ICYMI: My favorite Kate Quinn books center around strong young women proving their mettle during wartime crises, and The Alice Network offers the tales of two women whose stories span decades and who become linked forever.
In this historical fiction novel by Kate Quinn, the stories of two women—an imagined World War I spy from the Alice Network (a network that actually existed) in France and an American socialite looking for her cousin in 1947—are brought together across the decades.
I loved the strong female protagonists and seeing their fire and grit and growth.
Both of the more modern-day storylines were wrapped up neatly as with a bow. I would have been in favor of having the romantic element be tied up without the Eve aspect, or having neither of them tied up at all, but the “end of movie”-type closure for both felt too convenient, and even a little dismissive of the complexities of the time and the specific difficulties of the characters' situations.
But I was fascinated by the World War I focus and in many cases the spy details’ basis in reality. I wished I’d known the information from the author’s note as I read because of how much of the stories of the women’s lives was pulled from first-person records.
I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book!
Kate Quinn is the author of the fantastic titles The Diamond Eye, The Huntress, The Rose Code, and, along with Janie Chang, The Phoenix Crown.
Comments