Alice in Exile
A Novel
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1.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
By critically acclaimed author Piers Paul Read, Alice in Exile is an exquisite historical novel featuring Alice Fry--a free-thinking and independent-minded woman in a world ruled by men--and the two men who love her. It is 1913 when Alice, the daughter of a radical publisher, meets Edward Cobb, the eligible young son of a baronet who has recently quit the army to pursue his political ambitions. Edward's family could accept his liaison with a girl they consider "fast," but when he proposes, they are appalled.
When Alice's father becomes involved in a scandal, it becomes clear that Edward must choose between Alice and his political career. He breaks off the engagement, unaware that his lover is expecting his child. Desperate, Alice accepts the offer of a rich and charming (if somewhat predatory) Baron Rettenberg, returning to Russia with him to serve as a governess for his children, while Edward marries suitably, but unhappily.
Two of the greatest cataclysms of the twentieth century--the Russian Revolution and World War I--serve as backdrops to Alice's story as she raises her young son, yearns for Edward, and begins to fall passionately for the Baron.
Alice in Exile is Piers Paul Read's triumphant return to the fiction for which he is widely hailed--romantic, dramatic, and rich with historical detail and fascinating characters that make Alice's story an enchanting and unforgettable read.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Delicately nuanced and stylish, this work of historical fiction from prolific Londoner Read (The Templars,etc.) elegantly captures the life and loves of strong-willed, free-spirited Alice Fry, a suffragette in early 20th-century Britain. As the novel begins, Alice falls in love with Edward Cobb, a stuffy, conservative young man with political aspirations. The pair's social and moral viewpoints clash and Edward's regal parents already have a better-suited companion picked out for him, but romantic love wins out and nuptials are planned. When word gets out that Alice's father, a small press impresario, has published an erotic manual, the embarrassed Edward deserts Alice and the baby she is carrying. World War I breaks out and Edward and Alice are driven even further apart as he goes off to fight in France and she accepts an offer to be a governess in Russia and is seduced by wealthy, married Baron Rettenberg, her employer. Edward proceeds to marry Elspeth, his parents' first choice, but their union is short-lived. The Russian Revolution erupts and Rettenberg is whisked away from his manor, leaving Alice to tend to war casualties and then flee for safety herself. Both men separately realize that Alice is their one true love. But whom will she choose? After the grim depictions of war and revolution, a somewhat pat ending smoothes everything over. Read has conducted impressive research in order to depict accurately the novel's settings and events, and his storytelling is lively and passionate. Sophisticated in tone yet unapologetically romantic, this is a thoroughly satisfying effort.
