Code Name Hélène ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon

Note she's facing forward.
See side note below

G👀dreads

Told in interweaving timelines organized around the four code names Nancy used during the war, Code Name Hélène 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 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 Nancy smuggles people and documents across the border. Her success and her remarkable ability to evade capture earns her the nickname THE WHITE MOUSE from the Gestapo. With a five million franc bounty on her head, Nancy is forced to escape France and leave Henri behind. When she enters training with the Special Operations Executives in Britain, her new comrades are instructed to call her HÉLÈNE. And finally, with mission in hand, Nancy is airdropped back into France as the deadly MADAM ANDRÉ, where she claims her place as one of the most powerful leaders in the French Resistance, armed with a ferocious wit, her signature red lipstick, and the 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--become.

Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII, France
Dual Timelines: 1936 and 1944

Side Note - Book cover: *Note she is facing forward*. I noticed this right away because in the HF FB page, people have mentioned (with annoyance) that typically FMC is shown from the back, not her face. So of course, I Googled it! This walking away stance is intentional for a few reasons. 

  • Reader Identification - By obscuring the character's face, the publisher allows the reader to project their own mental image, making it easier to imagine themselves in the role and the setting.
  • Focus on the setting and journey.
  • Aesthetics and Cost - Showing a face requires more effort and cost for the cover artist to ensure it matches the author's description and doesn't look too modern for the time period.
  • Avoid Reader Bias - Readers may form strong, potentially negative, reactions to a face that doesn't appeal to them, leading them to put the book down. [Seriously?]
  • Genre Signaling - the woman in period costume facing away has become an established visual shorthand for the HF genre. 
For this book she broke the mold to emphasize key aspects of Nancy Wake's extraordinary story.
  • Agency and Defiance - Known for her boldness and direct action, a forward-facing pose symbolizes her taking charge and confronting danger head-on, rather than simply moving through a setting or escaping it.
  • Confrontation -  Eye contact (or the suggestion of it) creates an immediate, strong connection with the reader. "I am here, and I am the one in charge".
  • Breaking the Mold - The design choice reflects the subject matter itself. Nancy Wake defied traditional gender roles and refused to fade into the background.
  • Signature Style - The cover's emphasis on her red lipstick ties directly into her character's use of "Victory Red" as a form of personal armor.  
Another side note: "Victory Red" lipstick was a real thing.💄💋 It was created by Elizabeth Arden during WWII for U.S. military women to boost morale and symbolize patriotism. Now reproduced by other brands as a symbol of strength and vintage glamour.

Day 2: 50% mark and I'm loving this story, but I don't understand why she did a dual timeline. I would have preferred linear. It's only eight years apart and not presented as flashbacks.
I do like dual timeline when they make sense. For example the current going back to solve a mystery or family secret. Or like The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes (here) which had a triple timeline and it worked well. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🎉 Overall Enjoyment? 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎊

🎣 Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣

🗣️Would I recommend it to anyone? Yes ➕

🕮 Would I want a sequel? No ➖ No, however in the author's notes at the end she encourages you go read Nancy Wake's biography. I probably won't. 

📚 Would I want to read more books by this author?  Yes ➕, but need to take a break from WWII for a minute. She writes all HF but not all WWII.

💣💥 📢 Triᵷᵷer Warnings? Typical WWII triᵷᵷer warnings. I've been wanting to listen to this one for a long time because of the great reviews in my HF group. I've been putting it off due to the t0rturɇ scenes. Most TWs don't bother me but I have a difficult time getting through graphically descriptive t0rturɇ scenes. We shall see if I can hang in there.
Day 2: 50% update - so far I've made it through two. 
End of Book: Yes, I made it to the end. Cringe. I think there were four spaced out.

🌶 Spice? A little spice light. 🫑

🌪 Plot Twist? No

👟 Pace? Good

💻 Tidbits ~ What a great warrior Nancy Wake was. She snapped off one liners and wore her confidence like she wore her red lipstick. Like a shield of armor. She was a reporter for Hearst and covering the reports of violence in Vienna and Berlin. When she sees it with her own eyes her heart puts her in the thick of it. She can't just write about it, she has to do something about it.
In 1943 she was #1 on the Gɇstap0's most-wanted list with a large bounty on her head.

This was not only a war story, it was a love story and a story of deep friendship.
Henri and her little dog Picon were the true loves of her life. 
I was glad their love story occupied part of the book and it wasn't just another WWII narrative. 

In the authors notes at the end she says people always ask her about the dog. Yes, the dog (Picon) was real and survived the war. He went on to live a long life with her. 

The only thing I did not enjoy was the non-linear storytelling. 
I do enjoy a dual timeline story when it makes sense but this one didn't flow for me being only eight years apart. It wasn't like flashbacks, it was just toggling back and forth.

Overall it was Ducky! IYKYK. IYDK, Ducky was a nickname one of her close friends and fellow journalist called her.

🎧Barrie Kreinik, Peter Ganim 
Narration was great. 👍👍

🎧17.17 hours 🕮 464 pages

MY EXTRAS


Nancy Wake was the most decorated service woman in WWII. 
She died of a chest infection in 2011 at age 98.

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