The Alice Network

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. New York: William and Morrow, 2017. 560 pages. ****

The Alice Network is told in the alternating voices of Charlie St. Clair and Eve Gardiner and in two different time frames, 1915 and 1947. Charlie is on a quest to find her cousin Rose who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war and is lead to Eve, a drunk, who wants nothing to do with reliving her life as a spy and a member of the Resistance. Throw in a handsome, rugged, handyman and driver for Eve and romance ensues.

I picked up this book to take on a river cruise in France. One of the towns, Rouen is mentioned in the book and visiting that town helped to bring the book alive. Women spies fascinate me and that story line held my interest. While more character driven than possibly historically factual, my interest was held and now I want to read more books on this subject. Quinn mentions events that happened and puts her own spin on the why of the atrocity that occurred. Read more about it here. I enjoyed this novel and will probably do some research on the Massacre of Oradour-Sur-Glane. I wish I had been able to visit Limoges and this town. 

Kate Quinn is a native of southern California. She attended Boston University, where she earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Classical Voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga, and two books in the Italian Renaissance, before turning to the 20th century with “The Alice Network” and the upcoming “The Huntress.” All have been translated into multiple languages.

Kate and her husband now live in San Diego with two black dogs named Caesar and Calpurnia, and her interests include opera, action movies, cooking, and the Boston Red Sox.

#thealicenetwork #womenspies #theresistance

.