What do you think?
Rate this book
Fall from Grace
A beautiful French agent, Catherine Pradier, risks her life to deceive the Nazis as to where and when the Allies will invade the Continent of Europe and begin the end of World War II.
491 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
13 people are currently reading
454 people want to read
About the author
Larry Collins
66 books180 followersBorn in West Hartford, Connecticut, he was educated at the Loomis Chaffee Institute in Windsor, Connecticut, and graduated from Yale as a BA in 1951. He worked in the advertising department of Procter and Gamble, in Cincinnati, Ohio, before being conscripted into the US Army. While serving in the public affairs office of the Allied Headquarters in Paris, from 1953-1955, he met Dominique Lapierre with whom he would write several best-sellers over 43 years.
He went back to Procter and Gamble and became the products manager of the new foods division in 1955. Disillusioned with commerce, he took to journalism and joined the Paris bureau of United Press International in 1956, and became the news editor in Rome in the following year, and later the MidEast bureau chief in Beirut.
In 1959, he joined Newsweek as Middle East editor, based in New York. He became the Paris bureau chief in 1961, where he would work until 1964, until he switched to writing books.
In 1965, Collins and Lapierre published their first joint work, Is Paris Burning? (in French Paris brûle-t-il?), a tale of Nazi occupation of the French capital during World War II and Hitler's plans to destroy Paris should it fall into the hands of the Allies. The book was an instant success and was made into a movie in 1966 by director René Clément, starring Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford and Alain Delon.
In 1967, they co-authored Or I'll Dress you in Mourning about the Spanish bullfighter Manuel Benítez El Cordobés.
In 1972, after five years' research and interviews, they published O Jerusalem! about the birth of Israel in 1948, turned into a movie by Elie Chouraqui.
In 1975, they published Freedom at Midnight, a story of the Indian Independence in 1947, and the subsequent assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. It is said they spent $300,000 researching and still emerged wealthy.
The duo published their first fictional work, The Fifth Horseman, in 1980. It describes a terrorist attack on New York masterminded by Libya's Colonel Gaddafi. The book had such a shocking effect that the French President cancelled the sale of nuclear reactors to Libya, even though it was meant for peaceful purposes. Paramount Pictures, which was planning a film based on the book, dropped the idea in fear that fanatics would emulate the scenario in real life.
In 1985, Collins authored Fall From Grace (without Lapierre) about a woman agent sent into occupied France who realizes she may be betrayed by her British masters if necessary. He also wrote Maze: A Novel (1989), Black Eagles (1995), Le Jour Du Miracle: D-Day Paris (1994) and Tomorrow Belongs To Us (1998). Shortly before his death, he collaborated with Lapierre on Is New York Burning? (2005), a novel mixing fictional characters and real-life figures that speculates about a terrorist attack on New York City.
In 2005, while working from his home in the south of France on a book on the Middle East, Collins died of a sudden cerebral haemorrhage.
He went back to Procter and Gamble and became the products manager of the new foods division in 1955. Disillusioned with commerce, he took to journalism and joined the Paris bureau of United Press International in 1956, and became the news editor in Rome in the following year, and later the MidEast bureau chief in Beirut.
In 1959, he joined Newsweek as Middle East editor, based in New York. He became the Paris bureau chief in 1961, where he would work until 1964, until he switched to writing books.
In 1965, Collins and Lapierre published their first joint work, Is Paris Burning? (in French Paris brûle-t-il?), a tale of Nazi occupation of the French capital during World War II and Hitler's plans to destroy Paris should it fall into the hands of the Allies. The book was an instant success and was made into a movie in 1966 by director René Clément, starring Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford and Alain Delon.
In 1967, they co-authored Or I'll Dress you in Mourning about the Spanish bullfighter Manuel Benítez El Cordobés.
In 1972, after five years' research and interviews, they published O Jerusalem! about the birth of Israel in 1948, turned into a movie by Elie Chouraqui.
In 1975, they published Freedom at Midnight, a story of the Indian Independence in 1947, and the subsequent assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. It is said they spent $300,000 researching and still emerged wealthy.
The duo published their first fictional work, The Fifth Horseman, in 1980. It describes a terrorist attack on New York masterminded by Libya's Colonel Gaddafi. The book had such a shocking effect that the French President cancelled the sale of nuclear reactors to Libya, even though it was meant for peaceful purposes. Paramount Pictures, which was planning a film based on the book, dropped the idea in fear that fanatics would emulate the scenario in real life.
In 1985, Collins authored Fall From Grace (without Lapierre) about a woman agent sent into occupied France who realizes she may be betrayed by her British masters if necessary. He also wrote Maze: A Novel (1989), Black Eagles (1995), Le Jour Du Miracle: D-Day Paris (1994) and Tomorrow Belongs To Us (1998). Shortly before his death, he collaborated with Lapierre on Is New York Burning? (2005), a novel mixing fictional characters and real-life figures that speculates about a terrorist attack on New York City.
In 2005, while working from his home in the south of France on a book on the Middle East, Collins died of a sudden cerebral haemorrhage.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
Read
October 17, 2022This book revolves around WWII’s D-day deception schemes. It has a wide cast of characters, but the primary ones are Catherine Praider, a half French/half English woman who goes into occupied France for SOE (British wartime espionage and sabotage agency), and T. F. O’Neill, an American major serving in London with the office in charge of hoodwinking the Nazis. (Yes, the overall premise is similar to the one I picked for my first novel, Espionage. A goodreads friend pointed out the similarities and that’s how this book ended up on my to-read list. Both books are inspired by Operation Fortitude, but have different feels, styles, and fictional additions.)
I thought the most impressive thing about this novel was the author’s thorough research. I’ve done some reading on D-day, the deceptions the Allies used leading up to it, SOE operations in France, and WWII-era coding and radio techniques. I didn’t notice anything in Collin’s book that didn’t match what I’ve read.
The style of the book is all-encompassing. Scenes are written from the point of view of Catherine, T. F., most of the people they work with, Eisenhower, Hitler, Gestapo agents, and low-ranking Americans manning posts in Africa to pick up Berlin’s transmissions to Tokyo. The style added to the overall historical picture, but it did take away from the connection with the main characters. It’s a history-driven book with a good plot, rather than plot-driven book with focused, compelling central characters.
Who will like this book? Readers who enjoy stories with spies, double-agents, triple-agents, betrayal, gray worlds, twists, and lots of well-researched history will be interested in looking this one up.
Who should avoid this book? Readers who like clean reads may want to look elsewhere. There is some swearing, and way too much detail about the characters’ love lives (lust lives, at least in some cases, is probably a more accurate term). For example, The characters are complicated, which I liked, but the protagonists weren’t always admirable. And although the Allies win the war,
I thought the most impressive thing about this novel was the author’s thorough research. I’ve done some reading on D-day, the deceptions the Allies used leading up to it, SOE operations in France, and WWII-era coding and radio techniques. I didn’t notice anything in Collin’s book that didn’t match what I’ve read.
The style of the book is all-encompassing. Scenes are written from the point of view of Catherine, T. F., most of the people they work with, Eisenhower, Hitler, Gestapo agents, and low-ranking Americans manning posts in Africa to pick up Berlin’s transmissions to Tokyo. The style added to the overall historical picture, but it did take away from the connection with the main characters. It’s a history-driven book with a good plot, rather than plot-driven book with focused, compelling central characters.
Who will like this book? Readers who enjoy stories with spies, double-agents, triple-agents, betrayal, gray worlds, twists, and lots of well-researched history will be interested in looking this one up.
Who should avoid this book? Readers who like clean reads may want to look elsewhere. There is some swearing, and way too much detail about the characters’ love lives (lust lives, at least in some cases, is probably a more accurate term). For example, The characters are complicated, which I liked, but the protagonists weren’t always admirable. And although the Allies win the war,
February 27, 2022
The best WWII historical fiction book I've ever read. Courage and sacrifice are usually associated with the soldiers, sailors, airmen, all of those who fight on the front lines. This is a story about the behind-the-scenes treachery and diabolical cunning, the absolute will to win the war that was so distasteful yet necessary to overcome such an enemy. Collins summed it up best by a Horace Walpole quote spoken by one of the characters in the book: "No country was ever saved by good men, because good men will not go to the length that may be necessary." An incredible book.
April 21, 2012
If one is at all familiar with the Resistance efforts and spying during WWII, then you will most certainly enjoy reading Fall from Grace. Copyrighted in the mid 1980's, the novel tells the story behind the actual 'Fortitude' D-Day deception plan promulgated by the Brit's MI-6 while using some SOE personnel. The characters are fiction but 'Fortitude' was real. It holds true to the old saying: Oh what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive.
February 11, 2025
Fully deserved 5 stars
While reading you will not be sure if you are reading a work of fiction or real history, both get intertwine in a masterfully written way
Now i had a deeper look on world war 2 , based on real event and real persons
While reading you will not be sure if you are reading a work of fiction or real history, both get intertwine in a masterfully written way
Now i had a deeper look on world war 2 , based on real event and real persons
March 14, 2023
An excellent thriller.
March 20, 2015
Larry Collins
This is a WW-II (Nazi-Allies-Spy-Gestapo genre) book that revolves around Operation Fortitude, which also happens to be the central theme of the novel. Now, Collins has done a wonderful job by studying carefully the details of the operation and bringing it live by adding his own plot and making this semi-fictional account exceedingly interesting. Collin's writing style has done a fair job from the point of view that even when it's not a treat to read him (like what is with Arthur Conan or Kafka), the style does indeed hold you to keep turning the pages. The best part is that the climax is stunningly beautiful.
The second best part about the book is the meticulous nature with which it is written. Especially the entire plotting and scheming part of Allies, specifically the British and Americans is excellent. Then again the lives of spies beyond enemy lines in the Gestapo and SS controlled occupied France is chilling and very appealing. The book is detailed and a mix of reality with fiction. Many characters are real life personalities which only adds up to the interesting part of the book...
I found it strange that so less information about this book and it's TV adaptation is present on web. It's confusing specially considering the magnanimous growth of web with a plethora of information about even "not so god" books, but again this book has very less space for itself...
This is a WW-II (Nazi-Allies-Spy-Gestapo genre) book that revolves around Operation Fortitude, which also happens to be the central theme of the novel. Now, Collins has done a wonderful job by studying carefully the details of the operation and bringing it live by adding his own plot and making this semi-fictional account exceedingly interesting. Collin's writing style has done a fair job from the point of view that even when it's not a treat to read him (like what is with Arthur Conan or Kafka), the style does indeed hold you to keep turning the pages. The best part is that the climax is stunningly beautiful.
The second best part about the book is the meticulous nature with which it is written. Especially the entire plotting and scheming part of Allies, specifically the British and Americans is excellent. Then again the lives of spies beyond enemy lines in the Gestapo and SS controlled occupied France is chilling and very appealing. The book is detailed and a mix of reality with fiction. Many characters are real life personalities which only adds up to the interesting part of the book...
I found it strange that so less information about this book and it's TV adaptation is present on web. It's confusing specially considering the magnanimous growth of web with a plethora of information about even "not so god" books, but again this book has very less space for itself...
February 12, 2019
I love this book still. Remembered it after reading The Lost Girls of Paris which was good, but Collins’ is SO much better.
October 28, 2024
Una historia con un potencial inmenso echada a perder por una narrativa mediocre donde se alternan pasajes soporíferos (literalmente) con dos o tres páginas que cautivan toda tu atención. Solo se salvan las últimas cuarenta páginas, que realmente te mantienen aferrado al libro y te hacen odiar a Churchill, Cavendish y compañía por traicionar de esa manera tan rastrera a Catherine.
En resumen una novela sin más, ni decepciona ni asombra.
En resumen una novela sin más, ni decepciona ni asombra.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2020
Not the best book, I have read. It is quite interesting to read about Fortitude and the master deception that took place weaved in fictional characters, but I just find the writing and the author's narrative style really really boring. But that doesn't mean that someone else would find it boring. Worth giving a shot, if you like reading about WWII.
October 5, 2018
I am not into novels about historical events so even though this one was very well written and catchy, it was kind of hard to read for me. also, some interrogatory parts were a bit too much for my taste.
June 25, 2023
Es muy parecido a otros títulos más actuales basados en el mismo contexto cómo Liberación y Una mujer sin importancia. La típica agente mujer entrenada por el SOE británico a la que se le encomienda infiltrarse en la Francia ocupada tras las líneas enemigas alemanas, junto a la Resistencia francesa y llevar a cabo operaciones de sabotaje. El trasfondo de esta historia es la operación Fortitude llevada a cabo por los aliados para engañar a los alemanes y hacerles creer que el verdadero desembarco del día D se llevaría a cabo en Pas de Calais y no en las playas de Normandía.
A diferencia de los otros libros ya mencionados, este está mucho más elaborado, ya que mucho de lo narrado fueron hechos verídicos.
En este título particularmente, la temible Gestapo está retratada de la manera más brutal que haya leído. Los episodios de torturas aquí expuestos me dejaron a ratos perplejo, de algún modo deseaba que cesaran pronto, más aún cuando era una hermosa mujer quien las padecía.
A pesar de su crudeza, y la angustia que a ratos me transmitió, lo podría considerar cómo un imperdible del género de espionaje de la segunda guerra mundial pero tampoco lo situaría en un pedestal.
4.5 ⭐
A diferencia de los otros libros ya mencionados, este está mucho más elaborado, ya que mucho de lo narrado fueron hechos verídicos.
En este título particularmente, la temible Gestapo está retratada de la manera más brutal que haya leído. Los episodios de torturas aquí expuestos me dejaron a ratos perplejo, de algún modo deseaba que cesaran pronto, más aún cuando era una hermosa mujer quien las padecía.
A pesar de su crudeza, y la angustia que a ratos me transmitió, lo podría considerar cómo un imperdible del género de espionaje de la segunda guerra mundial pero tampoco lo situaría en un pedestal.
4.5 ⭐
March 6, 2022
El libro ha sido una novela muy bien construida en el caso de la guerra, siendo muy certero en mucho de los casos, además creo que la parte de suspense se atiende y se muestra muy bien detallada, por otro lado la parte de las torturas me han parecido tan reales que me adentrado dentro del momento de la sala en la que salen los personajes como si estuviera con ellos y se siente mucho el dolor y la pena de la gente que ha muerto y dado su vida por la libertar de la dictadura de la Alemania nazi y el mal tiempo de la guerra entre las esperanzas de vida y sobre todo los malos momentos en los que un movimiento decisivo es muy importante y además te puede ayudar a disminuir los muertos en un combate, sobre todo pienso que el arte del engaño hasta en la guerra en una de las bazas mejores usadas para hacerle creer al enemigo que en verdad estas ganando y puede mostrarse como se lee en este libro que la Alemania nazi estaba muy equivocada.
En conclusión es una novela a pesar de ser un poco larga en la narrativa es muy buena si al lector le interesa la lectura de momento bélicos con personajes que emulan momento del pasado o guerras que hayan cambiado el curso de la historia.
En conclusión es una novela a pesar de ser un poco larga en la narrativa es muy buena si al lector le interesa la lectura de momento bélicos con personajes que emulan momento del pasado o guerras que hayan cambiado el curso de la historia.
December 28, 2014
L'incroyable opération Fortitude d'intoxication du Haut Commandement Nazi pour continuer de faire croire à une diversion en Normandie tandis que l'effort des Alliés se porterait sur les plages de Calais narrée à travers le destin de 5 protagonistes (imaginaires) de l'opération.
Au final, de nombreux mystères entourent la réelle opération Fortitude et peu d'archives ont été conservées rendant très crédible le sacrifice de résistants et de soldats alliés pour rassurer sur la véracité de cette intoxication.
Au final, de nombreux mystères entourent la réelle opération Fortitude et peu d'archives ont été conservées rendant très crédible le sacrifice de résistants et de soldats alliés pour rassurer sur la véracité de cette intoxication.
June 11, 2009
Now THIS is a THRILLER! There is NO doubt in my minds. This spy thriller never got its due, in my opinion. It is a brilliant story of an English woman who goes under cover for the British SS and slips into France during WWII as a spy. It is incredibly gripping and real and keeps you totally under its spell. It has a very realist and brutal quality to it as she is captured and tortured by the Germans but it is an incredibly well crafted and riveting. Larry Collins is an extraordinary writer!!
February 4, 2020
Come storia d'amore è un grandissimo romanzo; come spy-story ancora di più.
Sia che v'inteneriate per la tragica passione che unisce i due protagonisti o che vi lasciate trascinare dal perfetto meccanimo a orologeria che fa da sfondo alle loro vicende, il romanzo vi conquisterà.
Il respiro è cinematografico; la scrittura incalzante.
Se col finale non vi commuovete allora avete un cuore di pietra.
Sia che v'inteneriate per la tragica passione che unisce i due protagonisti o che vi lasciate trascinare dal perfetto meccanimo a orologeria che fa da sfondo alle loro vicende, il romanzo vi conquisterà.
Il respiro è cinematografico; la scrittura incalzante.
Se col finale non vi commuovete allora avete un cuore di pietra.
April 9, 2012
Oh, those canny Brits! Nobody does scullduggery better.
What a good read, reminded me a lot of Follet's book-Jackdaws, only this book was better, more realistic, in my opinion.
I read Is Paris Burning a looong time ago by this author.
What a good read, reminded me a lot of Follet's book-Jackdaws, only this book was better, more realistic, in my opinion.
I read Is Paris Burning a looong time ago by this author.
May 26, 2015
Excel·lent ficció histórica al voltant de la invasió d'Europa per part dels aliats el 1944; Larry Collins és, probablement, un dels mestres del gènere de la literatura d'espies. La trama, els personatges i la recreació histórica del marc en que tingueren lloc els aconteixements és molt bona.
April 2, 2011
what a good book. wasn't sure a good non-fiction writer could write a spy novel but this is one of the best.
Want to read
July 20, 2011recommended by "Leave Me Alone, I"m Reading" author Corrigan
June 22, 2013
Good spy thriller!
March 20, 2014
Awesome...
September 7, 2015
An all time favorite!
April 16, 2014
The historical part of this WWII story is fantastic,but the fictional part isn't much. Recommended to devotees of war stories.
November 24, 2015
I learned a lot from seeing the underground movement through the author's eyes. very exciting.....sometimes too scarey given our world today.
June 26, 2018
Quelle intrigue ! !
September 1, 2018
Molto bello. Una storia avvincente basata su una storia vera. Importante leggere le conclusioni ringraziamenti.
April 27, 2017
Formulaic old school thriller based on a true operation devised by the British secret services to trick the Germans on the eve of D-Day. The spy heroine is a blonde green-eyed beauty – aren’t spies supposed to unobtrusive! She is called upon to perform a dangerous mission in Calais, unaware the mission is nothing but a ruse to trick the Germans into believing the Normandy landings are nothing but a prelude to the main attack in Calais and she is little more than a sacrificial lamb. The focus is on the big picture so the narrative flits about here, there and everywhere, rarely settling anywhere for more than a couple of pages. We’re treated to close-ups of Churchill, Hitler, the head of MI6 and all the various Nazi commanders. I found it an enjoyable read and the depth of research and attention to detail was very laudable.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews