Born vera maria rosenberg in bucharest, romania, atkins took her mothers family name to disguise her jewish heritage. The life of vera atkins, the greatest female secret agent of. Born vera maria rosenberg in bucharest, she became vera atkins, legendary spy and holder of the legion of honor. Soes spymistress, vera atkins stana katic, recruits. Here agents penetrated deep behind enemy lines, aided, resistance fighters, destroyed vital targets, helped allied pilots evade capture and radioed information back to london. Spymistress by william stevenson new york times bestseller. He was so impressed by what she told him, about covert operations and codebreaking, that he personally gave fdr his strong impression of her and that was a key factor. The life of vera atkins, the greatest female secret. Jun 26, 2008 but in spymistress, the hitherto unknown vera atkins, a covert operations officer, got the sole role, in fact the starring role, in the grand encounter.
Vera atkins called the 39 female british spies she recruited, trained, and placed in the field her girls, but to the rest of the world, they didnt exist. Vera may atkins cbe 16 june 1908 24 june 2000 was a romanianborn british intelligence officer who worked in the france section of the special operations executive soe from 1941 to 1945 during the second world war at the start of the war, she was part of the british team which evacuated polands enigma code breakers with their reverse engineered replica enigma machines across the. Firstly it is the author sarah helms journey to discover the real vera atkins who she met only once in 1998. The true story of the greatest female secret agent of world war ii by william stevenson at indigo. A tale of espionage and unsung valor, this is the true story of vera atkins, great britains spymistress from the age of 25. The spymistress peppered with interactions between lizzie and wellknown historic figures, jennifer chiaverinis latest bestseller will thrill civil war buffs and anyone who loves reading about american history and the contribution of women to the momentous events that formed this country. With sarah megan thomas, stana katic, radhika apte, linus roache. Spymistress is the biography, memoir and history book which shares the stories of the vera atkins who was in charge of special operations executive. The story of vera atkins, legendary spy and holder of the legion of honor she was stunning. It is not very often that i do not finish a book but this one is going to be one of the few. But vera atkinss central role was hidden until after she died. Recruited by william stevensonthe spymaster who would later come to be known as intrepidwhen she was only twentythree, vera spent much of the 1930s running.
Her fierce intellect, personal courage, and facility with languages quickly. Spymistress by william stevenson pdf download ebookscart. In the beginning of wwii, with britain becoming desperate, churchill orders his new spy agency the special operations executive soe to recruit and train women as spies. The title is a life in secrets vera atkins and the missing agents of. The life of vera atkins, the greatest female secret agent of world war ii 9781559707633 by stevenson, william and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading a life in secrets. Spymistress is the memoir, biography, military and history book which contains the stories of a powerful lady who served in world war ii. William stevenson promised to wait and publish her story posthumously. But vera atkins s central role has been hidden until after she died. Aug 02, 20 vera atkins called the 39 female british spies she recruited, trained, and placed in the field her girls, but to the rest of the world, they didnt exist. Vera may atkins cbe 16 june 1908 24 june 2000 was a romanianborn british intelligence officer who worked in the france section of the special operations executive soe from 1941 to 1945 during the second world war. The story of vera atkins, legendary spy and holder of the. Born vera maria rosenberg in bucharest, she became vera atkins, legendary.
Spymistress is less about its ostensible subject vera atkins, another second world war spy than it is about espionage and irregular warfare in. Churchills line about russia, that it was a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, is an apt description of this fascinating book about spymaster vera atkins and the missing agents of wwii. With her fierce intelligence, blunt manner, personal courage, and exceptional informants, vera ran countless. Spymistress book calgary public library bibliocommons. The new york times bestseller by the author of a man called intrepid ideal for fans of nancy wake, virginia hall, the last goodnight by howard blum, the woman who smashed codes, the wolves at the door by judith pearson, and similar works shares. In the real world of spies, vera atkins was the boss. Now, vera atkins can be celebrated and known for the hero she was. Spymistress the life of vera atkins, the greatest female secret agent of world war ii book. Spymistress book washington county cooperative library. Recruited by william stevensonthe spymaster who would later come to be known as intrepidwhen she was only twentythree, vera spent much of the 1930s running countless perilous espionage missions.
Another book on world war ii by william stevenson, the author of the phenomenally successful but utterly unreliable a man called intrepid, will. The true story of the greatest female secret agent of world war ii paperback nov 1 2011. Ian fleming every bit as fascinating and shot through with ambiguity as a spy novel. The true story of the greatest female secret agent of world war ii, by william stevenson. Spymistress book by william stevenson official publisher. A rousing tale of espionage and unsung valor, this is the captivating true story of vera atkins, great britains spymistress from the age of 25.
Description of spymistress by william stevenson pdf. After rising to the leadership echelon in the special operations executive soe, a covert intelligence agency. Vera atkins and the missing agents of wwii is a book about journeys. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Spymistress the true story of the greatest female secret agent of world war ii ebook. The true story of the greatest female secret agent of world war ii. The life of vera atkins, the greatest female secret agent of world war ii by william stevenson 1,148 ratings, 3. The true story of the greatest female secret agent of world war ii by william stevenson isbn. Atkins is the basis for diana lynd in susan elia macneals novel the paris spy. She had a steel trap for a mind and a will of iron.
Spymistress new york times bestseller by the author of a man called intrepid. William stevenson a portrait of world war ii british spy vera atkins describes her recruitment at the age of twentyfive by a legendary spymaster, her work within winston churchills covert intelligence agency, and. The new york times bestseller by the author of a man called intrepidideal for fans of nancy wake, virginia hall, the last goodnight by howard blum, the woman who smashed codes, the wolves at the door by judith pearson, and similar works. A rousing tale of espionage and unsung valor, this is the captivating true story of vera atkins, great britains. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. A rousing tale of espionage and unsung valor, this is the captivating. Believe the blurb, and vera atkins is a wartime heroine rescued from obscurity by an old pal. A life in secrets tells the riveting story of the heroic agents who parachuted into france to aid the antinazi resistance.
Wartime espionage secrets and spies books and arts the. Every bit as fascinating and shot through with ambiguity as a spy novel. The life of vera atkins, the greatest female secret agent of world war ii. But vera atkins s central role was hidden until after she died. Author william stevenson promised to wait and publish her story posthumously. A portrait of world war ii british spy vera atkins describes her recruitment at the age of twentyfive by the legendary spymaster william stephenson, code name intrepid, her work within winston churchills covert intelligence agency and her pivotal work for allied forces. Jan 04, 2007 her life as a spy vera atkins was a sphinx to those who knew her, but as a superb new biography reveals, the gallant spymistress of world war ii was driven by personal secrets and loyalties. Vera atkins and the missing agents of wwii kindle edition by helm, sarah. Vera may atkins cbe 16 june 1908 24 june 2000 was a romanianborn british. Vera atkins, according to spymistress, got wind and recruited her for the.
The story of vera atkins, legendary spy and holder of the legion of honor. Spymistress book chicago public library bibliocommons. Spymistress book douglas county libraries bibliocommons. Recruited at the age of twentythree by legendary spymaster william stephenson code name. Spymistress book by william stevenson official publisher page. During world war ii, the french section of special operations executive soe depended on this secrecy. The life of vera atkins, the greatest female secret agent of world war ii from the worlds largest community of readers. Spymistress ebook by william stevenson rakuten kobo. During wwii, she became great britains spymistress. But vera atkinss central role has been hidden until after she died. The new york times bestseller by the author of a man called intrepidideal for fans of nancy wake, virginia hall, the last goodnight by howard blum, the woman who smashed codes, the wolves at the door by judith pearson, and similar worksshares the story of vera atkins, legendary spy and holder of the legion of honorwritten by william stevenson, the only person whom she trusted to write her.
Five badass female spies who deserve their own world war ii. Atkins that im currently reading that is far more readable and enjoyable, and provides a much better portrait of this very complicated woman. The true story of the greatest female secret agent of world war ii in new york journal of books. Her fierce intellect, personal courage, and facility with. With her fierce intelligence, blunt manner, personal courage, and exceptional informants, vera ran countless missions throughout the 1930s. Spymistress by william stevenson fantastic fiction.
Nov 15, 2006 a tale of espionage and unsung valor, this is the true story of vera atkins, great britains spymistress from the age of 25. But in spymistress, the hitherto unknown vera atkins, a covert operations officer, got the sole role, in fact the starring role, in the grand encounter. Readers of william stevensons 1976 book a man called intrepid, about a canadianborn second world war spy for the british named, oddly enough, william stephenson will find themselves in familiar territory with the authors newest title. The story of vera atkins, legendary spy and holder of. Spymistress is less about its ostensible subject vera atkins, another second world war spy than it is about espionage and irregular warfare in general. Spymistress book hennepin county library bibliocommons. The true story of the greatest female secret agent of world war ii stevenson, william on. The life of vera atkins, the greatest female secret agent of world war ii by william stevenson 2008, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. Sep 19, 2017 in this podcast, we will be discussing the book spymistress. Intrepid vera atkins undertook countless perilous missions in the 1930s. Her fierce intellect, personal courage, and facility with languages. The life of vera atkins, the greatest female secret agent of world war ii spymistress. Born vera maria rosenberg in bucharest, she became vera atkins.
519 1280 920 969 1357 285 132 552 181 1581 197 1078 601 1267 1065 444 286 198 1596 1611 1379 1020 1485 325 42 318 1381 1325 1063 922 77 248 37 349 430 1165 1303 527 821 1259 1303 977 412 734 457 666 552 874 1495 1229 1169