The Rose Code is about three very different women who work at Bletchley Park starting in 1940. Osla is a debutante dating the future Prince Phillip. Mab is on a path of self-improvement to overcome her East End roots. The family Osla and Mab are sent to live with includes a spinster named Beth. Beth is completely dominated by her overbearing mother. Her role in the family is to be at the beck and call of her mother, and her father is a Milquetoast who won’t stand up to his wife. Needless to say, Beth is more that a little overwhelmed by the outgoing Osla and Mab.
As Osla and Mab try to break Beth out of her shell they realize she is a genius with crossword puzzles and get her a job at Bletchley Park. Beth eventually becomes one of the only female cryptanalysts at BP.
Jump forward seven years, and we find all three women enemies. Beth has been committed to an insane asylum and gets a coded message smuggled out to Mab and Osla. The three must come back together on the very day of the wedding of the century : Princess Elizabeth’s wedding to Prince Phillip.
The Rose Code is a solid five star read.* The plot moved just fast enough to keep me up way past my bedtime but not so fast that it felt rushed. The research Kate Quinn put into The Rose Code is amazing. I was totally immersed in the story. Be sure to read the author’s note at the end. Some of the women were based on real people, some characters were composites of several people.
The Rose Code has a satisfying ending, and sometimes you just need that.
If you like well-written historical fiction about strong women, this may be the book for you. I’m also a sucker for a good WW2 yarn.
Happy Reading y’all,
Wendy
*I’ve, ahem, been accused of being a five star strumpet.
Wendy is Reading 
I love historical fiction. Books like this one should be taught in school. It would certainly make history – which tends to be dry and boring, what with all those names and dates to memorize for a test; only to be forgotten ASAP.
I don’t recall women’s part in World War II ever being taught in any history class.
I’m looking forward to reading this book.
LikeLike