Softcover, 503 pages
English language
Published May 1, 2017 by HarperCollins.
In this enthralling novel from New York Times bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption.
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 …
In this enthralling novel from New York Times bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption.
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.
While the book kept me engaged enough to finish, I didn't feel as though any other character besides Evie had an interestingly enough plot to follow. The other women, set up as parallels to Evie, felt too similar in my opinion, causing me to feel like I was reading the same plot multiple times and creating a weaker experience
Kate Quinn weaves a multilayered plot in two related time periods, the end of World War I and the aftermath of World War II. It’s got the required level of spying and Nazis, plus a cast of main characters that includes a Lagonda. Well worth the read!
Fictional, dramatized story based on actual events and people (be sure to read the epilogue as the author explains the parallels!) I believe I've read about the real historical women spies, so that made the story richer. The characters were fascinating and had such strong personalities - especially Alice. Fun read.
This wasn't your typical WWII book set in France. For starters, the plot lines toggled between WWI and right after WWII.
There was a lot I enjoyed about this book:
-One storyline centered around strong women serving as spies in WWI
- The other storyline featured a pregnant, unwed protagonist who was good at math - and a surly old woman who drank whiskey, carried a Luger and swore like a sailor
- The element of mystery - first a quest to find a missing cousin, then to settle a score
There were a few things that didn't work for me:
- I'm not familiar with pregnancy statistics during this time, but the number of single women who get pregnant in this book seems improbable. The plot could've worked without that unlikely coincidence. (Though sex is treated pretty casually in this book, so if you accept that independent women during …
This wasn't your typical WWII book set in France. For starters, the plot lines toggled between WWI and right after WWII.
There was a lot I enjoyed about this book:
-One storyline centered around strong women serving as spies in WWI
- The other storyline featured a pregnant, unwed protagonist who was good at math - and a surly old woman who drank whiskey, carried a Luger and swore like a sailor
- The element of mystery - first a quest to find a missing cousin, then to settle a score
There were a few things that didn't work for me:
- I'm not familiar with pregnancy statistics during this time, but the number of single women who get pregnant in this book seems improbable. The plot could've worked without that unlikely coincidence. (Though sex is treated pretty casually in this book, so if you accept that independent women during this time would've been bedding whoever they wanted, then ok - maybe everyone WOULD be pregnant. Both assumptions seem far-fetched.)
- Why would you write a book about a strong, independent woman - and then still feel compelled to have her fall in love? C'mon!
Overall - fun (and dark) little adventure through France, if you can get past the contradictions and coincidences.
