A Cool and Lonely Courage, Susan Ottaway
A Cool and Lonely Courage, Susan Ottaway
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
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A Cool and Lonely Courage
The Untold Story of Sister Spies in Occupied France

Author: Susan Ottaway

Narrator: Catherine Harvey

Unabridged: 9 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/30/2014


Synopsis

The incredible true story of British special agents Eileen and Jacqueline Nearne, sisters who risked everything to fight for freedom during the Second World War.

When elderly recluse Eileen Nearne died, few suspected that the quiet little old lady was a decorated WWII war hero. Volunteering to serve for British intelligence at age 21, Eileen was posted to Nazi-occupied France to send encoded messages of crucial importance for the Allies, until her capture by the Gestapo.

Eileen was not the only agent in her family; her sister Jacqueline was a courier for the French resistance. While Jacqueline narrowly avoided arrest, Eileen was tortured by the Nazis, then sent to the infamous Ravensbrvºck women's concentration camp. Astonishingly, this resourceful young woman eventually escaped her captors and found her way to the advancing American army.

In this amazing true story of triumph and tragedy, Susan Ottaway unveils the secret lives of two sisters who sacrificed themselves to defend their country.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jess on April 06, 2017

I read this in two sittings. The courage of these two sisters is unbelievable. I was trying to imagine how fast my heart would be racing if I had to carry a wireless set through a Gestapo spot check. This begins with the account of the death of a solitary 89 year old woman in Torquay. Neighbours kne......more

Goodreads review by Gail on October 16, 2014

My ratings for this book have dropped. Originally, I was going to give it 5 stars. The more I read, though, the more it began to annoy me. The subject matter is quite fascinating since it involves two sisters who were agents of the British Special Operations Executive during World War II. What they......more

Goodreads review by Wendy on February 12, 2015

Out of the various SOE biographies I picked out this one because the mystery of Eileen Nearne, after her death in Torquay, had been on our local Devon news and I was intrigued to read her story. But although the book was well researched with a lot of information, I found it disappointing. The writin......more

Goodreads review by Tracy on August 04, 2019

A non fiction book that chronicles the experience of two sisters. The sisters lived very different experiences and it was fascinating to hear about the contribution of women in World War II.......more

Goodreads review by Darlene on September 20, 2018

A very informative book. The bravery of the SOE was mind blowing.......more