The random letter picker has become adept at picking out the more uncommon letters, so it was no surprise when Q was drawn from the "reading bag of destiny"! After a random search on Audible, I plumped for The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, writer of historical fiction. This is the story of three very different women who find themselves being recruited to Bletchley Park in 1940. Osla is an outgoing society girl and paramour of the dashing Prince Philip of Greece (yes, that Prince Philip!). Mab comes from the East End and is trying to reinvent herself after her poverty stricken upbringing and devastating trauma in her teens. And finally there is Beth, a shy local girl with a domineering mother who is adept at crosswords. The three women room together and, although they are completely different and have specific roles to perform for the war effort - translating decoded messages; working the codebreaking machine; being a cryptanalyst - they form a remarkable bond that few outside of such a secret set up as Bletchley could understand. The story revolves around their loves, their work, the war and how the relationship between the three women forms and splinters over time. And when, towards the end of the war, Beth is carted away to an asylum, they go their separate ways. That is, until 1947, just prior to Prince Philip's marriage to Princess Elizabeth, when Beth sends Osla and Mab a message to come and rescue her as a matter of national security. There is much to like about this story - for instance, it's great to see these women front and centre of the codebreaking activities Bletchley Park is famous for. The story also unfolds in a pleasing way and there are some shocks and surprises along the journey too. However, I wasn't totally convinced about using Prince Philip as a "character", particularly a romantic character. In addition, the characters felt like unreal extreme versions of people to get the plot moving forward. Plus, there were Americanisms used throughout, which jarred as a UK reader. However, saying all of that, it was still an enjoyable read and it did feature some interesting history around what happened at Bletchley - the work and the lives of those involved. As long as you suspend your disbelief at times, and let yourself be carried along by the yarn, you will not be disappointed. Plus, the revelation of "who done it" will keep you guessing up to the point of the big reveal - which is always pleasing!
My STAR rating: FOUR.
Length: 592 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.84
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.
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