Title: The Alice Network
Author: Kate Quinn
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: William Morrow Paperback
Format: Paperback
Pages: 505
Rating: 5/5 stars
*Warning Mature Content: Sexual Content*
Synopsis (Goodreads):
In an enthralling new historical novel from national bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption.
- In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She’s also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie’s parents banish her to Europe to have her “little problem” taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.
- 1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she’s recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she’s trained by the mesmerizing Lili, the “Queen of Spies”, who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy’s nose.
Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn’t heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth…no matter where it leads.
“Both funny and heartbreaking, this epic journey of two courageous women is an unforgettable tale of little-known wartime glory and sacrifice. Quinn knocks it out of the park with this spectacular book!”—Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author of America’s First Daughter
Review:
This book was emotional, gripping, full of adventures, and love, and loss. So many things were packed into this book and it was amazing!
There are two central characters in this book: Eve is a spy during World War One and she spies in France for the Alice Network. Charlie is looking for her cousin after World War Two in France, and her path crosses with Eve. Both women have something they want to find, and as they learn each other’s stories, they earn respect for each other and for their experiences. These two women are very strong characters and their resilience is quite empowering!
The story was written from both Eve’s and Charlie’s perspective, and we get to learn about both plot lines simultaneously which was very interesting and kept me hooked and wanting more! I loved that it looked at both wars, and that even though the context of the wars are different, the themes in the book regarding the book is similar. Both look at aspects of spies and resistance in France during the wars, and the role of French citizens in both the resistance and the working with the Germans.
If you love reading World War One and World War Two books, then I highly recommend this for you!
Happy reading!
Hooked to Books 