I haven't been much up for World War II books, and The Librarian of Auschwitz about did me in, but I loved The Rose Code.
The Rose Code tells the story of three women who worked to help decode Enigma Machine messages at Bletchley Park in England. Osla, the debutante who is dating Prince Philip, can speak German. Mab came from a life of poverty and put herself through secretarial school. These two are recruited in 1940 because of their skills. They are billeted at a local home where Beth, who is the daughter of a domineering mother, is great at solving puzzles. So the girls recruit her, and she becomes one of the best cryptographers at Bletchley Park. These three become unlikely friends.
The other perspective is from 1947, and we are days from the Royal Wedding where Princess Elizabeth is to marry Prince Philip. And it soon becomes apparent that our three main characters are no longer friends, and actually hate each other. One of them is in an asylum, wrongfully, and sends a message to the other two for help.
As the two time periods converge, we realize the huge betrayals that caused their rift. And will the two come and help the third one get out of the asylum? As the story is told we also learn a lot about the operation at Bletchley Park and what was involved in the code-breaking -- some of it was quite complex and I didn't get it all, but it didn't matter. There is drama, romance, heartbreak, and of course a lot of secrets.
The epilogue and author's notes really brought it all together. The characters are all based on real people. Bletchley Park is now on my bucket list of places I want to visit. I found it all very fascinating, but also entertaining. I loved the characters and rooted for them. The tension builds nicely to the satisfying ending.
The audio version, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, was excellent. I highly recommend The Rose Code, even if you aren't really into war books right now.
Published by William Morrow, 2021, HarperAudio
Audiobook obtained from the library
656 pages
Rating: 5/5
Yay for The Rose Code! This novel was one of my favorites last year so I am always happy to hear that someone loved it, too.
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