{"title":"Books by Sonia Purnell","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780349010168","title":"A Woman of No Importance","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A METICULOUS HISTORY THAT READS LIKE A THRILLER' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eBEN MACINTYRE, TEN BEST BOOKS TO READ ABOUT WORLD WAR II\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e   \u003cb\u003e An astounding story of heroism, spycraft, resistance and personal triumph over shocking adversity.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e   'A rousing tale of derring-do' \u003c\/b\u003eTHE TIMES   *   \u003cb\u003e'Riveting' \u003c\/b\u003eMICK HERRON   *   \u003cb\u003e'Superb' \u003c\/b\u003eIRISH TIMES\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e                                                       THE \u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e BESTSELLER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn September 1941, a young American woman strides up the steps of a hotel in Lyon, Vichy France. Her papers say she is a journalist. Her wooden leg is disguised by a determined gait and a distracting beauty. She is there to spark the resistance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy 1942 Virginia Hall was the Gestapo's most urgent target, having infiltrated Vichy command, trained civilians in guerrilla warfare and sprung soldiers from Nazi prison camps. The first woman to go undercover for British SOE, her intelligence changed the course of the war - but her fight was still not over. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a spy history like no other, telling the story of the hunting accident that disabled her, the discrimination she fought and the secret life that helped her triumph over shocking adversity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A cracking story about an extraordinarily brave woman' \u003c\/b\u003eTELEGRAPH\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Gripping ... superb ... a rounded portrait of a complicated, resourceful, determined and above all brave woman' \u003c\/b\u003eIRISH TIMES\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWINNER of the PLUTARCH AWARD FOR BEST BIOGRAPHY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSonia Purnell's new book KINGMAKER: PAMELA CHURCHILL HARRIMAN'S ASTONISHING LIFE OF SEDUCTION, INTRIGUE AND POWER is out now\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43206047989938,"sku":"9780349010168","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780349010168_5765fcb6-43ea-4a85-a860-4da545820786.jpg?v=1786014140"},{"product_id":"9780349014722","title":"Kingmaker","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn electrifying re-examination of one of the twentieth century's greatest unsung power players, from the bestselling author of A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Supremely enjoyable . . . With a historian's eye for rigour, a journalist's for detail and a storyteller's for drama' \u003ci\u003eFINANCIAL TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'A wonderfully racy romp and a gripping biography of a brave, ambitious woman' \u003ci\u003eDAILY MAIL\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Fascinating and revelatory. A triumph' WILLIAM BOYD\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDuring Pamela Churchill Harriman's life and even after her death, in 1997, her glamorous social life and infamous erotic adventures overshadowed her true accomplishments. She was one of the most powerful women of the 20th century and there is practically no-one in 20th century politics, culture and fashion whose lives she did not touch: from her father-in-law Winston Churchill, to the Kennedys and Gloria Steinem, to Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela. Now, for the first time and with a wealth of fresh research, Sonia Purnell unveils the spectacular story of how Harriman left an indelible mark on the world today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE \u003ci\u003eTELEGRAPH, ECONOMIST, FINANCIAL TIMES, GUARDIAN, MAIL ON SUNDAY, DAILY EXPRESS, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eSPECTATOR, IRISH EXAMINER, LONDON STANDARD, NEW YORKER, POLITICO, APPLE BOOKS, TOWN \u0026amp; COUNTRY and OLDIE\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A page turner that matches her subject in verve and ambition . . . Tremendous'\u003ci\u003e IRISH EXAMINER\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Everyone I know on both sides of the Atlantic seems to be devouring \u003ci\u003eKingmaker' \u003c\/i\u003eTINA BROWN\u003cbr\u003e'An incredible story, beautifully told, of a remarkable woman whose political influence spanned Churchill to Clinton. Quite a woman, quite a read' ALASTAIR CAMPBELL\u003cbr\u003e'Superb and fascinating. I can't recommend it more' LADY ANNE GLENCONNER, bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eLady in Waiting\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Rigorous but rollicking' \u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'As compelling as its subject' \u003ci\u003eTLS\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e' Riveting and revelatory' \u003ci\u003eTHE NEW YORKER\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57685861204341,"sku":"9780349014753","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":44582877888690,"sku":"9780349014722","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780349014753.jpg?v=1792599077"},{"product_id":"9781781313077","title":"First Lady","description":"From the personal and political upheavals of the Great War, through the Churchills’ ‘wilderness years’ in the 1930s, to Clementine’s desperate efforts to preserve her husband’s health during the struggle against Hitler, this is the inspiring but often ignored story of one of the most important women in modern history.    Without Churchill’s inspiring leadership Britain could not have survived its darkest hour and repelled the Nazi menace. Without his wife Clementine, however, he might never have become Prime Minister. By his own admission, the Second World War would have been ‘impossible without her’. Clementine was Winston’s emotional rock and his most trusted confidante; not only was she involved in some of the most crucial decisions of war, but she exerted an influence over her husband and the Government that would appear scandalous to modern eyes. Yet her ability to charm Britain’s allies and her humanitarian efforts on the Home Front earned her deep respect, both behind closed doors in Whitehall and among the population at large.    That Clementine should become Britain’s ‘First Lady’ was by no means pre-ordained. Born into impecunious aristocracy, her childhood was far from gilded. Her mother was a serial adulteress and gambler, who spent many years uprooting her children to escape the clutches of their erstwhile father, and by the time Clementine entered polite society she had become the target of cruel snobbery and rumours about her parentage. In Winston, however, she discovered a partner as emotionally insecure as herself, and in his career she found her mission. Her dedication to his cause may have had tragic consequences for their children, but theirs was a marriage that changed the course of history.  Now, acclaimed biographer Sonia Purnell explores the peculiar dynamics of this fascinating union.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56304731586933,"sku":"9781781313077","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781781313077_4ead9750-1d1b-4a7c-9fbf-12c90113e280.jpg?v=1786025774"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-sonia-purnell.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}