The Mademoiselle Alliance by Natasha Lester

cover image Hachette, 2025. ISBN: 9780733651687. (Age: 16+ - Adult) Highly recommended.

I read this book with tears in my eyes and fear in my heart. Every page details the extraordinary story of the French Resistance Alliance network - led by the amazing female leader Marie-Madeleine Fourcade known by her code name - Herisson (hedgehog). It is a story that honours the incredible bravery and determination of the French Resistance in the face of the horrors of Nazi invasion. It is also a love story and a declaration of the incredible power of one beautiful woman raging against all odds, with a team of people who literally were prepared to lay their life on the line for the honour of France and its people, and for her. There are so many uncomfortable human stories woven through this fictional retelling of this real history, but it is absolutely a joy to discover the people involved and to be awestruck by their place in providing the necessary intelligence to enable the Allies to repel the Nazi onslaught. In an era before the internet and technological ease for spying and transferring information, using crystal radios and Morse code, there are many close calls and impossible prison escapes, and danger lurks on every page.

This is the kind of book that lovers of history will devour and if, like me, the stories of the Resistance warriors have not been well known, then they will appreciate the intense research that Natasha Lester has undertaken to tell this story. Yes, she has needed to use some creative ‘back-filled detail’, but it is essentially a brilliant story of WWII heroes. There are moments of extreme emotional distress (even the love story is not easy). The fear factor for readers is intense as each character must put their lives and loved ones into harm’s way as they seek information to bring down the relentless attacks on their country. I feel honoured to have finally discovered their stories. Readers aged 16+ will devour this brilliantly written historical masterpiece.

Themes: Themes: WWII - French Resistance, Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, Nazi occupation, Courage.

Carolyn Hull