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The Rose Code
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1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more th
...more
ebook, 656 pages
Published
March 9th 2021
by William Morrow Paperbacks
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***IF YOU READ ONE HISTORICAL FICTION THIS YEAR, THIS SHOULD BE IT, IN PAPERBACK NOW***
I absolutely love Kate Quinn, I have been waiting for a new book from her ever since her last novel “The Huntress”. I love her novels about women spies. The Rose Code is something a bit different. This novel focuses on three very different women who come together to help the British solve the codes that the Germans have been sending back and forth to their troops, leaders, etc.
This novel isn’t short, at 656 pa ...more
I absolutely love Kate Quinn, I have been waiting for a new book from her ever since her last novel “The Huntress”. I love her novels about women spies. The Rose Code is something a bit different. This novel focuses on three very different women who come together to help the British solve the codes that the Germans have been sending back and forth to their troops, leaders, etc.
This novel isn’t short, at 656 pa ...more

The Rose Code: A Novel by Kate Quinn (Author), Saskia Maarleveld (Narrator)
This is my second audio historical novel in a row and both of them were riveting. I can't help wondering if I'd feel differently about an audiobook if I had read it instead. Sometimes the narrators are so good, it's hard to imagine not hearing all those character voices, if I had read the book.
The Rose Code deals with two time periods, the first starting in 1940 and the second taking place in November 1947. In 1940 three ...more
This is my second audio historical novel in a row and both of them were riveting. I can't help wondering if I'd feel differently about an audiobook if I had read it instead. Sometimes the narrators are so good, it's hard to imagine not hearing all those character voices, if I had read the book.
The Rose Code deals with two time periods, the first starting in 1940 and the second taking place in November 1947. In 1940 three ...more

Sep 22, 2021
Tharindu Dissanayake
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites-fiction
"Welcome to BP"
I'm a bit surprised at myself for giving this one 5-stars... When a book gets a perfect rating from me, it's usually easy to pinpoint why, and that reason is, almost always, there is one exceptional thing working out for the book. But with Rose Code, it's everything from complex, mysterious, thrilling nature of the plot, beautiful writing to fascinating characters. This is one the most complete books I've read recently. Typically, I wouldn't've preferred for such a book to be ...more
I'm a bit surprised at myself for giving this one 5-stars... When a book gets a perfect rating from me, it's usually easy to pinpoint why, and that reason is, almost always, there is one exceptional thing working out for the book. But with Rose Code, it's everything from complex, mysterious, thrilling nature of the plot, beautiful writing to fascinating characters. This is one the most complete books I've read recently. Typically, I wouldn't've preferred for such a book to be ...more

Kate Quinn once again enthralls with her latest piece of historical fiction, a mystery set in WW2 and the famous code breaking site of Bletchley Park, focusing on the close friendship between three extraordinary young women from hugely different backgrounds, determined to more than do their bit to fight the enemy. Wealthy heiress and debutante Osla Kendall has returned from Canada, and as a fluent German speaker translates the codes, she catches the eye of Prince Philip and falls head over heels
...more

Feb 26, 2021
Christine
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
net-galley,
ebooks
4.5 stars rounded to 5 stars
Well, I am now convinced who the queen of WWII historical fiction is and that’s Kate Quinn! This lady can tell a story. The only reason The Rose Code doesn’t get a solid 5-star rating from me is that even though it is a brilliant read, I liked The Huntress better. So, Ms. Quinn, I’m sorry, but I have you competing with yourself!
The Rose Code is just terrific. It starts a bit slow as the characters are introduced. There are essentially 3 protagonists so setting the sce ...more
Well, I am now convinced who the queen of WWII historical fiction is and that’s Kate Quinn! This lady can tell a story. The only reason The Rose Code doesn’t get a solid 5-star rating from me is that even though it is a brilliant read, I liked The Huntress better. So, Ms. Quinn, I’m sorry, but I have you competing with yourself!
The Rose Code is just terrific. It starts a bit slow as the characters are introduced. There are essentially 3 protagonists so setting the sce ...more

Feb 15, 2021
Sheyla ✎
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
women-s-fiction,
arc,
audiobook,
fantastic,
netgalley,
2021,
5-fangs,
best-2021,
publisher,
historical-fiction
ALL THE STARS!
This is one of the times I didn’t want to let go of the characters. My attachment to them was tangible.
After spending days listening to these three women, I just didn't want to leave and never hear from them again.
Meet the women:
Osla, A Canadian-born debutant, the smart and pretty socialite who wants more in life. In 1939, her friend introduces her to a young Navy officer, Phillip of Greece and she becomes his girlfriend.
Mab, "Queen Mab", who has fought for an education and wants t ...more
This is one of the times I didn’t want to let go of the characters. My attachment to them was tangible.
After spending days listening to these three women, I just didn't want to leave and never hear from them again.
Meet the women:
Osla, A Canadian-born debutant, the smart and pretty socialite who wants more in life. In 1939, her friend introduces her to a young Navy officer, Phillip of Greece and she becomes his girlfriend.
Mab, "Queen Mab", who has fought for an education and wants t ...more

This book should have been at least 200 pages shorter. Slow buildup and not as much suspense as I had hoped for. Lost my attention several times and by the time I got to the crux of the matter (more than halfway through) I wasn’t that invested in the story anymore. The Prince Philip love story was entirely unnecessary as well as few other soap opera moments. Alan Turing’s character randomly popped on the pages as if from another book. The friendship between the three main characters felt underde
...more

Three ‘gals’, one war, once best friends until D-Day when events splintered their tight knit secret world of Bletchley Park after which one ends up in Clockwell Sanatorium in Yorkshire. Fast forward to 1947 and the wedding of the century of Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip of Greece ( regarded as a ‘dish’) but the prospect of the wedding is putting former deb Osla Kendall in a funk. What unfolds in the dual timeline will get your unmentionables into a bit of a swither in this bally marvellous
...more

Kate Quinn turns her head once again to WWII, this time to the women of Bletchley Park. The story follows three women, Osla, a debutante, working class Mab and local village spinster, Beth, from 1940 through 1947, the year that Elizabeth marries Prince Philip of Greece. Turns out, Osla had dated Philip for the first few years of the war. Something has happened to turn the three friends into enemies.
The story is told from the viewpoints of all three women. I was enchanted by each of them and wil ...more
The story is told from the viewpoints of all three women. I was enchanted by each of them and wil ...more

Now Available!! You should read it!!
The Rose Code by New York Times best-selling author Kate Quinn is a fascinating look at the dedication and brilliance of the British Code Breakers during World War II. The Bletchley Park mansion housed the top-secret Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) whose employees were able to break the German Enigma codes, as well as several other code types. These employees endured six-day-a week rotating schedules that were often grueling. The novel offers insight ...more
The Rose Code by New York Times best-selling author Kate Quinn is a fascinating look at the dedication and brilliance of the British Code Breakers during World War II. The Bletchley Park mansion housed the top-secret Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) whose employees were able to break the German Enigma codes, as well as several other code types. These employees endured six-day-a week rotating schedules that were often grueling. The novel offers insight ...more

Rating 3.5
I gave into the hype. I'm been going back and forth on WW2 books, there are just so many and when you've read so many, you want something different. Read a lot of reviews on this one, saw the longest line at my library, so I figured let me check it out. Finally, after a long wait the audio arrived and off I went.
The Rose Code tells the story of female code breakers at Bletchley Park and their top secret jobs that they had. The story revolves around three characters - Osla, Mab, and Bet ...more
I gave into the hype. I'm been going back and forth on WW2 books, there are just so many and when you've read so many, you want something different. Read a lot of reviews on this one, saw the longest line at my library, so I figured let me check it out. Finally, after a long wait the audio arrived and off I went.
The Rose Code tells the story of female code breakers at Bletchley Park and their top secret jobs that they had. The story revolves around three characters - Osla, Mab, and Bet ...more

I wish to express my thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for this compelling historical novel in audiobook format. Kate Quinn has written a vivid and gripping account set in wartime London. She uses her great storytelling talent and research to describe what the experience must have been like working under wartime secrecy in Bletchley Park where German codes were broken and translated. It has been estimated that the Enigma codebreakers shortened WW2 by as much as two years using early computers
...more

I thought this was great, but ironically 'the rose code' storyline was for me the least interesting part of the whole book. Also, as a twist of fate, I happened to be reading this book when I was in Washington D.C. and visiting the International Spy Museum (which is actually a thing). Part of the museum had a display completely devoted to Bletchley Park and breaking "Enigma", both of which are prominent things in this book - so that was a fun coincidence for me.
But getting back to the book, it ...more
But getting back to the book, it ...more

Imitation Game meets the Crown with PBS Bletchley Circle series vibes; three unique women’s stories intercepted in two time lines: 1940’s England, preparing to fight against Germany and 1947’s England where Claire Foy’s Elizabeth ( sorry not sorry for visualizing that brilliant actress as young queen and also the best queen of the Crown series) marrying with Prince Philip.
When the author is queen of historical thrillers: Kate Quinn on the board, I’m sold! I’m already ready to give at least fou ...more
When the author is queen of historical thrillers: Kate Quinn on the board, I’m sold! I’m already ready to give at least fou ...more

‘Bletchley Park’s walls have been renovated. If only they could speak . . . But some codes will never be broken.’ ― Kate Quinn, The Rose Code
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ brilliantly bright stars!
Kate Quinn has risen to the challenge of writing a better novel than The Huntress. The characters, even the secondary characters, were so well developed that I was sad to leave them at the end of the novel. The writing is so well done that I truly feel like they are my friends and I’m really going to miss them. I, also, ...more
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ brilliantly bright stars!
Kate Quinn has risen to the challenge of writing a better novel than The Huntress. The characters, even the secondary characters, were so well developed that I was sad to leave them at the end of the novel. The writing is so well done that I truly feel like they are my friends and I’m really going to miss them. I, also, ...more

This review was first posted on Mystery and Suspense. Check it out for features, interviews, and reviews. https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/th...
The Rose Code follows three young women who worked at England's Bletchley Park, a country estate converted to a code-breaking facility during World War II.

Bletchley Park
Employees at Bletchley Park deciphered encrypted Nazi communications, providing vital information to the Allies.

The story alternates back and forth between the war years 1940 to 1945 - ...more

5 Code Breaker Stars
This one was a 5+ star read for me and checked all my great book boxes. Fascinating characters, rich history, great storytelling, and historical details!
Bletchley Park is a fascinating place and only recently have we been getting details about what happened there. One theory is that the work done here saved 2 years of warfare and countless lives. This book did a deep dive with 3 women that worked in different areas at BP.
Osla, Mab, and Beth make up an odd trio with different ...more
This one was a 5+ star read for me and checked all my great book boxes. Fascinating characters, rich history, great storytelling, and historical details!
Bletchley Park is a fascinating place and only recently have we been getting details about what happened there. One theory is that the work done here saved 2 years of warfare and countless lives. This book did a deep dive with 3 women that worked in different areas at BP.
Osla, Mab, and Beth make up an odd trio with different ...more

Jan 27, 2021
Jessica | JustReadingJess
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
netgalley
The Rose Code is an interesting book. I liked how this book is a mix of a historical fiction novel and mystery. World War II is my favorite time period to read about and the aspect of trying to figure out who is responsible for one of them entering an asylum. I was intrigued by the dual time line between past and present. In the past, the women are developing a friendship and learning how to break codes. In the present, the women have to work together and put their personal differences aside. Th
...more

Awarded 1.5 Stars ^ to 2.0 Stars
It was a bit more than "OK", but I didn't really "Like It"
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn - Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld - Audiobook - 15:39 Hours
Extracts from my Reading Progress:
An interesting beginning ... — Apr 24, 2021
I hate to say it, but I am struggling a little with "The Rose Code". At the moment there is, for my particular taste, a bit too much "romance" and not enough "code breaking". Call me on it if you will, but them's my feelin's at 40% in. — April 30, ...more
It was a bit more than "OK", but I didn't really "Like It"
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn - Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld - Audiobook - 15:39 Hours
Extracts from my Reading Progress:
An interesting beginning ... — Apr 24, 2021
I hate to say it, but I am struggling a little with "The Rose Code". At the moment there is, for my particular taste, a bit too much "romance" and not enough "code breaking". Call me on it if you will, but them's my feelin's at 40% in. — April 30, ...more

On my blog.
Rep: Maltese Arab Egyptian side character
CWs: sexual harassment, racism, physical abuse, sexual abuse, forced institutionalisation, forced drug use
Galley provided by publisher
The Rose Code, perhaps aptly, provides a somewhat rose-tinted view of World War II and Bletchley Park. That’s not to say it needed to be grittier or darker than it was (it is, after all, set during a war, and there are on-page deaths), but the way it presented that war — particularly the way it presented some ...more
Rep: Maltese Arab Egyptian side character
CWs: sexual harassment, racism, physical abuse, sexual abuse, forced institutionalisation, forced drug use
Galley provided by publisher
The Rose Code, perhaps aptly, provides a somewhat rose-tinted view of World War II and Bletchley Park. That’s not to say it needed to be grittier or darker than it was (it is, after all, set during a war, and there are on-page deaths), but the way it presented that war — particularly the way it presented some ...more

Oct 20, 2021
Margaret M (Semi hiatus until October)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
When it comes to Historical Fiction what better backdrop could you have for the retelling of World War II’s greatest stories, than the breaking of the enigma code at Bletchley Park, an expansive estate which housed the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS).
However, the book is not just about the code breakers, but it is also a story of three women who become close during the war attempting to break the enigma code, and who promise a lifelong friendship only to see this shattered by feelings ...more
However, the book is not just about the code breakers, but it is also a story of three women who become close during the war attempting to break the enigma code, and who promise a lifelong friendship only to see this shattered by feelings ...more

Jun 15, 2021
NILTON TEIXEIRA
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
my-5-stars
4.5 rounded to 5 stars. I love some good goosebumps.
Just a tip for potential readers: if you are looking for historical accuracy you should not read a fiction book (I’m just venting because of some reviewers).
There are a few things that I expect from a fiction book, and if I have to name just two, I would say plausibility and entertainment. And I got it with this one.
If there is a word that I rarely use to describe a book, that word is riveting. And that word fits this book perfectly (in my opi ...more
Just a tip for potential readers: if you are looking for historical accuracy you should not read a fiction book (I’m just venting because of some reviewers).
There are a few things that I expect from a fiction book, and if I have to name just two, I would say plausibility and entertainment. And I got it with this one.
If there is a word that I rarely use to describe a book, that word is riveting. And that word fits this book perfectly (in my opi ...more

A fantastic read! So honored and thrilled to provide a cover quote:
Readers: Prepare to be swept away by The Rose Code. A richly deserved tribute to the WWII codebreakers of Bletchley Park, Kate Quinn’s latest novel is a tour de force. Exhaustive research, vibrant characters, and pulse-pounding suspense combine in a riveting tale destined to be a book-club favorite. I absolutely loved it.
Readers: Prepare to be swept away by The Rose Code. A richly deserved tribute to the WWII codebreakers of Bletchley Park, Kate Quinn’s latest novel is a tour de force. Exhaustive research, vibrant characters, and pulse-pounding suspense combine in a riveting tale destined to be a book-club favorite. I absolutely loved it.

An interesting read that was well researched! I hadn’t read about this exact topic before. The novel had a good mix of history, romance, and mystery. I liked the three main female protagonists and their unique stories!
I thought that the two timelines were equally interesting and progressively intertwined. There were some unexpected events, but I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a more shocking twist at the end. I liked that the loose ends were all tied together, and how the main char ...more
I thought that the two timelines were equally interesting and progressively intertwined. There were some unexpected events, but I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a more shocking twist at the end. I liked that the loose ends were all tied together, and how the main char ...more

Mar 24, 2022
emily • emilybookedup
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2022-books
easiest 5 stars ever. arguably one of the best audiobooks out there, too 🙌🏼
Kate Quinn is a fave of mine bc her stories are women focused and always teach me so much about the world war efforts that i never knew before. this story was so unique and SO interesting. i truly never wanted it to end.
full review to come on my IG soon! but all you need to know is… READ THIS! 🖤
Kate Quinn is a fave of mine bc her stories are women focused and always teach me so much about the world war efforts that i never knew before. this story was so unique and SO interesting. i truly never wanted it to end.
full review to come on my IG soon! but all you need to know is… READ THIS! 🖤

So excited to get an audio ARC of Kate Quinn’s newest hf novel, THE ROSE CODE! I adore her elegant prose, beautifully plotted narratives and in-depth characters. She makes history come vividly alive, as she does here in this riveting tale of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park during and after WWII. The audio experience was mixed for me solely due to length (15 hours and 40 minutes.) I’m a visual learner and skim-read with ease. But I’ll try audio again buoyed by Kate’s magnificent tale
...more

The Rose Code is one of the latest historical fiction by Kate Quinn. This riveting saga tells the story of the top-secret codebreaking activities at Bletchley Park during World War II as thousands of men and women, many from Oxford and Cambridge, came together to crack what the German army believed were unbreakable Axis military codes, the Enigma codes used by the Axis powers, and all the codebreakers bound by a code of secrecy. It is said that Winston Churchill relied heavily on Bletchley Park
...more

⭐️4.5 Stars⭐️
Beautifully executed! Historical fiction lovers you are in for a delicious treat when you read The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. It’s an engrossing and vivid WWII story about three very different and unforgettable young women who train to break German military codes at a country estate named Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, Britain.
Fun-loving Osla Kendall is the beautiful, dimply debutante who has wealth and is dating the dashing Prince Philip (before Lillibet!). Osla speaks fluent Ger ...more
Beautifully executed! Historical fiction lovers you are in for a delicious treat when you read The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. It’s an engrossing and vivid WWII story about three very different and unforgettable young women who train to break German military codes at a country estate named Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, Britain.
Fun-loving Osla Kendall is the beautiful, dimply debutante who has wealth and is dating the dashing Prince Philip (before Lillibet!). Osla speaks fluent Ger ...more

the way i love historical fiction has no price. trust me, i could these books for the rest of my life and i'd never get tired. so, the hell i'm in to read 624 pages, to fall in love, laugh and cry and get my heart broken, yes.
...more
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Oregon Public Lib...: The Rose Code [June/July 2022] | 1 | 3 | May 07, 2022 09:53AM | |
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Play Book Tag: The Rose Code – Kate Quinn - 5 stars | 2 | 13 | Feb 11, 2022 10:04AM | |
Historical Fictio...: December 2021- The Rose Code | 13 | 131 | Jan 16, 2022 06:11AM |
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--I use Goodreads to track and rate my current reading. Most of my reads are 4 stars, meaning I enjoyed it hugely and would absolutely recommend. 5 stars is blew-my-socks-off; reserved for rare reads. 3 stars is "enjoyed it, but something fell a bit short." I very rarely rate lower because I DNF books I'm not enjoying, and don't rate books I don't finish.--
Kate Quinn is the New York Times and USA ...more
Kate Quinn is the New York Times and USA ...more
Articles featuring this book
There’s no time like the present, we’re told. And this is true, but dedicated readers of historical fiction are hip to the fact that are many...
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“If he doesn’t love me in a boiler suit, he’s not worth dressing up for in the first place.”
—
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“Are not there little chapters in everybody’s life, Beth had read in Vanity Fair only that morning, that seem to be nothing, and yet affect all the rest of history?”
—
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I rarely give five stars but this book certainly deserved it!
May 31, 2022 06:33PM · flag
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