Reviews

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

hannahdege's review

emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

trennapauni's review

adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

this book was SO GOOD! originally such a slow start for me but i’m so glad i stuck with it because it was amazing. so many incredible stories about a whole other side of WWII that i really never knew about. the characters were so lovable and had such great progression i loved it! so good <3

araymond1650's review

hopeful informative slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

ambularf's review

5.0

I LOVED this book! The back and forth of timelines, the historical fiction aspect...it was so wonderfully written! I enjoyed being able to picture and understand what it could have been like for the code breakers. The running storyline throughout kept me locked in until the very end. Definitely a new favorite!

mjsmilliken's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

ashleighyoung's review

5.0

9/10 - this was gooooood, @amanduhwilson recommended it to me, and i decided i needed to start it the day of her bridal shower lol, but now i’m inspired to finish the crown & re-watch the imitation game (freaking love that one), but my one gripe was it was LONG, like it took me FOREVER to finish it bc it started to drag on in the middle, but mother kept calling it type 2 fun where you enjoy it when it’s over, which i would agree with, but also bc the ending & epilogue are fantastic & leave you wanting more, highly recommend this one, you just gotta get through it

msteinhaus's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was a long listen and so achingly tense at times that I almost stopped, but I'm so glad I didn't. The writing is careful, the story meaningful and ultimately hopeful, and I was delighted to learn from the epilogue just how closely much of the novel hewed to the real history of women at Bletchley Park. Delightful! Excellent voice work by the narrator was an added bonus of the audiobook.

jess_mango's review

4.0

It's the 1940's and England is preparing to enter the fight against the Nazis. As part of that effort they recruit some of the brightest minds to help code break intercepted messages. The code breaking occurs at a country estate called Bletchley Park. The Rose Code follows three of these recruits, three women from different walks of life. Osla is a glamorous debutante who is having a relationship with Prince Philip of Greece (the future husband of Queen Elizabeth!). She wants to prove that she is more than a pretty face. Mab grew up in poverty in London and is determined to make her own way in the world. Then there is Beth, a socially-awkward young woman who lives near Bletchley Park under a very overbearing, religious mother. The three women become friends as they help decipher intelligence. Misunderstandings and tragedy later tear these friends apart.

This was the first book that I've read by Kate Quinn, though I've had her 2 previous novels on my to-read list for awhile. This was an engaging female-led WWI historical fiction novel. I loved seeing women using their intelligence and wit to help in the war effort. It was interesting to read about a fictionalized Prince Philip. His death was announced right around when I was reading this book. I hadn't known much about his life before marrying Elizabeth, so reading this novel spurred me on to read some articles online about his early life. I recommend this one to historical fiction fans.

Thank you to the publisher for the audiobook! The audiobook was very well done and I liked the narrator's delivery.

lindsayaunderwood's review

5.0

Easily my fave historical fiction writer. Can’t wait to get back to London and hopefully visit the Bletchley Park museum!

kris10l's review

slow-paced

4.0