The Rose Code by: Kate Quinn

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (Available 3/9/21).

This is an enjoyable audiobook from #KateQuinn and #HarperAudio.  This is the 3rd book from this author that I have enjoyed. The other two books were also WWII depictions just as enjoyable as this novel. 

This novel was narrated by #SaskiaMaarleveld.  Saskia is a well-known and widely enjoyed narrator.  If you prefer each character to vocally sound profoundly different, you may find reading the book a better option here. Definitely give the audiobook a listen if you haven’t heard Saskia previously. She’s easy to understand and listen to. It’s much easier to get through such a lengthy book when you can listen to an audio while multi-tasking. 

Have you ever heard of Bletchley Park (“BP”)? If not, it’s the main stage in the book and some phenomenal work was done here during WWII.  In 1938 it opened for use as a secret code-breaking center and school. This is where our main characters come to work, grow as people, and become friendly with one another toiling away at the difficult task of infiltration & breaking down Nazi coded messages.  

The primary focus surrounds three young women from various backgrounds who come to “BP” to answer the call for them to report for duty. They had no idea what they were walking into, but life-changing is an understatement. 

Bethen (“Beth”) is a mousy young woman trapped in her family home, told she is useless, and devotes her days at the beckon call of her cruel, overbearing, manipulative mother. It is their home which has opened a room for Osla and Mabel to stay while working at BP. So how does Beth end up in a sanatorium, who put her there, and why?

Osla is the wealthy, young, beautiful debutante who has everything including a boyfriend who happens to be a Prince. She speaks German and becomes a translator at BP. When too many secrets are uncovered life begins to fall apart. Will Osla convince friends to forgive each other so they can solve one last code and what might be revealed if they do?

“Mab” (Mabel) is excessively tall and equally poor. She’s planning to find her way out of pain and poverty by supporting herself until she finds a husband. How does an encrypted letter bring her back to these former friends she now loathes?

As an aside, at least one (male) character (Dilly Knox) in the book is an actual person who worked at Bletchley Park.