Tales of Yesterday

Historical Fiction Book Club

Join us for our Historical Fiction Book Club! This month's book is Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon.

Travel back in time with our historical fiction book club! From political intrigue to daring romances, every month we visit a different period in time. Join us this December for Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon.

"Told in interweaving timelines organized around the four code names Nancy used during the war, Code Name Helene 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. She is fighting to cover the disturbing reports of violence coming out of Vienna and Berlin 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 she smuggles people and documents across borders under the guise of an oblivious mistress. Soon enough the Gestapo hears of a female operative with a remarkable ability to evade capture, and Nancy earns a new nickname: The White Mouse. But this one carries with it a five million franc bounty on her head. Forced to escape France and leave Henri behind for the safety of both of them, Nancy enters training with the Special Operations Executives, who transform her into Helene. Finally, with mission in hand, Nancy is airdropped back into France as the deadly Madam Andre. She soon becomes one of the most powerful leaders in the French Resistance, known for her ferocious wit, her signature red lipstick, and her 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 - will become."--Publisher description.

Copies of the book can be picked up at the front desk at the Connie Morella Library, or you can borrow a digital copy from our online collection here.

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