The Alice Network

 Kate Quinn

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Genre: Historical Fiction

The Alice Network is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of two women living in different timelines. There’s Eve Gardiner, a former World War I spy, and Charlie St. Clair, a pregnant American college student searching for her missing cousin in the aftermath of World War II. The story alternates between Eve’s chapters, set in 1915, and Charlie’s, set in 1947.

This was my first time reading anything by Kate Quinn. I’ve heard a lot of praise for her writing and the amount of research she puts into her books, and I could definitely sense that in this one. I do enjoy historical fiction, but I’m not really into spy or espionage plots, so this book was a bit outside my comfort zone.

From what I understand, the Alice Network was a real and successful spy ring during World War I, operating in German-occupied France and Belgium. Louise de Bettignies, who appears in Eve’s chapters as her mentor, was a real person, and I think the author did a good job incorporating her into the story in a way that felt natural and respectful.

I know this novel is loved by many historical fiction fans, especially for highlighting women’s roles during wartime. It does feature strong female characters who show courage even in their most vulnerable moments. I particularly appreciated how the author portrayed Eve’s trauma and how she eventually confronted her past.

Where the book didn’t work for me was the pacing. It’s a long novel, and some parts felt unnecessarily stretched. At times, it seemed like the author digressed too much, which diluted what could’ve been a tighter, more focused plot. That kind of storytelling doesn’t appeal to me—it pulls me out of the narrative.

Another common issue with dual-timeline books is that one storyline tends to be more compelling than the other. I definitely preferred Eve’s timeline over Charlie’s. That said, Eve appears in both timelines, so that helped hold my interest. Still, I think I would’ve enjoyed the story more if it had stuck to a past-present format with a single narrative voice.

Overall, this was an okay read. Maybe I didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected because I went in with high hopes. I’ll be finding this book a new home—hopefully, someone else will enjoy it more than I did. I’m also in the middle of some spring cleaning, so my physical books are getting priority right now.