A gripping story told through the eyes of several women working at the secret Bletchley Park codebreaking facility during World War II. Osla Kendall is a debutante every one believes is a silly deb. She is fluent in several languages and dating Phillip of Greece. Mab Churt is a hardscrabble woman from the streets with proficient clerical skills. Beth Finch is a cowering woman constantly berated by her mother, but a genius at crosswod puzzles. The all come together to help the British Intelligence crack the Enigma Code. A brilliant, tense novel about the famous Bletchley Park and the near manic need for secrecy. An excellent book.

Kate Quinn's The Rose Code is outstanding. Quinn presents the story of three women--a Canadian debutante, a Shoreditch social-climber, and a mousy genius--who served together at Bletchley Park and subsequently become involved in the search for a former coworkers selling secrets to the Soviets. The narrative goes back and forth between 1940s Bletchley Park and the days before the royal wedding in 1947. While the characters initially seem more like stock characters than real people, deeper personalities are deftly constructed as they grow and change over the course of the war. While this book includes one of my least favorite tropes--involuntary commitment to a mental hospital--the overall work is highly compelling. Over 600 pages of fascinating, breakneck adventure. Highly recommend.

Code breaking. Female spies. War. All these lead to another great story by Kate Quinn. The Huntress and the Alice Network have competition from the very same writer! So awesome and very well written

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.
There are is much historical fiction centered on Bletchley Park but this one tops them all. Better than th Alice Network, Kate Quinn has outdone herself. Wonderful characters, developed in depth. I hated for it to be 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. 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 code breaking 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.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher to the chance to read this amazing book about real code breakers during Worle War II.

4.5/5

Three young women from entirely different walks of life.
World War II.
Bletchley Park, 1940.
A traitor in their midst.

Kate Quinn weaves a tale of intrigue, first loves, discovery of self, and most of all, friendship. The WWII codebreakers of Bletchley Park are hard at work. Under an oath of secrecy, these men and women work around the clock decoding war message traffic, and often their work determines victory for Britain. Typists, translators, mathematicians, men and women with various degrees, and those great at solving puzzles are being called in, offered a job, and then sworn to keeping the secrets of the Park.

I found myself extremely attached to the three protagonists in this novel- debutante Osla, with her dazzle and intrigue, whip smart Mab, sharp tongued and tall, and quiet, brilliant Beth, who at the beginning of the story has been beaten down and taught by everyone around her that she would never amount to anything, but soon proves them dead wrong. Throughout the story, the three women grow exponentially and in a way that feels heart wrenchingly, realistically honest.

The story flips back and forth in time, starting in 1940 when the girls are first called in, to 1947 where we find that one of our girls has been betrayed. Quinn leaves a light trail of crumbs, but I found myself surprised regularly when reading, and must admit that I did not catch on to the antagonist until they were revealed. The pacing took a bit of time to catch up with the story, but there was a point, maybe a third through the story, where I genuinely could not put the book down. I often find myself a bit disappointed with endings in stories told so well, and I'm pleased to report that this ending was incredible, well written, thoughtfully structured, and bittersweet but brilliant.

I'm not a frequent reader to historical fiction, but Kate Quinn may have made me a convert!
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins/William Morrow for this digital ARC. I will DEFINITELY be recommending this book to my patrons!

This is set in WWII and the story focuses on three women - Osla, Mab, and Beth, who meet at Bletchley Park. The book switches between present and past and gives you insight in to each of the three characters. I loved that the history was intertwined between love, friendship, loss, anger and so much more within this story.

Kate Quinn is a genius at creating a beautiful setting and story, with intense and complex characters. She is able to bring out what the characters must have felt when doing such intense mental work, which makes the book that much more relatable and magical.

I thoroughly enjoyed the history and story of this one. The only reason I couldn't give it a full 5 stars is there were some portions that were dragged a bit longer than necessary.

Run, do not walk to read this book. Quinn weaves a believable tale of women in WW2 England trying to break out of stereotypical society roles for the greater good. Realizing they will be forever changed after the war, but have to revert back to pre war stereotypical roles that never fit in the first place. The main characters of Mab, Osla, and Beth are well- written and you are rooting for all of them and their colleagues. Quinn also throws these characters with some real life personalities. The result is a believable, engaging story that makes you want to read the too early fictional memoir at the end.

This story is crafted from history at Bletchley Park, where women toiled in huge numbers surpassing their male counterparts cracking Nazi Germany and Fascist Italian code during World War II maintaining secrecy and turning the tide of the war. The novel was well written, as Quinn’s novels always are and gave an intriguing read. Quinn deftly leaves hints that we take little notice of and later realize the significance of. This type of storytelling is what separates bland novels about the period from those that grab our interest and inform us about people we knew nothing about. The western world has survived because of people like the women brought to life in The Rose.

This book was just okay for me. I loved Kate Quinn's The Huntress book and so I figured I would equally love this one, but it feel flat for me. I think the story line was good and the idea was great, but it was dragging too much for me. I found myself wanting to skip through parts in the middle to get to the good stuff. It could have just been my reading mood, but it wasn't awesome for me. Thank you for giving me this book to review for free. I am giving it four stars because I love this author, and I want people to still read it with hopes that it was just an off reading for me. Also, the beginning and the end were exciting and I did love the three girls and the code breaking within the WWII themes.

Quinn writes perfectly, the imperfect heroine. Patriots driven to serve and brilliant women unapologetic in their passions, this title celebrates intellect and integrity with a story line that knows how to keep a secret.

The Bletchley Park codebreakers have received a lot of attention recently and this novel of three very different women recruited because of three different skill sets plus the reader in the center of the action from the start of the war to its aftermath when they unite to uncover a traitor in their midst.

Debutante Osla with her German language skills, east ender Mab who is using her secretarial skills to move up in the world, and dreamer Beth who can complete a crossword in five minutes are billet-mates and unlikely friends until betrayal turns them into implacable enemies who must unite to uncover the double whammy who threatens Beth's life.

The story is told in two timelines, wartime at the Park and the ten days leading up to the royal wedding in 1947 when the three reunite to prove the identity of the person who betrayed all three and caused Beth's committal to an asylum. The early timeline weaves many historical events and people into the plot, including a young and dashing Prince Philip, and gives the reader a real understanding of life at the Park and the buildup to the finale is very effective but I found the ending rushed and flat. Too many coincidences were used to create happy endings for everyone, except the traitor of course.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

Wow. Just wow. The describe of Bletchley Park, the layout, the machines, everything is just phenomenal. I love this author. She does not disappoint.

I absolutely LOVED this book and I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed Kate's first book "The Alice Network", so I had high hopes going into this book, and boy it did not disappoint! "The Rose Code" is another novel about the workings of code breakers at Bletchley Park during the war, many of whom were women who had to tell family and friends that they were secretaries doing boring stuff due to the Official Secrets Act. There were women who turned out to be gifted at code breaking, who were spurred on by seeing the result of their work influence the results on the actual battlefield. Olsa, Mab and Beth were three such women who all had different jobs at Bletchley Park, each very important.

Osla, Mab, and Beth are complex characters with such unique and fascinating stories. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen with them next. They were either based on a real person with the name changed or represented a mix of decoders. Many of the male characters were also based on actual people (Alan Turing, for one). For all of the characters, there was personal growth, especially for the women. Being on the same level as men doing the same jobs, made them feel valued and gave them purpose. The story alternates between 1940 when the women first came to work at Bletchley Park and 1947 when one of the three has been betrayed and institutionalized and none of them are on speaking terms. I was eager to discover how their friendships fell apart and who the traitor was! As I was reading, I was trying to figure out who the traitor could possibly be. I liked that the book, although it’s historical fiction had a bit of mystery to it as well.

I learned so much about the code breakers at Bletchley Park and how vital a role women played there. I didn't want this book to end, but how it did end was absolute perfection. I HIGHLY recommend this book to all historical fiction and fiction readers. You won't regret reading it!

Wow. After finishing Kate Quinn’s The Rose Code, I was breathless. I have read many historical fiction novels about WWII, but this is by far, at the top of my favorites list.

The novel alternates between two timelines; the first is roughly at the start of WWII, and the second is just before the royal wedding of Prince Phillip and Princess Elizabeth. Osla, Mab, and Beth – three very different young women – find themselves working at Bletchley Park, the main center of allied codebreaking during WWII. In the later timeline, Beth has been locked up in an inhumane mental hospital while the other two women have moved on with their lives. For reasons that I will not divulge, major events in the novel resulted in the women ending their friendship. However, it becomes apparent that during their work at Bletchley Park, there was a traitor in their midst. They must reunite to find this person or risk the welfare of one of them.

What is very special about this story is the precision with which the tale is told. The details created by the author truly bring the reader into the lives of these characters. The dialogue reminded me of a well-written stage play, enabling me to visualize the action as it unfolded. I am usually able to predict the events of such a novel, but in this case, I was not! This was a pleasant surprise; I could not put the book down, nor could I prevent gasping as more and more details unfolded. This book is more than a WWII historical fiction novel; it addresses the role of the codebreakers and what they had to endure, the role of women in the fight against the Nazis, and the power of friendship during unimaginably difficult times.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow/Custom House for an advance reader’s copy of this book! I highly recommend it!

I really enjoy Kate Quinn's books in the past and this is no different! You would think that books about WW2 would get old, but throw in lady code-breakers and it feels new again. I loved all three main characters. They were so different and well fleshed out. The ups and downs of their relationship felt organic. The romances were lovely as well, but not as detailed but understandable in the context of the story and keeping the mystery going. Im ready for the next book by Quinn already!

Normally, I roll my eyes at yet another WWII fiction title with a woman not showing her face on the cover of a book. (What IS that all about, publishers? Show us her face already--World War II is over, she's not hiding any more secrets.)
HOWEVER.
Kate Quinn is a QUEEN, and I will read just about anything that comes out of her storytelling mind. She's known for exceptionally witty dialogue, vivid female characters, and badass women who don't do as their told but aim for justice. The Rose Code is not an exception to that rule, I'm relieved to say. There has been some fiction aimed at telling the stories of the heroes of Bletchley Park in England, the ordinary everyday code breakers that discovered Nazi and Italian/Fascist war plans before they struck. The stories of Osla, Mab, and Beth are heart-wrenching, but very human. (Mab is my favorite. Such a female warrior.) I loved learning about the female code-breakers who were seen by male colleagues as exceptional for their intelligent minds but then wondered at how they were able to keep such secrets for decades--generations even--in the name of state secrets.
Highly recommended to all fiction readers, Quinn writes with her usual flair but with increasingly intense purpose. I'd love to see her write about unknown women from a different era than WWII next time!

There are probably fewer than 5 authors I will pay money to read their books sight unseen. (I work at a library.) Kate Quinn is at the top of this list. I've never been disappointed in one of her novels, and her Mistress of Rome series is one of the best series I've ever read. I've really been enjoying her somewhat more modern novels, so The Rose Code, set during World War II, is a welcome addition to my shelf.

We follow the story of three women who eventually wind up working at Bletchley Park, attempting to break enemy codes. The novel jumps back and forth in time, leaving the reader to untangle the threads of the story, much like the main characters do with enemy codes. I was quite tense reading this at times, hoping that characters I liked weren't the traitor, but the book was written so well it wasn't obvious, yet the final reveal not totally unforeseen.

Fair warning, this is the kind of book that makes you want to read up on Bletchley Park and Alan Turing, or at the very least, watch The Imitation Game.

At times thrilling, scary, lovely and sad. This will be a must read for historical fiction enthusiasts.

As the Nazis try to smash and conquer the free world, three women answer the call to do their part at Bletchley Park. These women are in charge of deciphering Nazi codes, if they succeed, they will change the course of history. Mab, who comes from a poverty ridden background. She wants to defeat Hitler, and find a rich husband while she does so. Osla is a wealthy, society sweetheart who would rather use her formidable intelligence to help the allies than court a prince. Beth is a shy, unmarried woman who will use her ability to solve puzzles to help the war effort and find herself at the same time. But these three friends become enemies during the course of their time at Bletchley. Can an encrypted letter and a royal wedding 3 years after the end of the war reunite them?