Histfic set in Bletchley – The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Historical mysteries at Bletchley Circle
A novel about three woman who come together at the secret code breaking world of Bletchley. Tragedy strikes and they become strangers to one another until a secret is revealed……
IF you love gripping historical fiction and want a novel from an author who you can be sure will painstakingly recreate a world for you to explore, then this book is for you.
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Setting: Bletchley Park
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A novel to place you on the heart of the intrigue at Bletchley Circle
Hands down one of the best, if not the best, novel I’ve read about the woman (and men) of Bletchley Circle. It’s as if the author was there herself. Maybe she has a time machine and actually was. It’s hard to tell as the novel seems so personal, realistic and human. The setting, claustrophobic huts, secrecy and long hours were perfectly captured on the page. Immersive and then some.
The novel starts in 1940 and covers the years up to 1947. This timeline is perfect for building the characters, their motivations and their most important work for the war effort. The three women who come together at Bletchley are all very different they provide a wealth of rich detail and emotion to the harsh war conditions in the background.
BookTrail the locations in The Rose Code
Mab is poor and wants to marry but finds her place as fixing the machines that the codebreakers use. Osla, on the other hand, comes from a background of wealth. She’s fluent in German and is dating a certain royal named Philip and that’s where the story gets very interesting indeed. This isn’t just a ‘Bletchley’ novel but it infiltrates the royal family and the royal circle in a very interesting way. You could say that it’s a novel about supporting king and country as well as yourself. finally we have Beth, who is quiet and has only ever lived with her parents. She has a gift for maths.
Bletchley Park – The Mansion
As we spend time in Bletchley and see the day to day of what these women did, well, what an eye opening experience. These women didn’t just help the war effort, they formed friendships, made time to laugh, found love and freedom and even have fun. When the novel jumps ahead and we see that the women are now strangers to one another…well my heart sank. I wanted to know why and how.
Beth in particular was a character who really interested me for her determination and stamina. Tragedy strikes and we meet the three women again, now at very different stages of life. I was committed to all of their stories, lock stock and barrel. The world they inhabited was a fascinating one. (I’ve been to Bletchley and it is honesty the most amazing place I have ever been to).
Bletchley Circle – Alan Turing’s office
The novel was extremely well written with just the right amount of historical detail and intrigue interlaced with strong characters and a dangerous central mystery. It was a amazingly complex and gripping read but one which just flowed and I really did have to keep those pages turning.
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Twitter: @KateQuinnAuthor Web: www.katequinnauthor.com/
