Stephanie Sullivan: Review

TITLE: The Rose Code (audiobook)

RATING: ★★★★★

Summary (from Goodreads): 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.

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.

REVIEW: What an incredible story! This was my first time reading Kate Quinn, and I have since added several of her other books to my TBR list. I love historical fiction, and I can usually tell when an author hasn’t done much research for their book, and Kate Quinn is NOT one of those authors. Stories set during World War II are some of my favorites to read, and her understanding of the intricacies of code-breaking and that entire era of history just blew me away. I also loved how she included details about the actual events and people in her author notes. (Bletchley Park is now officially on my list of places to visit). This story really put my emotions through the wringer. I laughed out loud over Osla’s antics and vibrant personality. I cried and grieved with Mab. I gasped over certain “revelations”. (Sorry…can’t give away any spoilers). My heart ached for Beth, and I totally swooned over Mab and Frances’ love story. Kate Quinn is such an amazing author, and I highly recommend The Rose Code to everyone. I listened to the audiobook version, and I’m very glad I did because the narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, is truly amazing. (This was my first time listening to her too). She has such a wonderful way of pulling you into the story with her captivating accent, and the way she gives each character their own unique voice made me feel like I was listening to a whole cast of narrators instead of just one. Kate Quinn and Saskia Maarleveld are an unbeatable pairing. As soon as I finished The Rose Code, I snagged The Alice Network audiobook, and I can’t wait to get started!