Sonia Purnell – författare

''A METICULOUS HISTORY THAT READS LIKE A THRILLER'' BEN MACINTYRE, TEN BEST BOOKS TO READ ABOUT WORLD WAR II An astounding story of heroism, spycraft, resistance and personal triumph over shocking adversity. ''A rousing tale of derring-do'' THE TIMES * ''Riveting'' MICK HERRON * ''Superb'' IRISH TIMES THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERIn September 1941, a young American woman strides up the steps of a hotel in Lyon, Vichy France. Her papers say she is a journalist. Her wooden leg is disguised by a determined gait and a distracting beauty. She is there to spark the resistance.By 1942 Virginia Hall was the Gestapo''s most urgent target, having infiltrated Vichy command, trained civilians in guerrilla warfare and sprung soldiers from Nazi prison camps. The first woman to go undercover for British SOE, her intelligence changed the course of the war - but her fight was still not over. This is a spy history like no other, telling the story of the hunting accident that disabled her, the discrimination she fought and the secret life that helped her triumph over shocking adversity.''A cracking story about an extraordinarily brave woman'' TELEGRAPH''Gripping ... superb ... a rounded portrait of a complicated, resourceful, determined and above all brave woman'' IRISH TIMESWINNER of the PLUTARCH AWARD FOR BEST BIOGRAPHY

An electrifying re-examination of one of the twentieth century''s greatest unsung power players, from the bestselling author of A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCENAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN, TELEGRAPH, ECONOMIST, FINANCIAL TIMES, MAIL ON SUNDAY, DAILY EXPRESS, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, SPECTATOR, IRISH EXAMINER, LONDON STANDARD, NEW YORKER, POLITICO, APPLE BOOKS, TOWN & COUNTRY and OLDIE''Supremely enjoyable ... With a historian''s eye for rigour, a journalist''s for detail and a storyteller''s for drama'' FINANCIAL TIMES''Rich and riveting'' GUARDIAN, BEST BIOGRAPHIES AND MEMOIRS OF 2024 ''I''ve been gobbling up Kingmaker ... For years, Pamela''s achievements were overshadowed by gossipy whispers about her past. Finally, she has a book that is worthy of her'' ELIZABETH DAY''Exhilarating'' MAIL ON SUNDAY, BOOKS OF THE YEAR ''Anna Karenina meets West Wing'' IRISH EXAMINER, BOOKS OF THE YEARWhen Pamela Churchill Harriman died in 1997, the obituaries that followed were scathing - and often downright sexist. Written off as a social climber, her glamorous social life and infamous erotic adventures overshadowed her true legacy. Much of what she did behind the scenes to shape the twentieth century, on both sides of the Atlantic, remained invisible. That is, until now: with a wealth of fresh research, Sonia Purnell unveils for the first time the full, spectacular story of how Harriman left an indelible mark on the world today.There is practically no-one in twentieth-century politics, culture and fashion whose lives she did not touch. Her influence began at age twenty, when her father-in-law, Winston Churchill, engaged her as a "secret weapon" during World War II, wining, dining and seducing Americans over to the British cause against Hitler. It continued later in the US, where she hand-picked Bill Clinton from obscurity and vaulted him to the presidency. It extended further, over five decades and two continents, influencing figures like the Kennedys, Nelson Mandela, Truman Capote, Gianni Agnelli, Kay Graham, Gloria Steinem and Frank Sinatra.Written with the novelistic richness and investigative rigour that only Sonia Purnell could bring to this story full of sex, power, yachts, palaces and fabulous clothes, Kingmaker sets out Harriman''s rightful place at the heart of recent history.****''Rigorous but rollicking'' NEW YORK TIMES''Everyone I know on both sides of the Atlantic seems to be devouring Kingmaker'' TINA BROWN''An incredible story, beautifully told, of a remarkable woman whose political influence spanned Churchill to Clinton. Quite a woman, quite a read'' ALASTAIR CAMPBELL''Superb and fascinating. I can''t recommend it more'' LADY ANNE GLENCONNER, bestselling author of Lady in Waiting''Fascinating and revelatory, written with great aplomb, insight and shrewd analysis. A triumph'' WILLIAM BOYD''As compelling as its subject'' TLS'' Riveting and revelatory'' THE NEW YORKER''An alluring new biography'' THE ECONOMIST''Purnell''s research is impeccable'' SPECTATOR''Kingmaker is on to something important. Successful women are judged differently than men'' AMANDA FOREMAN, GUARDIAN''Sympathetic, well-researched, busily peopled'' OBSERVER BOOK OF THE DAY''Vivid'' NEW STATESMAN

In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: “She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her.” The target in their sights was Virginia Hall, a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed Winston Churchill’s “Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” She became the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and–despite her prosthetic leg–helped to light the flame of the French Resistance, revolutionizing secret warfare as we know it. Virginia established vast spy networks throughout France, called weapons and explosives down from the skies, and became a linchpin for the Resistance. Even as her face covered wanted posters and a bounty was placed on her head, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped through a death-defying hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown. But she plunged back in, adamant that she had more lives to save, and led a victorious guerilla campaign, liberating swathes of France from the Nazis after D-Day. Based on new and extensive research, Sonia Purnell has for the first time uncovered the full secret life of Virginia Hall–an astounding and inspiring story of heroism, spycraft, resistance, and personal triumph over shocking adversity. A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman’s fierce persistence helped win the war.