I saw the blurb for this one and decided I needed something a bit different to break up my usual diet of SFF, so requested it. I’m so very glad I was approved for this interesting read…
BLURB: 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 than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of east-end London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart. 1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter…
I’ve truncated the blurb here, as afterwards I think it gets far too chatty and it’s better if you read the next plot twist in the book.
REVIEW: Three young women, all remarkable in completely differing ways and from entirely different backgrounds, are brought together in the pressure cooker that is Bletchley Park during World War II. I recall the furore caused when news of what went on at Bletchley Park first leaked out for general consumption, back in 1974. Those involved were sworn to absolute secrecy and they abided by it, from the typists and secretarial support through to the code breakers. We are given a ringside seat to the activities of Bletchley through the perspective of three women – Osla, Mab and Beth. For the other remarkable aspect of Bletchley Park is that women were permitted to work alongside men. Admittedly, they didn’t get the same pay – but given that they proved to be every bit as brilliant and dedicated as the men, they very quickly were established within the oddball community that was Bletchley.
This gripping story, much of it based upon the lives of actual people who worked at Bletchley, charts the highs and lows of working in such a pressured environment, where everyone was scaldingly aware that their success in breaking crucial codes affected the course of the war. We get to see how working in conditions of absolute secrecy created extra twists of pressure – men working eighteen-hour shifts under difficult conditions, only to be spat at in the street for not being in uniform, or ostracised by family members for not fighting for King and Country, for instance. Even if they resigned, they were still forbidden to join the Armed Forces, just in case they were captured and gave up information about Bletchley.
Quinn weaves a story of love, loss and heartbreak in amongst the febrile atmosphere of the war, where the friendship between the three young women is smashed apart. I thought the dual timelines worked very well and that the romance between Osla and the dashing Prince Philip was particularly deftly handled – anyone who has seen pictures of him as a young man knows that he was every bit as handsome as Quinn describes him.
The gripping climax of this story made it difficult to put down and I really enjoyed the exciting denouement. I highly recommend that you also read the Appendix where Quinn describes how she wove details of actual people within her story and also provides a potted history of Bletchley House, itself. Highly recommended for fans of historical adventures set during WWII. While I obtained an arc of The Rose Code from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10
This offering was produced by Vintage Classics in September 2009. It has the advantage of at least being clear and with the styling, gives a flavour of the 1940s and as most of the action takes place in 1944, that is a plus. I also like the fact that her dog is featured on the cover. It isn’t my favourite, but it is at least a contender. There are some truly dreadful covers for this book, which I decided not to inflict upon you.
Published by William Morrow, this edition is listed under the US title The Breaking Wave. I’m guessing they changed the title, because it’s likely that Americans wouldn’t know that Wrens are the female branch of the Navy, though they didn’t get to serve on ships during combat alongside their male colleagues during WWII. This cover is my favourite. I love the styling and the artwork, which is spot on for the period – that duffle coat and hairstyle, for instance. And once again, we have Janet’s dog on the cover. This actually is taken from a scene in the book and is my favourite.
This edition, published in August 2010 by Vintage International, is a split cover, featuring a gun turret on a battleship (I think) in the upper half and a romantic moment between Janet and the love of her life, Bill, in the lower half. To be honest, I think this cover is a bit of a mess. I don’t know why the font had to be quite so large and blocky and blast across the artwork so intrusively – almost as if the designers are trying to cover it up. 
This edition, published in June 2018 by Createspace, is a fairly typical self-published cover. It’s not dreadful, but it isn’t that brilliant either and that is clearly some random photo of the time, completely unrelated to the book. The font, in particular, lets it down as it all but disappears in thumbnail.
This edition, published by House of Stratus in July 2002, is another clumsy effort. I’m guessing in amongst the artful blurring and sparkles (goodness knows what that is supposed to represent) that Janet is in uniform and staring out to sea. I quite like the tones, but why on earth anyone thought it a good idea to use a wussy font like that to run right across the middle of the artwork, I can’t imagine. Needless to say, the title and Shute’s name are completely invisible in thumbnail. Has anyone else read this hauntingly beautiful book? And which cover is your favourite?
before they returned to school this coming week, just as the temperature soared back into the 80s again. On Bank Holiday Monday we visited the Wetland and Wildfowl Trust, which we all thoroughly enjoyed – and were a bit shocked at how long it’s been since our last visit. The highlight was the boat ride through the reeds, as ever – but we also had great fun revisiting places where the children used to play, as the photo shows… On Tuesday we went to Worthing to our local Waterstones bookshop where both children bought books with their pocket money and on Wednesday, which was thankfully cooler – we visited Highdown Gardens before taking the children back home again. Their stay was over in the blink of an eye…
It’s been a mostly quiet life since Robin Hood denounced Marian, his pregnant wife, and his former life and retreated to a monastery to repent his sins . . . although no one knows what he did that was so heinous he would leave behind Sherwood Forest and those he loved most.
spiteful letter sent to the court claiming that there is more to her friendship with her sleuthing partner, Tom Dod, than meets the eye. Fran takes Tom’s advice to get away, travelling down to Devon to help the Edgertons with their family mystery. After meeting the charismatic Eddie Edgerton and arriving at their residence, Sunnyside House, Fran soon learns that Eddie’s grandfather, Frederick Edgerton, died in mysterious circumstances when his wheelchair went off a cliff. Was it really an accident? And what happened to Frederick’s precious diamond which went missing at the time of his death? As Fran investigates, she uncovers family scandal, skulduggery and revenge, but can she solve the mystery of the missing diamond?
Nine-year-old Tiffany Aching needs magic–fast! Her sticky little brother Wentworth has been spirited away by the evil Queen of Faerie, and it’s up to her to get him back safely. Having already decided to grow up to be a witch, now all Tiffany has to do is find her power. But she quickly learns that it’s not all black cats and broomsticks. According to her witchy mentor Miss Tick, “Witches don’t use magic unless they really have to…We do other things. A witch pays attention to everything that’s going on…A witch uses her head…A witch always has a piece of string!” Luckily, besides her trusty string, Tiffany’s also got the Nac Mac Feegles, or the Wee Free Men on her side. Small, blue, and heavily tattooed, the Feegles love nothing more than a good fight except maybe a drop of strong drink!
her controlling cousin, both determined to keep her safely tucked away in their family home. If she can somehow balance her sense of obligation to family with her desperate need to be of use, perhaps she can discover how she fits into her tumultuous world.
Two years after the initial invasion of Hayden’s World, the newly reinforced Hayden Militia is in a state of stalemate with the remaining enemy forces but neither side is content to leave things at that. The alien alliance has dispatched their varsity to clean up the resistance on Hayden while the USF has officially activated Task Force V, the latest and most advanced combat ships built by humans. In the end there are some things you decide in the skies, but some can only be settled in the mud.
All that Sergeant James Milburn wants is to heal. Sent to finish his convalescence in a lonely village in the north of England, the friends he’s lost haunt his dreams. If he can only be declared fit for active service again, perhaps he can rejoin his surviving mates in the fight across Sicily and either protect them or die alongside them.
first time in decades to attend the funeral of his best friend, Luke. Twenty years ago when Falk was accused of murder, Luke was his alibi. Falk and his father fled under a cloud of suspicion, saved from prosecution only because of Luke’s steadfast claim that the boys had been together at the time of the crime. But now more than one person knows they didn’t tell the truth back then, and Luke is dead. Amid the worst drought in a century, Falk and the local detective question what really happened to Luke. As Falk reluctantly investigates to see if there’s more to Luke’s death than there seems to be, long-buried mysteries resurface, as do the lies that have haunted them. And Falk will find that small towns have always hidden big secrets.
Deep in the heart of Presadia’s Great Forest lie many secrets, including the ancient ruins of a once-magnificent palace. A chance encounter with a bedraggled stranger and the discovery of broken shards of a magical mirror lead Antimony, an unusually tall dwarf, on a journey of discovery.
eries by Cressida Cowell
Brainfluff 