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Rating: 
Summary: Journey Into the Russian Civil War
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautifully Written
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Written
Review: 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.
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Summary: This moving story will please both romance and history fans
Review: 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
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