Alice in Exile [Paperback]

Piers Paul Read (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2002

Piers Paul Read's most successful work of fiction to date was an historical novel set during the Second World War, THE FREE FRENCHMAN. This new novel, in a similar vein, is a love story set in England, France and Russia, played out against the turbulent backdrop of the First World War. Full of moral and emotional conflict, this is the story of a strong, independent-minded woman caught between two men, and of lovers forced apart by their different social backgrounds and the terrible circumstances of war.

Editorial Reviews

From 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.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Because of her liberal upbringing in late 19th-century London, Alice Fry believes in women's suffrage, the labor movement, and free love. When she falls for a young English army officer, she is completely happy despite his family's disapproval. But a scandal involving her father's publishing business causes her lover to break off their engagement to protect his rising political star. After discovering that she is pregnant, Alice flees to Russia with a visiting aristocrat and becomes his lover and the governess to his children. Soon, she is caught up in the horrific turmoil of the Bolshevik Revolution and World War I. Read, who has written other novels of history and adventure, including The Templars and The Patriot, captures the terror and horror of being an aristocrat during the Russian Revolution, and his portrait of the consequences for young soldiers is especially moving. His latest will appeal to lovers of great historical novels like Anna Karenina and is recommended for most public libraries where historical fiction is popular.
Kim Uden Rutter, Lake Villa Dist. Lib., IL
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Phoenix Paperbacks (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753813505
• ISBN-13: 978-0753813508
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,204,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This moving story will please both romance and history fans, December 7, 2002

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alice in Exile: A Novel (Hardcover)

On the eve of World War I at a party in Chelsea, young aristocrat Edward Cobb meets and falls in love with free-thinking liberal-minded suffragette Alice Fry. Educated at Eton and Oxford, this son of a baronet, who has just left the army to pursue a career in politics, has never met anyone like Alice. She speaks her mind, smells of cigars and doesn't mind making the first move. Despite their differences, Alice and Edward are smitten with each other and pursue a passionate affair much to the dismay of their friends and families.

When the couple becomes engaged, Edward's family draws the line and encourages him to consider his burgeoning political career and instead marry Elspeth, the far more suitable and proper young woman they have selected for him. Edward finally relents after Alice's father, a radical publisher, is taken to court for public obscenity after publishing an erotic sex manual. Heartbroken and pregnant, Alice accepts an offer to become a governess for a wealthy Russian baron and leaves the country.

When Alice's new employer, the charming and dashing Baron Rettenberg, discovers her pregnancy, he helps change her identity to conceal her shame and Alice becomes a French widow named Mademoiselle Chabon. Time passes and Alice and the baron tentatively begin to fall in love. But when the Russian Revolution forces Rettenberg to flee his manor, Alice is left alone to fend for herself and her young son. Not long after the baron's departure, Alice and her son find the danger too great and also escape.

Meanwhile, Edward's marriage to Elspeth falls apart and he sets forth in war torn Europe in search of Alice, whom he now believes to be the love of his life. In an exhilarating climax, Alice is forced to choose between the two men --- one is her first love and the father of her son, while the other is a man who loves her unconditionally but obsessively.

ALICE IN EXILE is a beautifully moving love story played out in a world ravaged by war. Meticulously researched and loaded with moral and emotional conflict, this story of lovers forced apart by differing social backgrounds and dire circumstances should appeal to fans of both the historical and the romantic.

--- Reviewed by Melissa Morgan

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Written, June 8, 2004

By 

History Buff Extraordinaire (Twin Cities, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alice in Exile: A Novel (Paperback)

I don't read much fiction, but I saw this book on Amazon and decided to pick it up. I'm glad I did, because then I couldn't put it down. The author has the rare ability to give thorough descriptions of people and places without getting heavy or dull. I majored in Literature in college, and have had a hard time finding really good writing in a novel. There are many interesting stories, but the writing itself leaves a lot to be desired. I would've enjoyed reading this even if it weren't such a gripping story, but it has that, too. I learned a lot about the Russian revolution in a painless, interesting way. Definitely worth the time to read.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Journey Into the Russian Civil War, December 2, 2002

By 

ScaryHornedFrog "draigons" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alice in Exile: A Novel (Hardcover)

Alice in Exile is by no means a bad book, nor an excellent one. Well-written and thoroughly researched, the author attempts to delve into the life of 20-something Alice Fry as she battles with concepts of love, attachment, and eventually World War One.

The author attempts to play with the social and moral beliefs of London immediately prior to WW1. Alice is well-educated, and her beliefs tend to be slightly bohemian. Edward, her first love, falls deeply for her, sleeps with her, and proposes. His upper-class parents are dismayed at his choice, and are relieved when Edward breaks off the engagement when Alice's father, a publisher, is involved in a sexual scandal over a book he published. Heart broken and pregnant, Alice accepts a job as a governess in Russia for the lecherous Barron Rettenberg. This sets up the trials of Alice, her son, and the Ruttenberg family as they are involved in both WWI and the Russian civil war (1918-1921) that erupted during this period of time.

Some of the biggest leaps of faith in the novel include believing that Alice could fall for her employer. As the reader we see a side that Alice does not see--such as when he considers raping her as she sleeps--and his transformation into believing Alice to be the love of his life does not ring true. The ending is too-pat and unbelievable; and the relationships between most of the characters is not very well developed. The author perhaps spends too much time telling the reader about the characters that he doesn't take enough to develop the characters on the page so that they seem like breathing, tangible people.

The best parts of this book include the struggles of Alice during the Russian Civil War, especially considering her attachment to a landed family in Russia.