Book completed

[eve_prime]

The Rose Code, by Kate Quinn. This is a fun story of three women who worked at Bletchley Park as part of the code-breaking team during World War II. One of them, Osla, was a debutante fluent in German and became the girlfriend of Prince Philip; this character was based on a real woman named Osla who was Philip’s war-time girlfriend. Another, Mab, aspired to a better life for herself and her family; she wasn’t based on anyone particular. The third, Beth, was neurodivergent and had no idea growing up that she was brilliant; instead she was bullied into compliance by her mother, and at the beginning of the story has found herself in considerable trouble. She was based on two real-life Bletchley Park women who had very different life trajectories. The author did a great job of creating a compelling story while honoring many real-life individuals who served at Bletchley Park. I was especially touched by how very stressful it was for the men, in particular, who worked there, because it was forbidden to tell people about their work, so their families and neighbors often treated them poorly because they seemed to be shirking their duty to contribute to Britain’s defense. In fact, as the author tells us in her extensive afterword, there were some married couples who had no idea they had both served at Bletchley Park until decades later.

I’d learned about this book from a video that a book-club friend had encouraged us to watch, and after that I picked it up at the library. Then a few days ago, my mother-in-law let slip the name of the World War II novel she’d been reading and planning to send me, and I realized, aha, it was this very book. I definitely enjoyed reading it.

Comments

[claidheamhmor]

I've been so fascinated by the British code-breaking and the women who worked there. All so interesting.

[eve_prime]

Definitely so interesting, I agree!