Historical fiction is probably one of my favorite genres of books. I could read them pretty much all the time and I would never get bored with them. There’s just something about them that makes me so intrigued. Maybe it’s the possibility of these stories actually happening in the past that keeps me reading them and going back for more.
The Alice Network is a book that came out in 2017 and has been read by many in the few years that it has been out. As much as I love historical fiction, there is a fine line between what might already be out there and how not to be repetitive of other books. Though I did very much enjoy this one, I felt at times that it did seem like something I had read in others.
The story follows the journey of two women who have lived very different lives during WWI through the end of WWII. Charlie St. Clair is a nineteen year old, American girl who is borderline genius level smart in math and science. Two fields that are not very open to women at this time. She finds herself pregnant and on her way to Switzerland to help with her “Little Problem”. Charlie does not really seem present to what is happening around her due to her mind being on her cousin Rose, who was last heard from in Paris in 1944. While everyone else around her has given up hope, Charlie knows Rose is still out there and that it is her job to find her and be with her once again. Deciding to run away, she finds herself only with a piece of paper with a name and address. Evelyn Gardiner.
Evelyn Gardiner is a mean old lady who unbeknownst to Charlie was one of England’s greatest war spies in her work against the Germans in both wars. She gets recruited by an English commander due to her ability to speak fluent German and French and will become one of the greatest undercover spies England will ever have. Her placement is at a French café where the owner is conspiring with the Germans despite the hatred he gets from his fellow country men. It is Eve’s role to listen to what the German soldiers say while visiting the café, code that message and get it to the proper channels. Because of their surroundings, the Germans speak very freely as who could possibly be listening to them in this French café. Despite her rough outer layer you can’t help but love Eve a little and want to cry for this woman and all that she has gone through. There are many hidden layers of who Eve Gardiner truly is.
There’s heartbreak, there’s love, there’s pages of strength and courage filling the pages. It’s a book that, though it is a little slow at some points, keeps you reading and clinging on to that little piece of hope that carries throughout it. It takes you back to 1947 and makes you believe you are truly right there with the characters the entire time.
Until Next Time, The Library Abroad
The Library Abroad 
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