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poojagodh's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting read into the lives of women who worked in bletchley park during the war. Rather than concentrating on their work and the specific tasks they were assigned it is a more holistic look at their lives.
lornarei's review against another edition
2.0
Bit of a disappointment. It was interesting enough, but (as others have said) there were just too many women to follow and I was never able to keep any of them straight or get to "know" them. Grouping it all by topic probably made the most sense (rather than having to rehash the entire war 15 times) but it just didn't give me the connections I was looking for. Maybe a section at the beginning or end with a brief synopsis of each of their lives/service might have helped. Still worth a read if you're interested in the Bletchley story.
alexreadsbooks93's review against another edition
4.0
Really interesting look at what life was actually like for the women who worked at Bletchley. It was a little hard to keep track of different individuals stories but on the whole you get a good sense of their different experiences. Only sad that it took so long for their important contribution to be recognised.
littlefrank's review against another edition
4.0
Most stories of Bletchley revolve around Alan Turing and his brilliance. This offers an alternative perspective, as we hear the stories of the young ladies who were recruited to do the - often mindless - work of preparation, collating and management of the codebreaking efforts. If you come for in depth analysis of codebreaking techniques you won't find it here. Often the girls didn't even know they were breaking codes!
But as a slice of war history from the point of view of those at home, albeit a privileged subset, it makes good reading.
But as a slice of war history from the point of view of those at home, albeit a privileged subset, it makes good reading.
thebookheap12's review against another edition
4.0
Not my usual material on my shelves, but I absolutely adore reading about women in wartime, and their war effort. Bletchley came to my attention after an ITV drama “Bletchley Circle” aired on UK TV (I highly recommend!). Prior to that, I only knew of Bletchley park vaguely, and mostly for the fact it is where they cracked Enigma and and passing general knowledge of Alan Turing. I didn’t really know much about the women who worked around the clock there for four years, contributing to the understanding of codebreaking which would eventually help to end the war. Talk about overlooking a vital piece of evidence!
Througout this book, Dunlop has managed to track down a number of the women who worked at the Park in secret during the war, some of whom have never spoken about what they did during the war, as per the Official Secrets Act- until now. They talk about their daily struggles, being away from friends and family, communiting to the Park, the secrets that came with the Park (both the work they conducted and the Park itself). I found it all fascinating!
I recommend this to anyone who loves historical accounts (fiction or non) set in the wartime era, and to those who enjoy reading about strong and determined women- because for too long, they have been “Anonymous”.
For more of my reviews, please visit thebookheap
http://thebookheap.wordpress.com
Througout this book, Dunlop has managed to track down a number of the women who worked at the Park in secret during the war, some of whom have never spoken about what they did during the war, as per the Official Secrets Act- until now. They talk about their daily struggles, being away from friends and family, communiting to the Park, the secrets that came with the Park (both the work they conducted and the Park itself). I found it all fascinating!
I recommend this to anyone who loves historical accounts (fiction or non) set in the wartime era, and to those who enjoy reading about strong and determined women- because for too long, they have been “Anonymous”.
For more of my reviews, please visit thebookheap
http://thebookheap.wordpress.com
inkybookwyrm's review against another edition
4.0
This book recounts the details of the lives of fifteen women who worked in Bletchley Park during WWII. Due to the amount of women being discussed, some stories and women shine brighter than others and are more easily remembered throughout the reading.
However, it is not necessary to always remember what was previously said about a particular woman to still find the various events from her life interesting. The overall story that is brought out through all these varying accounts is a fascinating one for anyone interested in learning about the reality of life during such a historic time.
However, it is not necessary to always remember what was previously said about a particular woman to still find the various events from her life interesting. The overall story that is brought out through all these varying accounts is a fascinating one for anyone interested in learning about the reality of life during such a historic time.