The Rose Code Book Review

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Set mainly in Bletchley Park, The Rose Code throws its reader into the action of efforts to crack military codes during World War 2. Following 3 very different women, Osla, Mab, and Beth we see each of them contribute what they can while having to face the misogyny of the day. Osla and Mab take it upon themselves to free Beth from the confines of her mother’s house and her brilliant brain is finally put to use as a cryptanalyst. We follow the 3 throughout the war, the trials and tribulations, the heartache and loss, and the small moments of happiness they manage to find. Years later, it’s 1947 and Beth is living in an asylum – imprisoned there when she was betrayed by someone at the park. The 3 women aren’t talking, the rifts of the war dividing them insurmountably, but when a letter brings them together, they must focus on the real enemy…

For me, this was the perfect balance of compelling characters and a gripping storyline. This was the January pick for my book club and some members thought it could’ve been a few hundred pages shorter – at 624 pages, it needed to hold its reader’s attention and I actually disagree because I can say that it definitely did.

Each of our 3 protagonists had their own storylines as well as a place in the overall plot; I was most drawn to Mab’s as she had to face arguably the hardest loss of all 3 women and I loved how the peaks and troughs of her journey showed a strong woman but also a fragile one and one that was ultimately very human. Osla and Beth also had very compelling moments and I loved how Quinn used them to show 3 very different stories all taking place in the same location.

The Rose Code had a difficult job of making sure it felt realistic while also creating a gripping plot too. There is a lot of historical accuracy to the book and one of the characters is also loosely based on a real person. But I think Quinn did a good job of not forcing too much into the writing in order to remind the reader where we were – yes Alan Turning does get a look in or two – but this is very much Osla, Mab, and Beth’s book.

If nothing else, this has wholly convinced me to read all of Kate Quinn’s backlist. I loved the writing, adored the characters, and felt invested from the very start. Go read The Rose Code!