The Rose Code follows three unlikely friends (Beth, Mab and Osla) in their new post at Bletchley Park, cracking German military codes in an attempt to stop the world war raging around them. I honestly don't know how to sum up how I feel about this book. It was just so... Incredible. I don't normally read historical fiction so wasn't sure what to expect, but I was absolutely blown away by this book. This was an easy 5* read for me. The first thing I adored about The Rose Code is the characters. Every character is so unique and, those that are meant to be likeable, I absolutely loved. Osla, Mab and Beth were all so different but I loved them all for different reasons. I also loved the side characters, especially Dilly with his eccentric code-cracking ways. I also loved the way that time flipped between the 1940s working in BP and the present day, 1947. Kate Quinn did this in such a way that she revealed just enough information in both time periods to make the story flow, without spoiling anything that was to come next. If I was to have any critiques, it would be that the page count (624) felt unmanageable at times, and I felt some parts of the story could have been condensed and we still would have ended up with the same result. However, this was a minor gripe and I still loved every second of this book.

I do enjoy a historical novel-based-on-fact and this doesn’t disappoint. The Rose Code is essentially the story of three women from very different backgrounds who meet whilst working as codebreakers at Bletchley Park during WW2. Our key characters: Osla Kendall: A wealthy young woman, born in Canada but with German ancestry. She is desperate to shake off the “debutante” label & do some real work to help the war effort – her fluency in German leads her to a translator role, essential to the codebreaking process. She is introduced to a young Naval officer, Prince Philip of Greece, and soon becomes his girlfriend – all under the watchful eye of her godfather Lord Mountbatten! Mab: A down to earth East Ender who grew up in poverty but was determined to get an education, support herself & her little sister, and ultimately find a man to marry, someone of means who will help her to have a better life. Down to earth and determined, Mab finds herself assigned to work on the new “Bombe” machines thanks to her height, but soon becomes very proficient at setting up/working the machines. Beth: a local young woman, daughter of Osla & Mab’s landlady. Beth is poorly treated by her parents who constantly tell her how “slow” and useless she is, but her uncanny knack for crosswords leads her to becoming one of Dilly Knox’s leading cryptanalysts. The three women become best friends, until one event changes everything. – but then a final code arrives – can they overcome their differences to save one of their own & also to uncover a traitor? The characters are very well developed, and so many are based on real people. As well as the eccentric but brilliant Dilly Knox, we have cameo appearances by Lord Mountbatten, Winston Churchill & Alan Turing but others were also real people: Sally Norton (who was a god daughter of Lord Mountbatten), and Valerie Glassborow (grandmother of Kate Middleton). The character of Osla is based on Osla Benning who really was a girlfriend of Prince Philip, but I am not sure that the “royal connection” was necessary – it seemed to somehow weaken the story for me & I would like to have seen it without. Having visited Bletchley Park, I could picture the scenes - the huts, the people scurrying between buildings never stopping to talk, the noise of the enigma & Bombe machines … having also signed The Official Secrets Act, I also know how difficult it can be to *not* answer questions about what you do! Overall, I enjoyed reading this & I highly recommend it for anyone interested in Bletchley Park, and also for lovers of historical fiction. It has the WW2/codebreaking element but it is also a story of friendship, betrayal, loss & hope. Disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book free from the publisher via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the publisher for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own. #BookReview #TheRoseCode #NetGalley

I'd like to thank the wonderful HarperCollins for sending me a copy of this book to review. It has singlehandedly sparked a desire in me to learn more about history; despite the book being fiction, the research was so meticulous that I learnt so much about our country's past and was thoroughly entertained along the way. Told in two timelines, we follow Osla, Mab and Beth as they begin their lives in Bletchley as well as seven years later as Osla's beloved Prince Philip is marrying Princess Elizabeth, and one of the girls is in an asylum. These two perspectives allow the plot to flow wonderfully and mean we learn so much about the characters that they become almost real- as well as making the book a chunker! Each girl has flaws, ambitions, challenges, morals, etc, that mean I could see them so vividly and really understand who they were as people. The skill with which Kate Quinn balances the frivolous lives of the girls outside of the park with the heavy war-work of the inside was exceptional; in fact, even writing this review over a month after reading the book, I can still remember some events exactly- if that isn't fantastic writing, I don't know what is! Included in the book is a list of further reading around the subjects of Bletchley Park and WWII, which I would be interested to read from to increase my understanding of the women involved in our history. Quinn weaves in real figures such as Alan Turing, to real emphasise the togetherness of a group of people that- outside of the park- were outcasts and outsiders, not feeling they belong among 'normal' people. Beth, we would now know to be autistic, and Bletchley Park was one of the only places that would not only have accepted her for it, but praised her for it too. Turing, of course, was gay- and it was noted in the book that everyone seemed to know, but no one seemed to care because his brain was exceptional. (Side note, don't get me started on the subject of Alan Turing. I will rant for DAYS about the injustices.) With a book as informative as this being as thrilling and gripping as it was, I would honestly recommend it to anyone. A 9 out of 1o. A 4.5 out of 5.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn I give this book 4.25 stars Three very different women are recruited to the mysterious Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla, self-made Mab and shy local girl Beth. Seven years after they first met, they must race against the clock to crack one final code together, before it’s too late, for them and for their country. The author has written a thought provoking and emotional historical novel,that has the perfect mix of fact and fiction intertwined .Told between a 1940 and 1947 timeline a we meet 3 powerful but different women who the reader can’t fail to become attached to (especially Beth who was my favourite) A fascinating wartime story filled with love, heartbreak,tragedy,forgiveness and mystery. I now want to visit Bletchley Park .