Member Reviews
Wonderful historical fiction with likable characters! Natasha Lester is always a pleasure to read. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC opportunity.
Alix is a phenomenal character, her flawed imperfections are relatable and dynamic. I wasn’t expecting this kind of character arc in this book. I was expecting just a historical fiction novel but it wasn’t. The back and forth timeline made sense throughout the book. I enjoyed the other characters. Dior was one of my favourites.
Book: The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre
Author: Natasha Lester
This book starts in the aftermath of war in Paris with Alix St Pierre offering herself a new life, one she hopes will forget all the nightmarish WWII memories.
But it was too much asking when the past catch up with her and she decides to do what the law failed to. Offering justice to those who died?
The story goes back and forth from Alix’s present to the events that led her to seek a traitor, and the price she or others paid from the betrayal she takes as her own personal failing.What shocked me was as the tale was told from Alix’s point of view, there was suddenly an intruder, Anthony, an American from her adoptive country upper-crust, who too expresses his thoughts.
From this moment, their views will cross path and give some insights about the other side of their inquiry.
Alix went from an orphan girl and tuition student to an OSS agent then burgeoning Dior Fashion House press department agent. Alix and her friends are women, they loved, fought, lost, rebuilding themselves all in the name of freedom!
A great read from start to finish!
Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the opportunity to read The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by one of my favorite authors, Natasha Lester. She never disappoints
~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~
The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre was a wonderful book. Natasha Lester has done a great job in her no doubt exhaustive and extensive research of WWII history as well as the history of the Dior House. I learned so much about the behind-the-scenes spy aspects of WWII. Alix is such a complex and interesting character. Throughout her "three" lives, Alix has lived quite an intriguing life. This book is full of secrets, drama, lies, deception, and some romance... all the things that make a good spy novel. It also has a strong undertone of feminism, as Alix is a women in trousers and the treatment of women during this time is brought up a few times throughout the book. If you are interested in WWII, mysteries, or the fashion of Christina Dior, then don't hesitate to pick this book up. Nathasha Lester is an amazing author and has written an epic novel in The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre, I highly recommend!
Thus author is becoming one of my all time favorite historical fiction authors, the way she tales a story is amazing because from the very the start she has pulled into it, where you can feel and see everything from the places, to the people themselves coming to life.
Side note I actually got this book twice from the publisher so I also want to give thanks to them .
Short synopsis: Told over multiple timelines, the story of an orphan who becomes a WWII spy, turned right hand woman to the famous Christian Dior.
My thoughts: After reading and loving The Riviera House I couldn’t want to get stared on Natasha Lester’s next book.
It took me a little bit of time to be Invested in the story and the characters, but once it happened I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. The end of each section had me dying to see what would happen next.
Lester created such lifelike and real feeling characters. I loved Alix with her strong will and desire for women to have the same rights and opportunities that men are given. She was a force for change and I loved that! And Anthony was so sweet and tender, I really adored him.
This book had a little bit of everything. Women’s rights, romance, historical elements, fashion, and mystery.
Read if you love:
- WWII settings
- Life after war
- Romance subplots
- Atmospheric settings
- Strong willed women
This is a fabulous book. It’s a sweeping tale that spans the significant time periods in Alix St. Pierre’s life, including her time as a spy during WWII and her time after the war during the inception of the Dior fashion house. I loved learning from the author’s note at the end that, although Alix is a fictional character, many of the others, and all of those mentioned in connection to Dior, are not.
In this book we having a woman doing dangerous work, putting herself into harrowing positions to make a difference during wartime efforts. Alix is an absolute force, and when she believes she is responsible for passing false intel from her informant that results in multiple deaths, she makes it her mission post-war to find the man and bring him to justice. All while helping Dior take the couture fashion game by storm. Add in an antagonistic man-turned-partner in her quest who can’t help but eventually see Alix for exactly the spectacular woman she is and it’s a recipe for a win. There’s beauty and loss and love and heartbreak and hope, and it’s all woven together beautifully.
Natasha Lester's book is rich in history and fashion and very well researched as historical fiction. This book really has a lot of pages, so you won't be plowing through in a few days - especially since each page is not a quick read - you can't miss anything! It's interesting how Lester also brings back Christian Dior and Mitzah Bricard from her previous book The Disappearance of Astrid Brichard (I REALLY loved this book).
This book is steeped in so much richness. It’s rich in page count. It’s rich in content. It’s rich in emotion. It’s rich in fashion culture. It’s rich in Paris. It’s rich in context. It’s rich in characters. It’s rich in betrayal, guilt, resolution, and resolve. It’s also rich in historical information. Once again, Lester has outdone herself. I savored each page and read more slowly the closer I got to the end because I simply didn’t want it to end. Lester provides detailed historical notes at the end, leaving me much dirt to delve as I overturn the stones, I know next to nothing about the Italian partisans nor the atrocities the civilians incurred, but it didn’t surprise me. Anyone who doesn’t read this book will be the poorer for it.
I read Natasha’s book The Riviera House last year and adored so I knew I wanted to read this one. And it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. “An unforgettable story of an orphan turned WWII spy turned fashion icon in Paris.” I loved the alternating timelines of before, during and after the war (even when you got to the end of one part and were DYING to know what happened next and it switched to a different time!!) Alix is strong, courageous and not afraid to speak her mind. She’s truly a force to be reckoned with. I enjoyed the aspects of being a female and the discussion on what rights you did [or in this case didn’t have] and the differing economic classes and how that impacted each persons lives. There’s something for everyone in this book; the unique plot about Switzerland in WWII, mystery/whodunit, and a bit of romance.
Run don’t walk to get a copy of this
Thank you Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is one of my favorite books of the year, maybe ever. The story was so incredibly well written, but then again Natasha Lester is great at doing precisely this where she will weave a past, present and future narrative so nicely put that you can't get enough. I finished this book very quickly, and I almost wish I had taken more of my time with it to savor it for longer.
I love Fashion and I even worked in the industry for 6 years, as well as lived in Paris, and the little tidbits about Harper's Bazaar, Dior and all the other fashion houses really struck close to home.
Overal this is one of my favorite genres as well where you mix historical fiction, romance and spies and this was incredibly well done.
You hated some characters, loved others, but overall was an incredibly enjoyable book and I can not wait for Natasha Lester's next book!!!!
10/10 would recommend to anyone looking for their next read.
The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre is yet another incredible novel from Natasha Lester. Her use of language is so lyrical and evocative, and then she creates these fascinating stories imbued with larger-than-life characters... Lester is an absolute joy to read!!!!