The Rose Code

The story alternates between the war and 1947, just before Princess Elizabeth's marriage to Prince Philip. Three women work at Bletchley Park breaking Axis codes during the war, and hate each other bitterly by 1947. One of them is in an asylum by that point, and thinks she was put there by a Bletchley Park traitor. We see how they came together, how they fell apart, and wonder whether they'll come together by the end. While the plot isn't a masterpiece, it is good enough to not be in the way of what are extremely rich characters and amazing historical detail.

A deep and multilayered tale centred on the code-breaking at Bletchley Park during World War II. If cryptography, the war years, and the depths of the human mind fascinate you, you'll love this story. Rich in historically accurate detail, with interesting, carefully crafted characters, some real, some not. A great read!

2 1/2 stars that was 1 star until 70% in and only the last 20% could I say I enjoyed. Not enough of to bump up. This really isn't my type of genre and I'm an outlier in my group read of this book.

This was a group read and everyone in my group either really liked it or loved it, I just didn't find it very interesting until around 80%. It dragged, the women seemed to have a superficial relationship with a couple of incidences making their friendship. The was a very (for me painfully) slow build up and painting of a mystery surrounding who was the traitor, and as we go along who set up Beth and landed her in an institution about to get a lobotomy. Three years and no one goes to visit, she doesn't get any messages out and then it happens right before she is scheduled. We get little set ups and side characters, and are made to wonder though there are 2 people that seem likely only one is considered by Beth and not the correct one. No the correct one comes to visit and tells all. So it comes down to it not being solved by the characters in a deductive manner. That the set up happens without Beth being able to get this piece of information to anyone, then as soon as her friends come, she has a way out and everyone comes to help. I was shaking my head and exasperated with the manner it got to where it did.

Did I like the ending, sure, yes, and if I was rating just the end I may have given it a 4 stars but before the real tension and mystery happened, I was ready to do a DNF and give it a 1 star. I considered giving it 3 but 80% drag and frustration just didn't work for me. I liked the characters and their interactions for the most part. Hated a couple of character, the mom, and was so/so with others Mab and Francis. I never connected with either until after He dies with Lucy which we could see was her daughter from the beginning. Francis had no personality and Mab had a sharp and not great personality. Beth took forever to warm up to and I kind of liked Oslo. Still for the story that I got, I felt that I read way too much. The mystery was NOT solved in a satisfactorily way to even call it a mystery and then there was tension of what you knew would come. A last minute chase, a little ridiculous and I was ready for this book to be done.

It was OK/good and I don't regret read it so the 1 star I wanted to give it at 70% in, yes I looked at 70% and considered quitting, said "well only 30% more", and ended up mostly liking the end. I can see how some like this but it isn't my type of genre or way of story telling and really wasn't much of a twist or much in mystery solving. the only twist I liked was that Oslo was now engaged to the traitor and really didn't like him much So it was only a bit better than OK.