We Don't Bake Muffins Book Club

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“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
Charles William Eliot

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The Alice Network

By Kate Quinn

In an enthralling new historical novel from national 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. (From Amazon.ca)


What happened at book club…

Our after summer book club meeting always rocks! This one was no exception. Fun night!

Everyone read the book and everyone really enjoyed it. Yay! (In the spirit of full disclosure, there were 2 members missing. – Too bad for them because the wide array of gourmet, non-burned food prepared by our host sets the bar p-r-e-t-t-y high for the next meeting. Oh well…).

The book we discussed was The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, an historical fiction that tells the story of Eve (1915) and Charlie (1947). Two different, yet equally formidable women making their way in wartime. None of us had heard of the Alice Network or knew the role that real-life women like Louise de Bettignies aka Lili (and other fleurs du mal) played in the resistance.

What must it be like to have your home invaded and all that you hold dear taken over. Would we resist, risking it all as these courageous women did? Would we comply to get by as the employees of Le Lethe did? Or would we collaborate to profit as the loathsome and sociopathic Rene did? Hmmmm…..

Generally we’re a bunch of pacifists but despite that we gave a good ole fist pump at Eve and Charlie’s vigilante justice. Rene finally got his comeuppance… bastard.

We appreciated the research that must have gone into writing a book like this. We also liked that the world of espionage was not romanticized and that Rose’s story was not tied up neatly. Having the search for Rose bring us to Oradour-sur-Glane and the real character Madame Rouffanche was so powerful. To think about the massacre and her staying in the rubble to tell the story for those who could not…. heart wrenching.

Heart wrenching and tragic … ah yes, it’s when we’re at our best. We talked the joy of  ‘parenthood’, salt piles and hurricanes, cupmen and the traumatizing of a tiny, shy local author. Oh yes, there’s also a certain celebrity Thorax surgeon who can expect a drunk call sometime soon!

 

 

 

 

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Living in beautiful St. John's NL, our book club members are as diverse and interesting as our book selections. Read More

Our Book Club Reading List

We’ve read a little bit of everything over the years. Whether you’re a book club looking for some ideas about what to read or just want a good book to curl up in bed with this reading list should help!

  • 110. Women Talking | Miriam Toews | Cathy’s Pick
  • 109. Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens | Alison’s Pick
  • 108. Everything I Never Told You | Celeste NG | Toddy’s Pick
  • 107. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe | Fannie Flagg | Peggy’s Pick
  • 106. The Innocents | Michael Crummey | Kelly’s Picks
  • 105. The Alice Network | Kate Quinn | Kathy’s Pick
  • 104. Green Grass Running Water | Thomas King | Liz’s Pick
  • 103. Girl, Stop Apologizing | Rachel Hollis | Kelly’s Pick
  • 102. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine | Gail Honeyman | Alison’s Pick
  • 101. The Next Thing On My List | Jill Smolinski | Toddy’s Pick
  • 100. River Thieves | Michael Crummey | Peggy’s Pick
  • 99. Before We Were Yours | Lisa Wingate | Kathy’s Pick
  • 98. Most Anything You Please | Trudy Morgan Cole | Cathy’s Pick
  • 97. Into the Water | Paula Hawkins | Toddy’s Pick
  • 96. Difficult Women | Grove Atlantic | Pam’s Pick
  • 95. Neuromancer | William Gibson | Andrea’s Pick
  • 94. Something Is Always On Fire | Measha Brueggergosman | Liz’s Pick
  • 93. Rock Paper Sex | Kerri Cull | Peggy’s Pick
  • 92. We’ll All Be Burnt In Our Beds Some Night | Joel Thomas Hynes | Kathy’s Pick
  • 91. Cutting for Stone | Abraham Verghese | Cathy’s Pick
  • 90. Bear Town | Fredrik Backman | Kelly’s Pick
  • 89. Caught | Lisa Moore | Alison’s Pick
  • 88. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened | Jenny Lawson | Andrea’s Pick
  • 87. Found Far and Wide | Kevin Major | Toddy’s Pick
  • 86. The Sparrow | Author Mary Doria Russell | Pam’s Pick
  • 85. Tomboy Survival Guide | Author Ivan Coyote | Liz’s Pick
  • 84. Rush Oh! | Author Shirley Barrett | Kathy’s Pick
  • 83. The Invention of Wings | Author Sue Monk Kidd | Toddy’s Pick
  • 82. No Longer Human | Author Osamu Dazai | Kelly’s Pick
  • 81. The Nest | Author Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney | Peggy’s Pick
  • 80. I’m Thinking of Ending Things | Author Iain Reid | Alison’s Pick

See Our Complete List

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