The Alice Network: A Novel

By Kate Quinn

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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!

A 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 dual timeline historical fiction 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 solve the historical mystery of 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, this young female spy is 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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Published Jun 6, 2017

560 pages

Average rating: 8.17

917 RATINGS

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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *The Alice Network* is a gripping, well-researched historical novel featuring authentic, vivid characters and a compelling blend of WWI sp...

PerpetualRevision

Dec 22, 2025

8/10 stars

Not my favorite Kate Quinn story, but I enjoyed it. Charlie is a little annoying, but Eve's story is engaging and horrifying. Definitely worth listening to the audiobook version for the different accents.

K Olson

Jan 14, 2025

8/10 stars

I admit I am partial to historical novels written in two time periods. Usually there is a present day story that ties into another time period. My preference is almost always for the historical portion of the book. In this case both parts of the novel take place in an historical time period- one in WWI and one at the end of WWII. I thought the intersection of the two stories was brilliant and I enjoyed both as I learned something new about each time period.

Jayne M Frank

Sep 19, 2024

10/10 stars

Excellent storyline. Easy read. Hard to put down.

willis2010@bellsouth.net

Dec 26, 2023

January 2021

Mary Pat Holt

Feb 05, 2026

8/10 stars

I really enjoyed this book about two courageous woman during two different wars. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner is recruited to work as a spy against the Germans. she is sent into enemy-occupied France and trained by Lili, the mastermind behind the Alice Network. Thirty years later, Eve is a drunk and spends her days as a recuse until young American girl Charlie tracks her down muttering a name Eve hasn't heard in years. Together Eve and Charlie embrace on a journey, along with Eve's driver, Finn, that has both women chasing down old secrets to unravel the truth. I enjoyed the story about Eve much more than Charlie. Her life as a young spy during a war with little known about woman spies was very interesting. Charlie was too young and immature to be believable for me. And the "journey" that she was on-trying to track down a long lost cousin from WWII just wasn't as exciting to me. The story is told form each woman's POV and during different time frames. Eventually the time frames merge. The ending was too wrapped up in a neat bow for me. Only 4 stars because this book was almost 500 pages long!