A review by hforsythe26
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

challenging informative sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

It's hard to sum up 500 pages of emotion in one short paragraph but I'll go ahead and try... I went into The Alice Network not knowing anything about the story besides what I read  on the jacket flap and I think that's the best way to tackle this one. The story follows dual timelines beginning in 1915 and 1947. During WWI we follow young Eve Gardiner as she is brought into the world of espionage in Nazi occupied France. She becomes an integral part of The Alice Network, a group of female spies working against Germany. Meanwhile, in 1947 we meet Charlie St. Clair, a young American gal who finds herself on the doorstep of a crass drunk by the name of Eve Gardiner... yes, the same Eve who worked as a spy during the Great War. Charlie is looking for her cousin who went missing during WWII and we slowly find that the lives of Charlie, Eve, and Charlie's cousin Rose are more closely intertwined than anyone could have guessed. Definitely do not miss the author's note at the back of the book as this shows just how closely Kate Quinn stayed to the real story of Alice Dubois and her network of spies. I was on the edge of my seat as I watched Eve deftly insert herself into situations that made me hold my breath, sure that she would be found out at any moment and be killed (or worse) by the Germans. This was a difficult story that shed lights on some lesser known moments of WWI and WWII but I loved the way that Quinn wove the real information into the story and brought to life these remarkably courageous women who played such an important part in the ultimate victory of the Allied Forces in Europe.
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