The Rose Code by Kate Quinn is a captivating read for fans of historical fiction, particularly those who enjoy stories about strong female characters, code-breaking, and the intrigue of World War II, as it masterfully weaves together themes of friendship, loyalty, and the power of women's contributions to the war effort.

What has been your favorite book club read this year? Our Rogue book club read The Rose Code by Kate Quinn this year and this ranks as one of my favorite book club picks of the year. I have previously enjoyed The Huntress and The Alice Network. I was glad The Rose Code was picked for my bookclub so that I put it on the top of my pile! We read this back in September, but I got sadly behind on my reviews and I am just now posting about it.

In 1940, three very different women answer the call to work on a top-secret project in Bletchley Park in England. Osla is a young and beautiful debutante who is dating the handsome Prince Phillip of Greece. Mab grew up in poverty in the East End of London, but she is determined to make a better life for herself. Beth lives a secluded life controlled by her mother. She has a gift with solving puzzles and finds herself one of the few female cyrptoanalysts at Bletchley Park. The three women become friends, but circumstances tear them apart during the war. After the war, will they be able to forgive and help each other?

I couldn’t put this book down. I was riveted by the story. I loved the real history that was included in the author’s note at the end and I loved how different the women’s personalities were. It was exciting reading about the high society life of Osla dating Prince Phillip, but I also loved how Mab was able to step away from a life of poverty, and how Beth was able to break away from her mother to find herself. The story was written in a very engaging style in two timelines – one during the war, and the other storyline after. It keeps the reader wondering, what happened that tore these friends apart?

I am also nerdy and loved the work that they did on breaking the codes during the war. It was also interesting that women were able to be involved in this important war work, but that they were not able to talk about their roles afterwards.

This book does get emotional, and I did cry during one part of the novel.

The Rose Code is historical fiction at its best with an engaging storyline and great characters. I highly recommend it.

Book Source: Review copy from NetGalley and William Morrow Books. Thank-you! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Well, that was disappointing.

The codebreaking and asylum threads were the most interesting and enjoyable, but they were buried in filth.

I was especially disappointed in how disrespectful this story was toward the British monarchy. To feature a fictional, tawdry affair with Prince Philip prior to his marriage to Princess Elizabeth seemed utterly inappropriate and unnecessary as well as disrespectful to both Philip and Elizabeth.

Content: profanity, expletives, alcohol, gambling, tobacco, war violence, excessive sexual content (including pre-marital sex, gang rape, and an “open” marriage), marital affairs, pubs

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

The Rose Code is the first book I have read by Kate Quinn (though I have had the paperback of The Huntress in my TBR pile for quite a while). My introduction to the writing of Ms. Quinn has been a very satisfying experience. I found the flow of the writing easy to read, the story was engaging (albeit long), characters had depth and kept me interested throughout the entire story. The story has certainly peaked my interest in these code breakers and I think it has ignited a spark for further reading for that time in the world’s history ☺

The story takes the reader from the beginning of the war with an alternating time frame perspective (year by year, approximately from December 1939 to November 1947) which to my delight was easy to follow (not confusing as sometimes shifting time frames can be). We follow the lives of three women as they grow to be friends while working as code breakers at Bletchley Park during the war. Let me tell you – not all is as it seems. It is tough on them and their families with respect to the secrecy of their work, knowing the Official Secrets Act of 1939 prevents them from speaking to anyone of their work, which can be a lonely prospect for these women as they are not to even talk amongst themselves as they work in different sections at Bletchley Park.

The three women: Wealthy Canadian born debutante Osla – who is dating Prince Philip of Greece; bold and standoffish Mab who has pulled herself up by her bootstraps to support herself, her mother, and her little sister Lucy, and third, brilliant but shy, cowed Beth, whose mother has demeaned her so much that she thinks she is dumb and worthless.

I really enjoyed the transformation of each of the women as the story unfolded. Personal disaster rips these women apart several years after they meet and they would never speak to each other again. Except one of the women gets a message to the other two women that there was and still is a spy/traitor in their former code breaking group. Against almost impossible odds, the women need to get back together to break one last code. Exciting stuff you say, it was interesting, nail biting and fun to read. Fingers were crossed that they would solve who the traitor was…

The secondary characters (Mr. Grey, Harry, Boots) were also interesting and in the end – did play an integral part in breaking the last code – with barely time to spare. Certainly kept me on my toes in the final chapters of the book ☺

The narration and storytelling made me feel as I was actually in the story. It also has me now very intrigued by this time period in history.

I cannot say how much this book grabbed me and kept me reading as fast and furiously as I possibly could (darn work kept getting in the way of my reading). I am thankful I got to experience the easily readable Kate Quinn.

This was a good WWII book about a part of the war I didn’t know muche about, code breaking. Some descriptions were hard to understand, but the story was good and the characters well developed.

The Rose Code tells the story of three women who worked at Bletchley Park. Three enemies who were once friends are reunited by a strange letter written in code about the mysterious traitor of Bletchley Park. The three women have to join hands again to find the traitor. Can the three find the traitor and mend their broken friendship?

The three women, Osla, Mab, and Beth are fictional. However, it seems that Osla is inspired by a real historical figure. The three characters are vastly different, Osla is a rich socialite who happened to date Prince Phillip, the Queen’s future husband. Mab is a poor woman who strives to rise out of poverty. Beth is a woman trying to survive domestic abuse from her mother. Despite these three backgrounds, I found the characters to be a bit bland. They were very stereotypical. The character I was most interested in was Beth because she had a very tragic story. Thus, I thought they could use more development.

Overall, this was a story about friendship, choices, and forgiveness. The characters were very stereotypical. The romance which was one of the main focuses in the book was weak. I really did not like Prince Phillips’s relationship with Osla, and I think Prince Phillip made the best decision in ending up with the queen. Osla and Prince Phillip just did not connect. The mystery aspect was very little focused upon. I was disappointed by this because it was the best part in the book. I was also not impressed with the writing style. It was written in a passive voice. This novel also seemed to be very drawn out. Despite its flaws, The Rose Code reads like a soap opera because there is danger, betrayal, and scandal. I recommend this novel for fans of Code Name Verity, Code Name Helene, and The Codebreakers! The Rose Code is a light, fluffy read that is perfect for the beach!

Thanks to the team behind The Imitation Game, Quinn's latest novel is headed for TV. The novel follows three women in WWII Britain, where England's pressing needs unite them in a common cause: breaking codes at Bletchley Park. Well-to-do Osla is a society girl, often accused of having more beauty than brains. Determined Mab grew up poor in London's east end, and seeks a better life for herself and her young sister. And miserable Beth, doormat daughter to the overbearing mother who billets Bletchley Park girls to help the war effort. This book grabbed me from the opening pages, but I'll admit I began turning them faster when we veered into spy thriller territory. Solidly entertaining

I really liked this book. I am not a huge historical fiction reader but this one was great. I hope to find more novels along this story line.

I really enjoyed this book! It's a perfect complement to the typical WWII books and I've always been interested in the Bletchly Park codebreakers. I did feel that it was a little too long, but it was beautifully written and I can't wait to read more by Kate Quinn.

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. I'll hopefully try again in the future.
Didn't capture my attention and engagement. I'll hopefully try again in the future.

Fantastic! I love stories about code breaking, and Bletchley Park is one of the most fascinating settings. The mystery and flashbacks drive the story forward --I couldn't put it down! I've already bought copies as gifts and recommended to students.

The Rose Code is a great follow up to the Alice Network but I did not find my self as incested in teh cahracters as I was with the Alice Network.

World War II is over and Princess Elizabeth is about to marry Prince Phillip. Three former friends are about to come together again because of an encrypted letter.

Seven years earlier, three women met for the first time at Bletchley Park, each with the common purpose to break German military codes and protect England during the war. There is Osla who longs to be more than the society debutante everyone believes her to be and whose skill in German earns her a position translating decoded secrets; then there is Mab, who may have grown up in poverty but is determined to make something of herself despite old hurts and wrongs done to her, who works on the code-breaking machines; and finally Beth, a local village spinster who thought her life would never amount to much but becomes one of the few female cryptanalysts. Their friendship was torn apart by loss, betrayal and the secrets they carry.

Kate Quinn seems to have a gift for picking out the most interesting aspects of history during this era and spinning a great story. As I often do, I couldn’t help but look up bits of history as I read to compare the truth to the fiction and it was fun picking out the characters based on real people from the fictional. Okay, and so maybe I wanted to know the fate of a couple of characters. The novel is rich in history while at the same time being entertaining and a fascinating read. I loved the details and depth of the characters. The dual time lines works well—the 1947 characters reliving their time at Bletchley Park during the war while at the same time facing new challenges and an old enemy.

I really enjoyed getting to know Mab, Beth and Osla. Each of the women have strong storylines, no one being more interesting than the other. Although, I have to say Beth’s after war story in particular is heart wrenching. I still get angry thinking about the way she was treated.

While much of the novel describes life at Bletchley Park and the work the women and their compatriots did there, there is also the overreaching story arc of a traitor in their midst—the reason they come together again—to put an unsolved mystery to rest. The last part of the book is a race against the clock and quite tense as everything comes together—and to a head. I enjoyed my time with these characters as I read The Rose Code and look forward to reading more by Kate Quinn.

Best book of 2021. I'm serious.

Kate Quinn delivers a masterclass on WWII historical fiction. The women are human, individual, and cunning in their own ways. The dual timeline was so much fun and made this 600 page tome feel like such a quick page-turner; once I started I could not put it down.

I admire the balance Kate Quinn was able to strike in writing a wartime story of trauma and loss, while tying in threads of hope and community at the same time. Sometimes wartime novels can strike me as romanticized or gratuitous in their portrayals of events (or using certain events to cheaply drive the plot), and The Rose Code was such a refreshing deviation from any of those flaws. Kate Quinn definitely didn't pull any punches, but with every emotional landmine was a nugget of humor, hope, or friendship. An absolutely perfect read, and I will devour everything Kate Quinn writes in the future because of it.

The Rose Code is a tour de force and a must read for anyone seeking to know more about the secret code breaking activities taking place at Bletchley Park in England during World War II. Captivating the reader are three strong female characters and a breakneck plot. Author Kate Quinn sheds light on the critical role that woman played in unraveling both the Italian and German enigma codes thus likely shortening the war by several years. We learn that even outside the nightly London blitz other parts of England, notably Coventry, were not safe from air attack . Events towards the end of the war threaten one of the woman codebreakers who is unjustly institutionalized . Three years after the war even though former workers at Bletchley had been sworn to secrecy fellow codebreakers Osla and Mab must employ all wit and skill to free their companion from a procedure designed to silence her. Quinn’s attention to plot, character and language will make this story a hit with book clubs . Highly recommended in both print and audio versions.

I've been a fan of Rose Quinn's for a long time, and this title didn't disappoint. Her characters are always well developed and the plots draw you in. Always look forward to her books.

This Rose Code is a beautifully-written historical fiction. This one took me some time to read since not only is it quite long, but it is heavy and hearty - which are truly some of my favorites. The Rose Code will stay with me.

Mab, Beth, and Osla, each desiring to prove themselves for different reasons, are assigned to Bletchley Park during the impending Nazi invasion of England. The three women help in various ways to decrypt German message and prove the worth of women to the war effort.

This book was amazing! I couldn't put it down and was sad when it was over. Based on the real life stories of Valerie Middleton (Kate Middleton's grandmother), Mab Sharpe, and Osla Kendall (Lady Cornwell) and their service to England with their cryptanalyst skills during the war. The book is the epitome of what I love about true historical fiction: bringing real places and events to life with the personal stories and histories the reader cannot help but become entwined with. A must read for any historical fiction fan.

This WWII novel does more than tell the story of the people working to break the Enigma code in England; it also becomes a whodunnit when it is discovered there is a traitor in the ranks. The main characters are likable, quirky, and full of spirit. There is tragedy and there is triumph as the book jumps from wartime to 1947 and back again.

The Rose Code is based on real people and events and includes an epilogue that weaves the fictional characters into the true story of the code breakers at Bletchley Park, which was a nice touch!

My thanks to William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Quinn hits it out of the park again. She’s brilliant and so are the characters in this book. Nice to read about smart, brave women. cant wait for the movie.