Historical Fiction Annotation: The Alice Network
Authors: Kate Quinn
Title: The Alice Network
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Year: 2017
Number of Pages: 560
Geographical Setting: France, United
Kingdom
Time Period: World War I (1915), post-World
War II (1947)
Series: N/A
Plot Summary:
The year is 1947. Charlotte “Charlie” St. Clair is
unmarried and pregnant, a condition considered disgraceful by her wealthy
parents. In the few years since World War II, her and her family have suffered
great losses, but Charlie has a desperate hope that her beloved French cousin,
Rose, who went missing during the war is still alive. In her search, Charlie
encounters a haggard, drunken, and traumatized woman in London who she is
convinced can lead her to her lost cousin. This is Eve.
The year is 1915. Young Eve Gardiner is recruited and sent
into France as a spy to uncover secrets of their German occupants. Eve’s country,
the safety of her fellow spies, and her life all balance on the believability of
her cover and her strength of will. Will she pass muster?
Subject Headings: World War I, World War II,
women spies, war stories
Appeal:
Historical Influence: An appeal factor of this
novel is its basis in history, not only through the setting and general plot but also through the characters. The novel’s Alice Network is based on a real network of
spies (by the same name) that operated during World War I, and several key
characters (such as the lead spy, Lili) are direct references to real
operatives from the group including the real-life ringleader Louise de
Bettignies.
Tone: The tone of Eve’s sections translates
well to the intensity, severity, and fortitude that would be necessary in times
of war. Readers get a feel for the wartime setting through detailed
descriptions as well as Eve’s own perspective and opinions; grim but purposeful.
Frame/Perspectives: The Alice Network
explores dual timelines, with alternating chapters from the perspectives of Charlie
in postwar 1947 and Eve in 1915, in the thick of World War I. This may not be
appealing to all readers, but it does offer an interesting look at Eve’s character
progression during the war as a young spy alongside a look from the outside at
the many ways the war traumatized and changed her over thirty years later.
3 terms that best describe this book: descriptive,
compelling, conflicting
Relevant Fiction
The author of The Alice Network, Kate Quinn, has several other books with similar settings and themes of war and espionage, such as The Rose Code. Readers who enjoyed Kate Quinn’s writing style will likely enjoy the new characters and story of The Rose Code—essentially fulfilling the order of “the same, but different”.
Kate Atkinson’s Transcription is another historical
fiction novel focusing on differing time periods, set during and after World
War II. Readers looking for a suspenseful novel with similarities to The
Alice Network may enjoy this pick!
Lilac Girls, by Martha Hall Kelly, has
several similarities to The Alice Network, including strong women
protagonists, multiple narratives, and a wartime (World War II for Lilac
Girls) setting. Lilac Girls explores the stories of three women with
very different backgrounds in a way that The Alice Network attempted, but
may not have achieved fully depending on the reader.
Relevant Nonfiction
Readers with an interest in The Alice Network’s stories of
female spies may be interested in Lorry Loftis’ Code Name: Lise, the
story of Odette Sansom, a decorated British spy who operated during World War
II.
Karen Abbott’s Liar, Temptress,
Soldier, Spy explores the stories of women who worked undercover during the
American Civil War. While the setting and time period vary greatly from The
Alice Network, readers with an interest in strong, influential women (and spies)
may enjoy this narrative biography.
The Woman Who Smashed
Codes by Jason Fagone tells the story of
Elizebeth Smith Friedman, an American cryptanalyst who deciphered codes during
World War I. This nonfiction account explores another side of espionage and influential
women in history.
I’d like to note here that I didn’t enjoy a large portion of this book, but I did what I could here to pull out the aspects that were appealing, or that I thought other readers would enjoy. I didn’t care for Charlie’s character or perspective. Compared to the action, interest, and intensity of Eve’s exploits as a spy, most of Charlie’s sections felt like filler and I only really was interested in them when they focused on Eve or explored her character / life after WW1. Altogether I think I would have enjoyed the book much more if the 1947 timeline was cut out entirely, or at least shortened significantly. But sites like Goodreads show that many readers really enjoyed the book, so I am glad to have read something that’s not to my taste but could be perfect for a future patron.
ReplyDeleteGreat job hiding your lack of enjoyment from the summary - you never would have been able to tell! You did a great job writing about the appeals and summary while remaining unbiased!
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