The Alice Network

The Alice Network
By: Kate Quinn

This book was just okay for me. Reading the author’s note at the end boosted my opinion a bit because I had to give her credit for the way she utilized and expounded on true events. I thought her combination and addition of characters was clever. But overall, not my favorite.

Liked: The plot, particularly the 1915 storyline, but also how it came to fruition in the 1945 storyline. The first line of the book: ‘The first person I met in England was a hallucination’- I thought was an interesting and curious start.

Disliked: Pretty much all the characters. They weren’t likable. I had high hopes for Charlie when she was introduced as a math person but that trait did not fit in with the rest of her words, actions, and personality. It was not a believable part of her. Young Eve was okay, but I didn’t feel like any characters were written in a becoming or ‘rootable’ way. I’m not sure about all the ins and outs of the 1945 era but the writing and dialogue for those portions seemed questionable as to era-accuracy. The 1945 storyline dragged on too long. Hardly anything of significance happened until the end. The 1915 story was the meat of the book and everything else was a little like pulling teeth.

I’ve read quite a few historical fiction books from a variety of wars but I would recommend several others over this one. It had potential but fell flat.