“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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The Rose Code is everything you love about an unputdownable novel and more. In her signature fashion, Kate Quinn expertly and vividly breaks wide open the secret world of Bletchley Park’s remarkable codebreakers. An unforgettable war story to be sure, but also a tale of friendship, fortitude, and forgiveness. Utterly satisfying.
A knockout of a story, written by the reigning queen of historical fiction. Quinn’s trio of heroines practically leap off the page in this stunning novel, which melds spy-hunting with love stories that will stir your soul. A book for the ages.
Utterly fabulous with twists I did not see coming. Her use of historical figures was excellent.
This was the first book I’ve read by Kate Quinn, but it definitely won’t be my last. Wow! I LOVED the characters and the attention to war time details. The inclusion of a young Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip was really fun, and the suspense and twists were superb!
The hidden history of Bletchley Park has been waiting for a master storyteller like Kate Quinn to bring it to life. The Rose Code effortlessly evokes the frantic, nervy, exuberant world of the Enigma codebreakers through the eyes of three extraordinary women who work in tireless secrecy to defeat the Nazis. Quinn’s meticulous research and impeccable characterization shine through this gripping and beautifully executed novel.
“The Rose Code,” a rip-roaring WW II tale of the Allied codebreakers at the Bletchley Park English estate, plays out as a true triumph. Kate Quinn brings together a colorful cast of multi-dimensional patriots, traitors, ordinary citizens, and Royals, all in support of three fascinating women codebreakers: Osla, Mab, and Beth, not to mention a little rescue Schnauzer, Boots. Their intersecting stories of friendship, love, loyalty, alienation, and breach of trust is both heartbreaking and heartening. It will hold you to the end!
A fantastic novel. Loved the way the author captured the important work at Bletchley Park. It’s a compelling blending of close time slip with three prominent POV characters. Masterful telling that made me feel transported to the time. The audiobook was delightful to listen to.
This is a well-written, entertaining, WW II historical fiction novel, which tells the fascinating story of the British codebreakers at Bletchley Park. It has strong female protagonists, mystery, intrigue, suspense, romance, heartbreak, friendship, and resilience. It is based on true events and individuals. Ms. Quinn does an outstanding job engaging her readers from the beginning of this novel until its surprising conclusion, and her notes at the end are truly appreciated.
THE ROSE CODE, read by Saskia Maarleveld, is one of favorite audiobooks of 2021. (Saskia also read THE HUNTRESS and is a master of accents–both male and female.)
A fast-paced, high-stakes story about betrayal and redemption, this character-driven historical novel is set near my childhood home. Even more amazing? We lived about 20 minutes from Bletchley Park, and I didn’t know it existed until I was in my thirties.
As the story weaves between 1940 and the eve of the Royal Wedding in 1947, we meet three unforgettable women: Osla, who happens to date a dashing young Prince Philip, is trying to escape the label of ditzy debutante; Mab is trying to escape working class London and her past by finding a husband; and Beth is a shy spinster trapped in the village of Bletchley with a toxic mother. All three have gifts that make them perfect hires for Bletchley Park with its top-secret code-breaking work.
The three young women become close friends, but as tragedy and stress take their toll, an insidious force is at work–a traitor. This person engineers a split between the women that also puts Beth in an insane asylum, where she poses no risk to the official secrets’ act. But as time passes, Beth works to crack the ultimate puzzle: who betrayed her and her country? With the clock ticking–no spoilers!–Beth manages to sneak out an encrypted message to her former friends. But will they listen?
Also–best ending ever.
What a wonderful escape into Second World War codebreaking. Kate is just great at pulling together terrific characters with intriguing plotlines while adding some fascinating historical realities. Loved every minute.
I loved every moment of reading this book. Great characters, great world-building. Kate Quinn is at the top of her game here. Read it!
The Rose Code is an amazing work of historical fiction by Kate Quinn. I was not familiar with this author until I listened to this book; I’m thrilled to discover I have The Alice Network and The Huntress in my audiobook library. It started slowly, but soon I was totally enthralled. I highly recommend the audiobook version of this novel; I’ve listened to many, many audiobooks, and Saskia Maarleveld is one of the most talented narrators I’ve ever heard. Her female voices all sound marvelously unique, and the male voices actually sound like men. The pairing of this author with this narrator is absolute genius!
The timeline of this book is nonlinear, switching back and forth between the period beginning with 1940 and one set in 1947. (Trust me, the back-and-forth switch isn’t in the least confusing.). Osla Kendall is a rich debutante recently returned from Canada; she works building planes to assist in the war effort. Prince Philip of Greece is a beau…yes, THAT Prince Philip, who is married to Queen Elizabeth. Mab Churt, aka “Queen Mab”, is a poor East Londoner who worked her way through secretarial school, but she wants more, like a husband with social standing, so she can give a better life to her little sister Lucy. Osla and Mab meet on the train on the way to Bletchley Park, where they both have secretive new jobs (Osla as a fluent German translator and Mab who works the codebreaking machines) which are covered under the Official Secrets Act. They are being housed in the home of the Finch family, where they meet quiet and cowed Beth, who seems to be brilliant with puzzles. She also soon has a job in Bletchley Park as one of the few female cryptanalysts. The women become fast friends, but that friendship will be tested as they are all increasingly affected by the war and their work. In 1947 we see Beth in Clockwell asylum, where she has been placed for having a breakdown. Except she hasn’t had a breakdown; she is being silenced for having found proof of a traitor in BP! Her time is running out, and she sends coded messages to her former friends asking for help. Will they help her, or will Beth lose her brilliant mind to a lobotomy?
I really can’t go into more of the story without giving so much away! There were many WHAT?! moments that I never saw coming. The beginning of the book was a little slow in setting up the relationships between the women, but it’s necessary in order to show the bonds between the three. The descriptions of the Enigma and other code breaking machines and how they worked made my eyes cross a bit – that’s not exactly my forte – but it was fascinating. It was so hard for these women to have relationships when they couldn’t discuss their jobs with anyone, even each other. They did have romantic relationships (my lips are sealed), though, and other friendships, such as The Mad Hatters, the BP book club. This book had me in turns spellbound, laughing and sobbing. Many of the supporting characters were also outstanding, especially war poet Francis Grey, little Lucy, Harry Zarb and Boots the dog. Some of the characters were based on real people (like Osla), but many real-life people also made an appearance, such as Dilly Knox and Winston Churchill. Stories of the war and code breaking were important aspects of the book, but its main theme and draw for me was the resilience of woman and friendships. Don’t let this gripping audiobook pass you by.
I received an ARC of this audiobook courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Readers: Prepare to be swept away by The Rose Code. A richly deserved tribute to the WWII codebreakers of Bletchley Park, Kate Quinn’s latest novel is a tour de force. Exhaustive research, vibrant characters, and pulse-pounding suspense combine in a riveting tale destined to be a book-club favorite. I absolutely loved it.
Kate Quinn, the author of the highly reviewed novels – The Alice Network and The Huntress gives us a new view of WWII through the eyes of female English code-breakers who worked night and day to crack the codes used by the German command. They put their lives on hold to help England and the allies win the war and their work and sacrifices were pretty well forgotten after the end of the war. Here is a story about three of those code breakers.
1940 – Three totally different women go to work at the mysterious county estate Bletchley Park along with some of the most intelligent people in England at the time to work to break German military codes.
-Oslo is a debutante who has everything but wants to prove that she is more than a society girl. She puts her fluent use of German to work as a translator.
-Mab is from the poverty area of London. While she is working on the code breaking machines, she’s looking for a rich husband who will better her social standing and help her escape her past.
-Beth is the village spinster who has been told that she is stupid by her mother for her entire life to the point that she believes she is stupid and that her future will be to live at home and take care of her parents. Her shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon she becomes one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts.
1947 – Everyone in London is excited about the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. With the wedding excitement taking over the town, two of the former friends are contacted by the third who is an insane asylum. She tells them that there was a traitor at Bletchley park who had made sure she was confined before she could reveal his identity and at the same time broke up the friendship of the three women. Can they let their feelings of betrayal go and work together to find the traitor despite the danger? Will they be successful in finding out WHO the traitor is and bring them to justice?
If you enjoy historical fiction – The Rose Code is a MUST read. It’s a well-researched novel with characters you won’t soon forget. It’s long – over 600 pages – but you don’t even notice that as the pages keep turning and you get into the lives of the three main characters. It’s not only a book about history but there is a mystery full of twists and turns with an ending that amazed me. It’s a novel about friendship that survives no matter the obstacles or the time that has passed.
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn is an excellent WWII era historical fiction that has it all: HF, suspense, mystery, amazing character cast, addictive plot, and a surprise addition with a certain royal! I loved every moment of this book. It will easily be one of my favorites this year.
Ms. Quinn is a master at crafting an intricate narrative but at the same time, she makes it smooth, seamless, and effortless. Pages fly by as you are desperate to find out what happens next. Every book of hers that I have read so far has checked these boxes, and this wonderful book did as well.
I loved the way the author weaved between the main characters, time frames, and subplots. I loved Osla, Mab, and Beth all in different ways. They are smart, brave, likable, realistic, flawed, yet endearing, loyal when it matters, and have great chemistry with one another and with the plot lines. They have more independence and courage then they realize. Their respective lives before Bletchley Park, during their war efforts, and after all fit perfectly.
I also love that the plot thickens even after one thinks that all the “risk” has evaporated once the war is over. Joining forces gave me goosebumps and was exhilarating to follow. The ending was perfect and spot on.
But, my favorite part truly was the addition of the Prince Phillip subplot with Osla. It was so creative and imaginative, yet was written in a way that it was realistic, respectful, and enthralling. I really, really thought that was ingenious.
A perfect historical fiction that sets the bar very, very high. Enthusiastically recommend!
5/5 stars
Thank you EW and William Morrow for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR, Instagram, and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/9/21.
One of the biggest secrets of WWII was what happened at a Bletchley Park, a one time mental institution. That’s where a motley crew of Oxford dons and women toiled under tremendous pressure and long hours decrypted the Axis messages while managing to hide the fact they had access to a German Enigma machine. As the war progressed, the ratio of women to men skewed towards women. And after the war, these women went back to their daily lives without ever letting anyone know what yhey had accomplished during the war
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Such a story needs a master storyteller and researcher to do justice to their riveting stories. As shown by her previous two wartime novels, Kate Quinn shines a light on unknown heroics of women. If you missed reading THE ALICE NETWORK or THE HUNTRESS, I highly recommend reading them. She bases her three protagonists on real women who worked at Bletchly Park enduring enormous pressure. Of course some names were changed, and the story itself is fiction their day to day life is enthrallingly portayed. If you are interested i historical fiction based in the 40s, do not miss her books.
Great story! I loved this entire story. I have read several Kate Quinn novels and this was my favorite.
Wonderful book with characters who jump off the pages. Didn’t want it to end. Will easily be one of my favorite books this year.
This being my third Kate Quinn novel, I’m beginning to place her name at the tip-top of my “favorite authors” list. Quinn is a remarkable writer whose attention to character and period lingo flavors her novels like a superbly prepared soup du jour. I will say, however, that this book took more staging and set up than her previous WWII reads and didn’t really sell me until I was about 25% in (I read the e-version). But don’t set it aside thinking that it won’t take off. It has wings, but the solid and grounded preparations that form the plot at the beginning really do help create an unputdownable experience past that point. And one of her former protags even made a cameo appearance from The Huntress: Ian Graham, a journalist in the story! (Yes, Kate. Some of us noticed!)
Three young women: Mab, Osla, and Beth become fast friends as WWII heats up in Europe. But these ladies don’t sit on the sidelines, but find themselves in the heart of Great Britain’s code-breaking ring. Italian and German messages are routinely cracked, and they share the secrets of successful intelligence that saves lives, wins battles, and even breaks cherished friendships. Quinn’s plot is based on fact, and the story of these women who face many of the same fears and postwar issues as combat soldiers comes alive on every page.
Readers will be in awe at the emotion packed inside this story. Quinn deals with humor, joy, passion, the intensity of first love, and tragedy in what is truly a compelling piece of literature and one with roots grounded in fact.
Bravo! Five stars is an understatement!
If you like historical fiction you won’t be disappointed