The Rose Code

Trigger warnings: war, violence, gaslighting, attempted rape, involuntary mental hospitalization

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Three women's lives intertwine when they become codebreakers at Bletchley Park during WWII.

Three women are recruited at the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park as codebreakers during WWII. Osla and Mab meet on the train to Bletchley, and Osla recruits Beth after noticing her talent for solving crossword puzzles.

The story is told in alternating timelines, starting both before and after World War II. Readers are taken through the early days of WWII until America joins the Allies. The post-WWII storyline takes place in November 1947, right before the royal wedding. The women's time at Bletchley comes back to them as they investigate a traitor.

Socialite Osla Kendall meets the handsome young Prince Philip before the war. She enjoys writing to and flirting with him during the war when he is away with the Navy. Osla's fluency in German makes her an asset to the British codebreakers at Bletchley; she takes messages that have been decrypted and translates them into English. Her later story takes place when she is preparing to attend Philip's royal wedding.

Mabel "Mab" Church leaves Shoreditch (London) in the hopes of eventually bringing her mother and little sister with her. Their safety cannot be guaranteed in London, but her mother refuses to leave her home. Mab is working for herself and her family but longs to marry so she can feel financially secure. Her work at Bletchley involves using and fixing coding machines. In 1947, Mab is a married woman with children who is reluctant to dredge up the past, potentially endangering her family.

Beth Finch has suffered emotional abuse from her mother, leading her to believe that she is stupid and has nothing to contribute to the world. Upon joining the team at Bletchley, she struggles with feeling incompetent and useless. Beth's 1947 timeline revolves around her time at a mental institution and initiating contact with Mab and Osla about the spy within Bletchley.

Saskia Maarleveld is one of my favorite audiobook narrators, and she does a great job on this one. My only complaint is that when books have multiple points of view, I like the audio production better when there are different narrators for each character.

Recommended for readers of World War II fiction and fans of Kate Quinn.

Kate Quinn is a bestselling historical fiction author whose popular title The Alice Network is a shining example of WWII fiction. She lives in San Diego.

Publisher: William Morrow (print); HarperAudio

Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld

Running Time: 15 hours, 40 minutes

Length: 672 pages

Release Date: March 9, 2021 (happy birthday to me!)

I received a digital audio recording of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.