said I thought the arrangement of the book took away from the narrative of her life. Maybe it was because I was listening and couldn't page back and forth between the timelines but I spent so much energy trying to figure out where she was at in her life that it took away from what she accomplished. I will definitely take the author's recommendation and look for her autobiography.

[JenJ]

JenJ IA

Code Name Helene and the story of Nancy Wake during WWII was a book that I am glad I read to expand my knowledge of this part of history. Ariel Lawhon did a fantastic job of layering the timelines of the story in such a way that made the story even more interesting. It is not a light read and there is a lot to keep track of throughout the book. This is the second book I have read by Ariel Lawhon and I will continue to explore other books she has written.

[Cindie]

It took me a long time to finish this book, but it is not the book's fault. I finished it last night and it blew my mind to know Nancy Wake was a real person. I may be the only person who did not know anything about her. Ariel Lawhon did an amazing job of bringing the character to life (again, apparently) and I can't wait to make my way through the biographies and autobiography that informed Ariel's take.

[Lisa]

Thank you to Ariel Lawhon for bringing the story and life of Nancy Wake, the White Mouse, to light. I have read many nonfiction and historical fiction accounts of WWII and I continue to be amazed by the courage, ingenuity, and sacrifices of the individuals I meet on the pages. Nancy Wake deserves to be remembered.

I enjoyed the way the story unfolded with alternating timelines that eventually came full circle and ended where we began. I thought it added tension and dimension to Nancy/Noncee's drama, because it added to the secrecy of her mission.

I''ve had this on my TBR for years, and after reading The Frozen River by Lawhon, I decided I needed to make this one a priority. I'm glad I did. My rating: 5 stars

[KSMary]

I ultimately settled on 4 stars for this book. It started off very slow but became better as you went along. Not fully decided if I think the book would have been better if it had followed a more linear timeline rather than the back and forth. There is something to be said about not revealing too much at one time but I think had I been listening to it, I would have felt differently. I had never heard of Nancy Wake before but WWII stories typically draw me in. It was a bit more graphic than I expected.

[Tess]

I enjoy reading WWII history and fiction set in that time period. I had to do a little research at the beginning of the book to see how it was set up. Once I did that, I began to really enjoy the story.

[Amy]

I'm with Tammy on this as she summed up my feelings exactly. While the main character, Nancy, was heroic and led an amazing life, the book didn't evoke any emotion from me. Jumping back and forth between years where a character is killed and then suddenly alive again is confusing, especially when listening to an audiobook. I've read many books about WWII, but this one wasn't among my favorites.

[Lindsey]

This book was surprising, in a good way. I had no idea there were any women who played such a role as Nancy's in WWII. The author's note was the best part - finding out that Nancy was a real person and not just an exaggerated composite of several women and that she has an autobiography - I put it on my to read list. However, it was heartbreaking to know that the story of losing her husband was a true story. I do that the author included the detail that Nancy's dog (Piquant?) survived and lived well beyond the end of the book.

I really liked the love story between Nancy and her husband - Henri, I think? (I listened to the audiobook, so I'm not too sure how a lot of the names were spelled.)

I did find the book a little hard to follow with the jumping timelines and locations, especially as an audiobook, but a re-read would make everything very clear, and I was able to follow well enough to stay interested and get emotionally involved to some degree.

Can't say it was a favorite read, but I definitely don't regret reading since I feel like I learned a lot.

[Stacey Lee]

Task 20.10 Group Reads

This book is exactly the kind of book I enjoy reading about the history of WWII. I've read a few other books which talk about the involvement of women in the war and the different roles they've played and I'm always fascinated by their contributions - women are amazing!
I liked that Ariel Lawhon included the two different timelines and then went back and forth between the two - I found it provided context for the story as a whole but with just the right amount of information without overwhelming the narrative.
At the end of the book the author includes additional information about her research into Nancy's story, which included reference to other text's about her life; I'm looking forward to taking time to further my knowledge about Nancy's contributions to WWII.

[Karen D]

This was not my favorite of Ariel Lawson's books. I read this early in the challenge and realized that I never posted my thoughts on it...and as I come back to try to do that, I find that I don't actually remember that much about it. There's so much WWII fiction out there, and this one didn't stand out all that much to me.

That said (after re-reading the summary and reminding myself about what happened) I do appreciate this kind of story that tells about the amazing things women did during that time. I do like stories with alternating timelines, that's always a fun way to tell a story and build suspense. But like one of the other reviewed here mentioned, while I appreciate the story, I didn't necessarily have any emotional investment.

Worth reading, but this isn't a book I'd make a huge priority.