I was greatly disappointed with The Alice Network. The subject matter, female spies during the World War 1 is fascinating, however the execution of telling this story in this book falls well short of interesting. The characters are so contrived, self pitying and long winded that they are both unlikely and not relatable. The truly interesting and historically significant character of Louise de Bettignies is sadly not fully utilized by Quinn.
My suggestion is to read a few chapters to get the gist and then skim the book so you do not become weighed down by the ridiculuous dialogue. Instead read Quinn's much better writing in the Author's Note and her Acknowledgements. In the Author's Note, Quinn outlines how she attempted to bring actual occurrences into the life of her fictional characters. Her voice here is much stronger and clearer than the voice of her characters. The inclusion of Voices from the Past: Letters and Trial Records gives the reader an opportunity to hear authentic voices of that time.
I question whether American novels are editied and proof read beyond the first draft as they once were. Surely an adequate editor would have insisted that half the dialogue in this novel be cut and the other half be tightened and rewritten to better reflect authenticity of the times; especially since letters and trial records were available to use as reference. (I question the editing not only because of this novel but because of various recent American novels with similar issues including others without historical accuracy.)
Also are American novelists now being directed by editors to write as though a novel must be a springboard to a screenplay? Directed to creat dialogue that is historically unlikely but will make good sound bites? Create characters like Eve, that are caricatures that will fit well into Hollywood stereotypes? There is very little atmosphere in this novel beyond hurried and plain descriptions.
This is one time when the movie may become much better than the book if the director and producers take the time and apply the effort to create historically accurate atmosphere, build actual suspense and bring the character of Louise de Bettignies into sharper focus.
