This was a compelling and immersive read set between the dual timelines of 1940 and 1947.
Three very different women meet at Bletchley Park , the secretive work they are undertaking cannot be spoken of even within their own little circle . Debutante Osla , Mabel , otherwise known as Mab and awkward ,local girl Beth become friends after the other girls lodge with Beth's mother .
Beth inadvertently stumbles across a different sort of coded message that she refers to as' The Rose code' of the title. There are strange happenings going on , papers rifled through and shadowy figures slipping in and out of huts . Is there a traitor in their midst ? What secrets are being passed on and why?
In 1947 Mab is now a wife and mother , Osla is engaged to a man she doesn't love to get over a failed love affair with Prince Phillip , who's upcoming wedding to Princess Elizabeth is the talk of the world. Beth is in a top security psychiatric hospital, is she really ill or is someone trying to silence her ?
Beth manages to smuggle out a message to the other two women , who begrudgingly help her to try to uncover who the spy is . The storylines switch between the two timelines to help the reader slowly unravel the mystery. The plot twists and turns and you can't decide who to trust and who is friend and foe.
This was an insightful and informative, well researched read. It was riveting and atmospheric. I thoroughly recommend it.

I have been interested in Bletchley since visiting almost 12 years ago. Even so, picking up this book the morning after a certain interview, and with the Duke of Edinburgh ill in hospital, it took a while for me to separate real life from this fictional account and become truly absorbed in the story. These current events made me glad I read the author’s note at the end of the book to help me untangle fact from fiction.

Had I been alive during World War II, and if I had been clever enough, Bletchley is where I would have wanted to serve and this novel brings the passion of the people who did so to life. In Osla, Mab and Beth we are faced with three very different young ladies who form the most unlikely of friendships after being billeted in the same house. This friendship combined with the fascinating history of the work carried out under the strictest secrecy at Bletchley Park would have been enough for this book to win me over. The added mystery of the events that ripped these friends apart and led to one being locked in an asylum only added to this and made this a gripping read.

Heart-breaking and inspiring in equal measure, The Rose Code celebrates the hidden heroes of the war in glorious detail, and twines fact and fiction together seamlessly.

Kate Quinn’s historical novels are a marvellous treat for fans of the genre and her latest novel, The Rose Code, is her best book yet!

In the 1940s, England is at war and everybody must do their bit for King and country. Careless talk costs lives and everybody must keep calm and carry on because one false move or one inopportune remark is all that it takes for missions to be jeopardized and for the enemy to gain an advantage that could put paid to any hope of peace in the near future. Three girls from vastly different backgrounds have been recruited to Bletchley Park to be trained to break German military codes and help win the war. Fiery debutante Osla who is used to being feted and courted by her high society admirers, Mab who had left the grinding poverty of the East End behind to make something out of her self and shy Beth who is an outsider being trained as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. These three girls will do whatever it takes to defeat the enemy – and in the process end up finding strength and support in a friendship that comes to mean the world to them.

But war changes people and people change due to life’s many twists and turns. The three girls had been the best of friends, but seven years later finds them all estranged and leading separate lives after their tight-knit bond had been severed by secrets and betrayals. With a royal wedding in the offing, the eyes of the world are on Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip who are about to be joined in matrimony. However, amidst all the celebrations, a dangerous threat is detected that requires the skills and intelligence of three of Bletchley Park’s finest…

Osla, Mab and Beth never imagined that they would run into one another ever again, much less be forced to work together, but with everything at stake, the girls find themselves putting their differences aside in order to work for the greater good. With a dangerous mission on their hands, the three of them have no time to lose, but will coming into close proximity after all this time rupture their bond forever…or will old wounds that have been allowed to fester finally heal?

Atmospheric, thrilling and sparkling with danger, drama and intensity, The Rose Code is a wonderful historical novel that I just couldn’t stop reading. Even though Kate Quinn’s The Rose Code is a doorstop of a novel, the pages just turned themselves and I was immediately drawn into this evocative, enthralling and spellbinding tale of friendship, betrayal, love and war. Kate Quinn’s characters are so beautifully sketched that they will truly feel like old friends by the time the last page is turned and I hated saying goodbye to them as they had become so real to me.

A sensational historical novel from an immensely talented writer, Kate Quinn’s The Rose is an epic tale readers will absolutely love!

‘The Rose Code’ is a stunning book. A mixture of historical fiction, suspense, mystery and passion. It’s the story of three young women who find themselves working at Bletchley Park, doing top-secret codebreaking - work they will never be allowed to divulge for decades. Osla, the well-connected deb, Mab, an East End girl determined to make something of her life, and Beth, a downtrodden twenty-something with a sharp and amazing mind. We follow their lives as they become vital cogs in the wheel during WW11, saving the Allies in secret, and trying to find some sort of happiness amongst the chaos of war.

The story jumped back and forward between the war years and post-war Britain. Tying it in with real events and with more than a spattering of real-life figures added to the excitement and intensity. I loved finding out about Bletchley Park when it was the secret hub of those trying to crack the Enigma codes. I’ve visited it and found it utterly fascinating - but this book brought it to life for me, with wonderful characters and a top-notch story. It was tense and full of suspense, with a fantastic mystery at its heart. The best book of the year for me.

I was given this ARC to review.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

Historical fiction is my thing and I have read other works from this author and thoroughly enjoyed them

I really enjoyed this
Bletchley Park is close to where I live and it is a fascinating subject for a book

I recently attended the virtual book launch for this with the publisher and she is a lovely as this book is

The Rose Code is the third novel (I think) of Kate Quinn's that I have read, and it is my favourite yet. Regular readers of my blog will know that I adore historical fiction, particularly that set in WWII, and this is one of the best novels for the period that I have read in a long time. I don't usually say (or think) this, but I think it would make a great film or tv series.

1947. Osla is trying to ignore the hype about the Royal Wedding when a mysterious encrypted note appears through her door, more of an SOS really, from a former colleague who she would never be able to admit to knowing if anyone asked. For Osla signed the official secrets act during the war, and never expected to hear from any of her former colleagues ever again.

She has no choice but to contact another former colleague, the formidable Mab, now trying to live a quiet life, with her family, post war. She has also recieved a note from their former colleague Beth, who appears to be attempting to bring the trio of friends back together.

Beth, no doubt the brainiest of the three, has written to them both in desperation. Confined to an institution for a crime that she is adamant she did not commit, she needs her former colleagues help, desperately. Her hope is that the three of them can work together one final time to discover the real reason that Beth was committed and ensure that any wrongdoings are resolved to a satisfactory outcome.

1940. Osla, Mab and Beth are thrown together. The most unlikely of friendships is formed when Osla and Mab lodge with Beth at her parent's house. Osla and Mab having recently secured positions at the secretive Bletchley Park, with no knowledge of the importance of the work they are about to undertake.

When it becomes clear that their rather dreary house mate Beth has an excellent and quick problem solving mind, she is asked to join them at Bletchley, and together they embark on a journey that none of them were expecting.

The Rose Code is a beautifully written, quietly thrilling historical fiction novel that comes highly recommended.

Three young women, all remarkable in completely differing ways and from entirely different backgrounds, are brought together in the pressure cooker that is Bletchley Park during World War II. I recall the furore caused when news of what went on at Bletchley Park first leaked out for general consumption, back in 1974. Those involved were sworn to absolute secrecy and they abided by it, from the typists and secretarial support through to the code breakers. We are given a ringside seat to the activities of Bletchley through the perspective of three women – Osla, Mab and Beth. For the other remarkable aspect of Bletchley Park is that women were permitted to work alongside men. Admittedly, they didn’t get the same pay – but given that they proved to be every bit as brilliant and dedicated as the men, they very quickly were established within the oddball community that was Bletchley.

This gripping story, much of it based upon the lives of actual people who worked at Bletchley, charts the highs and lows of working in such a pressured environment, where everyone was scaldingly aware that their success in breaking crucial codes affected the course of the war. We get to see how working in conditions of absolute secrecy created extra twists of pressure – men working eighteen-hour shifts under difficult conditions, only to be spat at in the street for not being in uniform, or ostracised by family members for not fighting for King and Country, for instance. Even if they resigned, they were still forbidden to join the Armed Forces, just in case they were captured and gave up information about Bletchley.

Quinn weaves a story of love, loss and heartbreak in amongst the febrile atmosphere of the war, where the friendship between the three young women is smashed apart. I thought the dual timelines worked very well and that the romance between Osla and the dashing Prince Philip was particularly deftly handled – anyone who has seen pictures of him as a young man knows that he was every bit as handsome as Quinn describes him.

The gripping climax of this story made it difficult to put down and I really enjoyed the exciting denouement. I highly recommend that you also read the Appendix where Quinn describes how she wove details of actual people within her story and also provides a potted history of Bletchley House, itself. Highly recommended for fans of historical adventures set during WWII. While I obtained an arc of The Rose Code from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10

Beautifully written, authentic piece about the role Bletchley Park played during WW2. This was my first book by Quinn so it did take me a while to fully appreciate the level of research she undertakes before picking up her pen. In fact I only realised at the end when I read her final account. Be warned: if you take the same route to discover what Prince Philip is doing in the book, you'll ruin the plot. Suffice it to say that the main characters are designed around the accounts of real people, albeit wrapped up in fiction. A good solid read.

This book is set at Bletchley Park during World War 2 and follows 3 women who worked there. The book is set during the war and a few years later. The women have to come back together to solve a final code to uncover an enemy to the country.

I haven't read anything from this author previously but this book really interested me. I have read a lot of WW2 books but haven't read very many set at Bletchley Park so the premise for this book really intrigued me. I really enjoyed this book and the story that the author had created. Whilst the story is fictional is based on real events and whilst reading you can tell that the author had done a lot of research.

I liked the blend of historical fiction and mystery as the women tried to uncover the traitor. I liked the characters and enjoyed the friendship that they formed from this shared experience. These women were very different and under normal circumstances would never have been friends but the shared experience of the war and the fact that they couldn't discuss their work with anyone else made them form a unique bond.

This is quite a lengthy novel at just over 600 pages but I found that I flew through it. The writing was really engaging and I was invested in the story. Overall I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to trying more from the author in the future.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn is a marvellous historical novel that blends fact and fiction. It consumed me from the start.
The action alternates between November 1947 just before the Royal Wedding and the war years, mainly at Bletchley Park. The reader learns that there has been a severe miscarriage of justice, as the novel progresses we see the roads that led there.
Bletchley Park was a place of secrets. The people who worked there had to learn to lie about their work or be guilty under the official secrets. It is against this background that three young women from differing walks of life meet and form a friendship. Bletchley Park was a unique place to work. Pockets of friendship groups sprung up supporting each other. It was a closed community and strong bonds were formed. These bonds would remain long after the war ended. If one of their own was in trouble, others dropped everything to offer support.
War is hard for all. Some are facing the enemy for the second time. The nightmares from World War I still loom large in a life. “I haven’t seen the world in full colour since I was sixteen years old and buried in mud at the front.” The battle scars never leave as the memories play on.
For some war is an escape from a severe home life where religion is used as a punishment. “[She] didn’t think God was nearly as severe as her mother made Him out to be.” People should never misrepresent God. God is love in contrast with those who used religious rules to scold and punish.
The reader witnesses the awful effects of the Blitz up and down the country. Loss cuts a character to the core. “Why did no one tell her how to keep living?” The loss is tangible. So heavily invested in the lives of the characters was I that I must admit I gasped out loud and was shocked by events. I, too, felt the loss.
A sanatorium is a terrible place to be. It was a place not just for the ill but a place where perfectly sane women could be locked up under the instructions of men, forever. We see a life abandoned because of the threat posed to criminal minds.
The Rose Code was an all-consuming read. It had a very familiar feel to it as there were real life names and situations. It was a powerful read that I could not put down.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

What a book!

I was completely engaged from the first page until the last.

I have never been Bletchley Park but it’s on my 2021 to do list and now I am even more excited to go.

I loved each of these different women.

Osla is charming and witty and fighting against the stereotype of the dim-witted debutante. She is smart and resourceful and generous. Her relationship with Prince Philip is written in a way that is believable but also respectful.

Mab is hard working and resilient. As her story unfolds there are such beautiful moments of joy but oh my goodness such heartbreak – I was nearly on tears at points.

And then there’s Beth – potential traitor, possible mad woman. But she is just brilliant. Her mother is a shocker and there are points when I was cheering her along as she finds her confidence and stands up for herself.

The friendship and animosity between these women of such different backgrounds is so compelling. And the time shifts between the war days at Bletchley and run up to the Royal Wedding in 1947 add to the drama.

Bletchley itself is a huge presence in the book. The work that was going on, the secrets that were reveled and kept and the lasting impact that the war has in the men and women who work there are so evocative. There is such a sense of duty and camaraderie but also racism, misogyny and snobbery.

There are so many twists and turns that I was kept guessing right until the end – to say any more would absolutely spoil this experience for future readers.

This book is so thoroughly researched that the reader feels like they are a part of the Bletchley codebreakers. I loved finding out about the realise inspiration for the characters in the end notes.

I absolutely loved this book – one of favourites of the year so far. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

In The Rose Code, Kate Quinn paints a complex and captivating picture of life at Bletchley Park, where thousands of men and women worked day and night to decrypt enemy messages during World War II, potentially shortening the war by at least two years.

She goes beyond the enduring images of Alan Turing inventing the Bombe machine and cracking the Enigma code to the everyday lives of the people working there. These included long shifts; anti-social hours; work that could be highly tedious, physical, or challenging depending on which section you worked in; strict secrecy; and the friendships and romantic relationships that spring up everywhere, but were intensified by the disruptions and dangers of war.

Main characters Osla, Mab, and Beth would never have met, let alone become friends, in ordinary circumstances because they have such different backgrounds, personalities and skillsets. When Osla and Mab are billeted in the house Beth shares with her parents, through, they form intense bonds with one another - which makes their eventual falling-out and subsequent interactions super explosive.

I became attached to all three women as I followed their ups and downs and learned more about their lives before and after the war. I especially loved reading Beth’s storyline, though. Nowadays, she would probably be diagnosed as autistic - she finds eye contact and social situations difficult, struggles with the idea of bending rules, and doesn’t pay as much attention to her friends’ personal lives as they think she should - but in the setting of the novel, a lot of people see her as simply strange and rude.

It warmed my heart to see Beth find her niche working to break fiendish codes at Bletchley Park for hours on end, meet other people who shared her passion for puzzles, and be accepted more or less for who she was. The flipside was that I got really angry on her behalf when her bullying mother was so nasty to her, and when she found herself in an asylum where the staff mistreated her and the threat of worse treatment to come loomed over her. But it can only be a good thing that a book made me feel so many different things so intensely!

The story as a whole is exciting and fascinating, with big revelations that took my breath away, and the inclusion of incidental details that proved to be significant later on. I was on high alert throughout as I tried to guess who the traitor was, but I didn’t really have a clue until it was revealed. There’s also some really interesting social commentary, including considerations of the effects of war on how people conducted romantic relationships, and the continued shame of illegitimacy.

The Rose Code is an exciting, captivating and emotive wartime epic.

The Rose Code follow three women: Osla, a debutante, local village spinster Beth and working class Mab from 1940 to 1947.
And it is a fascinating look at the dedication and brilliance of the British Code Breaker during WWII at Bletchley Park Mansion.
The story starts in 1947, just before the wedding of Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth. Osla and Mab each receive a coded message from Beth, asking them to rescue her from the insane asylum she has been sent after being able to decode part of the message known as Rose Code. Beth known there was a traitor at Bletchley Park and is keen in discovering his/her identity, but she can’t do it alone.

The story goes back and forth between the war years and the 1947 and the story of the three women are interwoven with both real and fictional characters helping in the war effort. The ending seems taken out of a Hollywood movie with a chase scene in the middle of the wedding!

It is indeed a long and chunky book, but the short chapters and the interesting and intense story will make it impossible to stop reading!

An absolute mast read, especially if you have read Enigma (which inspired the Imitation Game movie adaptation) and enjoyed it!

Brilliant, intriguing and fascinating.
I loved each character and how strong each women are in their different ways, how osla and Mabs are both determined but one for adventure and to do something useful and prove that she is not just any rich debutante whereas Mab is on the lookout to better herself and her family. We meet the third Beth who sadly is quite put upon and a bit weak willed due to a strong domineering mother, but she is stronger than either of them in the end. This is good but there were niggles and a few issues but overall a very good story.

This is a fascinating historical novel showcasing the crucial work carried out by the analysts, code breakers and translators at Bletchley Park during WW2. Detailed and well researched, it tells the story of three women inspired by historical figures. There are cameo appearances from famous wartime figures in the novel too, which adds authenticity.

Dual timeline it moves, between 1940 and 1947 weeks before the Royal Wedding. One of the characters has a connection to the Royals. The three women, once best of friends, had an irretrievable falling out and now are estranged. This is a lengthy novel, but there is a lot to unravel and reveal to the reader. The historical detail makes this an immersive read.

The women are drawn together by a desperate plea for help from one of them to solve one last code. The characters are flawed and relatable you get to know them well and empathise with them. The race to solve the code is suspenseful and draws on the past and the women's connections.

This is an enjoyable, epic read which shines a light on one of the most secretive and vital areas of the second world war.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Collins UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I normally race through novels wanting to know the outcome, and while this was partly true (why was Beth in an asylum, what had led to the events of the present day?), I also enjoyed finding out more about wartime at Bletchley Park. The secrecy, even afterwards, must have been so frustrating - we saw the direct effects on Harry and his family, when he was accused of dodging serving his country, when what he was doing was such a huge part of the war effort. Being involved in Bletchley Park and her relationship with Mab and Osla changed Beth's life completely. I found reading about her relationship with her mother really uncomfortable, and I could not see how her older siblings did not intervene, I'm assuming they were just glad to get away. An illuminating read - and with a story and mystery to uncover. #netgalley #therosecode

The book opens in 1947 on the eve of of the royal wedding between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. It coincides with the arrival of a coded plea for help from the inmate of an asylum to two former friends. It’s a while before the identity of the inmate is confirmed, although readers may have reached their own conclusions some time before that. What takes longer to discover is the cause of the rift between the three friends and the reason for the confinement of one of them.

At over 600 pages, The Rose Code is a chunky read but I was quickly drawn into the stories of Osla, Mab and Beth. Reflecting their different backgrounds and life experiences, the author creates a distinctive character for each of them. Whilst Osla may have attended glittering high society parties and been romanced by Prince Philip (yes, that Prince Philip), she’s surprisingly unworldly in other respects. Conversely, Mab has experienced life’s darker side. I found Beth the most intriguing character because of her very different way of looking at the world, seeing patterns where others do not, making it easy to appreciate why her potential for code-breaking work might have been spotted. And I sure I’m not the only reader to give a little cheer when Beth eventually ‘pokers up’ (as Osla would say) to her mother, the tyrannical Mrs. Finch.

I particularly enjoyed the parts of the book set at Bletchley Park and found myself enthralled by the details about the secret code-breaking work carried out there, how it was organised, and the various machines and decryption methods used. The highly confidential nature of the work carried out at Bletchley Park required the utmost level of secrecy with those involved unable to discuss their work with anyone outside their own section, let alone family or friends. As we now know, many of those who worked at Bletchley Park in real life never talked about their work, taking their secrets with them to the grave.

The author does a great job of conveying both the insular atmosphere this demand for secrecy created and the psychological toll imposed on those involved in the work, aware their success or failure could mean the difference between life and death, even the outcome of the war itself. I can only imagine the pressure of possessing information about the progress of the war – good or bad – and being unable to share any inkling of that knowledge with anyone else. But, on the other hand, the thrill of achievement whenever a breakthrough is made.

Perhaps it’s no wonder those employed at Bletchley Park seek any opportunity for amusement whether that’s a game of rounders on the lawn or membership of the various societies that exist, such as the book club set up by Osla and Mab – christened The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. In the author’s imagination, Bletchley Park even has its own scandal sheet, Bletchley Bletherings, occasional excerpts from which are scattered throughout the book. (Unfortunately, the formatting of my digital copy of the book was not kind to these.)

There are walk-on parts for several well-known historical figures who either worked at or visited Bletchley Park, such as Alan Turing and Winston Churchill. (At the online book launch, Kate revealed there was nearly an appearance by James Bond author, Ian Fleming, another real life visitor to Bletchley Park. Sadly, this had to be left on the literary equivalent of the cutting room floor.) I wasn’t familiar with Dilly Knox before reading the book but came to appreciate what a vital role he played in the breakthroughs in code-breaking.

In the second half of the book, the focus is more on the personal lives of the three women; like many others who lived through this time, it involves both love, loss and a need to apportion blame or assuage personal feelings of guilt. As the book reaches its gripping climax, there’s one last reunion of The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in an effort to bring to justice the traitor who, unsuspected, lived and worked beside them at Bletchley Park.

Although the mystery of the identity of the traitor was absorbing, the most compelling element of The Rose Code for me was the fascinating insight it provided into the work undertaken at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. Thanks to the author’s evocative descriptions it didn’t take too much imagination for me to picture myself there alongside Beth, Mab and Osla working around the clock at their deciphering work or snatching the odd break. ‘It was two-thirty in the morning, middle of the night shift, and the converted dining room smelled of Brylcreem, stale fat and kidneys on toast.’

Although the three women in the book are fictional, I felt the story served to shine a spotlight on the important role their real life counterparts played in code-breaking but whose contribution up until now has perhaps been overshadowed by their more celebrated male colleagues.

Historical fictions aren’t necessarily my go too; but when I do, I am always so fascinated and amazed by the creativeness of the authors and how they are able to take me back in time.

The Rose Code was definitely one of those reads that were incredibly hard to put down. Though this book stands at over 600 pages long, it was an absolute page-turner! The suspense of the narrative had me hooked from the very beginning, and I was so intrigued to see where the lives of the three women would take them.

Osla, Mab & Beth, our protagonists of the story, all have very different personalities that really make the story more interesting and enjoyable to read. I loved getting to know each of them individually as they all played such important roles.

I enjoyed the two different time periods we were taken too, 1940 and 1947. Moving between the two different years really added to the story in times of the backstory and creating that suspension.

This was my first Kate Quinn novel and I can safely say that I am so excited to read more of her work!

The Rose Code begins in 1947 in post-war Britain’s frenzy leading up to the marriage of Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip. We first meet society-girl, Osla who’s in the enviable position of being a columnist for Tatler, with invitations to all the ‘right’ parties and places. But this is a wedding that she has absolutely no desire to go to, for we learn that Philip is actually her wartime boyfriend and someone who she had strong feelings for.

Alternating between the weeks leading to the Royal wedding and the early 1940’s this is a riveting story of bravery, courage and resilience shown by the code breakers who secretly worked at Bletchley Park in Buckinhamshire. Officially, the site was known as the Government Code and Cypher School, unofficially to those who worked there, it was simply ‘BP’. Osla is billeted to the home of the immensely unlikeable Mrs Finch, where she meets her fellow BP worker Mab. Unlike debutante Osla, Mab has come from a life of poverty and plans to find herself a suitable, marriageable man so that she won’t have to return to where she originally came from. Mab is tall … very tall; she’s also brash and outspoken. She’s had to be to get by in life. She hasn’t had the advantages of being pretty and genteel like Osla.

They’re surprised to discover that Mrs Finch’s quiet, unassuming (supposedly witless) spinster daughter Beth (good grief – written off and placed on the shelf at just 24!), is actually a whizz at crosswords. In their efforts to emancipate her from her mother’s harsh work regime and her constant religious wrath, they suggest she apply for a job at Bletchley as they have a feeling she’ll make an excellent codebreaker. She’s accepted immediately and taken under the mentorship of Dilly Knox, which doesn’t endear any of them to Mrs Finch as the confidentiality oath they all need to undertake means that none of them is permitted to say what it actually is that they’re doing to assist the war effort, other than ‘clerical work’.

Three friends, navigating wartime together, until one is betrayed, breaking apart a trust that seemed ironclad. Which brings us to 1947 … weeks before a Royal Wedding and that betrayed friend who has spent years in the Clockwell mental institution, sends an encoded message to her two ex-friends beseeching them to come to her rescue. The time has come for her to break out of the hell that she’s been in and only they can help her escape and discover who betrayed her all those years ago when they were at Bletchley! But will they listen? Will they break the code and understand what she’s asking them to do for her, and will that friendship that once meant everything to them, once again be able to withstand the tests that she’s asking them to put themselves through?

Kate Quinn has created a masterpiece! It has every single element needed for a thrilling wartime page-turner. There’s mystery, excitement, friendship, love, envy and betrayal. Quinn eloquently demonstrates the blatant sexism that existed at the time, when it was assumed that all women were able to contribute to the war effort was to stay home and make the tea, or perhaps carry out some menial secretarial work. As we now well know, so much of the invaluable work done at Bletchley Park was done by women. It doesn’t even bear thinking how things would have turned out if they hadn’t achieved what they did there. The shocking treatment of patients – more often than not, women – in mental asylums is also brought to light, and much has been written about the experimental treatments on women in these institutions and the attitudes taken towards women who were too ‘outspoken’ or too ‘opinionated’ or ‘different’ during these times.

The best part of a book like this – as if the length, depth and breadth of it isn’t already enough – is the Author’s Note at the end. Learning about who and what inspired its writing; knowing the facts and who the characters are based on; where the inspiration is drawn from … for me, this just added to the magic! Kate Quinn has managed, through painstaking research to weave together fact with fiction to take readers on a marvelous journey into a world that was incredibly, frighteningly, heart-poundingly real, where every experience was felt in a starkly heightened reality compared to the muted awareness that one feels, seeing things through a lens, on a page, or a screen.

This is a 5 star, highly recommended read.

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Rose Code’ by Kate Quinn in exchange for an honest review. As I began reading on publication day, I purchased its unabridged audiobook edition, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, for an immersive read/listen.

This work of historical fiction follows the lives of three very different women in two timelines, during and after WWII and their involvement with the code-breaking work at Bletchley Park.

In 1940, debutante Osla Kendall is wealthy and well connected, and even is being courted by a prince - Philip of Greece. Yet she is keen to prove herself as more than a society girl and wants to contribute to the war effort. As she is fluent in German she is recruited as a translator of decoded enemy secrets.

Mab Churt is from Shoreditch and grew up in poverty and now seeks to improve her position in life. She also is selected to do administrative work at Bletchley Park. She and Osla bond on the train journey and are billeted together. They meet Beth Finch, their landlady’s daughter, who is awkward and shy but brilliant with puzzles. She is also recruited and joins Dilly Knox’s elite team of women codebreakers. We follow their work and personal lives throughout the war.

The other timeline is in 1947 as the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip grips the nation. I want to avoid spoilers but will say that the three friends are now estranged and clearly Osla and Philip are no longer courting. We learn what destroyed the friendship between the women. There’s also an espionage element to this part of the narrative.

I enjoyed this very much. I was impressed by Kate Quinn’s level of research into Britain in the 1940s and also that there were hardly any trace of Americanisms (only one word jumped out). There are a number of cameos in the novel from historical figures, such as Winston Churchill and Alan Turing, though Quinn’s focus is squarely upon the women who worked behind the scenes.

Quinn’s Author’s Notes proved fascinating. She advises that her Osla Kendall is based on Osla Benning, the real heiress who had been Prince Philip’s girlfriend during the war. Quinn renamed her out of respect for her still living children and also changed other aspects of her later life. Both Beth and Mab are composite figures inspired by the real women of Bletchley Park.

Quinn rounds out the novel with a few photos, a list of Reading Group Questions and Suggestions for Further Reading including Fictional and TV/Film.

I zoomed through this as it proved such an engaging read and included some nail-biting action.

I would expect that ‘The Rose Code’ will prove a popular choice with reading groups. After this very positive experience I am now keen to check out Kate Quinn’s back catalogue.