The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

"Girls of the '30s and '40s joined the SOE to train as spies against the Nazis because they had been inspired by books and stories about women like Louise de Bettignies---and they weren't inspired by her feminine graces. They were inspired by her courage, her toughness, and her unflinching drive, just as I imagined Charlie being inspired by Eve's. Such women were 'fleurs de mal' indeed---with steel, with endurance, and with flair, they thrived in evil and inspired others in doing so."

           -from the Author's Note

I wasn't far into this novel when I realized I had probably read it. In searching my blog site, I had indeed read it WITH the Page Turners book club in July of 2020. I had purchased the Kindle version at a bargain price and since I HAD paid for it, I decided I should continue reading. I am glad since I did enjoy it; I'd forgotten enough details to keep me turning pages. (Only figuratively on Kindle!:)) Originally, I rated the book a 4. I'm not sure why because this time it gets a 5. I look forward to reading another by Kate Quinn.

Here is a copy of what I wrote after my first reading:

"There are two kinds of flowers when it comes to women. The kind that sit safe in a beautiful vase, or the kind that survive in any conditions...even in evil...Which are you?"

              -Eve to Charlie, from the novel

This is the third novel about the French resistance that I have read in a few months but they have all been different enough to keep my interest. This one was more related to WWI than the other two. I found it very engaging----quite the page-turner especially toward the end. My rating is a 4.

Nineteen-year-old Charlotte "Charlie" St. Claire, with her mother accompanying her, is on her way to Switzerland to have an abortion in 1947.  While they are in Southampton, England awaiting passage to France, Charlie who has been obsessed with finding her missing French cousin, Rose, takes off to London to find a woman named Evelyn Gardiner, who may know something of how Rose disappeared during WWII. This begins a huge adventure as Charlie takes off with the drunken, crotchety ex-spy Evelyn, called Eve, and her driver, Finn, a hot-tempered but charming ex-convict Scotsman, to parts of France searching for Rose. Eventually their quest would include hunting down a cruel man named Rene from Eve's past on whom she has long-dreamed of taking revenge.

In this dual timeline novel, one learns of the Alice Network, a spy-ring of mostly women who worked against the Germans when they occupied northwestern France in WWI (1915-19) including Eve's part in that mission. In the Author's Note, Ms. Quinn tells of the actual women who were a part of the network, like heroine Louise de Bettignies, and distinguishes historical characters from the ones she invented. The second timeline, of course, is a couple of months in 1947, telling Charlie's story. 

I felt the characters were very well-drawn to the point where I could really like them (like Charlie) or purely hate them (like Rene)! All the main characters---Eve, Charlie and Finn---all undergo some personality changes in the course of those two months. The Epilogue then extends the story. 

I got very curious about the car Finn was driving on the road trip, a Lagonda LG6, a British made vehicle I had never heard of. I am attaching a picture. Hopefully the one Charlie, Eve and Finn were riding in was NOT a 2-seater!