Scan barcode
A review by caaleros
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
5.0
Three very different women are brought together during WWII while working at Bletchley Park, a secret intelligence base in England where they broke codes to stay ahead of the Germans.
This is now my favorite Kate Quinn novel. Mab, Osla, and Beth were all so interesting and I enjoyed reading each of their stories; there wasn’t one that I wanted to skip to get to the other. Osla is a high class woman looking to prove that she's more than just a “ditsy deb” by joining the war effort. Her language skills find a purpose at Bletchley Park, but she’s always looking for something that will make her stand out. Mab is a tall working class woman looking to snag a husband. Unlike Osla, she is invested in each monotonous job she is given because she feels like she’s making a difference. Beth is the genius of the group, but her whole life she’s been told that she’s stupid. Working to break codes soon becomes her obsession and opens up a new world for her. By 1947 these friendships are in tatters, but the women reunite to break one more code to find out who betrayed them.
It’s difficult to process why I love this book so much-- 3-4 star books are easy to understand, but when a book completely captures me and leaves me on a book high it’s hard to put into words why. I think what really makes this book special is how Quinn balances the highs and lows in the lives of her characters. Historical fiction can often be pretty bleak, and there are certainly dark nights of the soul in this book, but it also has moments of great joy. Those moments of joy are what make the devastating moments worth reading. I also love that there’s a level of suspense as the book slowly reveals what happened to the characters during the war to get them to the places that they are as well as a need to catch the traitor who was in their midst. These things plus characters that came to life on the page are what make this book amazing to read.
The Rose Code is a fantastic historical fiction that is both character-driven and suspenseful. It highlights the work of code breakers, translators, and typists in the war effort while telling a thrilling and emotional story about these three women. It is a novel of friendship and betrayal, romance and heartbreak, and the isolation of secrets and the discovery of home.
*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is now my favorite Kate Quinn novel. Mab, Osla, and Beth were all so interesting and I enjoyed reading each of their stories; there wasn’t one that I wanted to skip to get to the other. Osla is a high class woman looking to prove that she's more than just a “ditsy deb” by joining the war effort. Her language skills find a purpose at Bletchley Park, but she’s always looking for something that will make her stand out. Mab is a tall working class woman looking to snag a husband. Unlike Osla, she is invested in each monotonous job she is given because she feels like she’s making a difference. Beth is the genius of the group, but her whole life she’s been told that she’s stupid. Working to break codes soon becomes her obsession and opens up a new world for her. By 1947 these friendships are in tatters, but the women reunite to break one more code to find out who betrayed them.
It’s difficult to process why I love this book so much-- 3-4 star books are easy to understand, but when a book completely captures me and leaves me on a book high it’s hard to put into words why. I think what really makes this book special is how Quinn balances the highs and lows in the lives of her characters. Historical fiction can often be pretty bleak, and there are certainly dark nights of the soul in this book, but it also has moments of great joy. Those moments of joy are what make the devastating moments worth reading. I also love that there’s a level of suspense as the book slowly reveals what happened to the characters during the war to get them to the places that they are as well as a need to catch the traitor who was in their midst. These things plus characters that came to life on the page are what make this book amazing to read.
The Rose Code is a fantastic historical fiction that is both character-driven and suspenseful. It highlights the work of code breakers, translators, and typists in the war effort while telling a thrilling and emotional story about these three women. It is a novel of friendship and betrayal, romance and heartbreak, and the isolation of secrets and the discovery of home.
*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.