Three things I loved about The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
I couldn't put this book down! Read the ReviewKate Quinn’s book covers have stared down at me from the shelves of my local bookstore for a while now. They seem to call to me “What are you waiting for? You know you’re going to like it!” For some reason, I resisted. Until now…and after reading The Alice Network, I have no idea what took me so long. I immediately added her whole back list to my TBR list. To be clear: I LOVED this book!
What’s it about?
It’s the story of a young American woman, Charlie St Claire, on the hunt for her missing cousin through post-war France. She seeks the help of Evelyn Gardiner – a cantankerous woman, a generation older than Charlie. The two women’s stories – Eve’s in the past and Charlie in the present – mirror each other until the stunning conclusion when…well I can’t really say, can I?
Here are three things that I loved:
1) This book made me want to be a better writer
Normally, having to stop reading because you are getting distracted by the writing is a criticism, but not so here. Several times I stopped reading just to appreciate the beauty of Quinn’s writing, and to wish I’d thought to express something so well. I don’t know how else to say this, but I just spent this book muttering to myself “I wish I’d written that”. By the end I was kind of breathless at the way it all came together so elegantly and satisfactorily.
2) Broken people healing
The central trio of the book were so broken at the beginning that I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend time with them for the sake of my own entertainment. But I’m so glad I persisted and got to understand them. The fact that they were so broken made their quest for redemption and justice so much more satisfying. It made me think a lot about my current work in progress which is also set just after WWII. It features characters similarly broken by war, but they are facing an entirely different set of challenges.
3) The French countryside
I just wanted to be there. As broken and scarred as the country must have been in 1947 I rather fancied rocketing around it in a dark blue convertible Lagonda LG6. I especially loved the description of the flower fields of Grasse at the end of the book.
Basically, I couldn’t put this down from about halfway through…and isn’t that the highest compliment that a reader can give? I purchased the audio narration as well as the ebook so I could keep ‘reading’ as I packed and unpacked my belongings while moving house. At one point I was listening in the car, and arrived at my destination right as something major happened (I won’t spoil anything, but it was a critical turning point!).
Romance rating:
The Alice Network was more than romance, but the romance in it was super-satisfying. Five out of five love hearts!
