The Rose Code

Fascinating story of women working to break codes during WorldWar II. Very interesting characters and vivid descriptions of how people cope under extreme stress.

Well written, very interesting about WW2 in a way I’d never considered. I love being led into seeing a familiar event from a entirely different angle than I knew.

I’ve always been fascinated by the events at Bletchley Park during the war. After this book, though, I really feel glad I wasn’t swallowed up by that machine.

We are thrown into the phoney war and see what Osla, Mab and Beth are up to at home. Then we switch to post-war, to the days leading up to the Royal Wedding. That’s Princess Elizabeth, with five years to go before she becomes queen, and Prince Philip.

The use of real events is a masterful stroke. It is so easy for the reader to associate with these people. Even writing this, I feel tension in my shoulders as I worry for them, will I do them justice here? It is really hard to believe they might not be real. The way Kate Quinn gets into the hearts and minds of all these characters is a tour de force. The setting is certainly a character, nowhere else would be the same. (Euston station plays its part well, too).

The characters and the story gripped me so much that I had to force myself to take breaks. I was deeply involved in the work, the concentration, the messages passing through the girls’ hands. They were unable to mention them to anyone, not even among themselves, only to those in their own small sections. And total secrecy of what they did, or where, when outside. And as for Beth’s situation: in attempting to crack the Rose Code she has landed herself in deep trouble. Os and Mab have to solve it (surely they will do something) in the Royal wedding era. There’s a word involved here that scared the bejasus out of me the first time I discovered what it was. It’s worse to me than a dozen ordinary chambers of horrors.

The stakes are incredibly high, both for the country and for themselves. The Rose Code – a masterful work by Kate Quinn. This MUST be the book of the year. I don’t think I could stand it not being. Completely brilliant.

Based on actual events and individuals during WWII, this was hard to put down. Recommended for anyone who likes historical fiction.

This book allows one to picture what life was like at Bletchley Park : 3 shifts covering 24 hours/day along with the pressures, the camaraderie, and the secrets they had to keep. Enjoyable cast of characters all wanting to do their share to support the war effort. There’s a little bit of everything: intrigue, romance, and suspense. Interestingly, one of the main characters is Prince Philip’s girlfriend.

One of the most entertaining WW2 women’s fic/historical books I’ve read. I’m not sure why it’s taken me this long to read one of Kate Quinn’s books, but I won’t continue to make that mistake. Her writing is divine. Compelling and visceral. At times it was devastating, but the author truly turned around some of the bleakest moments and delivered a happy ending. Even if I still felt a little bittersweet over it.

Mabel’s (Mab’s) was the most brusque of the three heroines, yet her story was the most heart-wrenching. Her evolvement from pragmatic to a hesitant then glorious love was beautiful and evocatively written, making her heartaches that much more devastating.

The remaining two girls in this trio of wartime friendships had equally developed intersecting storylines, but maybe not as touching as Mab’s was for me. Oslo’s story invited a degree of connection to England’s monarchy. Any reader who follows the Windsors or has religiously watched The Crown will find her storyline kind of fun with her fictional connections to Prince Phillip and Lord Mountbatten (Uncle Dickie.)

Third in the trio is Beth, a former mouse of a girl who has been manipulated and psychologically abused by her legalistically religious mother. Finding her skills as a code breaker gives her the strength to break free from her mother’s hold. She also exhibits traits found on the autistic spectrum, but of course not a diagnosis at that time and as a result, not handled sensitively or at times, humanely. Her storyline contributed largely to the mystery/suspense element in the book and also drew the three former friends back together after the war.

This author managed to fully develop the stories of these three main characters, separately and combined, as well as the many secondary players that helped increase the depth of their stories. It was sometimes heartbreaking, but then also thrilling, witty, and romantic. I’ll even forgive the somewhat frivolous ending since I’m still thinking about this book nearly four weeks later.

Everything Quinn writes is well worth reading, but she takes her artistry to a whole new level with this story of three very different women supporting the war effort in secret with codebreaking work at the (now) famous Bletchley Park. Twists and turns, faith and betrayal, love and death, revelations and celebrations — it’s all here, and it’s a must-read for historical fiction fans of all stripes. Great on audio.

This was a very well written book about the lives of people that worked at Bletchley Park. While it mainly focuses on three women, who are vastly different in personalities and social class, the plot includes many other characters that give the story believability to it.

I did find the book to drag a bit. I was interested, but not totally invested until about 70% of the book. Then it really took off for me. I think the reason might be that I read another book about this same subject fairly close to this one and I kept unwillingly comparing them, which may have taken away from being completely drawn into this book.

I do recommend reading this book, and would also like to mention the other book I read about this subject, The Latimer House. If you enjoy reading about code breaking during the war, both books are excellent, but I advise you have some space between reading them.

This is a story of three women who answered the call during WWII to break German Codes. In 1940 The three British women arrive at Bletchley Park among with other great minds from all over the country, and set out to find out what the Germans are planning before it happens. Oslo who is beautiful and wealthy, and currently seening Prince Phillip of Greece (before he became THEE prince Phillip), Mab – who grew up poor and wants to find a husband, and Beth – a meak girl who needs to get away from her mother who thinks all Beth is good for is taking care of her. Oslo and Mab take Beth under their wing and soon discover that Beth has a brillian mind for puzzles. But soon, a terrible tragedy tears the women apart.

The story jumps to 1947, days before Prince Phillip is to marry Princess Elizabeth. Beth has called Oslo and Mab to help her with one last encrypted letter that she believes is the key to what broke their friendship apart and also got Beth sent to an asylum. Oslo and Mab reluctantly agree to unbury the past and help Beth with this one last task. It is dangerous, but Beth knows it has to be done.

This was a good book. It is LONG. I listened to it, and it kept me entertained. The story flows nicely, and you get invested in the lives of these three women and the tragedy that pushed them apart. IT jumps back and forth from 1940 to 1947, spending most of the time in 1940 while the women work together to break codes. We get a look into what it was like to be on a code breaking team and how hard it is to keep secret that this is what you did during the war – even after it is long over. The women who were code breakers were some of the most brillian minds of the times, and not something I was familiar with going into this story. While this is a historical fiction book, you still learn a lot about what the process was like, which I always enjoy.

This was a good one. I highly recommend.

I loved this book!