I don't often read fiction anymore. When I'm in the middle of a busy semester of study, I don't have any time for recreational reading, but somehow, even though it has taken me ages to read because Linguistic and Criminal theory took precedence, I couldn't put this one down. Recommended to me by a work colleague, I was immediately interested in it because the author Kate Quinn draws from real people and real events to write her fiction and I really love that.
The Rose Code is set near the beginning of World War 2 in London and largely focuses on three young women who are trying to do their bit for the war effort. When they are recruited to Blethchley Park, the top secret, code-breaking country house, and though they come from very different backgrounds, their lives intertwine. When the war is over the three must reunite again to save the life of one of their friends and protect their country.
The book takes inspiration from the real Osla Benning, a Canadian debutante who was the goddaughter to Lord Mountbatten and while staying with him before the war, she met Prince Philip.
Main Characters:
Osla Kendall - debutante, socialite and girlfriend of Prince Philip.
Mabel (Mab) Churt - working class and worldly wise
Beth Finch - genius but oppressed by her controlling and religious mother
To my delight I also found another little novella with Osla Kendall post-war meeting Agatha Christie. I found it on Audible. It uses a character from Agatha Christie's N or M (one of my favourites of hers, and a war story featuring Tommy and Tuppence). It's a great, short listen!
I've been on a bit of a World War 2 research drive at the moment, especially Bletchley Park. It is truly remarkable what the British managed to do there and hugely crucial to winning the war. What amazes me though, is that for years anyone who worked there could not talk about what they had done during the war on threat of death for treason! So many of the men and women who had worked there went to their graves with the secrets of Bletchley Park until the 1970s when wartime information became declassified. Here is some further information about Blethchley and I found a wonderful tour on Youtube which shows and explains Alan Turing's battle with the incredible enigma machine.
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