Madame Fourcade's Secret War

The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler

By: Lynne Olson

Narrated by: Kimberly Farr

New York Times best seller

The little-known true story of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, the woman who headed the largest spy network in occupied France during World War II, from the best-selling author of Citizens of London and Last Hope Island

"Brava to Lynne Olson for a biography that should challenge any outdated assumptions about who deserves to be called a hero." (The Washington Post)

Named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR and The Washington Post

In 1941 a 31-year-old Frenchwoman, a young mother born to privilege and known for her beauty and glamour, became the leader of a vast intelligence organization - the only woman to serve as a chef de résistance during the war. Strong-willed, independent, and a lifelong rebel against her country’s conservative, patriarchal society, Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was temperamentally made for the job. Her group’s name was Alliance, but the Gestapo dubbed it Noah’s Ark because its agents used the names of animals as their aliases. The name Marie-Madeleine chose for herself was Hedgehog: a tough little animal, unthreatening in appearance, that, as a colleague of hers put it, "even a lion would hesitate to bite."

No other French spy network lasted as long or supplied as much crucial intelligence - including providing American and British military commanders with a 55-foot-long map of the beaches and roads on which the Allies would land on D-Day - as Alliance. The Gestapo pursued them relentlessly, capturing, torturing, and executing hundreds of its 3,000 agents, including Fourcade’s own lover and many of her key spies. Although Fourcade, the mother of two young children, moved her headquarters every few weeks, constantly changing her hair color, clothing, and identity, she was captured twice by the Nazis. Both times she managed to escape - once by slipping naked through the bars of her jail cell - and continued to hold her network together even as it repeatedly threatened to crumble around her.

Now, in this dramatic account of the war that split France in two and forced its people to live side by side with their hated German occupiers, Lynne Olson tells the fascinating story of a woman who stood up for her nation, her fellow citizens, and herself.

"Fast-paced and impressively researched.... Olson writes with verve and a historian’s authority.... With this gripping tale, Lynne Olson pays [Marie-Madeleine Fourcade] what history has so far denied her. France, slow to confront the stain of Vichy, would do well to finally honor a fighter most of us would want in our foxhole." (The New York Times Book Review)

©2019 Lynne Olson (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"In Madame Fourcade’s Secret War, Lynne Olson tells one of the great stories of the French Resistance, a story of one woman’s courage amid great danger, a story of heroism, defiance, and, ultimately, victory." (Alan Furst, author of A Hero of France)

"Lynne Olson has added yet another brilliant chapter to her vital historical project: documenting the extraordinary efforts of individuals, such as spymaster Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, who helped liberate twentieth-century Europe from Nazi occupation. Much like Madame Fourcade herself, Olson goes to great lengths to unearth truth and preserve dignity for those who lived and died during Hitler’s reign of terror - and for that, both the author and her daring subject deserve high praise." (Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright)

"The organizational genius of Fourcade shines through tales of her cat-and-mouse game with the Gestapo, including multiple daring escapes from Nazi captivity. As well researched and engrossing as her previous books, showcasing her adroit ability to weave personal narratives, political intrigue, and wartime developments to tell a riveting story, Olson's latest is highly recommended to readers interested in World War II, the history of espionage, women's history, and European history." (Library Journal starred review)

Homage to a Heroine

Madame Fourcade’s Secret War is a compelling story of the heroism of the many members and leaders of the Alliance, an intelligence network which acted with MI6 in its arduous resistance to the Nazi Occupation of France. The honoring of women such as Madame Fourcade and Jeannie Rouseau whose contribution to victory was enormous is an objective of the book which is convincingly achieved. I couldn’t stop listening. It is no Hollywood tale, as it profiles the lives of many heroic agents who suffered needlessly tragic fates after capture. I haven’t listened to other books read by Kimberly Farr, but in my opinion the reading was excellent.

Interesting

The telling of a world war 2 resistance hero. Well tokd and read. A little too detailed though

Great book but needed a French speaking reader

As a French speaker, I struggled with the reader’s incorrect pronunciations of French words and names. The book would have been so much better with a Francophone reader!

Fills in the gaps of historical omissions

This was my 3rd book by Lynne Olson. She has the ability to make history interesting. She obviously noticed the “Gender Bias” when writing her earlier books and took the time to address it. I have to admit that I enjoyed “The Island of Hope” and “Murrow Boys” more because the took a wider scope. The latter was particularly of interest as the American news reporting is currently a Ratings-Driven event on TV that has lost the depth and significance that the radio reporters of WWII achieved. Talking Heads on TV is a poor substitute for a bygone era of Journalism.

A story worth knowing

I’m so happy that I didn’t believe all the negative reviews about the reader performance - this is an enjoyable listen. Since I’m not familiar with the French language, I was not bothered at all by the reading or pronunciations. Instead, the performance sounded appropriate to me and gave the writing the right amount of emotion. Listen to the sample and decide for yourself.
The story is well presented and covers a lot of characters, geography, and information in a compelling narrative. Definitely recommended.

What a woman!!!

Such an interesting story. I do agree however the the reader did a much too strong French accent to annunciate the names which was literally quite annoying. There were a few times I almost stopped listening to the book due to the narrator not the content. I did finish the book and I’m thrilled that I did Because it is a wonderful bit of history.
Narrators can make or break an audio book.

AMAZING TRUE STORY! thank heavens it is now told!

Stunning spy story! what a hero, of heroes. a must read or listen, don't even question.

Fascinating story

I listen at 1.5x speed and the reader was enjoyable and engaging. This is a great story about some of the incredible people in the French Resistance and how Madame Fourcade was able to lead and inspire them to risk their lives for an important cause.

The strength of woman

If you love WW2 history and a strong female lead this book is spot on! Secrecy, escape, love, and defying the odds Madame Fourcade’s work during the war is truly astounding.

Amazing story

While everyone knows of De Gaulle’s resistance during WWII, little has been said of the intrepid Mme Fourcade. Lynne Olson writes beautifully. My only quibble: it is difficult to keep track of all of the characters.