Cover Image: The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre

The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre

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This is another great historical fiction book that focuses on strong women in history. I love discovering books like this where I learn while I read! with 3 timelines, before, during and after WW2, Natash Lester weaves an enthralling story about the main character Alix. The portions of Alix life after the war when she is working with Christian Dior is fascinating and that is one of my favorite parts of the book! The book is well researched and includes wonderful author notes. I highly recommend this book for historical fiction readers!

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'The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre' by Natasha Lester is the kind of historical fiction you want to read when you are tired of reading WW2 historical fiction. Alix is fun and over the top and dresses well! But, the story is riveting and well written.

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This book follows Alix St. Pierre who was a spy during WW2. Alix was an intriguing character with much courage. This story is full of, mystery, romance, redemption, suspense, espionage, heartbreak, and belief in oneself, with a little fashion. Such a great cast of characters. I enjoyed learning about Christian Dior and how pivotal he was in women's fashion.

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Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the advanced read of The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre.

Alix St. Pierre grew up in Hollywood, surrounded by glamour. She then moves into the PR world, quickly opening a door into working for the US government as a spy during WWII. After the war, she moves to Paris and begins the new position as director of publicity for the yet-to-be-launched House of Dior.

I wanted to love this book! Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and the synopsis sounded right up my ally. And I did truly enjoy many parts of it. However, for me, certain parts seemed to drag on and I found I lost interest. Because you are moving between different timelines, it also felt a bit jumpy.

I loved the parts about the French fashion house. The glamour and behind-the-scenes moments were so fun to read about! And the storyline about the spy elements also kept my attention. I just wish the book as a whole felt more consistently engrossing.

I wouldn't dissuade anyone who loves historical fiction from reading this book! But for me, it wasn't my favorite read.

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This was a new author for me & I’m so happy I was able to read this book! The writing was absolutely wonderful! The story was intriguing, fun, a little angst, and kept my attention the whole way through! I look forward to reading other books from Natasha. This one was about a woman named Alix who was a spy in 1945, during WW II. She was determined to oust the Nazis. She helped get supplies to Italy needed. Then 3 years later, she moved to Paris getting a job to work with Dior for his grand opening of the new Dior range. Alix does come up with an idea to dress a famous film star for Dior. He wants his designs to highlight and follow the nature contours if a women’s body. Alix’s life had so much going on through her life. She was still haunted by the failed mission toward the end of the war. This book was so interesting. I loved the diversity of time line! Just wonderful!

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it might have been my mood, it might have been the day. I grabbed this book because the hype was really good, but I just had a hard time getting into it. I am going to chalk it up to me and not you. But I am so glad i got to try it!

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I'm speechless at how perfect this historical novel is. Natasha Lester has written a novel that deals with the horrors of World War II while managing to show the hope at the end of it, all without diminishing the suffering and loss. It's not something I've ever come across before and it made for a deeply emotional and satisfying read.
Leading lady, Alix St Pierre lost her parents at a young age but was lucky enough to be taken in by her rich best friend's parents who gave her almost everything they gave their daughter. Alix grows up poor within the trappings of rich society and learns the skills needed to become a spy during World War II (several languages, charm, and how to navigate egotistical high society). She spends the war years in Bern as a go-between the Italian resistance fighters in the north and the American and English allies. Things take a tragic turn right before the war ends and Alix returns to an America that wants her to give up everything and just become a housewife or mistress. So she packs her few belonging and moves to Paris to become the PR person for the new House of Dior. It's a lot of work, but Alix is making a success of it and enjoying her new life. Or she is until a ghost from her past makes himself known and everything that Alix has worked for could come tumbling down.
It's a story full of the hard work getting over loss entails, the magic of fashion when it is revolutionary, the importance of a support network when times get rough, and the knowledge that to truly live after a tragedy is the best way to honor those lost. There's also a lovely element of romance that was a delicious cherry on top of an already decadent dessert and made reading this a pleasure despite the dark topics touched.
Overall, it's a deeply enjoyable read that gives you lots to think about while wrapped in as much gorgeous prose as a classic Dior gown is in tulle.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the wonderfully emotional read!

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Delightful. This was not a quick read, but it was thrilling and romantic. I loved that overall the book was pretty historically accurate.

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Actually, 2.5 stars

Alix St. Pierre was a spy during WWII. After the war, Alix worked for Christian Dior. Alix advised Christian Dior to make a dress for Rita Hayworth to help launch his new product. Thus, her memories of the war seemed to be behind, and she could begin her life anew. However, Alix learned that a Nazi war criminal, who was involved in the death of her fiancé, is hiding in Paris. Alix is determined to find the criminal and also hopes to find peace after her traumatic past.

I did not like Alix. I did find her to be a strong and intelligent woman. She was a woman who experienced much trauma and loss. However, I could not connect with her. She seemed very distant and cold. Most of her emotions seemed to be very forced. This may be because the book relied heavily on telling and not showing. Thus, I was not invested in Alix, and I found myself more interested in the characters around her.

Overall, this novel is about trauma, choices, and recovery. The message of the novel is to forgive yourself. The supporting characters, especially Christian Dior were fascinating. I did not like how the book was formatted. It often switched between Alix’s past and present. I think the story would have flowed better if it was told in a more chronological format. I also thought that the book was very drawn out and repetitive. I also thought the romance overshadowed the main storyline. The novel’s best feature was the setting. I loved the settings of Switzerland, Italy, Paris, and New York. I also liked the mystery aspect of the novel. Thus, The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre had potential, but it fell flat. Still, I recommend this for fans of Invisible Woman, A Most Clever Girl, and The Alice Network!

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I have really enjoyed Natasha Lester's previous work, but had a hard time staying connected with this story. I understand why the author shifted between timelines, but for me, it sometimes made it difficult to focus on the plot and characters. I appreciated how the story was resolved and also enjoyed the glimpses into the fashion world in Paris after the War.

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Thank you to Net Galley for an e copy of The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre by Natasha Lester in exchange for a honest review.This is an intriguing story full of drama and intrigue told in 3 time frames- before, during and after WW2..Alix is an orphan taken in by the wealthy DeMeers family and engaged to Bobby, a boy who her friend Lily DeMeers wants her to marry.When WW2 starts, Alix is recruited for the OSS and is stationed in Bern, Switzerland where she is helping Italian partisans defeat the Germans.She falls in love with one of the partisans, Matteo but when the double agent La Voce she is working with tricks her and a band of partisans including Matteo are killed, Alix can’t forgive herself..After the war, Alix goes to Paris and starts working for The House of Dior as a press secretary.When La Voce reestablishes connection with Alix, can she finally capture this evil person and put the past and her guilt behind her and find true love or is there more to the story that Alix doesn’t know about? Read the story and find out.

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I absolutely loved this book! Not my usual style of reading but we meet a WWII Spy (Alix St. Pierre) who finds herself working in Paris for Christian Dior. There are MANY layers to this story but if WWII history, fashion and a terrific love story are up your alley - this is a great read! My only dislike was the ending (I found it unbelievable, but don't want to give too much away!)

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4.5 stars

I have loved every single Natasha Lester book I have read and this one was no different. She writes some of the best WW2 Historical fiction that I have ever read.

It takes place in 1943 where Alix is a PR consultant in NY who ends up getting recruited by the OSS and sent to Switzerland to work as a spy. She ends up helping the Italian Partisans in the north of Italy giving them info, supplies and weapons and ammo,

This book is told in 3 timelines of before, during and after WW2, so you learn about Alix's childhood, her experiences during the war as well as her workng for Dior. I love the inclusion of fashion in to this story about bravery, duty romance and loss It was such a beautiful book.

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The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by Natasha Lester was everything I had hoped it would be. It was a most engaging novel written with impeccable details that matched its precise research and plot. Natasha Lester brilliantly crafted this historical fiction novel to incorporate three separate timelines that flawlessly intertwined by the conclusion of it. I listened to the audiobook that was masterfully performed by Barrie Kreinik, one of my favorite narrators. The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre drew me in from the very beginning and did not let me go until the most satisfying ending. I don’t think there was anything that disappointed me about this novel.

Alix St. Pierre was a young woman who learned early on that things were not going to be handed to her on a silver platter. If she wanted something, she would have to work hard to obtain it. Alix lost both of her parents when she was only thirteen. Her friend Lillie’s parents took Alix in and raised her alongside Lillie in California. Alix ended up going to the same finishing school as her friend but Alix went as a scholarship student. The school Alix had attended was in Switzerland.

After Alix completed her schooling, she accepted a position in publicity. She was hired to help persuade women to join the workforce and fill the positions vacated by the men that had gone off to fight in World War II. It was 1943 and World War II was being fought. Alix was very good at her job. She was so good that she caught the attention of the U.S. government and she was recruited as a spy. Not only was Alix good at persuading women to take the jobs now vacated by enlisted men but she was also fluent in French, German and Italian. The United States government sent Alix to Switzerland where she would passionately try and aid Italian partisans in Northern Italy by obtaining and sharing crucial war information with them and helping them secure enough weapons to aid their cause. Lillie had also been recruited by the government and was serving as wireless operator in Caserta. Both Alix and Lillie had become engaged before they were recruited into the war. Alix had gotten engaged to Bobby and Lillie to Peter. As a member of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), Alix helped devise a plan that would benefit both the Allies and the Italian partisans. She was forced to trust her German informant to make her plan work. Alix had to trust that he was providing her with the correct information. Could she trust him? He scared her terribly. So many lives depended upon him delivering the correct information to her. Would everything go as planned?

After the war ended, Alix St. Pierre found her way to Paris. She miraculously secured the position of director of publicity for the newly created House of Dior. Alix immersed herself totally in her work. She arrived in Paris harboring a secret that wanted to consume her every thought and a monumental and shattering loss. Hard work and long hours were the only thing that prevented her mind from dwelling on both the secret and her losses. Christian Dior was just establishing his line of brilliant couture dresses and putting the finishing touches on his glamorous showroom when Alix was hired. Alix had her work cut out for her from the very start. Christian Dior’s New Look would not be ready to show when all the other fashion houses were presenting their designs. Alix had to devise a plan to either keep the Americans in Paris longer than they initially anticipated or think of way to make them come back. Alix came up with a brilliant plan. It involved Rita Hayworth and an original gown designed by Christian Dior. Would it work? She definitely hoped that it would.

Then just as things were falling into place for Alix two things happened to offset her. The first was that Alix learned that the German officer who had been her informant during World War II had somehow managed to evade punishment for the crimes he committed and all the lives he was responsible for taking in Italy. That German officer had worked for Obergruppenfuhrer Karl Wolff. It appeared that both Nazi officers had escaped the punishment they deserved. The second thing was meeting Anthony March, a wealthy and somewhat entitled editor of an American newspaper. Anthony March, known for his reputation as playboy, had just recently written an article in his newspaper about Germans that had escaped punishment for what they had done in Italy. The last time Alix had seen Anthony March he had also mentioned that he had known her fiancé Bobby during the war. What was Anthony March’s connection to Bobby and why was he also so interested about Nazis that had escaped justice for the atrocities they committed in Italy? Alix became obsessed with finding her Nazi informant and making him pay for his crimes. Could Alix discover the location of this Nazi officer and bring him to justice? Would Alix be forced to confront her past and finally be able to put it behind her?

The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre was told from the POV of Alix. Her life before the war, during World War II and after the war was explored. Alix was courageous, brave, disciplined, determined, clever, witty and spoke about whatever was on her mind. She enjoyed the woman she had worked to become. There was no way that Alix would ever be a stay at home wife who planned dinner parties and had dinner on the table for her husband. She was so much more than that and she would never succumb to that role. Alix was driven, smart and ambitious. I came to admire her character greatly. The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre was about loss, love, tragedy, duty, taking risks, bravery and fashion. Natasha Lester included an author’s note at the conclusion of her book. I was happy to learn that so much of the information mentioned throughout the book was factual. Even after finishing this book a few days ago, I still find myself thinking about the characters and their stories. It was one of those books that will stay with me for quite some time. I really enjoyed The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre and highly recommend it.

Thank you to Forever Publisher/Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by Natasha Lester through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Absolutely captivating historical fiction novel about independent Alix St. Pierre and her time as a spy during WWII and working for the House of Dior in Paris post-war. Alix was strong, savvy, and always with a quip or one-liner. Her friends and foes had good character depth and the several mysteries throughout kept me guessing. I did find the book slow to start, but once I was about 15-20% I was totally engaged.
Thank you to Forever Publishing for the advanced reading copy, receipt of which did not impact my review.

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I loved the strong feminist themes in this book, particularly the points it made about women’s rights and marital status. It also left me googling Dior gowns for days!

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Natasha Lester does it again with another intriguing story about a woman playing a big yet secretive part in the war. As the mystery unfolds and Alix gets closer to Anthony March, secrets are revealed and I found myself cheering for Alix and her entire team and the Dior crew. Lester always writes the best twists and turns that are so unexpected and I really enjoyed how the story unfolded.

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Quite the book - with a lot of depth. Other than marketing, Alix is so much different than I am that I was truly an observer, watching her work her magic and get results. She is an orphan raised by a wealthy family, like a sister to Lillie. She later becomes a writer for a fashion magazine, in WW2 is recruited to be a spy and goes to Switzerland. It's very interesting to read how things went in her spy world, many based on real facts from the author's research. After the war in Paris, she goes to work for Christian Dior as he comes into the spotlight. A fascinating world. And meets Anthony as she is trying to find a Nazi war criminal who had set her up in her earlier life. She's looking for answers and revenge for the people who were killed after a message she had relayed during the war. She's strong and quite courageous as well as vulnerable. Hard to put down, easy to get fully immersed. Very, very well written. A small amount of bad language throughout that was irritating and I could have done without.

I received this book free from the author, publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#NetGalley #TheThreeLivesOfAlixStPierre #NatashaLester #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #HistoricalFiction #FiveStarNovel #GrandCentralPublishing

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The was a fun and engaging read about spies, fashion and Paris during WWII. A great read for lovers of WWII novels.

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Thank you Netgalley, Natasha Lester, and publishers for gifting me a copy of The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre in return for my honest opinion.

4/5

I love a good dual-timeline historical fiction and 3/4ths of this book did not disappoint. I enjoyed the timeline where Alix was working for Dior in Paris. The timeline from the "past'' was slightly disappointing to me. It was not bad by any means but to me, it just wasn't anywhere near as wonderful as the "current" timeline.

Alix is such a strong independent character, she had to be due to her support/participation in working with the OSS. She used her background in PR while working with them to gather information from the enemy. At one point the intel she received was a trap that cost 9 people their lives, including her fiance. Now two years later she is back in Paris, working in PR for the new fashion house, Dior. When her past starts to catch up with her will she run back to the United States or finally stand up and get revenge?

I adored learning more about Alix and slowly seeing why she is so closed off and independent. It is a heartbreaking story that kept me entertained and glued to the book. I was able to sit down and read it in only a few hours.

Andrew and Alix's story was wonderful to see grow and how they both learned to love and trust each other. They both went through such a series of horrible circumstances that will forever leave them connected. With each twist, Natasha added I feel more in love with them as characters.

Continuing to read after the final chapter, Natasha included what books she used for her research. I found it fascinating to learn about all of the real-life characters that were alive and have a fascinating history as well. There are a few books that I will be adding to my TBR!

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