Alice in Exile
A Novel
by Piers Paul Read
List Price: $14.95
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 0312325789
Publisher: Griffin Trade Paperbacks
Alice in Exile is Piers Paul Read's triumphant return to the fiction for which he is widely praised: romantic, dramatic, and rich with detail. It features Alice Fry--an independent woman in a world ruled by men--and the two men who love her. It is 1913 when Alice meets Edward Cobb, the eligible son of a baronet. When Alice's father, a radical publisher, gets involved in a scandal, Edward breaks off their engagement, unaware that Alice is expecting his child. Desperate, she travels to Russia to serve as a governess for charming Baron Rettenberg, as the Russian Revolution and World War I rage on.
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1. In what ways is Alice ahead of her time? Why do you think a straight-laced person such as Edward would be attracted to her?
2. Consider the scandal that envelops Alice's father. Are there echoes to the scandals that erupt in today's world? How so?
3. Is there a modern sensibility to this historical novel? If so, what is its effect on the story?
4. Discuss the conflicts and taboos in this story: class, status, politics, war, Alice's pregnancy, thwarted love, etc. Would you say times have or have not changed enough in a century's time?
5. Is this book a romance novel? How so? How do the romantic themes heighten the dramatic story line?
6. How do the backdrops of World War I and the Russian Revolution serve as characters in this story? In what ways do they interfere with Alice's relationships, her life?
7. Do you believe Baron Rettenberg loved Alice? Why or why not?
8. Does this story end realistically? Would you have chosen to end it differently?
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"Few writers bring the past to life as vividly as Piers Paul Read. . . . Anyone who has enjoyed the best novels of Sebastian Faulks or William Boyd will love this one, and probably find it even better. The description of Alice's pre-revolution life in Russia is enchanting; the story once the first revolution breaks out [is] utterly gripping. It couldn't be better told. . . . A rare achievement."
—The Scotsman (U.K.)
"His accounts of revolutionary Russia . . . are brilliant. . . . It is a measure of Read's skill . . . that one never for a moment thinks of putting the book down."
—The Independent (U.K.)
"Moving, redemptive, and ultimately forgiving, Piers Paul Read's latest novel probes the baffling idiosyncrasies of the human condition. In Read's hands [the story] takes flesh as a novel that is traditional in form, yet full of energy and surprise."
—Saturday Times (U.K.)
"[Read's] account of the Russian Revolution has a haunting vividness which few authors could ever hope to match."
—Mail on Sunday (U.K.)
"Captures in a wealth of detail the essence of the period and testifies to Read's meticulous research."
—Literary Review (U.K.)
"Full of emotional, sensual and political awareness."
—Daily Telegraph (U.K.)
"It is a great relief to know that there are still such accomplished storytellers in our midst."
—Sunday Times (U.K.)
"Beautifully and vividly told, grippingly paced. . . . Read tells his story cogently but without shortcuts. He describes people, feelings, the wonders of nature and the intricacies of family life astutely, with nuance and sensibility. He is a joy to read, and one comes to the end of his tale with both fulfillment and sadness."
—Los Angeles Times
"Alice in Exile is profoundly conventional, absolutely old-fashioned, and I confess to having missed a highly advertised fiesta in a Mexican mountain town just so I could stay in the hotel and find out what happened."
—Carolyn See, Washington Post
"A book of great compassion, lively dialogue and fine romance. You leave the feast feeling stirred and contented."
—Houston Chronicle
