“The reigning queen of historical fiction” — Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue
The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.
1940. As England … War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.
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…
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WW2, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, family-dynamics, friendship, suspense, romantic, traitor, England
The work at Bletchley Park as a part of the WW2 codebreakers has become more familiar lately, but the stories of the women who worked there can do with a bit more imaginative stories. This one covers three such women of very different circumstances and even some interesting postscripts. The story is well written and engaging and with twists and suspense. It kept me up much too late!
Narrator Saskia Maarleveld did a wonderful job with all the voices and really acted out the story and did not just read it. Her voice brings the characters to life with her inflections entirely suited the situations and characters.
I requested and received a temporary audio copy from Harper Audio via NetGalley. Thank you!
The Rose Code is outstanding! You truly cannot go wrong with Kate Quinn. This novel is a WWII story of English female code breakers who answer the call to fight the Germans by decoding their military secrets. It is full of vivid characters and a storyline full of love, friendship, and courage. A wonderful and emotional historical fiction novel that you won’t want to miss!
Wow. All the feels. I make no secret that Alan Turing is a personal hero. He is *very* much suspected of being a fellow Autistic, and because of his brilliance I was able to follow in his footsteps to rise myself out of being a trailer park kid into a career that has already made me far more successful than I ever dared imagine. So when a book is set at Bletchley Park during World War II – where Turing built the first physical “Turing Machines” after having theorized them before the war – … it gets my attention.
And while Turing himself (along with a handful of other particularly significant real-world people of the era) *does* appear in the book – and even helps in the endgame itself – this book is NOT about him. Instead, this is effectively a book about the *other* people there at Bletchley during the period and what *they* went through… while spinning a tight tale of personal and national betrayals as a solid fiction story should. 🙂 We see the era and the place through three very different eyes – a likely (female) Autistic (though Quinn never uses that word to describe the character, as it wouldn’t be period-authentic) who is over-protected by her very religious parents (gee, where does *that* feel familiar? 😉 ), a poor, down on her luck girl from the “wrong side of the tracks” just trying to get by and become better than her birth (again, where does this seem familiar? :D), and a well-connected socialite who wants to prove that she is more than just her birth. And we see how friendship and even family can grow between such disparate people. Truly an outstanding work that hooks you from Chapter 1 and keeps you reading through the final words… even though those words come over 650 pages later! Oh, and if you’re familiar with The Imitation Game (the 2014 movie focusing on Turing’s work at BP)… you may just have its theme running through your head when you finish this tale. Very much recommended.
I absolutely love Kate Quinn, I have been waiting for a new book from her ever since her last novel “The Huntress”. I love her novels about women spies. The Rose Code is something a bit different. This novel focuses on three very different women who come together to help the British solve the codes that the Germans have been sending back and forth to their troops, leaders, etc.
This novel isn’t short, at 656 pages, it’s not a quick read. I savored it, let myself get lost in it and allowed myself time for all of the imagery, information and wonderful characters to sink in. I became lost in the story almost immediately.
The time frame is 1940 through 1947. We begin with the introductions of characters and how they all meet up at Bletchley Circle. I had seen a mini series on Bletchley Circle on PBS and was already familiar with what went on there but nothing that compared to this novel!
Mab lived a life of poverty and was determined to find a man to marry, someone of some means to help her rise to a level where she didn’t have to worry every day about how she would get by. She ends up being adept at fixing the machines that the codebreakers use.
Osla has come from a family of wealth. She has been dating Phillip for years and they have a friendship/love relationship for many years. She wants to help in the war effort and not just making bandages!! She wants to show that a “deb” can be more than just a showpiece. She is fluent in German and is ultimately used as a translator, essential to the codebreaking process.
Beth is a quiet, timid young woman who has lived with her parents and has always been put down by her mother. Taught that she had no value, wasn’t good at anything, not even allowed to finish school. But she has a gift for mathematics and puzzle solving and at Bletchley Circle she finds her niche. She becomes one of the top cryptanalysts and is heads above everyone else she works with. She will find her wings here.
Besides all of the intricacies of Bletchley park, all of the secrets that these people are sworn to keep, there is a resounding story of friendship, love and humor. All of those that work here, many for 24 hours straight, find their ways to have fun. They sing, they laugh, they find love and acceptance, all combined in the effort to help win the war for the Allies.
This is a bare outline of the characters but there is lots of interaction between these three women, they become best friends, until tragedy strikes. They then are split apart for many years.’
We flash ahead to 1947 and Beth is locked away in an asylum, thought to have “had a breakdown”. In reality she has been unjustly accused and knows a terrible secret — there was a traitor at Bletchley park and she knows who it is. This is the one who put her here, and there are only two people whom she trusts can help her escape the asylum — Mab and Osla!!
These three indomitable women will come together once again to capture the spy who traded their security, the future of the war effort and love of country, for money. I’ll leave you to discover who the traitor was and how the story unfolds, just like looking down at the spirals inside a rose!!
This is by far the best historical fiction I have read in a very long time! If you love this book I highly recommend watching the PBS series Bletchley Circle and here is also a link to an interview with Kate Quinn below.
https://historicalfictionreader.blogspot.com/2020/11/authorinterview-historical-fiction_17.html
I highly recommend this novel to all lovers of historical fiction, you will find a wonderful novel based on facts. You won’t easily forget these characters, they will stay with me for a long time.
This was a buddy read with my good friend CeeCee who also loved the novel.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
This novel is set to release on March 9, 2021
This was a mesmerising book. I loved the characters and the historical details and the topic was just fascinating. A well written book that I loved reading every spare moment I had.
Kate Quinn does it again! This rollicking tale of espionage and female solidarity is a tour de force that will make you laugh and cry at the same time. For the quirky, complicated and unforgettable women of Bletchley Park, beneath the lipstick and lace lurks a gritty life of danger and daring. From frantic efforts to decode Nazi messages to the consequences of treason and secret-keeping in the post-war jubilation, there’s never a dull moment. The Rose Code is pure genius and Quinn’s best… so far.