The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.
THE ROSE CODE by KATE QUINN
Series: Standalone
Publication date: March 9, 2021
Published by: William Morrow
Genre: historical fiction
SYNOPSIS
1940. 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. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of east-end London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart.
1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter--the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger--and their true enemy--closer...
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Praise for The Rose Code:
“The hidden history of Bletchley Park has been waiting for a master storyteller like Kate Quinn to bring it to life. The Rose Code effortlessly evokes the frantic, nervy, exuberant world of the Enigma codebreakers through the eyes of three extraordinary women who work in tireless secrecy to defeat the Nazis. Quinn’s meticulous research and impeccable characterization shine through this gripping and beautifully executed novel.” -- Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of Her Last Flight
Readers: Prepare to be swept away by The Rose Code. A richly deserved tribute to the WWII codebreakers of Bletchley Park, Kate Quinn’s latest novel is a tour de force. Exhaustive research, vibrant characters, and pulse-pounding suspense combine in a riveting tale destined to be a book-club favorite. I absolutely loved it." -- Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday
“The Rose Code is a firecracker of a novel! By illuminating the top-secret work done by codebreakers at England’s Bletchley’s Park, Kate Quinn has created a fresh take on World War II and created three unforgettable heroines who use their intelligence, grit, and tenacity to help save the world from Nazis. Clear out your calendar, because once you start reading this one, you won’t put it down.” -- Elise Hooper, author of Fast Girls
“Quinn (The Huntress) returns to WWII in this immersive saga. [Her] page-turning narrative is enhanced by her richly drawn characters and by the fascinating code-breaking techniques, which come alive via Quinn’s extensive historical detail. This does not disappoint.” -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“An intricate play of love, loss, betrayal and redemption, Kate Quinn’s novel is every bit as complex and fascinating as the codes being broken at Bletchley Park… Impossibly gripping from start to finish, The Rose Code is a cracking good read!” -- Celia Rees, author of Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook
“A knockout of a story, written by the reigning queen of historical fiction. Quinn’s trio of heroines practically leap off the page in this stunning novel, which melds spy-hunting with love stories that will stir your soul. A book for the ages.” -- Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue
"The Rose Code is everything you love about an unputdownable novel and more. In her signature fashion, Kate Quinn expertly and vividly breaks wide open the secret world of Bletchley Park’s remarkable codebreakers. An unforgettable war story to be sure, but also a tale of friendship, fortitude, and forgiveness. Utterly satisfying." -- Susan Meissner, bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things
“Kate Quinn does it again! This rollicking tale of espionage and female solidarity is a tour de force that will make you laugh and cry at the same time. For the quirky, complicated and unforgettable women of Bletchley Park, beneath the lipstick and lace lurks a gritty life of danger and daring. From frantic efforts to decode Nazi messages to the consequences of treason and secret-keeping in the post-war jubilation, there's never a dull moment. The Rose Code is pure genius and Quinn's best... so far.”
-- Stephanie Dray, New York Times Bestselling author of The Women of Chateau Lafayette
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kate Quinn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. A native of southern California, she attended Boston University where she earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Classical Voice. She has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga, and two books in the Italian Renaissance, before turning to the 20th century with “The Alice Network”, “The Huntress,” and “The Rose Code.” All have been translated into multiple languages. Kate and her husband now live in San Diego with three rescue dogs.
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The Rose Code by Kate QuinnMy rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
I'm a big fan of Kate Quinn's historical novels, and once again she did not disappoint. I knew a little about this book's subject matter from watching The Imitation Game, a movie about Alan Turing who was one of the famous cryptanalysts at Bletchley Park. I was very interested to read Quinn's spin on the secret code breaking operation. Not only does she always pay exquisite attention to historical detail, but she likes to highlight female heroes in history whom time has forgotten. As typical with other books by this author that I've read, there is a dual timeline, and as the end draws closer, the two timelines converge in a nail biting conclusion. This type of structure really draws my attention in and holds it firmly from beginning to end, even with a lengthy book like this one. I was never once bored, and I never had to push myself to read, waiting for the story to hook me.
There are three main protagonists in the book, and the first is Mabel ("Queen" Mab). Mab is a ball buster from Shoreditch who isn't willing to suffer in poverty like her mother has her entire life. She wants more for herself so she sets out to make it happen. She consumes everything a well-bred, educated woman would have read, she studies and mimics the upper class accent, and busts her butt saving and scrimping to pay for a secretarial course. Mab has had to overcome an incredible amount of adversity just trying to better herself, but she faces it like a warrior. It also hardens her, made her cynical and a shade bitter about the world, but you can't help but admire her strength of will. I could almost picture her as a wolf baring her teeth when someone tries to tell her that something can't be done.
A good husband might have been the fastest wayup the ladder toward safety and prosperity,but it wasn’t the only way.Better to live an old maid with a shiny deskand a salary in the bank,proudly achieved through the sweat of her own efforts,than end up disappointed and old before her timethanks to long factory hours and too much childbirth.
Next there was Osla-socialite who rubbed shoulders with the highest echelon of society and from the outside appeared to have a luxurious life most only dreamed of. Secretly, she's shuffled between family members and never feels at home anywhere. Her mother is just a figure in her life rather than a loving parent. She feels lonely all of the time, and set adrift in a purposeless life. When people only view you as a vapid, airhead debutante, it can really damage your self-worth. Yes, she has many financial advantages that others don't, and she doesn't take that for granted, but she wants to feel useful and be seen as worthy. When the war starts, she could have hidden away in Canada, safe with relatives as others made horrific sacrifices for the sake of freedom. She chooses to step into the fire and do her part, even working on plane assembly that she abhors before finding her way to Blechley Park.
It was the dawn of 1940,and she had danced in the New Yearin a boiler suit and satin sandals with a prince.She wondered what else the year would bring.
The last of the three women was Beth. She was painfully shy, and I mean that literally. It was painful for her to converse with others, and painful for the reader to experience it. It was like watching an abused animal reach its paw out over and over and see it get kicked for its efforts. Her mother was toxic. Beth suffered both verbal and emotional abuse from her which was used as a form of manipulation. In order to keep her daughter waiting on her as an unpaid servant, she made her believe that she was stupid. That she was no good to anybody, and she kept her there at home out of the goodness of her heart. But beyond that, Beth is different. Despite what her mother made her believe, she is a highly intelligent woman whose mind sometimes got lost in patterns. She lived inside her own head and it contributed to her inability to comfortably interact in a social environment.
Are not there little chapters in everybody’s life,Beth had read in Vanity Fair only that morning,that seem to be nothing,and yet affect all the rest of history?Too soon to tell . . .but perhaps this was, in fact, going to be one of them.
These three very different women are brought together during war, but in normal circumstances probably never would have crossed paths. If they had, I doubt they would have given them a second glance because of preconceived judgements on their character. What they discovered after boarding together at Beth's mother's house, was that they all shared a love of books. They all felt unwanted and alone in the world. And they were all much more than anyone gave them credit for. Although they had love/hate feelings about their exhausting contributions to the code breaking operation at BP, they felt an overwhelming sense of pride that they were doing something significant to end the war. What they were doing was invaluable-something that very few could claim to be able to do. Beth especially almost felt afraid for the war to end, because it meant that she would no longer have a job that gave her purpose. It was the first time in her life when she felt confident that she was doing what she was born to do.
Through the novel, all three women go through a huge amount of character growth. They experience tragedy, loss, triumph, and betrayal. At times, it brings out their ugly side. Lashing out at one another and placing blame where none was deserved. Or being so caught up in their own duty that they failed to prioritize keeping the others from harm. There was a lack of communication between them that caused misunderstandings and life-altering, irreversible damage. At one point, Beth's love interest tells in the same breath that he loves her but sometimes doesn't like her very much. I think I felt the same. If I had one criticism it was that when the three women reunite years later in order to trap the spy who betrayed them, they didn't adequately heal their destroyed friendship. It was all very rushed and not handled with the time it deserved.
The flashbacks tell the reader early on that there will be a traitor among those at BP, someone that was once considered a friend. However, somewhere along the way there are betrayals between the three girls as well. The "present time" 1947 sections are very short but difficult to read. Your dread builds as you get into the second half of the book, waiting for the bombs to go off on their friendship and lives. That's what tells me that the author has done her job making me care about these characters. Even though I got angry at their imperfections, I also hurt for them, and saw the vulnerable human side that is needed to care about them.
In the end, the biggest thing these three very different women shared was finding a family in each other. It was something none of them had before the war, and the thing that they most prized. I believe that made all the heartache worth it.
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