'Code Name Madeleine' by Arthur J. Magida is a gripping biography that tells the courageous story of Noor Inayat Khan, a Sufi mystic's daughter turned World War II spy. Through deeply researched history, the book pays tribute to Khan's bravery and sacrifice as she navigates the perils of Nazi-occupied Paris.

I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s account of this female SOE. I’d heard of her and her courage but this book gave so much more detail than I imagined. Once you’ve learnt about her Sufi background and its impact on her nature, the excitement really picks up as the reader learns not only about her character but her exploits in France. My thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author for providing a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was really fascinating, and the narrative nonfiction set up led to a faster way of reading and absorbing the historical details. I so appreciate this author introducing us to Noor/Nora/Madeleine. What a brave woman she was, and it's imperative we hear stories of real-life heroes, lest we forget what courage and bravery and fighting for what is good and right and true is forgotten in our day and age. Thank you for allowing me to review this book!

With the plethora of WW2 Lady Spy books being published, one really needs to stand out to keep my attention. Unfortunately, Code Name Madeleine didn't do it for me personally.

I have become enamored with books based during WWII. And reading about the Special Operation Executives (SOEs) has been very interesting. Then when I read about the amazing women who played such an important part in the resistance efforts during the atrocities of Hitler’s reign of terror, I am impressed. “Madeleine” was an amazingly strong and dedicated woman. Her willingness to serve in a difficult time and literally give her life to protect others leaves me in awe.

I think what touched me most was making me think about how far I am willing to go to respond to injustice and cruelty…even in the present time. This is definitely one to put on your to-be-read list!

Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton Company for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

There were plenty of reasons to consider Noor Inayat Khan an unlikely World War II spy. Noor was born into a family with a legacy of Sufi mystics in the family tree. As a Sufi, her father taught that one should confront the struggles of the present, while maintaining one's humanity and avoiding killing. To Noor, that meant helping in the war against Hitler. She wasn't at the top of her Special Operations class, and a few of her evaluations mentioned she might not be suitable. She was small of stature, not particularly athletic, and she might not have the personality. However, she was fluent in French and she was a radio operator, a skill set needed in the build up to D Day. Noor became the first woman radio operator to be dropped into France, and even though most of her cell was captured, she stayed in France from June 1943 until until her own capture in October 1943. This is as much a family history as it is a personal biography and the photographs included put a face on this brave woman. She was arrested, imprisoned, tortured and executed, but she never betrayed any of the names of her colleagues. It was enlightening to read about this you woman, especially since this slice of history, an Indian Sufi working as a spy during WWII, is never mentioned in history books. Highly recommend to women's history and WWII buffs, or to anyone who wants to learn something new.

I loved this book. Noir, the daughter of a Sufi mystic and American mother becomes a spy for the SOE during WWII. I found this hard to put down. This book tackles some big concepts and is extremely well researched. I highly recommend it to fans of historical fiction.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Another fascinating look at a unsung female spy. Noor Inayat Khan led a fascinating but short life. There's suspense right up to the end.

Code Name Madeleine written by Arthur J. Magida can be a difficult book to read. I found myself crying several times. The first time was whilst reading about the sinking of The Lancastria.

The author has done a tremendous amount of research for this book; it comes through in every page. It is vitally important that stories such as Nike's and others like her become known. Not only to give credit to these brave souls but because we need to know. The world needs to know. There will always be those who seek to rule the world, who seek to commit such terrible crimes, who seek to have theirs be the only voices. Conversely, there will also always be those who see these wrongs, who seek to right them, who commit themselves wholy to fighting the good fight, to end injustice, oppression. The good will always take on evil. We must know this, we must show this, we must acknowledge this. The good inspire us. If we don't share the stories we run the risk that no one will believe, that no one will make a stand. It can be done, it has been done, it will be done.

Code Name Madeline by Arthur J. Magida

Noor Inayat Khan, who also went by other names, was one of the very few British female Strategic Operations Executive (SOE) agents in France during World War II. A more likely candidate couldn’t have been found to fill this role.

Noor came from an extremely close and deeply spiritual family, which is covered in a good portion of this book. Non violence, self-sacrifice, duty to others and truth were placed above all other virtues. A spy who would not lie? That was Noor.

Although Noor, surprisingly, broke many of the rules of the SOE, she was extremely successful as a British radio operator/spy sending and receiving messages to cripple the enemy.

The life span of an SOE radio operator in the field was not long, and there are four different versions from the Germans as to what happened to Noor after D Day. You may have read other historical books about the SOE, but this story of Noor and the love and respect everyone, including her enemies, had for her, will have you on edge throughout.

Thanks to #NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company for an ARC for my review.

This was such an interesting take on the often told "WWII story". I have read one or two spy books but this was truly special. Although a non-fiction, Magida's storytelling style makes this a far easier read than I was expecting. I love reading stories about women during the war but this one was particularly unique. I loved learning about Noor's upbringing and her decision to become a spy. Noor is a courageous protagonist, making it impossible not to root for her. She's not perfect, and I like that Magida didn't try to make her so, as she was a real person. I would definitely recommend this to people who like WWII books but are looking for something a bit different this time around.

In the plus column: This is a very, very well-researched and very, very detailed book about one of the unsung heroes of World War II, Noor Inayat Khan.

In the minus column: It failed to achieve the objectivity of academic writing, nor the narrative flow required of popular books. I've read a long list of books about women who served in Europe in WWII, and this was my least favorite.

Code Name Madeleine never quite lived up to the promise of its title, since the vast majority of the text was about Sufism, its doctrine, its history, its place in the spiritual world -- so much so that I felt I was reading a Sufi educational tool. I can see that the author, Arthur Magida, wanted us to know that Noor's spirituality was central to her service -- but the balance was way off.

Magida's portrayal of Noor showed me a spoiled, entitled rich kid who felt her lineage and her faith made her invincible.

Thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton for an advance readers copy.

This book was full of shocking tidbits about how Noor Inayat Khan, the daughter of a Sufi mystic father and an American mother became one of the most successful spies of the British SOE (Special Operation Executive) in Nazi occupied France. I was amazed at her bravery and dedication while reading. She is truly a hero whose name should be well-known in history.

What a story! Sometimes you can't just make this stuff up and that's the case here. Noor Inayat Khan is the last person anyone would have chosen to be a hero of WWII but that's what she was. The daughter of a mystic, she joined the British SOE and, against pretty much all of her instructors' predictions, pulled it together and became a key radio operator in Paris. Unfortunately, she was also careless to the point where it's amazing she wasn't caught sooner. Magida has done a terrific amount of research and written a book which illuminates a little known heroine. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

I wanted to like this book and it seemed to be written well; however over the three months I had the book I only got 18% into it so I wanted to submit this review instead of ignoring it. Written well.

What an amazing woman, talented and brave with a remarkable upbringing.
I can't help but think that some of the objectors during her training might have been correct in their assessment. On the other hand there wasn't sufficient training for what was needed mostly due to the time restrains. They really treated these agents as disposable not expected to survive more than a couple of months. It really amazes you how careless some of these agents where often risking their lives and others. Wanting to know a little more about Noor’s r writing I ordered the "Jātaka Tales” on amazon.
This book is well written which makes it an easy read with a lot of details. Obviously a lot of research went into this book. Highly recommend it.

Codename Madeleine by Arthur J. Magida is a historical non-fiction biography of female WWII radio operative Noor Inayat khan. From her privileged childhood living in a Sufi commune in Paris, Noor is described as a prodigious child, gifted at literature, music, and close to her father, and is schooled in the Islamic teachings of (peaceful Islamic mysticism) Sufi. Her father, Inayat khan is a Gandhi-Esque musician, (and descendent of Indian royalty) who tours Europe and America throughout her childhood and early adulthood. At her father's death, Europe collapses into war, and although it's never quite explained, the creatively gifted Noor trains to be a radio operative and code breaker for England’s war effort.

Recruited by the Secret Services to be a code-breaking spy, Noor is soon the only SOE (special operations executive) operative working for England and based in Paris. Flitting from secret hideouts, brazen liaisons with the enemy, secret messages to England, and illicit dispatches soon follow. Due to her (at times) insufficient spy skills, Noor is soon secretly tracked by the Gestapo and captured. In fairness, this is largely due to being double-crossed by an acquaintance, but still, the book does little to dismiss the suggestion that her spy skills weren't exactly top-notch. After a botched escape attempt, Noor is then shipped off to a POW camp in the depths of Nazi Germany. Noor was eventually executed at the infamous Dachau concentration camp in 1944 alongside 3 other females.

Arthur J Madiga writes a fascinating tale of intrigue, espionage, botched spy rings, & heinous war crimes. At the centre of it all, Noor’s story is told with great care, historical fact, and is undoubtedly a homage to her work as a spy who's work was directly linked to the success of the D-Day landings, and it's surprising that Noor isn't more well known within the UK’s national conscience.

Having featured in a recent episode of BBC SCI-FI series DOCTOR WHO, I knew the name but didn't know her story. Arthur J Magida’s superb account of Noor’s life is a compelling read, at times sketchy, but as historical novels go, I rather enjoyed it. I feel that we all should know a little bit more about this war hero! An excellent read.

Noor Inayat Khan, code named 'Madeleine' was one of the most successful British SOE (Special Operation Executive) wireless operators in Nazi occupied France. For four months in 1943, longer than any other radio operator, she passed messages between Paris and London that were crucial in the planning of D-Day. Arrested in October 1943, she was interrogated for weeks in a Gestapo prison in Paris but never told the Gestapo any information. After trying to escape twice she was transported to Dachau, chained and manacled and placed in a dark and damp isolation cell until she was killed by firing squad three months after D-Day.

Arthur Magida's book not only gives a detailed and well researched account of Noor's recruitment, training and time in Paris with the SOE, but also describes her upbringing in France as the daughter of a famous Indian Sufi mystic that made her a most unusual recruit for the SOE. Her Sufi upbringing meant that she would not tell a lie or kill anyone and it worried her trainers that she might not be able to lie to the Germans to protect herself. A writer of poetry and fairytales, Noor also seemed a little unworldly and dreamy and her beauty made her somewhat noticeable when an agent needed to be unremarkable to blend in. Nevertheless they did send her to France, but she didn't always follow orders, refusing to return to London when her network was compromised and destroyed. Despite SOE rules, she then sought out old friends in her home town to help her, but fortunately not one of them betrayed her. However, also against SOE rules, she inexplicably kept transcripts of the messages she sent and received in her notebook, which allowed the Gestapo to send bogus messages on her radio after her capture, resulting in London sending seven SOE operatives straight into Gestapo hands.

In many ways this account of Noor is stranger than any fiction. It's a fascinating account of a most remarkable young woman who died for her country, after surviving in Nazi occupied France on her wits and refusing to give any information to the Germans despite being imprisoned in the most heinous conditions.

Excellent! Arthur Magida precise research shines in this story about this brave woman. With all the woman inspired novels out right now about this era, this book is a stand-out.

This was really good. I don't know what else to say. Magida did a great job with telling us the story of Noor and how she came to be a spy. Magida also has pictures of Noor's family and different locations that helped tell her story. I also loved that he included further reading for those out there that want to read more information. I finished this book at 80 percent, the remaining parts of it were notes.

"Code Name Madeline: A Sufi Spy in Nazi-Occupied Paris" follows Noor Inayat Khan. She is flying in a plane under the cover of night during a full moon into France. From there Magida traces her family's history (her father was Inayat Khan and was descended from nobility, her mother was Ora Ray Baker, an American). Magida goes into Khan's family and their disapproval of Ora and then we get to Ora's birth in Moscow of all places. The book jumps forward and then we are following Noor as she decides to do what she can to resist Hitler and the Nazi regime. Her story is one of determination and also sadness because you find out what became of her. I had never heard of her before this book and I have to say that Magida did her justice.

The writing I thought was crisp and was filled with so many historical tidbits it keeps you reading. Magida is able to fan your interest with not boring you to death which many writers of history are not that great at.

The flow of the book was really good and was broken up with pictures of Noor, her family, and other things. It really made her came alive to me with the addition of the pictures.

The setting of Europe during the Nazi regime is heartbreaking. Finding out what became of Noor and others during the war still boggles my mind. You wonder how human beings can be so cruel to each other.

The ending to me is bittersweet:

At the close of the day when life's toil fades away,

And all so peaceful sleep,

No rest do I find since Thou left one behind, 'Till

Death around me doth creep.

Bitter nights of despair hath made fragrant the air,

Tear drops hath turned into dew,

I watch and I wait 'till Thou openeth the gate, And

Thy love leadeth one through.

"untitled," Noor Inayat Khan