The Alice Network in Around the Year in 52 Books

Apr 16, 2019 Book Concierge rated it liked it

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

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Mar 05, 2018 Debbie rated it it was ok

Shelves: via-audio, first-visit-with-an-author, historical-fiction, 2018

My struggles with this book...
1. Too long
2. Charlie's character is not believable as a 19 year old woman in 1947. She is an unnecessary distraction from the the brave and brilliant women who risked and gave their lives in 1940's France during WWII.

The power of the book...
1. Based on real experiences and a historical woman.
2. Gives a real sense of incredibly difficult circumstances/decisions that existed.

1 star for Charlie
4 starts for Eve ...more

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Jun 15, 2021 Andrea rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, 2021

I really liked this book and was glad my kids weren't around so I could listen to it all weekend long. As I was listening to it, it kept reminding me of The Huntress, which I loved last year, and then after I finished, I realized they were written by the same person. I liked it more than some of the other books I gave 4 starts lately, but it isn't quite up to a 5. ...more

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Sep 09, 2021 Lauren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel about spies during WWI and post WWII. The characters where gutsy and brave. I especially enjoyed Eve’s character.

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