History Literature / TheAliceNetwork

* ThemeNaming: Many of the characters have flower names, which ties into the ‘’fleurs du mal’’ metaphor.

* ThemeNaming: “Marguerite,” Violette, and Lili all have flower [[CodeName Code Names]].[[note]]In RealLife, their code names were different: Violette was really [[OneSteveLimit Charlotte]] Lameron, Lili [[IHaveManyNames had many names]] but was never nicknamed Lili, and Marguerite, though based on a French girl Lili was captured with who had that name, was almost certainly not a real spy.[[/note]] Rose also has a flower name, though she’s not one of the spies. This is used to tie into the ‘’fleurs du mal’’ metaphor.

* HistoricalBadassUpgrade: ''The Alice Network'' upgrades Marguerite Le François from an innocent woman who was arrested with Louise de Bettignies, the queen of spies to the code name of a FemmeFataleSpy who worked alongside the queen of spies.

* MixedAncestry: Eve is half French and half English. This, along with growing up near the border of Germany in France, means she speaks French, English and German fluently. It comes handy when she becomes a spy.

* MixedAncestry: Eve is half French and half English. This, along with growing up near the border of Germany in France, means she speaks French, English and German fluently. It comes in highly useful as a spy.

* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: Eve speaks perfect German, French, and English. Since she rarely has occasion to use more than one or two of these with someone, people are often surprised by her skills. Less notably, Violette and Lili speak perfect German along with French and English.[[note]]Though we never see Violette actually speak French, given that she’s working in France, she probably speaks it quite well.[[/note]]

*** Although her boss was suspicious before, it was an accidental English phrase that actually blew one of the spies’ cover.

* AttackTheMouth: Eve bites René’s mouth (it leaves a scar).

* SleepingWithTheBoss: [[spoiler: Eve Gardiner]] has to sleep with her employer, to keep her job, and is [[SlutShaming slut-shamed]] by the other waitresses for it.

* BerserkButton: Finn loses control and starts fighting a stranger who insulted a [[UsefulNotes/{{Romani}} gypsy]].

* TrustPassword: Lili greets Eve with the words “''[[GratuitousForeignLanguage Cherie]]'', look at you! How is dear Oncle Édouard?”, which identifies her to Eve as the head of the Alice Network.

* WhatIf: Though ''The Alice Network'' isn't an AlternateUniverse novel, the character of Eve comes from the idea "What if the obviously-innocent woman the queen of spies was arrested with really was a spy?"

** When talking to each other, Lili, Violette, and Eve speak in English so they can HideBehindTheLanguageBarrier, but sometimes use French words. In particular, Lili seems to prefer to say curses and words related to love or sex in French rather than English.

* QuestionableConsent: If [[spoiler: Eve Gardiner]] had been the young, desperate girl her employer thought she was, she would have had no real option other than to sleep with him. Although in reality she was able to make an informed choice, she didn’t exactly enthusiastically consent.

* RapeAndRevenge [[spoiler: Eve Gardiner]] kills [[spoiler: René Bordelon]] for essentially forcing her to sleep with him.

* RecklessGunUsage: It’s generally considered a bad idea to wave a gun around and point it at people while extremely drunk. Thank God Finn takes the bullets out of Eve’s gun each night before bed. (Although we later discover that he only started doing that after his second night working for her, and only then because she nearly shot his ear off the first night.)

* SayYourPrayers: When she’s brought into the surgery, a sick character recites a prayer. (Beforehand, she also asks several friends to pray for her.) She never comes back out.

* SexForSolace: After her brother [[AteHisGun swallows his gun]], Charlie sleeps around a lot with boys she doesn't really like. (She then ends up [[OneNightStandPregnancy pregnant]] without a clue who [[GlorifiedSpermDonor the father]] is.)
* SexualExtortion: [[spoiler: Evelyn]] must sleep with [[spoiler: René]] because if she doesn’t, he’ll probably fire her. [[spoiler: Because of her spy work, she could find another job, but the Alice Network probably wouldn’t be able to get her a position as useful as the one she has now.]]

* SleepingTheirWayToTheTop: The other waitresses assume that [[spoiler: Evelyn]] is sleeping with the owner of the restaurant to get favoritism and promotions, and [[SlutShaming slut-shame]] her accordingly.

** Charlie is shamed for being pregnant out of wedlock, both from her parents and from society in general. It doesn’t help that she [[GlorifiedSpermDonor doesn’t know who the father is.]]

** Eve, Charlie, Rose, and Lili are all badass characters who smoke cigarettes. [[note]] In fact, Eve and Charlie didn’t start smoking until Rose and Lili, being much cooler, introduced them to it. [[/note]] This being a period setting, smoking is still considered daring for a woman to engage in, making it even cooler.
** Cameron, being the QuintessentialBritishGentleman, smokes a pipe. (Although we never actually see him smoking, one of the things that Eve finds comforting and attractive about him is the scent of pipe tobacco that hangs around him).

** Inverted: When Eve is very scared, she stutters much more.
* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: Eve speaks perfect German, French, and English. Since she rarely has occasion to use more than one or two of these with someone, people are often surprised by her skills. Less notably, Violette and Lili speak perfect German along with French and English. [[note]] Though we never see Violette actually speak French, given that she’s working in France, she probably speaks it quite well. [[/note]]

* ThemeNaming: “Marguerite,” Violette, and Lili all have flower [[CodeName Code Names]]. [[note]] In RealLife, their code names were different: Violette was really [[OneSteveLimit Charlotte]] Lameron, Lili [[IHaveManyNames had many names]] but was never nicknamed Lili, and Marguerite, though based on a French girl Lili was captured with who had that name, was almost certainly not a real spy. [[/note]] Rose also has a flower name, though she’s not one of the spies. This is used to tie into the ‘’fleurs du mal’’ metaphor.

* TookALevelInCynic: “Marguerite” parrots René’s cynic views to show that she’s learning from him, while at the same time Eve grows up considerably in real life.

* GlorifiedSpermDonor: Not only will the father of Charlie’s baby not be involved in the child’s life, but Charlie doesn’t even know who he is.

* AttackTheMouth: Eve bites René’s mouth. (It leaves a scar.)

* ChildByRape: [[DefiedTrope Defied]]: Both characters that were left pregnant after non-consensual sex got abortions.

* CoolBigSis: Charlie tells us that Rose was like an older sister to her. She ignored their age difference, played with her, confided in her, taught her how to do things, and was generally ''super cool''. (Mind you, Rose is Charlie’s older cousin, not her sister.) \\\

The year is 1915, and Britain is in the midst of what would eventually be called UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne. Evelyn Gardiner, a bored typewriter girl with a [[ConsummateLiar talent for lying]], is spotted one day by the handsome Scottish recruitment officer Captain Cameron and becomes a spy. After [[TrainingFromHell completing training]], she is stationed in the starved French city of Lille and is immediately plunged into a world of danger and excitement beyond her wildest dreams — or maybe nightmares. Among Eve’s comrades in Lille are Lili, a vivacious Frenchwoman and Violette, Lili's stern {{Foil}}. Also present is René Bordelon, an [[ManOfWealthAndTaste elegant]] French [[LesCollaborateurs profiteer]] who could ruin everything if he learned Eve’s secrets…

32 years later, Charlotte [[TomboyishName “Charlie”]] [[AlliterativeName St. Clair]], a grieving [[TeenPregnancy pregnant teen]], comes across Eve, now a bitter, [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]] old woman. Charlie somehow pulls Eve into her quest to find her missing cousin Rose, and Charlie, Eve, and Eve’s [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything handsome Scottish]] driver Finn, embark on a road trip that will change everything….

* PoirotSpeak: Charlie’s mother and Lili speak good English, but sprinkle their speech with French.

* ManOfWealthAndTaste: René is a man of fine tastes: he dresses elegantly, eats good food, drinks only the best wines, and beds only the best girls.