The Alice Network

Book: The Alice Network

Author: Kate Quinn

1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She's also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie's parents banish her to Europe to have her "little problem" taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.

1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she's recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she's trained by the mesmerizing Lili, the "Queen of Spies", who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy's nose.

Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn't heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth ...no matter where it leads.-Goodreads

Review:  Mesmerized, heartbroken, encouraged..I had so many emotions reading this historical fiction novel. Told in alternating timelines, we follow Charlie in 1947, an American in Europe trying to track down her best friend/cousin who disappeared during the war. In 1915, we follow Eve, a stuttering tri-lingual young woman recruited to be a spy in German occupied France. I usually prefer one timeline over the other in books like this, but I was equally immersed in each story. I loved Charlie's tenacity and optimism in finding her cousin, while I was on the edge of my seat with Eve.I think this is the firstk WWI book I've read and it was a very interesting perspective. Reading the afterward, it was fascinating to realize many of the characters were based on real people. 

Overall-I loved this book. One of my favorite reads of the year. 

Grade: 5/5