The Alice Network
By Kate Quinn
(historical fiction/308 pages/2019)
The Alice Network is an historical novel set in two time periods – 1915 and 1947 – and tells the tales of two fascinating women in alternating chapters. The story begins in 1947. American college student, Charlotte “Charlie” St. Clair, is unmarried and newly pregnant. She comes from an affluent family and her French mother has brought Charlie to Europe to take care of her “Little Problem,” as she has dubbed her unborn baby. But Charlie has another plan. While in Europe, Charlie intends to find her beloved French cousin, Rose, who has not been heard from since the Germans invaded France during the WWII.
Armed with nothing more than an address and a name to go on, Charlie ditches her mother and sets off to find Rose. In London, she meets Evelyn “Eve” Gardner, a haggard, foul-mouthed, drunkard woman who just might know the whereabouts of Rose. Eve is not at all interested in helping Charlie; that is, until Charlie utters a much-hated name from Eve’s past.
Eve’s story is set in 1915. She is a very bright young woman who fluently speaks three languages, but people underestimate her abilities due to her speech impediment. Eve is working as a file clerk when she is noticed by a British soldier and is recruited into The Alice Network, a real-life spy network, made up mostly of women spies, that operated in German-occupied France during WWI. Eve is given the code name “Marguerite,” and becomes a waitress in a restaurant run by a French profiteer. Here she eavesdrops on conversations as she serves German officers and passes the information back to the Alice Network through her handler, Louise de Bettignies or “Lili”, an historical figure of the real Alice Network, who became known as “the queen of spies.”
The Alice Network is a wonderful blend of history and fiction. This book has it all – suspense, tragedy, romance, hopefulness, and historic accuracy! I highly recommend The Alice Network to anyone who likes strong, courageous female characters who evolve and grow with their story.
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Meg Roby
