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Book Summary and Reviews of The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck

The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck

The Invisible Woman

A WWII Novel

by Erika Robuck

  • Published:
  • Feb 2021, 368 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

In the depths of war, she would defy the odds to help liberate a nation…a gripping historical novel based on the remarkable true story of World War II heroine Virginia Hall, from the bestselling author of Hemingway's Girl.

France, March 1944. Virginia Hall wasn't like the other young society women back home in Baltimore—she never wanted the debutante ball or silk gloves. Instead, she traded a safe life for adventure in Europe, and when her beloved second home is thrust into the dark days of war, she leaps in headfirst.

Once she's recruited as an Allied spy, subverting the Nazis becomes her calling. But even the most cunning agent can be bested, and in wartime trusting the wrong person can prove fatal. Virginia is haunted every day by the betrayal that ravaged her first operation, and will do everything in her power to avenge the brave people she lost.

While her future is anything but certain, this time more than ever Virginia knows that failure is not an option. Especially when she discovers what—and whom—she's truly protecting.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. What most moved you reading The Invisible Woman? Which character will stay with you the longest?
  2. Identity is a central theme in The Invisible Woman. Discuss how Virginia changes as she moves through each part of her journey—from Artemis to Diane to la Madone to Virginia.
  3. Virginia's life would have been extraordinary on its own, but adding the fact that she had a prosthetic leg takes it to another level. Discuss what most struck you about her condition and how it made her more vulnerable in some ways and stronger in others.
  4. In wartime, to advance their causes, soldiers, spies, and resistors sometimes engage in unsavory practices or behaviors that would be considered immoral under normal circumstances. Which of ...
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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Robuck delivers an edge-of-the-seat WWII spy story based on the life of OSS agent Virginia Hall. Skillfully weaving events from the agent's past with the tension-filled days and nights of 1944, Robuck creates an indelible portrait of an unforgettable hero." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Full of heart, this is a harrowing tale of survival and bravery during one of the world's darkest times." —Booklist

"Erika Robuck's electrifying thriller The Invisible Woman is...an epic that is deeply engrossing." —Shelf Awareness

"A alpha female heroine, along with an engaging plot loaded with realism, makes for a captivating historical thriller.  Even better, it's all drawn from the life of a real American hero." —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Protocol

"In this captivating, page-turning read, the talented Erika Robuck plunges her readers deep into the little-known, critical espionage undertaken by the brilliant and brave spy Virginia Hall during World War II. The Invisible Woman shines a light on this courageous historical woman, whose pioneering work as an agent deserves recognition." —Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Woman in the Room

This information about The Invisible Woman was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

Erika Robuck

Erika Robuck is the national bestselling author of Receive Me Falling, Hemingway's Girl, Call Me Zelda, Fallen Beauty, and The House of Hawthorne. She is a contributor to the anthology Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion and to the Writer's Digest essay collection, Author in Progress. In 2014, Robuck was named Annapolis' Author of the Year, and she resides there with her husband and three sons.

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