I really enjoyed this book. It is a new book that was published June of this year. I listened to the audio and thoroughly enjoyed it. The book goes back and forth between the lives of two women navigating life in the midst of two different world wars. Charlie is a 19-year-old unmarried pregnant college student who is brilliant at math but frowned upon by a society that values married women with husbands to guide their way through life. Her story takes place in 1947 where she is looking for her cousin who was lost during the Second World War. Charlie crosses paths with Eve who, in 1947, is a cranky old lady with a scarred past and is the young student’s only link to finding her cousin. Eve’s story takes place in 1915 when she played the role of spy during the First World War. Both women are strong and independent for different reasons and their stories intersect in ways I as a reader did not see coming. There is some romance entwined in this story as well as Charlie begins to fall for Finn, Eve’s rogue Scottish driver and handyman. I enjoyed the narration and felt like I was genuinely transported in time between two very different yet equally important international conflicts. I felt very attached to all of the characters, even the ones who did not make an appearance beyond character memory. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. My only reservation was that Charlie was obviously a genius level mathematician but I never quite picked up on how that played into her character development or even the story itself. I loved the scene toward the beginning where she was denied access to her own bank account because she was not a man and neither a father or husband was there to vouch for her, yet she could single-handedly manage to tell the bank manager what corrections needed to be made on his ledger. Other than that instance, her math skills never really played a large role in the story and could have been left out or built upon. Other than that, great book!
Book Review: The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Published by FamilyHistorian
I graduated Penn State University with a degree in Medieval Studies and Latin. I work at the Iredell County Public Library in North Carolina and I'm currently studying to earn my Master's of Library Science from Appalachian State University. I love reading, writing, and genealogical research. I'm always looking for new information and new research techniques. View all posts by FamilyHistorian
It does sound like a good book, although I rarely go for historical type books, I might this time. Great review! 😊
I like a good historical fiction, although WWII is not usually my go-to time period, but it is definitely worth the read!
That’s cool, yeah I don’t really have a go to period to be honest. I don’t normally read historical fiction because it is hard for me to find something I like.