Featuring an exclusive excerpt from Kate Quinn’s next incredible historical novel, THE HUNTRESS
NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY BESTSELLER
#1 GLOBE AND MAIL HISTORICAL FICTION BESTSELLER
One of NPR’s Best Books of the Year!
One of Bookbub’s Biggest Historical Fiction Books of the Year!
Reese Witherspoon Book Club Summer Reading Pick!
The Girly Book Club Book of the Year!
A Summer Book … Fiction Books of the Year!
Reese Witherspoon Book Club Summer Reading Pick!
The Girly Book Club Book of the Year!
A Summer Book Pick from Good Housekeeping, Parade, Library Journal, Goodreads, Liz and Lisa, and BookBub
In an enthralling new historical novel from national 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.
“Both funny and heartbreaking, this epic journey of two courageous women is an unforgettable tale of little-known wartime glory and sacrifice. Quinn knocks it out of the park with this spectacular book!”—Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author of America’s First Daughter
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One of the best books I have read in a long time. Very informative about the real Alice Network that was around during WWI. Also liked that it went back and forth between 1917 and 1945. Great book!!
I’m a fan of all of Kate Quinn’s books, but I’m downright gobsmacked by the genius that is The Alice Network.
Set in both 1947 and 1915, Charlie St. Clair and Eve Gardiner’s lives are a giant interconnected jigsaw puzzle, the pieces brilliantly linked together over the course of two world wars. My jaw dropped several times as new parallels were teased out between these women’s lives. I ended up truly loving both women, but it was Eve, the stuttering secretary-turned-spy who really stole the show. She crackles with energy and demands that you keep turning the page, whether she be coding secret messages during the Great War or guzzling whiskey while cursing like a sailor in the aftermath of World War II.
With her characteristic wit, Quinn’s characters made me laugh out loud, and they also broke my heart. Eve’s life–and that of her World War I compatriots–sheds light on the terrors and tragedies that befell female spies during the Great War. I loved learning about The Alice Network through Eve’s eyes, and am in awe of their sacrifices, which Quinn has painstakingly brought to life in this novel.
There is no doubt that The Alice Network will be one of my favorite reads of the entire year. Bravo!
This was a great historical novel that was about WW1 AND post-WW2. Great, strong women characters. Showed the bravery of the women spies in the war.
This book kept me interestered in completing my read. I am a lover of historical fiction. Loved that women were the spies and took down the old boys spy club.
The book is told from the point of view of two different women at two different times. Eve is a spy during WWI, and Charlie is a college-age woman in 1947. The two meet when Charlie goes to Europe to try to find her cousin Rose who she’s hoping survived WWII. Eve’s story is based on the real life Alice Network, a group of female spies during WWI, and is fascinating and heartbreaking. Charlie’s story brings to life American society post-WWII and the social expectations put on women during that time. The reader finds out about Eve’s life as Eve tells it to Charlie but also learns parts that Eve won’t tell. Charlie’s character could have been flimsy compared to how exciting and mysterious Eve’s character is, but the author did a good job of giving Charlie a real personality and story of her own. I loved this book, cried some happy and sad tears at the end, and wish I could read it again without knowing what happened. I can’t recommend it enough.
Enjoyable read just not my favorite. Ms. Quinn is a very good storyteller. I wished I wouldn’t have read it so close to the time I read The Huntress; the similarities were too fresh in my mind. That being said, it didn’t hold my interest as much as The Huntress and I actually put it down for a day or two before picking it back up, perhaps a bit drawn out without enough oomph; perhaps I was just in a shelter at home mood. I would recommend the book, all things considered.
Best book I’ve read all year. Julia Quinn never fails to create page-turners that keep me enthralled right to the end. Quirky, real characters and a story based around real events from World Wars I and II. Fantastic.
Audiobook review. I’m glad I chose to listen to this book versus reading it. The narrator does an excellent job crafting a persona and voice for each character. This was further enhanced by her acting skill.she expertly guides one from each emotional high to low and everything in between . I could close my eyes and feel I was in the middle of 18th century America, Interacting with all the familiar names from history.
Of course the bulk of the praise must go to the authors. They developed characters true to what is historically known about each while plausibly filling In the blanks. One is therefore left with a real 3D person not that flat persona often found in history books and novels written by less skilled authors.
Though this book is heavy on the historical details of the times and the life and work of Hamilton, this remains front and center the story of Eliza and her love affair with Alexander. There can be no question that Hamilton was brilliant ,he is after all the architect of our federal government, but he was human and therefore flawed. Eliza as the narrator takes us through the joys, anguish, and fears she experienced as the wife of such a man. There are loses, scandals and betrayals not only in the nascent country but even in their marriage. How Eliza handles herself shows her incredible inner strength. I’m definitely a fan!
In this book we have a great piece of historical fiction. In Eliza we have another great founding mother!
One of the best books I have ever read! I cannot recommend this enough!
Another moving tale of women at war, this time highlighting a British spy network during WWI.
This book intertwines several good story lines nested in and around history. The bravery of the “little women” is, to me, a giant juicy raspberry to those who still think of females that way. Women and men. Well done and then some!! Google Oradour-sur-Glane. I visited way before the monuments were installed. The place we saw was sitting as the Germans left it with the exception of glassed in sarcophagi holding the skeletal remains of so many small bones. Just really horrendous. Wish there were 10 stars….
An amazing story, split between WW 1 and just after WW 2. Two women, thrown together, search for answers and resolution. Engrossing and I couldn’t put it down!
My first read my Kate Quinn and just wow… absolutely amazing…
Women in war has become one of my favorite subjects to read about. During that time women were overlooked as too soft and not cunning or smart enough but some of the best spies were just that…women.
I honestly don’t know if I would have the strength and fearless nature the women in this book, and others I’ve read, had. These are absolutely amazing and terrifying stories of how they lived, what they did, and sadly how they were forgotten.
The acknowledgements at the end of this is worth reading as it gives the facts of the spies and the network used to create this amazing book. Go read this.
Two very different women befriend each other under the most unusual circumstances. Charlie St. Claire is young, unmarried, pregnant and searching for her dear cousin Rose. Eve Gardiner is a former spy in the Alice Network during World War I searching for the man who tortured and disfigured her.
I love how the author tells the story of the two heroines from very different backgrounds and how they ultimately become friends. Great job on character development. At the end of the book, the author then gives her thoughts on the story and characters.
I am not necessarily interested in historical fiction, however I loved this book and highly recommend it!
This is another book I wish I had written. For me, Kate Quinn is the quintessential story-teller. Her historical research and wartime settings in England and France – shifting back and forth from 1915 to 1947 – feel spot on; her suspense keeps your heart racing; her writing seems natural and effortless and is, at times, brilliant; her two main female characters are complex and ORIGINAL, and, oh, do you care about what happens to young, pregnant Charlie and the cynical, haunted Eve. There is romance, emotion, heart-break, friendship, courage, terror and humor. And, well, this is the first time I am using ‘that word’ in a review – original.
Enjoyed this book from the minute I read chapter one.
Amazingly evocative and fascinating historical focusing on France during WWI and post-WW2. Yep, it’s another book with converging time-lines, except in this case, it’s more obvious from the start that the timelines will converge and you’re only left wondering when and why, if not necessarily how. I really enjoyed the deep-dive into the female spies of WW1, who were far more numerous and varied than tales of Mati Hari would suggest. Every character here has a fascinating background story, and every one of them has a vastly different goal (not all of which are compatible with the others). There’s a bunch of tropes going on, too: redemption arcs, soiled doves, hero’s journey, even a bit of found family going on in here, too, if that’s your jam.
Thoroughly enjoyable, definitely worth a read if you’re into spies and war stories.
The Alice Network took me on an amazing journey and I was completely sad when the book was over. I loved everything about it and I cannot wait to read The Rose Code.
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Very enjoyable to read about women’s contributions to the war effort!