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The Alice Network: A Novel

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller

An NPR's Best Book of the Year 

A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick!

A Summer Book Pick from Good Housekeeping, Parade, Library Journal, Goodreads, Liz and Lisa, and BookBub

In this enthralling novel from New York Times 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

BUY THE BOOK

Published Jun 6, 2017

560 pages

Average rating: 8.15

794 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

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.
hideTurtle
Sep 27, 2025
7/10 stars
“What did it matter if something scared you, when it simply had to be done?” This was a nice palette cleanser for me after a very disappointing experience I had recently with The Taster by VS Alexander, another WWII novel with a supposedly strong female main character. Kate Quinn is very skillful at putting the reader right at the center of what her characters are experiencing. You don't necessarily love (or even like) Eve and Charlie, but you have all the information needed to understand what makes them who they are. Quinn points out the internal struggles of Eve and Charlie, the contributing historical context, and positions them to either triumph or fail at overcoming those struggles. No one is perfect but everyone is determined. This is the foundation of the strength that she gives to all her characters, but particularly her female characters.
CheriF
Sep 25, 2025
10/10 stars
I tend to be pretty skeptical when it comes to WWII female centered fiction. Not because I don't want to be wowed and flown away on emotion and intrigue and danger - who wouldn't want that? - but because I've been disappointed and now keep my expectations low. Especially when I see a lot of raving about a book. I was mightily disappointed by [b:Lilac Girls|25893693|Lilac Girls (Lilac Girls, #1)|Martha Hall Kelly|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1462850258l/25893693._SY75_.jpg|45775594] and keep hoping to find another [b:Code Name Verity|11925514|Code Name Verity|Elizabeth Wein|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388161911l/11925514._SY75_.jpg|16885788] or [b:Rose Under Fire|17925639|Rose Under Fire (Code Name Verity, #2)|Elizabeth Wein|https:i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1378417575l/17925639._SX50_.jpg|23859036].

The Alice Network has been on my radar for a while so when we were looking for a February read for Cocktail Hour, I was good with giving it a try. We're meeting later today to discuss it for the first time together so I have no idea how it went over with the others, but I sort of loved it.

Eve and Lili were the heroines I've been waiting for. Charlie and Finn were lovely but, for me, this book was all about Eve. (See what I did there?)

The author brought Eve to life for me in a way that makes me miss her now that I've finished the book. I see she has a new historical novel coming out and I've already got it on my TBR.
janetlowe97
Aug 28, 2025
a dual-timeline story about two women's quests for the truth and justice: one is Eve Gardiner, a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network during WWI, and the other is Charlie St. Clair, an unmarried, pregnant American socialite searching for her missing cousin in post-WWII France. The novel follows their overlapping stories as Eve, traumatized by betrayal within her spy network, and Charlie, determined to find answers, join forces to uncover the truth behind betrayal and loss, culminating in a confrontation with a shared enemy.

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