Bestselling author Kate Quinn ‘s The Alice Network was the book that broke my 5 star rating drought! WWI AND WWII historical fiction. Female lead. War-time spies. I loved it!
Why I read The Alice Network:
I picked this book up at one of my favorite local bookstores in Greenville, SC (Hello, M. Judson Books!) when I was there for a girlfriends getaway weekend a couple months back. Really, is there anything better than supporting local bookstores??
After sifting through rows upon rows of ‘next read’ candidates with a fellow reader friend of mine, she pointed me to this beautifully written, historical fiction book and told me how much she enjoyed it. I’ve really been enjoying the Historical Fiction genre lately. So naturally, The Alice Network jumped itself into my arms and the rest is history.
What is The Alice Network by Kate Quinn about?
Technically Kate Quinn tells 2 storylines that run alongside each other, sharing a main character, Evelyn Gardiner.
The WWI story follows Eve as she joins a predominantly female spy network named after their fearless leader: The Alice Network. Alice Dubois’s character was based on real life hero, Louise de Bettignies, a courageous and resourceful French secret agent who is more commonly known as “The Queen of the Spies”.
Their mission was to eavesdrop on the Germans and provide any pertinent information back up their chain to Captain Cameron of the British Military. Eventually, Eve’s story follows her through espionage, betrayal, torture, heartbreak, but most of all, strength, perseverance, and noble duty to her commitment and fellow spies during the first World War.
Her heroic story brought shivers up my spine and tears to my eyes. One of my favorite lines was:
“Why did it matter if something scared you, when it simply had to be done anyway?”
The Alice network by Kate Quinn
If that’s not the epitome of how a hero thinks, I don’t know what is!
The 2nd storyline of The Alice Network is set just after WWII when American college girl, Charlie St. Clair is searching for her cousin who has been missing since the war. A paper trail leads her to Eve’s doorstep in London where she finds a cranky old drunk lady with shriveled hands, a hot temper, and a young (attractive!) hired hand named Finn. After much convincing, the three of them head out on a journey that will lead them to a new-found common enemy and leave all of their lives changed forever.
My review:
Based on other reviews, I am in the majority that I enjoyed the WWI storyline more than the WWII saga. Since the storyline of the spy network itself was based on a true story, I was completely mesmerized and couldn’t wait to read more.
Bestselling author, Kate Quinn, did an exquisite job in telling this heroic story and I’m so happy to add a 5-star rating to my list! It’s been a while and books like this remind me of why I love reading.
For this review and many more, plus what I’m reading now, visit me on GoodReads. Thanks so much for checking out the Collective!
– Sarah
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