The Rose Code by Kate Quinn: Book Review
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I’m not sure how I found The Rose Code. It’s the first book I’ve read by author Kate Quinn. Not knowing what to expect, and a little skeptical about the length of the book (it’s a long one!), I dived into it anyway.
I’m so glad I did.
My Take: The Rose Code was my introduction to Kate Quinn, and it turned me into a fan. I loved the Bletchley Park setting, the three very different women at the center of the story, and the combination of codebreaking, friendship, romance, espionage, and betrayal. This is a long book, but it never felt long to me. In fact, I became so fascinated by the details about Bletchley Park that I kept stopping to look up the real history, machines, and codebreaking work described in the story. And here’s perhaps the best indication of how much I liked it: I read it again.
What The Rose Code Is About
The Rose Code centers on three very different women brought together at Bletchley Park during World War II, where Britain’s codebreakers work in secrecy to decipher enemy communications.
Osla, Mab, and Beth form an unlikely friendship while doing highly confidential wartime work, but loss, secrecy, and betrayal eventually pull them apart. Years later, in 1947, an encrypted message reunites the three former friends and forces them to confront what happened at Bletchley – and the possibility that a traitor was among them.
The Rose Code – What I Liked Loved
Yep, I don’t usually say “loved” here in this section. And it’s not a typo that I forgot to remove!
But when the word “loved” is appropriate, nothing else will suffice.
So, The Rose Code is set in England (mostly) during the WWII years and also slightly after them in 1947. Historical fiction set in this time period is one of my favorite genres.
The story is centered around Bletchley Park and the code-breaking that happened there during WWII. I’m completely fascinated by Bletchley Park and just can’t learn enough about it.
This book was so specific in describing what happened at Bletchley, and in describing the code-breaking machines and how they looked, worked, and sounded, that I was constantly Googling facts about them along with images so I could really visualize in my mind what they were talking about.
There were three main female characters that were all endearing in their own way. I felt a special connection of some sort to all of them.
Despite the fact that, in general, The Rose Code was about some very dismal times in our history, I still felt it to be somewhat of an uplifting book in a way, probably because of the connection I felt with the characters.
This is a fast-paced book, and I couldn’t put it down.
This book is complete with romance, wartime espionage, treason, suspense, and top-secret jobs carried out by characters I loved, and these things combined will just sweep you away while showing you the incredible sacrifices made by the very talented real codebreakers of Bletchley Park.
The Rose Code – What I Didn’t Like
I loved every single part of this book. I can’t think of any single thing that I disliked.
The Rose Code – Read, ReRead, or Reconsider
And now for my 3 Rs of book reviews. Read, ReRead, or Reconsider?
ReRead!
For me, this one is a ReRead! It’s a long, complicated book that was excellent the first time I read it. I’m rereading it to fully savor the intricacies of the book, and I’m uncovering tidbits that I sort of missed on the first read.
I recently read The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn, and it wasn’t until after I read that one that I felt compelled to reread The Rose Code and review them both.
Is The Rose Code Worth Reading
The Rose Code turned out to be much more than the long WWII novel I was slightly hesitant to start. It introduced me to Kate Quinn, deepened my fascination with Bletchley Park, and gave me three female characters whose stories stayed with me long enough that I wanted to experience the whole thing again.
I even featured this book on my 11 Best WWI Historical Fiction books list.
That’s a pretty high bar for any book. If you enjoy WWII historical fiction, wartime espionage, strong female characters, and novels that make you want to learn more about the real history behind them, The Rose Code is an easy recommendation from me. In fact, you might want to take a look at my guide to Kate Quinn books in order as well, because there are a few other books there that you may enjoy.
What To Read Next
- The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn – My next Kate Quinn read, and a natural choice if The Rose Code leaves you wanting more from this author.
- The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles – Another WWII historical novel built around fascinating real-world history.
- Flying Angels by Danielle Steel – Try this if you especially enjoy discovering lesser-known stories about women’s contributions during WWII.
- The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung – Highly recommended if you like books that use real history as an important part of a suspenseful story.
- Explore Historical Fiction – Browse more historical fiction recommendations across Looks Like Books.
