Book Review – The Alice Network

The Alice Network includes the stories of the 1947 Charlie St. Clair (American college student, pregnant, unmarried and in search of her disappeared cousin, Rose) and the 1915 Eve Gardiner (young, single woman with a stammer, recruited to be a spy in the Great War in enemy-occupied France). Their worlds collide when Charlie turns up at Eve’s door, suspecting she may be the ticket to finding Rose. Together, they embark on a mission to find truth – what happened to Rose? And what’s left of Eve’s former life in the Alice Network?

The Alice Network

My reading goal this year was 30 books. For the past 3 years, it’s been 24 – 2 per month, but I’ve always read 26-28. This year my life changed. I’m home a lot more. I’m forced to slow down more. I thought 30 might be realistic with a baby, but the more time I spent with my hobby, the more it became an obsession, so book 30 was finished in September and now I have three months to read extras. Oops!

Anyhow, a book sent my way by my mom and then chosen for Book Club…

Book 30:
The Alice Network
by Kate Quinn

Genre:
Fiction, Historical Fiction, War story, Spy fiction

Published:
June 2017

Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, The Alice Network includes the stories of the 1947 Charlie St. Clair (American college student, pregnant, unmarried and in search of her disappeared cousin, Rose) and the 1915 Eve Gardiner (young, single woman with a stammer, recruited to be a spy in the Great War in enemy-occupied France). Their worlds collide when Charlie turns up at Eve’s door, suspecting she may be the ticket to finding Rose. Together, they embark on a mission to find truth – what happened to Rose? And what’s left of Eve’s former life in the Alice Network?

Favorite Quote(s):

“What did it matter if something scared you, when it simply had to be done?” 

-Kate Quinn, The Alice Network

Awards (based upon my brief research):
Goodreads Choice Awards Best Historical Fiction
Audie Award for Best Female Narrator

Pages:
503

My Overall Rating:
4 – I struggled with the first 200 pages. I wanted the story to move faster. But from that point on, I was so engaged that I couldn’t imagine the story ending. This was a phenomenal book. My only holdback from a 5 is the cute, fluffy, superfluous story of Charlie’s love life. That part felt predictable and unrealistic, yet the rest was so good that I’m still keeping this book at a 4. I loved learning about the work of female spies during World War II. I loved the three main characters’ personalities together. I love how engaged the book kept me. I would definitely recommend this one – especially to women.