Today marks the official start of Women’s History Month 2023. As I chatted about on Monday, I will be focusing on women in history throughout the month. And for Book Bites, I will be highlighting books written by women about women. I am quite happy to share The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre for our first Book Bite of Women’s History Month!
Thank you to Forever Publishing, Wunderkind PR, and Natasha Lester for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre, Natasha Lester
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After spearheading several successful advertising campaigns in New York, PR wizard Alix St. Pierre comes to the attention of the U.S. government and finds herself recruited into a fledgling intelligence organization.
Enlisted as a spy, Alix is sent to Europe where she is tasked with getting close to a Nazi who might be willing to help the Allied forces–but there’s also the chance he might be a double agent.
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Following the war, Alix moves to Paris and takes a position as head of publicity for the yet-to-be-launched House of Dior. But when a figure from the war reappears and threatens to destroy her future, Alix realizes that only she can right the wrongs of the past and bring him to justice.
Why You Should Read This…
Although I typically do not gravitate towards World War II-centred novels, if you tell me Dior is involved, I will read it. And this book did not disappoint.
The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre struck me for several reasons. Firstly, because I do not spend a lot of my reading or research time around WWII, I hadn’t given much thought to how spies would actually be chosen. And I think that having a PR consultant chosen as a spy is kind of brilliant- they know how to tailor their message to a specific audience. Secondly, Lester has obviously done her research. As an historian, I loved this as I was able to really lose myself in the novel.
I spent admittedly possibly a little too much time swooning over Christian Dior’s gowns at the Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition at the V&A. Being able to picture the gowns featured in The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre made this one of the most enjoyable historical fiction books I’ve read! (And if you want to know more about the gowns involved, as well as locations and other details, you can find a reading guide here.) And not only are we treated to Dior’s gorgeous creations we also spend quite a bit of time with the women who brought Dior’s designs to life.
If you are interested in the Second World War or fashion history, this is a must-read!
Is The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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