Book: The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
If you read and liked, The Huntress or The Alice Network and are a fan of historical fiction, you’ll enjoy this book!
Kara Vallari Book Review:
It’s been a while since I read a historical fiction book and I was excited to jump back in with The Rose Code because I had received so many positive reviews from friends. Ultimately, I enjoyed the story but felt like it was a little drawn out. It almost seemed like multiple narratives woven into one really long story which is fine but I was kinda over it towards the end. I also didn’t think it was the most realistic. I don’t mean to discount national security or patriotism by any means but it all felt a bit over dramatic considering the situation.
For me, the character development was the best part; I loved the three strong female protagonists and their storylines. I also found the historical detail fascinating. I have no idea how much of the story is fact vs. fiction but I thought it was a unique and refreshing lens into the WWII era. I’d say if you like historical fiction and are looking for an easy leisurely book to get lost in, this is a good option.
Book Synopsis [from Amazon]:
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…
KARA VALLARI 