The Alice Network

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


There are a glut of novels out there covering the horrors of war. Some good, some not so good. Some are great. For me, this one was great.
The Alice Network was real. It was a group of 100 or so spies, mostly women, headed by Louise de Bettignies, "Alice Dubouis", in Lille, France that worked to save over a 1,000 British soldiers and fed information to the British for 9 months in 1915.
Having this basis in fact, the book "The Alice Network" checked all the boxes for me:
Good, solid characters - Check
Mesmerizing plot - Check
Satisfying completion - Check
It wasn't so much about the horrors of war, but the impact that war has on the lives and souls of the people involved. It is about the profound sadness, need, and psychological pain that are the aftermath of war. It is about the ruined lives, the unfinished lives, and shattered souls.
The Alice Network brings two women together at the end of World War II. Both sad, both in need of solace and closure, both in pain. They join forces, albeit reluctantly at first, to heal the wounds left by not just WWII, but WWI as well.
This unlikely pair stole my heart. Eve, with her stutter, wounded by her past, drinking herself into oblivion, wanting to die. Charlie, with her overpowering need to find and save her cousin, lost somewhere in France during the war. Their stories weave together in a way that is amazing, but believable. Their stories made me feel. I laughed, I cried, I was repulsed, and I rooted for the heroines through several close calls with capture and even death.
It made me question "What would I do?" "Would I have the wherewithal to stand up and fight?" "Would I have the strength and courage to give up everything?"
One woman did. One woman would.







View all my reviews

"Year One", The Book She Was Born To Write

Year One by Nora Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Where to start? I have been reading Nora Roberts since I picked up an advanced reader's copy of Montana Skies. I fell in love with her prose and her ability to paint a picture with words. And, yes, I also enjoyed the brain candy provided with her romance and family relationships held between the covers of each of her books I have since read. But, with this new novel, I feel that Ms. Roberts is truly flexing her muscles and delving into new territory. I LOVE it!
In the opening chapter she begins setting the stage for a new world order. She builds the tension. She introduces characters. She weaves a spell. Then, as the book progresses, the battle lines begin to form.
I also feel that this book is a statement. It illustrates the lines between those that are "different" and those that "discriminate". It paints a picture of the trodden upon and those that trod upon them. It weaves a tapestry of a polarized world, in which there is more than one side - good and evil and everything in between.
Yes, this book did contain Ms. Roberts signature leanings toward all that is magical, both dark and light. However it didn't have the main character with the typical romantic struggle. The struggle contained was that of life and death; the struggle of light over dark.
I cannot go into much more without giving spoilers. But, it is well worth the read.
When is the 2nd in the series? I want it NOW!


View all my reviews