Alice in France: The World War I Letters of Alice M. O'Brien

by Nancy O'Brien Wagner (Editor)

July 19, 1918: The wounded were pouring into the four Hospitals of the town. . . . We have decided to double up for a few days half of us work at the Canteen and half at the Hospitals, taking turns. It will be hard work for awhile but everyone feels that you can't work hard enough these days.

In March 1918, twenty-six-year-old Alice O'Brien and three close friends set off from New York harbor, bound for wartime France. Unlike the soldiers aboard their ship, they were unpaid volunteers. As the daughter of a wealthy family, Alice had no need to work no need to go to war. But she also drove her own car, was trained as an auto mechanic, spoke French, and had the passion and determination to contribute selflessly to the war effort.

Alice and her friends joined hundreds of American women serving as nurses, clerks, drivers, and canteen workers for the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other organizations. Her letters home, full of breezy gossip and telling detail, describe living conditions, attitudes and actions of French soldiers and civilians, and her own remarkable efforts near the front. Alice was brave and funny, proud and jingoistic, privileged and unassuming, and Alice made a difference in France."

Genres: Nonfiction, History, World War I, War, American History

216 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2017

Reviews

[Caragh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my sister's book about our great aunt, Alice O'Brien, who wrote amazing letters home to her family in Minnesota while she worked for the Red Cross in France during WWI. Alice was a hoot, and my sister Nancy, a historian, is the perfect person to edit and annotate her story. I can't wait to read the final version of this book!
Later: This is so good. Having the historical notes helps ground the letters in the wider movements of the battles in the spring of 1918, and Alice's details are gripping. What an amazing perspective this provides. Those cigarettes as gifts to soldiers in the hospital, though! Yikes!

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a pleasant and interesting non -fiction read. I liked how it shed light on the important (and frequently overlooked/minimized) roles women played in WWI (before they even had the right to vote!) But it wasn’t in a preachy tone, it was very matter-of-fact.

I enjoyed the generous, plucky, can-do attitude of Alice O’Brien and found myself wishing I could step back in time and be one of her friends alongside her on her adventures.

I also enjoyed the references to “home” which are familiar places to me — St. Paul, Duluth, the St. Croix, etc. This book really got me thinking about what my hometown might have been like, especially for upper class women, 100+ years ago.

Definitely worth reading, and a must if you’re from Minnesota!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this in a Little Free Library in my Minneapolis neighborhood and thought it was worth a try--I'm always interested in women's involvement in major historical events, and I know less about WWI than WWII in general.

I estimate that this book is 80% the letters themselves (which span March-November 1918, and are all from Alice herself except two) and 20% intro, conclusion, footnotes, and photos/illustrations. Wagner's contributions (i.e., the 20%) provided helpful context, but I could've done with at least twice as much annotation/contextualization, in part due to my ignorance of WWI. From historical classics like Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on her Diary, 1785-1812, I know that it's possible to deduce a lot about someone's life and their milieu based on seemingly sparse personal writings. And unlike your typical historian, Wagner has the advantage of family knowledge and lore about Alice--which she does bring in, I just wanted more of it :)

Another aspect I wanted to know more about was the class difference between girls like Alice and American GIs--young women were only allowed to go to France and volunteer if they didn't have a husband, father, brother, or son in the US armed services, and [thus?] many who went to France to volunteer were "unmarried, educated, upper-class women" (p. 15). Many, like Alice, were of independent means and did not take a salary from the Red Cross or whatever organization they were serving with. Alice and others like her undoubtedly made a great contribution to the war effort, but I wanted to know more about the background of the typical American soldier she might have encountered in a canteen or field hospital--for example, I suspect that, unlike Alice, they might not have owned an automobile back home in the States, to name just one striking difference in their respective backgrounds. I'd be interested to know more about the extent to which the war united people across class lines (both during and following it).

One does get a helpful sense of the following from the book: the logistical chaos around organizations and volunteers in France (i.e., Alice doesn't get her first official posting until May--or, p. 55 of the book!), how the canteens worked, rationing, field hospitals, prisoners of war, goods that were easy or hard to get in wartime, the unreliability of communication networks (i.e., mail and telegrams) and the Spanish flu pandemic. Also, the local connections (e.g., Alice mentions missing relaxing on the St. Croix River and driving her car along Summit Ave.) were fun.

[Stacy LinDell · Rating 3 out of 5]

First learned of this book when an excerpt was read at The Fitzgerald Theater in St Paul, MN celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the end of WWI. Alice O'Brien left her home on Summit Ave in St Paul to volunteer for the war efforts in France in 1918. Her letters home were saved, and collected in this book nearly one hundred years later by her great-niece.

It was interesting to read of Alice's experiences, including mentions of the global flu pandemic and her account of seeing the war and its impact first-hand.

Added bonus: photographs are meaningfully dispersed throughout the book instead of all clumped in the middle.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love library surprises! This was something I just happened to see on display and thought it looked interesting. Turns out I had actually stayed at the subject’s home in Marine on the St. Croix, MN. Who knew? So very fun to read something by someone you never met, but know a little of where they come from. This is an interesting first-hand account of a young woman’s WWI adventures in France. I knew women were an important part of service, so a bit of a different take than "The Well of Loneliness." I did keep in mind that Alice’s economic situation as different than many other women, so a very different lens than your average Jill.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always find it more enjoyable to read books about Minnesota and its people. I appreciated reading the story of Alice O'Brien, a Minnesotan who volunteered overseas in France during WWI. Told through letters, the reader gets a first person perspective. WWI is not talked about nearly as much as WWII, so I was also glad for that aspect of the book. Having said all those positive things, the book didn't quite engage me as much as I'd hoped. Some letters were more interesting that others, which is to be expected, but something about her letters wasn't as compelling as I'd hoped.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book of cheerful letters knowing that underneath the cheerful writing one could surmise that Alice was really in difficult circumstances during her time volunteering in France. I learned a great deal about WWI, life in the 1910s, and early Minneapolis prominent people. Now when I read about William O'Brien State Park, Ordway Theatre, and General Mills, I will be reminded of the women in this book, since their fathers were the founders of these and other MN icons. A recommended read published by the Minnesota Historical Society.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before World War II and Rosie the Riveter, there were the women of World War I. Alice O'Brien was one of many women who traveled to Europe to volunteer with the Red Cross and other organizations to feed and care for soldiers. Through Alice's letters, which are annotated by her great-niece, we gain a new perspective on activities behind the front lines and the motivations of women who left their comfortable homes to be a part of the Great War.

[Linda Kenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of letters written by a young St. Paul woman from privileged circumstances who went to France to help with the Allied cause. It gives the reader a glimpse of life behind the trenches. Life seemed good for these young women who seemed to not suffer from rationing or shortages.

[P.R. Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good editing job and great footnoting. Alice's letters show she was an interesting person and she painted a good picture what it was like in France during the war. The book brings WW I into your living room as if it were happening today.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

My cousin SuAnn is married to an O'Brien. I wonder if it's any relation?

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great snapshot of life of American women volunteering in France during the war. While the letters don’t give great detail, the are fun to read. I wish I could have known Alice.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diary of Alice O'Brien (Daughter of William O'Brien...state park in Minnesota). Always fun reading about a Minnesotan. Alice was a tough lady who went to help out in World War I.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very solid editing of a young American woman’s letters to family recounting her work and life in France as a Red Cross volunteer during World War 1.

[Gib · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, though it doesn't capture the horror of WWI that you find in other accounts. Some letters describe the awful injuries of the soldiers she encounters, but for the most part she was distant from the front lines. Worth reading to get another view of the war.