Shannon's Library

LET’S GET EXCITED ABOUT THIS BOOK!

As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. There’s Osla, a rich socialite. Mab, a product of East End London poverty. And Beth, a shy recluse with a brilliant mind for solving puzzles. But war, loss and the impossible pressure of secrecy eventually tears the women apart. A few years later, the three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter. To expose a traitor, Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together.

Keep reading below for my full review!

Shannon’s Rating – I would rate this book somewhere between PG-13 and R. (The F-word is used three times. And, while not graphic or explicit, there is quite a bit of sexual discussions and situations in this book. I am very much aware that I’m a bit prudish in this area – so what makes me uncomfortable probably won’t make most people uncomfortable!)

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LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK!

Have you heard about Bletchley Park? The super-secret codebreaking facility nestled in the English countryside during World War II?

I knew very little about this amazing place and the extraordinary people who worked there before reading this novel. Bletchley Park was the epicenter of Allied code breaking throughout the war and was staffed with thousands of dedicated, intelligent members – working around the clock for years.

In the Author’s Notes at the end of “The Rose Code,” Kate Quinn wrote this about Bletchley Park…

“To the bemused eyes of many, wartime BP more resembled a madhouse or a wacky university campus than a top-secret decryption facility. Codebreakers cycling to work in gas masks to avoid hay-fever; codebreakers sunbathing nude on the side lawn, and prank-riding laundry bins into unlocked loos- BP’s reputation for eccentricity was inevitable, given its tendency to recruit nerds and oddballs…square pegs weren’t required to fit into round holes, and in consequence worked spectacularly well at their nearly impossible job. Without the achievements of the people who so thoroughly cracked the supposedly uncrackable Enigma codes used by the Axis powers, the war might very well have been lost.”

The inclusivity of Bletchley Park was remarkable for its time. It didn’t matter your ethnicity, gender, economic statis or personality quirks. If you were intelligent and hardworking – you were wanted at BP. Women were aggressively recruited for a number of jobs – secretarial, language translation, mechanical, engineering, and codebreaking. In fact, 80% of the 9,000 staff members were female!

“The Rose Code” is the second book I’ve read by Kate Quinn and she did not disappoint. The story was intriguing, fast-paced, and kept me reading long into the night. Her manner of blending real-life events and people into a fictional novel is admirable. I loved her Author’s Note at the end of the book where she very thoroughly explained what in her book was based on facts and how it all came together in her story.

I highly recommend reading this novel with a book club. There was so much to talk about with all the twists and turns, interesting characters and historical events. It made for a great discussion!

I have a weird knack for figuring out plot twists in books and, yes, I saw most of the ones in this story coming. Except for one. There was one surprise that I gasped out loud. So, if you read this book, let me know and let’s discuss these twists together!!

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On a side note… Kate Quinn recently released an Amazon exclusive short story called, “Signal Moon,” available in audio and e-book. It’s about a young radio operator, Lily Baines, in England – whose job is to intercept enemy naval communications and send them on to Bletchley Park. One night she picks up a mysterious transmission from a young US naval officer, Matt Jackson. The twist in this one – Matt is talking to her from the year 2023!

Quinn has stated that she wrote this novella in order to explore “one of the pieces of Bletchley Park history I didn’t have room for in ‘The Rose Code,’ – namely, the sharp-eared women who worked at the Y stations! Plus, oh yeah, a little time-travel…I hope you enjoy it!”

You know I’m a sucker for anything time-travel, so I checked it out! It was a fun, quick little addition for “The Rose Code” lovers out there!

(Be aware, there are 12 f-words in this short story, which I didn’t love. But if that doesn’t bother you – then definitely give this novella a read!)