Genre: Historical Fiction/Thriller
Published: March 9, 2021
Pages: 656
1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of east-end London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart.
1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter--the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger--and their true enemy--closer...
I listened to the audiobook version of this book. This is my honest review.
I've read a lot of WWII fiction, but most of it has a very big German focus, not necessarily in Germany, but the Germans are a major part of the story. So this was a pretty big change from that and I really enjoyed seeing into this side of the war. And seeing all the different cogs in the codebreaking machine was enlightening. The way they kept everything segmented felt a little frustrating, but I also understood it for security reasons (and I know it still happens today for anyone in our government with a security clearance.)
I was most intrigued in the way the relationship between the three women grew and then devolved. The latter was sad but understandable, especially considering the extra stress from war. I really loved how Mab and Osla helped Beth gain her independence from her horrid mother.
This story was told from multiple POVs, so we had a more well-rounded view of the events than any of the characters. It also switched between present (1947) and past (1942-1944). And while those changes were clearly indicated, and the women had very distinctive personalities, it was a bit of a struggle keeping things straight. I probably would have been better served reading this with my eyes for that reason.
The narration was well done, although I had to slow down the speed to 1.5 because of the appropriate British accents. Overall I give The Rose Code 4.2649 out of 5 stars. - Katie
Kate Quinn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. A native of Southern California, she attended Boston University, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga and two books set in the Italian Renaissance before turning to the 20th century with The Alice Network, The Huntress, The Rose Code, and The Diamond Eye. All have been translated into multiple languages. She and her husband now live in California with three black rescue dogs.
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