When I read the synopsis of this book, I remember wondering how much could happen to one woman. Then when you read Madge’s story you realize she did and so much more!! As a reader, I was constantly in amazement to her strength and gumption! This book was very well researched and written. A great addition to my history reads.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

As more people discover those who fought behind the scenes, I am here to learn about those quiet heroes that helped make the world a better and safer place.
Madge Addy was a woman who lived many lives--nurse, currier, spy, wife--sometimes simultaneously. She's a woman many probably never heard of and yet, she was willing to take the fight straight into the Reich's belly.
With photos of her and letters she wrote requesting medical aid for those in hiding as well as soldiers, Addy took huge risks, but her efforts, helped bring the monsters of WWII to its knees.
Chris Hall's great research, photos, and presentation kept me wondering how many more we've yet to hear about and had me hoping Hall would write about more of the unsung heroes that changed the course of the war and the world.

*I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher for an honest review of this book.

Very interesting read about not only the resistance activities of WW2, but also the Spanish Civil War (of which I knew nothing about) and medical practices of the time. Well written and engaging, I enjoyed this. A solid 4 stars.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. My opinions are my own and never influenced by anyone. Ever.

I have read tons of books about the heroic men and women of WWII and a few about WWI. The thing that delights me most is no matter what or how much I read about these subjects there is always something or someone new to discover. The number of men and women that did their duty, be it quietly, unnoticed in the background, or boldly up at the front lines is seemingly endless. The more I read and learn the more I find to keep reading and learning. This book is no exception!
Madge Addy was an extraordinary women! A woman of firm beliefs in right and wrong, a woman that wasn't afraid to stand up and fight for those beliefs. She started out volunteering to fight against Fascism, performing as a nurse in the Republican medical services during the Spanish Civil War. Even becoming for a short time a POW of the war. After the Spanish Civil War, Madge was living in Paris with her second husband Wilhelm Holst when the second WW broke out. They fled Paris when it became clear that the French would be defeated, landing in Marseilles where they quickly became involved with the resistance, helping trapped British soldiers escape and resisting the puppet Vichy government and German occupation.
Madge played many roles in the resistance and became a full fledged agent/spy, performing heroic acts, acting as courier delivering secret messages, setting up escape lines, helping compromised agents escape France. These are only of few of the activities she was involved in.
Her story is a story of unwavering loyalty and bravery against the evil forces of Fascism and Nazism.
This book is immaculately researched and presented in an engaging, understandable manner, holding the readers attention. l learned so much from this book, which is one of the main reasons I read a non-fiction biography or history. To Learn. I learned of the medical care during the Spanish Civil War and the conditions these people had to work through are amazing. I learned about nurses often having to perform surgeries themselves and the awful conditions they lived with, like sleeping on bloody cots, freezing in extreme temperatures, rats, lice and god know what else. It really boggles the mind. And when I read about the heroes from those times I can't thank them enough for their bravery and courage, and all the sacrifices they made to defeat the evil of Fascism and Nazism. If not for them our world and our lives would be very different today. We owe all our little freedoms that we so much take for granted to them, and by keeping their stories alive is one way to can honor them. This book very much keeps Madge's story alive. It is a terrific well written book and I recommend it highly to everyone interested in the history and heroes of these times.
Thank you to Pen and Sword History and to NetGalley for the free ARC of this book, I am leaving my honest review in return.

Madge Addy was an incredibly brave woman whose story deserves to be told. She left an unhappy marriage to nurse during the Spanish Civil War where she had to cope with many horrors. In Spain, she helped train Spanish nurses, taught English to medical staff, and she helped refugees. She also helped to run a hospital with few staff. She even gave her own blood to the sick soldiers.

Madge also played a significant role in the French Resistance. Her husband set up two SOE networks, and when he was sick she led them, even though she had no training. She also helped to set up the famous escape line: the Garrow-O'Leary line, assisting Allied armed forces personnel to escape to Spain. She also raised funds for the networks, as well as acting as a courier and messenger for British intelligence agencies. She was certainly a remarkable woman.

I enjoyed reading about Madge, but there was just too much historical 'background' in this book. The author could have summarised the sections on the Spanish Civil War, the reasons for the Second World War and the rise of the Resistance much more briefly.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A very well written look at the Spanish Civil war and those who tried to fight the rise of Franco. It also then follows some of those same individuals into the Second World War. Good first hand accounts helped to give a better picture of the events of the time.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Books such as this which focus on people of extraordinary courage are fascinating to read. I have read many, MANY WWII era books recently and the more I learn, the more I thirst to discover. British Madge Addy was a remarkable woman, fearless in ways, very enterprising and smart. She worked in the Spanish Civil War as well as WWII. She was a chiropodist in Manchester, a nurse in Spain and a secret agent where she also acted as a courier to deliver messages in the lining of her coat to Portugal, all amazing considering the time and the fact women rarely traveled. She helped organize the Garrow escape line which enabled Allied soldiers to escape. She became an integral link to huge chains. Though Made did not journal she wrote copious letters describing conditions when pleading for aid.

The author describes Madge's background and history as well as meticulously-researched details on both wars. This book is a wide look into a completely different world than ours. Many snippets stood out for me but aside from Madge's incredible bravery I learned about the standards of medical care in Spain and Britain. I learned common sense details I hadn't thought of before such as night nurse placing oil lamps in the hallway nearest to where she was working so she could be found. I learned more about the Quakers during the war, what plaster coal and fruit were used for, the importance of Izal toilet paper (!) and the abysmal conditions nurses had to tolerate including sleeping on bloody stretchers and dealing with extreme temperatures and vermin such as lice and rats. So did the injured soldiers. Not only that but nurses sometimes had to operate and triage. Madge directly transfused blood to patients. She also taught Spanish nurses and begged for medical supplies. The author describes organization like Milk for Spain as well.

The commonality of these heroes and heroines is that regardless of their political stance they were compassionate, cared about humanitarian work and improving lives.

History readers, especially those who are medically inclined should read this.

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this utterly absorbing book.