I've other books by Kate Quinn and liked them but this book, I loved! I knew about the men who had worked at Bletchley Park during WWII but I had no idea about the women who were also there acting as support staff and even code breakers. Ms. Quinn brought the stories of the women and men who worked at Bletchley's Park during WWII alive in this novel. I particularly found the story line of Osla and Prince Phillip fascinating and fell down the wikipedia rabbit hole of learning about the "real" Osla Benning and the other women of Bletchley Park as soon I finished The Rose Code. It's an amazing piece of history and I hope the increased awareness that this book will bring will result in more stories and documentaries about these women.

(* I received an audiobook copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion and review.)

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Kate Quinn is an amazing storyteller! I love historical fiction, especially when the narrator is so well chosen. I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves the era and enjoys listening to a historical fiction audiobook.

Kate Quinn certainly has come into her own. Her last three books have been massive bestsellers and just keep getting better. Although I gave The Huntress and The Alice Network each four stars, The Rose Code was my favorite. It’s thrilling historical fiction jam-packed with intrigue, treachery, romance, and the beauty of female friendship. You can’t go wrong with spies and codebreakers, especially when they are strong, intelligent women. I was surprised to learn Quinn is a native Californian; the nuances of her writing, her use of WWII-era slang and fashion made her sound like a Brit. My thanks to Netgalley for the ebook and audio ARCs. Excellent narration by Saskia Maarleveld. 5 stars.

Set in WWII England, The Rose Code is a thrilling work of historical fiction. Three women from very different backgrounds become unlikely friends when they are thrown together after being hired to work on a secretive project. The women learn that they are working on breaking codes in order to help defeat enemy forces. Their individual work must be kept secret from each other. But ultimately they must put their pieces together to solve a puzzle that will save lives. The Rose Code is filled with suspense, mystery, and excitement. I highly recommend this book.
#katequinn#therosecode#historicalfiction#WWII#codebreaking

Great book for the historical fiction lover! Kate Quinn did not disappoint with this one.

This is a long story covering the years of 1940-1947, perfect for the World War 2 lover. It follows three different women who come together to help the British solve the codes the Germans are sending to their leaders and troops. .
Highly recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction and World War 2. The audiobook was very well done and kept me entertained the whole time.

I am not a huge audiobook person, but this one definitely takes the cake. Although it was longer than I am used to, it was extremely captivating and held my attention the entire time. Kate Quinn always does a fabulous job of sucking you into history and making you totally immersed into the setting and characters. This was not a heartbreaking read, but it was an important one. Especially during these times, I think it's important to look back and understand our history. Quinn has absolutely found her calling in historical fiction! Do not wait to pick up this book!


Thank you @williammorrowbooks for the #gifted copy of The Rose Code. Be sure to pick up your copy today!

This was one of those books that you cannot put down!! I love Kate Quinn as an author - her characters are women who have to fight for what they want, are never perfect and in the end lean on each other to get things done!
Learning about Bletchley Park was fascinating and the weaving on the historical facts with the fiction was done seamlessly - seriously had to keep turning the pages!!

It was a trifecta of - learning something new, solve the mystery and "women can get stuff done!" and that combination made me sad when the book was over!

Thank you Net Galley and Harper Audio for the chance to read!

This story didn't work for me. I felt no connection to the characters and though the premise sounds intriguing at the beginning, the plot never picked up steam, instead just seemed to drift without any direction.

This audiobook captured my interest right away, and I listened to it in two days. The story is compelling. I enjoyed how the novel shifted between two time periods. The mystery was fascinating, as were all the characters. Highly recommend for both the story and the narrator!

I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to listen to an audiobook version of The Rose Code.

Kate Quinn's historical fiction is always an interesting and enjoyable read. This story moves back and forth between 1940 and 1947 England, revolving around 3 main characters: Osla, a debutante who has a bit more substance than some expect; Mab, a tough young woman who has pulled herself up from a poor upbringing; and Beth, a shy but brilliant spinster. Although they all come from different worlds, these women are brought together at Bletchley Park. I don't want to reveal too much but I loved this story and the characters. The audiobook version was long (it's a long book, after all) but it kept me interested. The narrator allowed me to easily differentiate/follow the characters and the chapter markers made it clear whether we were in the present day or in the past. Quinn's writing (and the narrator) easily pulled me in: the mystery and events had me in their grip and various events in the story made me laugh or cry. I loved it and highly recommend it.

*received for free from netgalley for an honest review* Pretty good! Really like the authors note as well, makes the book that much cooler! Would buy and reread.

This was great! I'm always reluctant to start yet another WWII era book, as the genre is saturated with them. However, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all the characters in this book, witnessing their trials and growth, and learning about a new piece of history. All three main characters were sympathetic and the audiobook narration was wonderful. I have not yet read other novels by Kate Quinn, but this will not be my last.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn is just an amazing story about three completely different young women who are each recruited to work at Bletchley Park. Bletchley Oark, or BP, was an famous code-breaking facility in England, during World War II. The 3 main characters each come from totally different backgrounds: Osla, a socialite debutante, working-class girl Mabel (call me Mab), and extremely shy, extroverted local girl Bethan (called Beth). This fantastic book is not only a historical novel, but a mystery as well. It follows our protagonists from 1940 through 1947 as they work for this highly secretive agency breaking the German Enigma codes, as well as several other code types. Along the way, we also learn more about their personal trials and tribulations and what they went through as the war continues. Most historians believe that the work of these codebreakers did helped to shorten the war by two years!

Kate Quinn did a fantastic job with this book and I had a difficult time putting it down. Thankfully I was able to listen to the audio version of it. The audio actor did a wonderful job reading the book. I highly recommend it.

This one didn't quite work for me. I usually really like Kate Quinn and I always love a multi-narrator historical fiction but this one felt a little trite. As I started reading, my first thought was about how similar it was to the Bletchley Circle Murders. I think that coupled with the fact that I was reading it in the midst of everyone talking about the love affair of Phillip and Elizabeth caused this to fall a little flat.

Oslo, Mab and Beth were young English women who wound up working at Bletchley Park trying to decipher enemy communications during WWII. They had little in common but bonded over their fascinating and critical work as code breakers. It was especially important that they had each other, since they couldn’t discuss their work with anyone outside of Bletchley Park, even after the war ended. They eventually came to a falling out on D-Day over various betrayals. This seemed entirely irrevocable until 1947, when they joined again to identify and catch a traitor. The timing coincided with the wedding of Prince Philip of Greece and Princess Elizabeth of England.

I have read other books about the enigma code, and the activities at Bletchley Park seemed realistic in this book. There was also an extremely moving description of a devastating air raid. The three women were intelligent and interesting, and each had her own well developed personality. The narrator of the audiobook did a capable job of differentiating the characters.

This is the second historical novel that I have read by this author and I enjoyed this one much more than “The Huntress”. One thing that they have in common, however, is that they are both way too long. As much as I liked reading about the code breaking activities at Bletchley Park, I could have done without the romances which took up a lot of this book. Having just seen the funeral of Prince Philip, the timing wasn’t right to read about a fictitious affair he had with Oslo before he married Elizabeth. Mab pursued her objective of finding a husband, while Beth was attracted to a married co-worker. The author did manage to tie the romances of the three women into the main story of code breaking, but trimming them would have gotten the book down to a more manageable length.

I received a free copy of this audiobook book from the publisher.

I was weary of yet another WW2 drama. I feel like WW2 is a genre that’s “been done” and all the stories start to run together. However the synopsis of this book led me to believe it was more of an ancillary war story as opposed to one focused on lack of rations and German occupation. Accurate! While this story takes place during WWII it’s a very different take than most of its genre. It focuses on Bletchley Park (think Benedict Cumberbatch and Kiera Knightley in “The Imitation Game”) and the men and women who spent the war in this eccentric bubble breaking code and deciphering enemy messages.

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The 3 main characters were women I wanted to be friends with. There’s a Mayfair debutante, a lower class girl with a chip on her shoulder and an eccentric spinster. All have compelling back stories that enhance their character arcs.

Quinn’s development of a neurodiverse (possibly borderline autistic?) character was well done. Her arc is never condescending, but certainly truthful in the depiction of the challenges (and wins) faced by those who are wired differently.

It was timely. Prince Philip is a fairly prominent character in this book. He passed away recently, so it felt appropriate (??). Quinn depicts him and his story quite differently than what is shown on “The Crown.”

I enjoyed learning about the happenings inside Bletchley Park, which was reviewed to be historically accurate.

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It’s long. The plot is well paced so it’s not boring, just too long by 100 pages or so.

As a self-proclaimed anglophile, I wish this book had a more discerning British editor. There were pieces of dialogue and multiple references that were too Americanized for the reality of the book’s setting.

I have yet to read the Author’s note but would love to know how much of the modern day ties were fictionalized. If they were historical...quite a fabulous coincidence! If they are fictional...it was cheesy.

In sum, a solid read that was both entertaining and educational on a topic that was new to me. Minus 💫 for length.

I’d put off reading WW2 Novels for over a year, closer to 2 years because I was so over the endless stream being published but I really enjoyed The Alice Network so when I was given the opportunity to listen to an advanced readers copy of The Rose Code I decided it was time to give it a try again and I’m so glad I did. I was completely transported to 1940s England. Following the lives of 3 very different women was entertaining. The narrator did a great job and while it was a little long I never thought to speed it up. The story was fascinating and it just seemed like the perfect read with Prince Phillip’s recent passing.

I highly recommend to all WW2 fans!!

It's the 1940's and England is preparing to enter the fight against the Nazis. As part of that effort they recruit some of the brightest minds to help code break intercepted messages. The code breaking occurs at a country estate called Bletchley Park. The Rose Code follows three of these recruits, three women from different walks of life. Osla is a glamorous debutante who is having a relationship with Prince Philip of Greece (the future husband of Queen Elizabeth!). She wants to prove that she is more than a pretty face. Mab grew up in poverty in London and is determined to make her own way in the world. Then there is Beth, a socially-awkward young woman who lives near Bletchley Park under a very overbearing, religious mother. The three women become friends as they help decipher intelligence. Misunderstandings and tragedy later tear these friends apart.

This was the first book that I've read by Kate Quinn, though I've had her 2 previous novels on my to-read list for awhile. This was an engaging female-led WWI historical fiction novel. I loved seeing women using their intelligence and wit to help in the war effort. It was interesting to read about a fictionalized Prince Philip. His death was announced right around when I was reading this book. I hadn't known much about his life before marrying Elizabeth, so reading this novel spurred me on to read some articles online about his early life. I recommend this one to historical fiction fans.

This was my very first audible book so I’m not sure if this review is going to amount to much. I didn’t love the story as much as I had hoped I would. I’m not sure if it’s because I had a hard time listening and paying attention, or because I just didn’t connect with the story. I got bored through most of it. But again, that could be because I’m not used to audible. Willing to give this story another try sometime with the actual book.

Thanks @williammorrowbooks for my gifted copy!

This was one of my most anticipated books this year and expectations were high! While I didn’t hate it, I didn't love it as much as I’d hoped. The book (errr, brick 🥴) is nearly 700 pages and I found myself taking breaks to read other, more engaging books in between sections. It didn't grab me quite as much as I wanted, but that could have a lot to do with how much I have going on in my personal life right now. I wanted something to suck me in early and it took a bit for me to get into the storyline, which definitely shaped my experience.

Now ya'll know WWII historical fiction is my favorite, especially if it features strong, badass women. Bonus if it enlightens me about people/places/things in history that I wasn't aware of and this book had all of that! Female codebreakers?! Are you kidding me?! Sign me up. Tell me more!

However, so much of a reading experience for me is about the connection to the characters, and I missed that a little here. I did enjoy the dual timelines and the multiple POVs, the mentions of Prince Philip and the insight into Bletchley Park (which is an entirely true place and was so fun to research further after reading this book!). I also enjoyed that it was part love story, part mystery & part drama.

Make no mistake, Kate Quinn is a fabulous writer. I've now read three books by her (The Alice Network is my favorite!) and will continue to check out anything she writes. I highly recommend reading this one out if you’re a HF fan and if you do, please let me know what you think! It’s rated 4.53 stars on goodreads, so I think it’d make for a great discussion.