#WWI

Three women in three different time periods: Aurelie in 1914, Daisy in 1942, and Barbara (“Babs”) in 1964 – all connected through unknown ties at The Ritz in Paris. Each trying to survive the havoc that has been wreaked upon their lives because of war and keeping safe an heirloom that is thought to bring safety to France. Each trying to find her place in the world. And each finding that love wins out every time.

If you’ve read any of my posts, you know that I am a HUGE fan of Beatriz Williams’s books, and this older one of hers is no exception. While these characters are not quite as snarky as hers usually are, they are still sharp, kind, and utterly likable. We are caught up in each of their stories, puzzling how they’re connected, and rooting for them as they each battle their challenges. And as each story builds in tension, the switch to the alternate plot line serves to both relieve tension when it becomes taut. But switching also builds suspense, as we must wait further to learn the fate of our beloved characters. Nevertheless, the connections and the intersections gradually come to light, and we get the very satisfying “aha” moments we crave.

As usual, for this author – and her co-authors – this novel is masterfully constructed, artistically drawn, and hard to part with when it ends. Once again, I am in awe of her writing and can’t wait to read the next one!

The dust has barely settled and wounds have certainly not yet healed from the second world war when Charlotte finds herself dragged by her mother across the Atlantic on the way to take care of her “Little Problem” in a clinic in Switzerland. While her mother is determined to erase this “stain” on Charlotte’s reputation, Charlotte has a very different mission in mind. While here in Europe, she sees an opportunity to uncover the whereabouts of her beloved cousin Rose, who has been missing and presumed dead since returning to France just before the German occupation. With the name and address of Eve Gardiner which she has scribbled on a small piece of paper, she unlocks an adventure that leads her to discovering much more than just what happened to Rose. She discovers a network of brave women who risked their lives for their countries and she uncovers her own inner strength as well.

The Alice Network is another suspenseful novel by the author of the Rose Code (see my prior entry), which will similarly have you on the edge of your seat as you turn each page. There is a great deal of historical fact woven into the fiction here, as Quinn celebrates the unsung female heroes of the first and second world wars. We learn of the undercover spies that wore skirts and makeup instead of slacks and blazers. They were often ignored because they were “just women,” which sometimes enabled them to sneak through borders undetected, but sometimes led to them being ignored even when they carried valuable information that might have saved hundreds of lives.

The writing here is crisp, acerbic and intricately plotted. We float back and forth between Charlotte’s pursuit in 1947 and Eve’s back story (WW I). The characters are, each of them, hardened and broken, wounded in one way or another by war. When we meet Eve, for example, she is in a drunken rage, threatening Charlotte with a Luger in her face and trying to send her away. She is emotionally and physically crippled by her experience in her war. We see so starkly how women were affected by our wars – whether working under cover, nursing, or being on the front lines in other ways – and their wounds are obviously just as deep.

I highly recommend this novel – it is historical fiction at its best.

All The Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn