We have read several WWII historical fiction books in the last few years. Invariably, we come away with a new awareness of what really happened during this war and most of the new information we gather looks little like the John Wayne, Henry Fonda war movies we grew up on. The war was cruel and ugly and not won or lost only because of men. Kate Quinn, in her novel The Rose Code, enlightened us about an extremely important group of women who were integral to the code breaking operation in England’s Bletchley Park. The Nazi codes were nearly impossible to decipher but through hours of tedious, brain buster determination, the code was broken and the result was a turning point in the war. Quinn’s story tells us about three brave women who worked tirelessly and at a great personal expense to gain access to the Nazi war correspondences. Each of the main characters is based loosely on real women who worked at Bletchley. The fictional parts of the story had some basis in fact and added a human element to an otherwise very information packed book. Each of the women had a unique back story and their friendship and subsequent split added interest and important storyline detail needed to carry the novel. Our discussion began with an in-depth look at the enigma machine of the Germans and the bombe machine that was created at Bletchley Park to decipher codes, and the very specific vocabulary needed to detail the work done by the main characters. Luckily, the novel is very enjoyable and educational even without the history lesson on the machines. Some may be thinking that they have read enough about WWII, but this book is one that should not be missed. Women and their heroics are not celebrated enough, but Kate Quinn’s book does a wonderful job and should be enjoyed by many.
