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plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I was browsing the adult section of my library for romance books and picked this up because the title caught my eye, even though I’d never heard of it. The synopsis interested me, and when I skimmed the first couple of pages, I found that the writing was easy to read. So I took a chance on a random book.
I’m glad I did! White did a great job with basically everything. I haven’t read many books set during either of the world wars, and the few I did read never featured characters actively involved in the war, save one. I liked that Margot was not only a codebreaker, but one that the men around her had grown to respect. I liked Drake, Dot, Red, and Margot’s family, as well as the found family consisting of Margot and the first three in that list. The various dynamics between them were very well-written.
Some things I appreciated: a) the other characters’ acceptance of both Dot’s agoraphobia and Red’s disability, rather than any attempts to “fix” Dot or disdain toward them both, as I’d kind of expected from a story set in the early 20th century, b) Drake’s understanding of Margot’s way of thinking and life goals and his willingness to let her set the pace of their relationship, and c) the inclusion of Margot’s job as a codebreaker that was easy to understand and didn’t bog down the story. I also liked Margot and Dot’s friendship, and found both of the romances that developed over the course of the book to be very sweet.
A couple of things I wasn’t such a fan of: a) Margot’s condescending views of women that were interested in fashion, as she herself didn’t see the point of it, and b) the fact that she was only eighteen, and newly at that. I’d thought her older since this isn’t a YA book, and honestly, she doesn’t act like a young girl. Granted, in the midst of a war circumstances were definitely different, but she felt like someone in her early twenties, at least. Maybe about twenty-five. Ultimately, the former bothered me more than the latter, but both nagged at me enough to be worth mentioning. (Note: the age gap between Margot and Drake isn’t an issue to me. It’s only six years, and one of my favorite ships of all time has a seven year age gap. So yeah, just wanted to clarify.)
Overall, this was a surprisingly good read! More of a historical fiction than a historical romance, as I’d expected from the blurb, but enjoyable nonetheless. White’s writing was very easy to read, and I’m definitely interested in reading more from her. I’d recommend this to anyone interested in historical fiction, and/or books with strong platonic and familial relationships, found family, women in STEM, and war settings that don’t involve anyone actually on the frontlines.
Representation
I’m glad I did! White did a great job with basically everything. I haven’t read many books set during either of the world wars, and the few I did read never featured characters actively involved in the war, save one. I liked that Margot was not only a codebreaker, but one that the men around her had grown to respect. I liked Drake, Dot, Red, and Margot’s family, as well as the found family consisting of Margot and the first three in that list. The various dynamics between them were very well-written.
Some things I appreciated: a) the other characters’ acceptance of both Dot’s agoraphobia and Red’s disability, rather than any attempts to “fix” Dot or disdain toward them both, as I’d kind of expected from a story set in the early 20th century, b) Drake’s understanding of Margot’s way of thinking and life goals and his willingness to let her set the pace of their relationship, and c) the inclusion of Margot’s job as a codebreaker that was easy to understand and didn’t bog down the story. I also liked Margot and Dot’s friendship, and found both of the romances that developed over the course of the book to be very sweet.
A couple of things I wasn’t such a fan of: a) Margot’s condescending views of women that were interested in fashion, as she herself didn’t see the point of it, and b) the fact that she was only eighteen, and newly at that. I’d thought her older since this isn’t a YA book, and honestly, she doesn’t act like a young girl. Granted, in the midst of a war circumstances were definitely different, but she felt like someone in her early twenties, at least. Maybe about twenty-five. Ultimately, the former bothered me more than the latter, but both nagged at me enough to be worth mentioning. (Note: the age gap between Margot and Drake isn’t an issue to me. It’s only six years, and one of my favorite ships of all time has a seven year age gap. So yeah, just wanted to clarify.)
Overall, this was a surprisingly good read! More of a historical fiction than a historical romance, as I’d expected from the blurb, but enjoyable nonetheless. White’s writing was very easy to read, and I’m definitely interested in reading more from her. I’d recommend this to anyone interested in historical fiction, and/or books with strong platonic and familial relationships, found family, women in STEM, and war settings that don’t involve anyone actually on the frontlines.
Representation
- side character with agoraphobia
- amputee side character with a prosthetic foot
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Stalking, and War
War and death are self-explanatory. Parent death: both protagonists lost parents prior to the story, but one also lost her mother during the story. An additional warning is necessary because she finds her mother’s body in their flat, which may be especially triggering. Gun violence: one of the protagonists is shot near-fatally, and spends most of the book recovering from the wound.esmeralda's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As those who have been following me for any length of time know, I absolutely adore White’s books and own many of them. With the exception of mildly cringe titles, at times, they are, as a whole, basically perfection. The Number of Love is one of my favorites of White’s books (yes, I will most likely also say this about WOD, but it is true) and re-reading it was an absolute treat, a lovely accompaniment to my hot coffee.
The Number of Love is set during WWI, in the city of London, and revolves around the Old Admiralty Building of White Hall. Room 40 is a fascinating place, I can’t help but love the necessary mystery surrounding it, and serves as a wonderful connecting point for the three books of the Codebreakers trilogy.
The characters are the true source of my love for this book, beginning with Margot de Wilde. We first met Margot in A Song Unheard as a fourteen year old, four years later The Number of Love begins. Margot’s unique way of seeing the world makes her instantly fascinating. The idea of seeing the world as a collection of numbers and equations is somehow both calmingly logical and slightly overwhelming. A central piece of Margot’s story is her faith in God, who is, in her words, the one who she knows is smarter than her. Margot’s faith is tested repeatedly and although she wrestles with it, she finds herself closer to God than ever before, by the end of the story.
Margot is undoubtedly a strong, smart and unusual female character, but she in no way falls into the typical “not-like-the-other-girls” category. She is simply herself, brilliant with numbers and slightly socially awkward and full of plans for her future. As Margot grows throughout the course of The Number of Love she has an important realization, dreams can change or simply be adjusted slightly to allow for new dreams.
Drake Elton is another lovely character, decidedly different from Margot. Drake’s piece of this story is always interesting to read. Drake undergoes quite a bit of character growth as he realizes that his view of women is rather narrow, based solely on his mother and sister. He comes to realize, thanks to Margot and her family, that not all women desire a protector, and truly want a partner to walk alongside them through life. Drake’s letters are wonderfully sweet, and his patient love for Margot is admirable.
Although Margot and Drake both occupy a place on my favorite character list and have for more than a year, it was not until my re-reading that I realized how much I love Dot Elton, Drake’s sister. Dot’s story arc is inspiring, her quiet strength is beautiful and slightly heartbreaking. Dot’s anxiety is incredibly relatable to all readers, including myself, who struggle with anxiety and her determination to push through her fear is incredible. Margot and Dot’s friendship is special and lovely to read about.
Several character’s from White’s other books make appearance in The Number of Love. This unsurprisingly includes Willa and Lukas, but more remarkably includes the lovely Duchess Brook of Stafford, known for her energy and outbursts in Monegasque. I absolutely loved seeing Brook in all of her glory befriend Margot, a bit of redemption for her from the way that her character was left at the end of the Ladies of the Manor trilogy.
Although I could continue to ramble about this story and it’s wonderful characters, I will complete this character-centric review, by saying that I recommend this wonder WWI story to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
“Unconventional may be just what this world needs to recover from the tragedy that has beset it. And dreams . . . dreams are only worth pursuing when we have the right person by our side, sí? And the right person is the one who encourages. Who chases the dream along with you.” – Roseanna M. White
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, and Blood
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