“Judith Mackrell’s The Correspondents is a brilliant, gripping account of six journalists covering World War Two from deep inside the danger zone. Mackrell’s writing so captures the drama of the period that you can almost hear her characters’ typewriter keys tapping out their reports amid the rumble of tanks. But more than just a writers-at-war story, Mackrell’s account succeeds because it describes the internal conflict individuals experienced—the women at the center of her stories and the people they encountered—during a moment when the world truly appeared to have gone insane. I found The Correspondents to be one of the best books I have read in years. It is thrilling from the first page to the last.”
—Mary Gabriel, author of Ninth Street Women
“A vivid portrait of the women whose clear-eyed reporting brought home the tragedy and heroism of one of history’s most pivotal conflicts. We owe these journalists a great debt.”
—Liza Mundy, New York Times bestselling author of Code Girls
“Definitive, deeply researched, and beautifully told, The Correspondents tells the story of women at war—and reminds us how a few brave souls can blaze a trail and change the world.”
—Keith O’Brien, New York Times bestselling author of Fly Girls
“Important and insightful…In telling the interwoven stories of how six bold, ambitious, fearless women reported on the Second World War and its aftermath, Mackrell tells the story of the war itself but in a radical new way.”
—Anne Sebba, author of Les Parisiennes
“Judith Mackrell’s bravura group portrait of six English and American women journalists who confronted entrenched professional prejudice while risking their lives to cover World War II is as engaging as their own richly varied reportage. Fast-paced and informative, it puts these women’s trail-blazing accomplishments in the social, military, and historical contexts we need to grasp how remarkable they were—at a time when the authorities saw them as a novelty and their mission, to report only about civilian life under war conditions. The period before, during, and after the war is illuminated by Mackrell’s impressively researched account of their creative ways around official constraints, like being barred from combat zones, their bravery under fire, and their intense wartime affairs and sometimes complicated friendships.”
—Carolyn Burke, author of Foursome and Lee Miller: A Life
“These six remarkable women writers shared courage, intelligence, competitiveness and a determination not be sidelined into the woman’s angle; more than that, they left a legacy for war reporting that has shaped all those who have followed in their steps.”
—Caroline Moorehead, author of Gellhorn and A Train in Winter
“Bold newswomen such as Clare Hollingworth and Martha Gellhorn wrote the first draft of World War II, now Judith Mackrell gives us a chance to learn about the lives behind the headlines.”
—Sarah Rose, author of D-Day Girls
“Powerful and engaging…The history of the second world war has largely been told by, for and about men. The story of these six correspondents covering the battle zones of Europe and North Africa stands as an important corrective…They were not just reporters; they were also pioneers, and Judith Mackrell has done them proud.”
—Clare Mulley, The Spectator (UK)
“Beautifully researched, deeply sympathetic, and particularly insightful about Martha Gellhorn and Clare Hollingworth. They and the other women who went to war were pioneers in a dangerous profession who overcame fear and discrimination with grace and skill.”
—John Simpson, BBC foreign correspondent
“In this hugely entertaining and informative book, Judith Mackrell tells the stories of six intrepid women who demanded the right to risk their lives reporting from the front line…Both thoughtful and edge-of-your-seat thrilling.”
—The Mail on Sunday (UK)
