The Alice Network - Kate Quinn

This was another book club book. I think I may have grabbed it out of someone's hands at the last meeting! Unfortunately, I had to take a bit of a break from reading while I focused on a course I was taking. The day of the exam I put this book in my bag to start reading once I finished. I started reading it while I was waiting for the bus after the exam, but couldn't get into it. A day later I picked it up again and am I ever glad that I did. I loved this book. I don't often say that I love books, I usually really like them, or enjoy them, but I loved this book!

This book alternates between 1915 and 1947. In 1915, Eve Gardiner is recruited to be a spy for the Allies. In 1947, Charlie St. Claire has a "little problem" and is being taken to Switzerland to get it taken care of. She runs away from her mother when they get to England and heads to London where she bangs on Eve's door demanding information about her cousin Rose, who disappeared in the Second World War. Each chapter moves between a young Eve and her world as a spy and then back to Charlie and a 54 year old Eve, scarred from WWI in more ways that one. Each chapter reveals a bit more about Eve and Charlie, which made me invested in their stories. So much so that I even dreamed about them one night. and they continue to pop up in my mind occasionally.

While you have a sense of what may have happened to Eve, the mystery of Rose continues for much of the book. I should point out that there are some sections with violence that may be disturbing. I had a tough time reading that part, though I imagine it is only a portion of the horrors people saw during both WWI and WWII.

One of the best parts of this book is that there really was an "Alice Network" in WWI, lead by an amazing woman who makes appearances in this book. There are so many things I didn't know about WWI and WWII. I'm so glad someone wrote about these women.

So in conclusion, I loved this book. Go read this book!