Ace, Marvel, Spy: A Novel of Alice Marble

Alice Marble brought herself into the tennis world on nothing more than raw talent, determination, and a coach who was equally strong-willed. She managed to go from a working-class girl to a name on everyone’s lips and helped to desegregate the world of tennis, even going on to teach Billie Jean King. Even without touching her wartime work and her romantic life, she was a fascinating woman.

Ace, Marvel, Spy brings focus to all of these.

Unfortunately, it does so in a haphazard way. Some of her spywork in the war is glossed over, presented, and then left behind without placing much emotion into it. The action as a whole feels presented at some remove, and while we as readers know what Alice feels, at times the knowledge is clinical rather than compelling.

The book will be interesting for women’s tennis fans, and for those who are a little familiar with Alice Marble and want to learn more about her. For more casual readers, the book will be less interesting. Though I wasn’t interested in the book itself, I did find myself intrigued by Alice Marble, and I plan to learn more about her.