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Christine: SOE Agent & Churchill's Favourite Spy
Christine Granville, O.B.E. and Croix de Guerre, was one of the most celebrated female agents of World War II. Said to have been Churchill’s “favorite spy,” her exploits in Poland, Hungary, and France were legendary, even in her lifetime. As an agent of the Special Operations Executive, Christine—the first woman to be dropped into France from Algiers—landed in the Vercors in 1944, where as “Pauline Armand,” she performed with tremendous valor. Christine is the thrilling tale of a fearless woman ready to die for freedom.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
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213 people want to read
About the author
Madeleine Masson
22 books2 followersMadeleine Masson was a South African-born English-language author of plays, film scripts, novels, memoirs and biographies.
Madeleine Masson was born Madeleine Levy in 1912 in Johannesburg to a French banker, Emile Levy, and Lili, "a ravishingly beautiful creature with Viennese antecedents". On a trip to Paris with her parents, 18-year-old Madeleine met 40-year-old Baron Renaud Marie de la Minaudière. As she put it in her autobiography, I Never Kissed Paris Goodbye, "I was a small-town South African who was being offered Prince Charming on a platter, decked with yachts, châteaux, sable coats, jewels, townhouses and a coat-of-arms equal to that of the Valois."
Madeleine took her surname "Masson" from one of the Baron's subsidiary titles. While pregnant with her first child, she was informed by the Baron's mistress – from whom she had mistakenly supposed he had parted – that not only were they still linked, but it was her fortune that paid for the Baron's elegant lifestyle. Any disturbance to their relations, it was made clear, would result in withdrawal of her support.
The shock of this revelation caused Masson to miscarry. She abandoned the aristocratic life and embraced Paris' bohemia, studied history and philosophy at the Sorbonne, art at Munich, wrote for the literary magazine, Les Nouvelles Littéraires. She had an affair with a South African, became the lover of the Swiss painter Géa Augsbourg, got to know Pablo Picasso and André Breton, and met writers Colette and André Gide.
Upon the outbreak of World War II, the Jewish-descended Masson left Géa Augsbourg, intending to return to South Africa. On the train to Bordeaux, she was persuaded to join the French Resistance. She later recalled this period, during which she carried messages and helped escapees, as a time of "total horror". In later years, she helped Tim Buckmaster, son of Maurice Buckmaster, head of SOE's F (French) Section, prepare a biography of his father.
During a trip to visit Napoleon's tomb on Saint Helena, Masson met Captain John Rayner. After a courtship, they contracted a marriage that was to last 32 years.
While running the family home in Bosham, West Sussex, England, Masson started an early public relations firm. All the while, she wrote plays, film scripts, novels, memoirs, biographies. The most famous were her autobiography and her biographies of Edwina, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, and of the celebrated SOE agent Krystyna Skarbek (aka Christine Granville).
As late as spring 2007, Masson was busy revising an earlier novel about the German massacre on 10 June 1944 of the villagers of Oradour, near Limoges, France, and working on a biography of Baroness Emma Orczy, author of The Scarlet Pimpernel.
Madeleine Masson was born Madeleine Levy in 1912 in Johannesburg to a French banker, Emile Levy, and Lili, "a ravishingly beautiful creature with Viennese antecedents". On a trip to Paris with her parents, 18-year-old Madeleine met 40-year-old Baron Renaud Marie de la Minaudière. As she put it in her autobiography, I Never Kissed Paris Goodbye, "I was a small-town South African who was being offered Prince Charming on a platter, decked with yachts, châteaux, sable coats, jewels, townhouses and a coat-of-arms equal to that of the Valois."
Madeleine took her surname "Masson" from one of the Baron's subsidiary titles. While pregnant with her first child, she was informed by the Baron's mistress – from whom she had mistakenly supposed he had parted – that not only were they still linked, but it was her fortune that paid for the Baron's elegant lifestyle. Any disturbance to their relations, it was made clear, would result in withdrawal of her support.
The shock of this revelation caused Masson to miscarry. She abandoned the aristocratic life and embraced Paris' bohemia, studied history and philosophy at the Sorbonne, art at Munich, wrote for the literary magazine, Les Nouvelles Littéraires. She had an affair with a South African, became the lover of the Swiss painter Géa Augsbourg, got to know Pablo Picasso and André Breton, and met writers Colette and André Gide.
Upon the outbreak of World War II, the Jewish-descended Masson left Géa Augsbourg, intending to return to South Africa. On the train to Bordeaux, she was persuaded to join the French Resistance. She later recalled this period, during which she carried messages and helped escapees, as a time of "total horror". In later years, she helped Tim Buckmaster, son of Maurice Buckmaster, head of SOE's F (French) Section, prepare a biography of his father.
During a trip to visit Napoleon's tomb on Saint Helena, Masson met Captain John Rayner. After a courtship, they contracted a marriage that was to last 32 years.
While running the family home in Bosham, West Sussex, England, Masson started an early public relations firm. All the while, she wrote plays, film scripts, novels, memoirs, biographies. The most famous were her autobiography and her biographies of Edwina, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, and of the celebrated SOE agent Krystyna Skarbek (aka Christine Granville).
As late as spring 2007, Masson was busy revising an earlier novel about the German massacre on 10 June 1944 of the villagers of Oradour, near Limoges, France, and working on a biography of Baroness Emma Orczy, author of The Scarlet Pimpernel.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 6, 2015
Of the many books I've read about the activities of secret agents whose bravery seems to be beyond belief, this particular book I found deeply affecting. For it is centered upon a most remarkable woman, Christine Granville (born Krystyna Scarbek in Warsaw in 1915 of an aristocratic family who later fell upon hard times).
Following Poland's capitulation to Germany in September 1939, Christine made her way from East Africa (where she had been with her husband Jerzy Giżycki at the time war was declared) to London to offer her services in fighting the Germans. Both Christine and her husband had useful contacts there, which led to Christine travelling to Hungary before the end of the year. There she became involved in intelligence work, which entailed clandestine forays into German-occupied Poland to gather intelligence and assist escaped prisoners of war and other fellow Poles on the run from the Nazis in getting out of Poland and back into the fight. In the process of doing this dangerous work, Christine became reacquainted with Andrew Kowerski and the two fell deeply, irretrievably in love.
Eventually, as the fortunes of war tilted increasingly in Germany's favor during 1940 and 1941, it became untenable for Christine and Andrew to remain in Hungary. With considerable effort, they were able to get to Turkey and eventually to Cairo. Unfortunately, they fell under suspicion of being German spies from some of their compatriots who did not approve of their close relations with the British. (The Poles, in contrast to other nations under Nazi subjugation, were given complete independence by the British in the running of their espionage/intelligence operations in Poland.) Thankfully, they were exonerated and Christine went on to perform invaluable work with the Resistance in the Vercours region of France during the summer of 1944 as an agent in Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE).
Upon war's end, despite the honors heaped upon Christine, she was promptly demobilized, given a small gratuity, and soon forgotten by the country (Great Britain) for whom she had served so bravely and fearlessly. Sadly, the postwar years were difficult ones for Christine Granville, who was unable to fully integrate herself into a peacetime world. Any person who reads this book will be in awe of what was a most extraordinary woman.
Following Poland's capitulation to Germany in September 1939, Christine made her way from East Africa (where she had been with her husband Jerzy Giżycki at the time war was declared) to London to offer her services in fighting the Germans. Both Christine and her husband had useful contacts there, which led to Christine travelling to Hungary before the end of the year. There she became involved in intelligence work, which entailed clandestine forays into German-occupied Poland to gather intelligence and assist escaped prisoners of war and other fellow Poles on the run from the Nazis in getting out of Poland and back into the fight. In the process of doing this dangerous work, Christine became reacquainted with Andrew Kowerski and the two fell deeply, irretrievably in love.
Eventually, as the fortunes of war tilted increasingly in Germany's favor during 1940 and 1941, it became untenable for Christine and Andrew to remain in Hungary. With considerable effort, they were able to get to Turkey and eventually to Cairo. Unfortunately, they fell under suspicion of being German spies from some of their compatriots who did not approve of their close relations with the British. (The Poles, in contrast to other nations under Nazi subjugation, were given complete independence by the British in the running of their espionage/intelligence operations in Poland.) Thankfully, they were exonerated and Christine went on to perform invaluable work with the Resistance in the Vercours region of France during the summer of 1944 as an agent in Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE).
Upon war's end, despite the honors heaped upon Christine, she was promptly demobilized, given a small gratuity, and soon forgotten by the country (Great Britain) for whom she had served so bravely and fearlessly. Sadly, the postwar years were difficult ones for Christine Granville, who was unable to fully integrate herself into a peacetime world. Any person who reads this book will be in awe of what was a most extraordinary woman.
February 2, 2024
I loved this book so much I contacted the publisher to congratulate the author. It’s packed full of adventure, romance and heroism. A true story of the life of Krystna Starbeck, an agent behind enemy lines during WW2. I’m surprised it has never been made into a film.
October 22, 2025
This book is a bit story about Krystyna Skarbek. W a bit? Well, we get them waiting on border post, with polish number plate on the car, that where, at the time almost the same as german, and only afther showing british pasports, hungarian police stoped them for hours on border, for no reason. But Krystyna was imitating beeing ill and her frend was legless, with limb and prosthesis. She did expcape several time back to Poland to do exchange, she even was brave enought to smuglle photo of Churchill.
A man named Bill Hudson accompanied the general for several months. This was before the outbreak of open fighting between Mihailović's Chetniks and Tito's partisans. The Polish 6th Division found a Russian-speaking officer, Captain Maciąg. We worked out the details of the mission, and dropped him in northern Yugoslavia near one of Mihailović's groups—we wanted to establish courier routes, similar to Krystyna's, to Poland, through Hungary. Maciąg, however, was a very brave officer, and while he was busy with his mission, he got into a skirmish with the Germans and was killed. The Poles were increasingly enthusiastic about the idea of penetrating Yugoslavia, so we trained more officers. However, the time came when we, the British, withdrew our support for Mihailović and focused on Tito, while the Poles wanted nothing to do with him.
"VI Division of Captain Maciąg" most likely refers to the VI Division of the Staff of the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces in the West, which supported the underground army in the country and maintained courier/air communications. In 1944, Division VI, led by Colonel Józef Smoleński, was transformed into the Special Covering Unit "Kryptonim" (POW) and subordinated to the commander of the Home Army.
In March 1941, he married, and in 1942, his daughter was born. A sense of responsibility for his family, which strengthened his bond with society, and the death of his brother serving in the RAF were the main reasons he abandoned his pacifist status and decided to fight the enemy. He wanted to reach occupied France. His friend Harry Rée, drafted into the Field Security Service, told him about an organization that could benefit from a man of his stature and talent. In June 1942, he met Selwyn Jepson. The "omniscient Mr. Potter" quickly recognized that this tall, serious young man, gifted with intelligence, panache, strength of character, leadership and organizational skills, was a born secret agent. He was also bilingual and physically fit like an athlete.
E. Potter, pseudonym of Selwyn Jepson, a crime novelist who served as a recruiter for F Section. After passing the interview, Violette received security clearance in July 1943 and began training. She is best known for her novel "Keep Murder Quiet" (1940), a series of detective novels for beginners featuring "Eve Gill." and other novels outside the series: "The Qualified Adventurer" (1922), "Puppets of Fate" (1922), "Golden Eyes"
She was also immediately fascinated by the dwarf Muldowney, who became her self-appointed defender and removed every obstacle from under her feet. She was very grateful to him, for she had never before encountered such pettiness, malice, and unkindness, fueled by a strong desire to humiliate a "foreigner." In Muldowney, he congratulated himself on attracting the attention of a war heroine and, at the same time, an attractive, charming woman with a sense of humor and a kind heart, while she saw him for what he was: another pathetic, slovenly cur in her menagerie of questionable specimens. She had no idea that this was a completely new, dangerous species. Muldowney was born in Wigan to Irish parents, raised in an orphanage, and spent most of his adult life at sea. He took a few breaks, trying to work as a chauffeur and a parking attendant. He married young and had a son, but she divorced him when the child was a few months old. He was a Catholic. Sentimental and vain. He suffered from schizophrenia, had sudden, violent outbursts of rage, and periods of Gloomy contemplation. He rarely spoke. Never in his life had he met anyone as stunning as Christine Granville. He fell obsessively, madly in love with this taciturn woman with a gleaming nose, white teeth, and a great love for life.
Kristina felt lonely. She had no friends on board, and her developed pride prevented her from showing how tormented and humiliated she was. And Muldowney, like an adopted mutt, began to help her, defend her, protect her, and worship her like a god. Over time, she became attached to the strange little man and was grateful that he made her first voyage a little easier to bear. And when she discovered she had no family and was afraid of being on land because it made her feel so lonely, she was overcome with pity and decided to ask her friends for help.
In June 1952, at the door of Skarbek's quarters, Her former lover, Dennis Muldowney, confronted her. Overcome with jealousy, he stabbed her with a Commando knife. The killer confessed and was hanged a few weeks later.
Count Jerzy, her father prided himself on his ancestry. Although his direct ancestors squandered their fortunes, the Skarbek family has long held a place in Polish history. Tradition and old heraldic works confirm that the founder of the family was Skarbimierz, a powerful and ruthless eleventh-century count. He participated in Bolesław the Brave's expedition to Kiev, and according to legend, he himself was descended from the cunning shoemaker Skuba, who liberated Kraków from the Wawel Dragon. Skarbimierz's descendants began calling themselves Skarbeks, with the nickname "from the Mountain."
Skarbimir, from the Awdaniec dynasty, was a count, or more precisely, a palatine, under Bolesław III the Wrymouth, the ruler of Poland. He is known as the founder of the Benedictine monastery in Lubin. He advised King (Duke) Bolesław III Krzywousty on army command, especially during the military campaigns at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. He served as palatine and was a member of the duke's war council, and on occasion deputized him on the battlefield, commanding the army.
It was probably Skarbimir, along with his brother, who initiated the creation of Gallus Anonymus's chronicle.
He was a Polish envoy sent to the German Emperor, and according to legend, an event related to his mission provided the basis for the name of this coat of arms. Legend has it that during the Polish envoy's visit to the German Emperor, the latter wanted to impress Skarbimir by showing him treasuries full of gold. To impress the emperor with his courage, Skarbimir threw his ring into the treasury with the words "iron to gold," noting that Poles love iron more. The surprised emperor uttered the words "hab dank", which became a motto and gave the name to the family – from "Skarbieniec" to "Awdanieniec.
A man named Bill Hudson accompanied the general for several months. This was before the outbreak of open fighting between Mihailović's Chetniks and Tito's partisans. The Polish 6th Division found a Russian-speaking officer, Captain Maciąg. We worked out the details of the mission, and dropped him in northern Yugoslavia near one of Mihailović's groups—we wanted to establish courier routes, similar to Krystyna's, to Poland, through Hungary. Maciąg, however, was a very brave officer, and while he was busy with his mission, he got into a skirmish with the Germans and was killed. The Poles were increasingly enthusiastic about the idea of penetrating Yugoslavia, so we trained more officers. However, the time came when we, the British, withdrew our support for Mihailović and focused on Tito, while the Poles wanted nothing to do with him.
"VI Division of Captain Maciąg" most likely refers to the VI Division of the Staff of the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces in the West, which supported the underground army in the country and maintained courier/air communications. In 1944, Division VI, led by Colonel Józef Smoleński, was transformed into the Special Covering Unit "Kryptonim" (POW) and subordinated to the commander of the Home Army.
In March 1941, he married, and in 1942, his daughter was born. A sense of responsibility for his family, which strengthened his bond with society, and the death of his brother serving in the RAF were the main reasons he abandoned his pacifist status and decided to fight the enemy. He wanted to reach occupied France. His friend Harry Rée, drafted into the Field Security Service, told him about an organization that could benefit from a man of his stature and talent. In June 1942, he met Selwyn Jepson. The "omniscient Mr. Potter" quickly recognized that this tall, serious young man, gifted with intelligence, panache, strength of character, leadership and organizational skills, was a born secret agent. He was also bilingual and physically fit like an athlete.
E. Potter, pseudonym of Selwyn Jepson, a crime novelist who served as a recruiter for F Section. After passing the interview, Violette received security clearance in July 1943 and began training. She is best known for her novel "Keep Murder Quiet" (1940), a series of detective novels for beginners featuring "Eve Gill." and other novels outside the series: "The Qualified Adventurer" (1922), "Puppets of Fate" (1922), "Golden Eyes"
She was also immediately fascinated by the dwarf Muldowney, who became her self-appointed defender and removed every obstacle from under her feet. She was very grateful to him, for she had never before encountered such pettiness, malice, and unkindness, fueled by a strong desire to humiliate a "foreigner." In Muldowney, he congratulated himself on attracting the attention of a war heroine and, at the same time, an attractive, charming woman with a sense of humor and a kind heart, while she saw him for what he was: another pathetic, slovenly cur in her menagerie of questionable specimens. She had no idea that this was a completely new, dangerous species. Muldowney was born in Wigan to Irish parents, raised in an orphanage, and spent most of his adult life at sea. He took a few breaks, trying to work as a chauffeur and a parking attendant. He married young and had a son, but she divorced him when the child was a few months old. He was a Catholic. Sentimental and vain. He suffered from schizophrenia, had sudden, violent outbursts of rage, and periods of Gloomy contemplation. He rarely spoke. Never in his life had he met anyone as stunning as Christine Granville. He fell obsessively, madly in love with this taciturn woman with a gleaming nose, white teeth, and a great love for life.
Kristina felt lonely. She had no friends on board, and her developed pride prevented her from showing how tormented and humiliated she was. And Muldowney, like an adopted mutt, began to help her, defend her, protect her, and worship her like a god. Over time, she became attached to the strange little man and was grateful that he made her first voyage a little easier to bear. And when she discovered she had no family and was afraid of being on land because it made her feel so lonely, she was overcome with pity and decided to ask her friends for help.
In June 1952, at the door of Skarbek's quarters, Her former lover, Dennis Muldowney, confronted her. Overcome with jealousy, he stabbed her with a Commando knife. The killer confessed and was hanged a few weeks later.
Count Jerzy, her father prided himself on his ancestry. Although his direct ancestors squandered their fortunes, the Skarbek family has long held a place in Polish history. Tradition and old heraldic works confirm that the founder of the family was Skarbimierz, a powerful and ruthless eleventh-century count. He participated in Bolesław the Brave's expedition to Kiev, and according to legend, he himself was descended from the cunning shoemaker Skuba, who liberated Kraków from the Wawel Dragon. Skarbimierz's descendants began calling themselves Skarbeks, with the nickname "from the Mountain."
Skarbimir, from the Awdaniec dynasty, was a count, or more precisely, a palatine, under Bolesław III the Wrymouth, the ruler of Poland. He is known as the founder of the Benedictine monastery in Lubin. He advised King (Duke) Bolesław III Krzywousty on army command, especially during the military campaigns at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. He served as palatine and was a member of the duke's war council, and on occasion deputized him on the battlefield, commanding the army.
It was probably Skarbimir, along with his brother, who initiated the creation of Gallus Anonymus's chronicle.
He was a Polish envoy sent to the German Emperor, and according to legend, an event related to his mission provided the basis for the name of this coat of arms. Legend has it that during the Polish envoy's visit to the German Emperor, the latter wanted to impress Skarbimir by showing him treasuries full of gold. To impress the emperor with his courage, Skarbimir threw his ring into the treasury with the words "iron to gold," noting that Poles love iron more. The surprised emperor uttered the words "hab dank", which became a motto and gave the name to the family – from "Skarbieniec" to "Awdanieniec.
November 29, 2009
A stunning read, one the most well researched and skilfully written WWII biographies I have read in a long time. Massoon's excellent research includes interviews with many of Christine's close friends and comrades in arms. From beginning to end this book held my attention and enthusiasm and I strongly recommend it.
Read
January 6, 2023In keeping with the misleading title, this book should never have been published in its current form. It may have been a vanity project by the late author but the publisher's editors must take responsibility for clearing it for publication. It is a most confusing and incoherent account of Christine aka Krystyna Skarbek a brave SOE agent from Poland who seems to have had a number of narrow escapes from danger. Why/how she was Churchill's favourite spy is unclear however, and unclarified. The book is chock full of irrelevant cluttered detail about a woman who is uncritically represented as 'charming' 'beautiful' 'intelligent' with noble and wealthy heritage, working with men who were either 'dashing' 'handsome', or had 'a great brain', had read 'history/classics etc in Oxford/Cambridge'. A typical extract: "The sweetness and nobility of this man had opened new horizons in her mind, and she was grateful to him for his silent understanding of aspects of her own character which she revealed to no one else" ... and then "she discovered a run in her stocking. she was upset... Luckily [her friend] was in a position to provide her with a new pair... " (p222). Remarkable stuff! The final section on Christine's escapades in Provence, mixed in with the Allied landings in 1944 is totally confusing (probably matching the confusion on those days admittedly), but all in all this is a very poor account - the heroics of those involved in the Liberation deserved better than this record.
September 11, 2017
This is a very interesting account...of the life of SOE Agent Christine Granville, a recipient of the George Cross. Told in a very matter of fact format by the late Madeleine Masson.
It is interesting that Masson met Christine while she was returning home to England from South Africa. The stewardess who attended her, during this voyage was...Christine Granville. Some years later, Masson decided to take up this story and write this account which is clearly about a Polish Lady, a Countess in fact, who was to serve Britain's Special Operations Executive...and go beyond the call of duty.
A very gripping story...about a lady who shall always be remembered.
It is interesting that Masson met Christine while she was returning home to England from South Africa. The stewardess who attended her, during this voyage was...Christine Granville. Some years later, Masson decided to take up this story and write this account which is clearly about a Polish Lady, a Countess in fact, who was to serve Britain's Special Operations Executive...and go beyond the call of duty.
A very gripping story...about a lady who shall always be remembered.
June 18, 2019
Struggled to half way. It saddens me really as the research is remarkable. In my opinion the learned author could have relegated much more to the footnotes, or even omitted some trivia. Just too detailed and confusing to be readable (at least by me). That is no reflection on the brilliant and remarkable Christine Granville.
July 20, 2025
Drawn to read this book after listening to Helena Bonham Carter’s heroes of World War II podcast. The story of a beautiful intelligent and above all courageous woman and her James Bondesque efforts on behalf of the allies in World War II. A lesson in how quickly gratitude for and the memory of heroic acts fades post war especially if you happened to be born female at the time.
December 3, 2017
I loved this book so much I contacted the publisher to congratulate them and the author on a superb book.
It is the true life story of the amazing personality of Christine Skarbek, a formidable spy and inspiration. Her adventures are countless and you are left in awe of the women. The story has a very tragic ending at her senseless murder after the war.
A must read.
It is the true life story of the amazing personality of Christine Skarbek, a formidable spy and inspiration. Her adventures are countless and you are left in awe of the women. The story has a very tragic ending at her senseless murder after the war.
A must read.
November 19, 2020
Christine Granville's name comes up in other books that talk about the SOE agents, so since with the pandemic I haven't had a chance to go to donate books at the usual place, I went back to finish it. Reading from where I left off to the end it was more of the same and didn't change my mind. She was a very interesting and brave (and maybe a little bit crazy) woman, but the book is poorly written and doesn't do her justice.
Terrible, terrible, badly written book. Drowning in details that are more distracting and confusing that explanatory and rarely explain how any of her exploits (or anyone else's, because there are many other characters in this book) are achieved. Anecdotes everywhere but they don't really add much to the explanation of this biography. Maybe the author didn't have enough information to do a good job; the book was written in 1975 and I don't believe the British had released much of their secret files yet. But that is no excuse for such poor writing. Christine deserves better. There is a newer book out about her, maybe I'll try that one. I read to page 200, so can't say I didn't try, but I finally gave up. What a disappointment. Spy books are usually so interesting.
Terrible, terrible, badly written book. Drowning in details that are more distracting and confusing that explanatory and rarely explain how any of her exploits (or anyone else's, because there are many other characters in this book) are achieved. Anecdotes everywhere but they don't really add much to the explanation of this biography. Maybe the author didn't have enough information to do a good job; the book was written in 1975 and I don't believe the British had released much of their secret files yet. But that is no excuse for such poor writing. Christine deserves better. There is a newer book out about her, maybe I'll try that one. I read to page 200, so can't say I didn't try, but I finally gave up. What a disappointment. Spy books are usually so interesting.
November 24, 2011
Maybe I should stick to science fiction because this book lost me from very early on, I am researching SOE and the war for a sci fi thing but what bothered me was that I really wasn't any the wiser about the heroine by the end of it, the ending is tragic and moving but I found the level of research bogged me down, I guess there are too many minor and irrelevant details within the structure of this book too. Also it is never explained what Churchill said of her...... I didn't enjoy this book and fought to reach the end, it is dreamily written by a besotted author who obviously respected her subject, Christine however does not come across as a person for all of the research... which is a shame.
tbr-and-have
October 29, 2011Taking a break. Honestly, this is more Andrew than Christine. Which is fine, he's a hero too, but I was in the mood for something else.
February 16, 2014
The book overall was interesting, but there were time that I felt the writer was giving too much background that I got list in the storyline.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews