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The Rose Code

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It’s a year into World War II and three women have been recruited to the famous (and mysterious) Bletchely Park, the noted location where codes are cracked. Osla wants to be seen more than a society girl, but she’s going to have to change her reputation to do so, while Mab almost wants to do the opposite, and be considered someone with a classy background, rather than her humble upbringing. Meanwhile Beth, quiet but quick-working, is training as one of the few female cryptanalysts. The three form an unlikely friendship, but one that should last the test of time. That is, until seven years later, when a changed England prepares for a royal wedding, and the trio must be reunited to solve one final code together. Friendship, female solidarity and compassion are mixed with national duty, and the very real threat to life. It’s historical fiction but with an added bite.

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I was so excited to get the opportunity to read The Rose Code as I have loved Kate Quinn’s previous books. The Rose Code has easily been the best book I’ve read in 2021. The plot is fantastic and I adored the central characters. I can’t wait to read more from the author in the future.

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would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book captivating book

kept me reading right to the end and the ending was brilliant

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I have loved all of Kate Quinn’s books and picked this one up with eager anticipation but unfortunately it remains on my very small pile of “did not finish” books. I’m not sure exactly why I struggled with it as I loved the characters and the setting, but it just seemed so long and wasn’t particularly going anywhere. I had to stop reading it to read my monthly book club novel and just have not be inclined to pick it back up again. I’m going to save it for when I eventually get on holiday to a sunny beach to truly absorb myself in it and hopefully join the many readers who loved it

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This book is one of the the best books that I have read for a long time. It is set in an era that really interests me and the mysteries surrounding Bletchley Park are brilliantly portrayed.
The plot is interesting to say the least but it also brings in relationships and how they were so much more intense during the second world war.
I did not want the book to finish but at the same time I was so wrapped up in the story I was desperate to find out what was going to happen. The next book that I read really has something to live up to!

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Oh my goodness, this book!! I’ve read a couple of books recently set around WWII and about how it affected people but I’ve never actually read a book about people who are actively participating in the war, and in all honesty, I never thought I’d be interested in such a book. But this, just completely blew that thought away. I was absolutely absorbed in this from the outset. Add to that it’s a dual timeline, which by now I’m sure you all know that I love and this was pretty much a perfect read for me.

As mentioned above, The Rose Code is set in two different time periods, although they’re quite close together, 1940 and 1947. In 1940 we are introduced to the secretive world of Bletchley Park, where code breakers are hard at work. I was surprised that it was so secretive that they weren’t actually allowed to discuss their work with the other people there, so that you only knew about the little bit that you were working on. In 1947 the friends are reunited in the run up to the Royal Wedding when their is a traitor in their midst.

I loved our 3 main characters, Beth, Mab and Oslo, and getting to see them grow and develop. You get so invested in them, you’re cheering them on and devastated by some of the consequences they have to suffer.

I was slightly daunted when I first received this as at 652 pages it’s not a quick read, but I was so emmersed in it that the time passed so quickly and I would have happily read the same length again. I’ve already purchased The Alice Network and The Huntress.

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I adored this book and felt like I really was at Bletchley Park. I've watched The Imitation Game but can't recall too much of it so a lot of the code breaking information was new to me.

The novel swaps between 'current day' in 1947 and from 1940, when the three main characters are breaking codes at Bletchley Park.

We follow the lives of three women from very different backgrounds, Osla, Mab and Beth, who become close friends. Osla comes from a wealthy background and wants to be taken more seriously than a debutante. Mab is from a working class family and wants to find a man to marry who can help her to take care of her sister. Beth is a timid woman who is downtrodden by her mother. While following the codebreaking at Bletchley Park, this book tells a story of friendship, love and humour during the war.

When the story reaches 1947, we find Beth is locked in an asylum. All three women are no longer in each other's lives, after a tragedy splits them apart. Beth reaches out to Mab and Osla, she alleges she has been wrongly imprisoned, has been put in the asylum by a traitor from Bletchley Park. She calls upon her old best friends fo help her uncover the truth.

This book is LONG. I got to around 40% before I wondered what was going on and decided to check how many pages it was. This might put some readers off, but I really enjoyed every second of this book.

5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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I read the reviews for this novel before I decided it was going to be my next read. I will preface this review by saying I’m a fan of historical fiction, and I also love mysteries. So this book was EVERYTHING.

This novel follows three very different young ladies as they navigate their way through life during WWII. These ladies come together when they all take up different positions in Bletchley Park, and the novel flits between two timelines, during the war and after the war. Post-war explores life after the girls leave Bletchley Park, as they come together to solve the mystery as to who the traitor in Bletchley Park is. The scenes from during the war offer engaging stories as to how they came into this situation, and give tidbits regarding who the traitor may be…

The Rose Code is by far the most well-crafted novel I’ve read in a while. Not a single loose end is left untied by the end of the novel. The characters are well-rounded, full of backstories and unique traits that really make them come to life. I can’t even describe just how well everything comes together at the end.

Suffice to say, everyone should read this book. It’s slightly longer than the ones I normally read owing to my tiny attention span but it was well worth every moment. Kudos to Quinn for writing such a smashing novel!

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This is the first book I have read by Rose Quinn and what a book! It's based at Bletchley Park and centres around 3 very different woman who are involved in the secretive world of codes and trying to break the German codes to help England win the war..
After the war ends the Beth needs the help of the other two even though they had a fall out many years ago. Will they help her?
If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would.2.
The novel is full of friendship, loyalty suspense and twists and turns.
What a read.!
Thanks to#NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #HarperCollinsUk #HarperFiction and the author #KateQuinn for my ARC #TheRoseCode in exchange for an honest review.

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With so many 5 star reviews I doubt that any negative reviews will make any impact.
Overall a good story and I liked the era of the book and have always been a fan of Bletchley Park. The book is well written and the characters well developed.
The negatives? I don't know for certain but I'm guessing the author is American hence the spellings and also the way certain phrases jar as they are not the way British people would say them. I very much disliked the name "Mab" although I did like the character.
The other thing that sat uneasily with me (and I am not a Royalist, I'm a Republican) is the addition of Prince Philip to the story. It just felt utterly wrong and in view of his recent passing somewhat disrespectful. I do feel it would have been to fictionalise (I appreciate I am likely to be a lone unheard voice in this respect judging by the number of rave reviews)
It could have been better and I was somewhat disappointed I regret to say

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I absolutely adored this book. I loved Kate Quinn's last read - The Alice Network - so I was delighted to be approved for this book. I can honestly say that I was drawn in from page 1 and couldn't put the book down. Kate did something incredibly with this story - she made me care. I cared about the characters, about their families, about their work, about their futures... I cared about those of us who are living today in a world made different thanks to them.

Three women are at the heart of this story, all three with big personalities and very differing views. I loved the way that Beth was portrayed - she would be diagnosed as autistic no doubt today, but was seen as being odd and kept at home where she was 'mummy's little helper' despite being a fully grown woman. The war enabled her to thrive, a job for a literal thinker was perfect for her. I loved seeing her thrive and genuinely worried for her when the war came to an end! It certainly makes you think about how some women actually thrived and were inspired by the war.

The other two women were fantastic and I absolutely loved the role of Prince Phillip in his younger years within this novel. It added excitement and glamour and also great emotion as I read this in the week that he died so it felt very raw.

I love the way the stories wove together to create such a tension that I just wanted to keep reading. I needed to know what would happen, I was angry with a character one minute, grieving with a character the next, frustrated, tense, amazed... how can an author create so many emotions like this?? Kate Quinn has such magic in her words.

A full set of 5 sparkly stars from me!

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The Rose Code is an exciting historical.thriller set during WW2 at Bletchley Park, the secret codebreaking facility that helped the allies win the war. I visited Bletchley a few years ago and the author brings the setting to life. A bit slow at the beginning and the introduction of Prince Philip as a love interest to one of the characters could have been omitted. An enjoyable read. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

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I loved this story, it's gripping, entertaining and it kept me hooked till the end.
It's an excellent mix of historical fiction and mystery well plotted and fast paced.
I liked the fleshed out characters and the mix of fictional and historical characters.
It's a story I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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I do love a good Historical fiction book and when i saw this one, i just knew that I had to read it, so thnak you to Netgalley and the Publishers for giving me the opportunity to do so.

An excellent story of three woman who work together to help the at war British Government to decipher codes from Germany; what makes it really interesting is that these woman all come from different backgrounds and personalities, it works well.

What I found fascinating is, that these woman all worked at Bletchly Park, a reknowned centre for code breaking, but of course, at the time was highly sensitive and secret, I have always wanted to visit there, so this book was a treat because I could read about it.

I shall for sure get myself a copy of this book and may even treat myself ot the audio version to!

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Hmmmm I must be in the minority because this book is selling so well but I didn't love it. There were parts I REALLY liked: the code breaking, the life at Bletchley - all fascinating. But the women were truly horrible to one another. And I found the insertion of real life characters too much. Really did not want to know about Prince Philip snogging. I would have much preferred it if all the characters were invented.

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Title: The Rose Code.
Author: Kate Quinn.
Publisher: HarperCollins UK.
Pub Date: 9th March 2021.
Genre: General Fiction(Adult)/ Historical Fiction.
Good Reads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3860023386

Thanks to NetGally and Harper Collins UK for the opportunity to read this book.

Set in Bletchly Park in 1939 , we meet 3 Female code breakers with different specialty's. These are some of the best minds in Britain working to break Germany's Enigma codes. The 3 lady's Osla, Mab and Beth work hard at Bletchly but as the war comes to an end war, loss and pressure of having to keep so many secrets tear their friendship apart. Years later they must come together and brake one last code (The Rose Code) and find a spy that had work along side them at Bletchly.

I had heard of the Enigma. machine before through school and watching the movie The Imitation Game, but the author shows us another side of what went on at Bletchly. We got a better idea of what the women did and it wan not just typing and filling like some would think. It also shows in this book how much control the government had over its employees.

I loved the way that the author moved between the main characters during and after the war, this help to keep you guessing and keep the intrigue up all the way to the last few chapters. The little plots in between fitted in so well.. The author also showed the characters as if the were real flawed people with life ups and downs. I enjoyed the subplot between Osla and Prince Phillip, it was written in a way that you could believe it could have been possible.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who had an interest in this time period and women's involvement in the war effort.

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I loved this book, I was completely drawn in, for two days I was interested in little else. The fact that I became so hooked actually surprised me, when I started the book I was a little apprehensive, three women at Bletchley Park, seemingly about to carry out detective work - I’m sure there is a BBC drama series about the same thing. However I was soon drawn into the characters and the plot had me hooked too. I wondered whether Prince Phillip gave permission for his younger self to be included in the novel and googled him to see if he really had been in the Navy- only to discover that Osla was a real person too! I enjoy Kate Quinn’s writing with her superb imagery and suspense, although I do find that she tidied up loose ends a little bit too conveniently- I’m not sure life is always like that. Perhaps a bit too much of a nod to ‘happy ever after’ for my liking but her fabulous plots make up for it!

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What a book! This is historical fiction at it's best.

The three main characters were all absolutely fantastic, The friendship between Osla, Mab and Beth sung throughout the story and the plot was intricately woven throughout.

The dual-timeline aspect was a delight, especially as there was only a seven year difference which allowed the tension that the backdrop of war allows continued - something that is often missing in 'present' storylines. Each character had a significant role to play, and each had a voice that was loud and wonderful.

I couldn't fault this book, it was gripping, emotive, evocative and breath-taking.

If you love historical fiction, this is a must-read book of 2021.

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This book has everything
Historical narrative
Great characters, cleverly researched and heroic deeds
Based on the secrets of BP and weaving actual events with a thrilling plot, I loved this book.

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Another great story by Kate Quinn. The story takes us to Bletchley Park during the Second World War. Three young women become involved in the code breaking activities that were going on there. They have very different backgrounds and personalities, but their lives become entangled for ever. Through their experience, we find ourselves drawn into the strange setting that Bletchley Park was. Buzzing day and night with people hard at work, people coming from all walks of life but sharing the talent of breaking codes and translating. And we get a glimpse of how the Officials Secret Act shaped the lives of many people involved in Bletchley Park, how they made certain life decisions about it, and how it ruined lives and friendships. But even the broken friendship between our three women heroes can be restored when they join forces to uncover a spy. The book is an interesting and well written historical fiction. The characters and setting are captivating. Bletchley Park was a very impressive place and thanks to all the men and women involved, the war took a very different turn, for which we keep thanking them today. Although the story is fictional, it borrows from real life events and actual people, even featuring Prince Phillip in the years before his marriage. I really enjoyed the read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Kate Quinn for the privilege of reading this book on an advance readers copy.

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