From the Bookshelf of Retro Chapter Chicks …

The Alice Network

Kate Quinn

Start date: November 1, 2017

Finish date: November 30, 2017

Discussion: Chapter Chicks Reading Info

Why we're reading this: Our November 2017 Buddy Read.
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What Members Thought

Feb 17, 2019 Nancy rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019-books, waiting-challenge, 80-countries

I love it when historical fiction enlightens me on a place or an event I've been unaware of. I knew nothing about the women who were spies in WWI. This book follows the story of Eve Gardiner who was inducted into the Alice Network, a spy network consisting of women, during WWI. There are two stories being told within the book. One story takes place in 1915 during WWI and other is set in 1947, two years after WWII. Eve Gardiner plays a role in both stories. I was impressed how the author included ...more

19 likes · Like · see review

Apr 16, 2019 Book Concierge rated it liked it

Shelves: concierge, strong-women, library, audio, france, historical-fiction, war, espionage

Book on CD narrated by Saskia Maarleveld
3.5***

Charlie St Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and heading to Europe with her mother to take care of “the little problem.” It’s 1947 and Charlie is reeling from the death of her brother and worried about her beloved cousin, Rose, who has not been heard from in a couple of years. She decides to find Eve Gardiner, the one name and only clue she has to Rose’s whereabouts. But Eve is an alcoholic recluse with her own demons. During WWI she had been recruited Book on CD narrated by Saskia Maarleveld
3.5***

Charlie St Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and heading to Europe with her mother to take care of “the little problem.” It’s 1947 and Charlie is reeling from the death of her brother and worried about her beloved cousin, Rose, who has not been heard from in a couple of years. She decides to find Eve Gardiner, the one name and only clue she has to Rose’s whereabouts. But Eve is an alcoholic recluse with her own demons. During WWI she had been recruited as a spy working with the French Resistance. Along with other women they formed The Alice Network.

Based on the real stories of women who served as spies during World War I, Quinn has crafted an interesting, engaging story of wartime heroines and the price they paid for their service. She uses a dual timeline, moving back and forth between Charlie’s search for Rose, and Eve’s remembered experiences thirty years earlier.

I found Charlie irritating. She was in turns stubborn, hysteric, weepy, lost and determined. I thought she was mostly immature, and she got on my nerves almost as much as she got on Eve’s.

I was much more interested in Eve’s story. She’s a broken woman when we meet her, racked with survivor’s guilt and trying to numb her pain with alcohol. But as I learn more about her back story, how she came to be recruited for the spy network, her courage and bravery in the face of very real danger, I grew to admire her. Her story is what compelled me to keep reading / listening.

I found the ending rather rushed and implausible. I am referring mostly to (view spoiler) Lost half a star there.

The author’s note at the end expounds on the real people and events that inspired the novel. Additional historical information (letters and trial records) is also included.

Saskia Maarleveld did a marvelous job performing the audiobook. She sets a good pace and has the skill needed to differentiate a large cast of characters from a number of countries (Scotland, USA, France, England, and Germany). My only complaint about the audio is that it does NOT include the author notes and historical documents that the text. ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Nov 18, 2017 Tasha rated it liked it

I so completely wanted to love this as I love the author's Rome series but I have to admit that I struggled with it. I felt the story of Eve was well-done and gave us a look into what it might have been like for those women working as spies during war time. It was really interesting and kept me on the edge of my seat. I learned something from Eve's story, which is one of the reasons I read hist fic. If the book focused solely on her it would have been a 4 or 5 star read!

The voice of the other c ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Nov 07, 2017 Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

Great homage to women that served as spies during WWI.

10 likes · Like · see review

Apr 20, 2019 Kris (My Novelesque Life) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 1940s, 1930s, historical-fiction, history, elibrary, fiction, war, women, ww2

RATING: 4 STARS
(Review Not on Blog)

I liked this novel about women's role in war - in this case as spies - but I never really felt connected with the characters completely. I still enjoyed the story and learning about another facet of the war. ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Jun 24, 2018 Lory Sakay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

No less than 5 stars can be given to the amount of research Kate Quinn obviously put into writing this historical fiction. The way she interwove a very interesting and thrilling plot into sharing the history and contributions of females spies during both World Wars was fluid and intriguing. She successfully shared factual details of Louise deBettignes and her spy actions and sass, while highlighting the lives and ancillary struggles of those who surrounded her. I always enjoy a good, "Girl Power ...more

1 like · Like · see review