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professorbadger's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I found it about 100 pages too long and I disagreed with a few of the smaller story choices, but overall I enjoyed it greatly. The characters, who were almost all based on real people, came to life and have stayed with me even after the book is done. And the ending was heartwarming in a way that just felt NICE in these dark times.
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Grief, and War
Moderate: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
meresand's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault and Abortion
Minor: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, and War
jlewis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The book moves between the war years and 1947, with a slow build-up to why the relationship between the 3 women has gone so badly wrong, and then quite a fast-paced and tense resolution at the end.
So what are the faults? Well, the author is American and there is quite a lot of American vocabulary that could have done with being edited by a British editor. And she seems oblivious to how rare household telephones were in the war years in Britain, and certainly would not have been found in an impoverished East End house. Worst of all, in the audio version, the narrator pronounces Keswick as Kes-Wick.
Some of the plot centres around one of the lead characters being in a relationship with Prince Philip. While I think his character is drawn with a good deal of respect, I’m not sure it adds much to the book and an alternative, fictional aristocrat would have fitted the bill equally.
But my biggest complaint is the liberties she takes with her characters, particularly Beth, in order to drive the plot along. Her behaviour in the situation in which she finds herself in 1947 is utterly out of character, and there are other anomalies earlier in the book.
Having said which, I look forward to reading more by this author.
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, and Racism
ahallen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Gore, Sexual assault, and Alcohol
jenkneebee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Medical trauma
reading_ladies_blog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Grief
liteartha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
despite excellent narration from saskia maarleveld, the 15+ hour audiobook (over 650 pages) felt excessively long and it was a challenge to stay invested at times. the three leads were all interesting and distinct characters, but i didn't feel like their relationships were well enough developed over the course of the story. i was most interested in the code breaking and interpersonal dynamics between the three main characters, both of which were certainly featured, but for a book of this length, i'd have liked more exploration of both.
my interest in this book also suffered dramatically for it having included prince philip as a prominent love interest, which felt entirely unnecessary to the plot and distracted me greatly throughout. i truly can't see the point of it.
thank you to netgalley and harper audio for providing this advance copy of the audiobook
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
Moderate: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Medical trauma
fortwords's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Rose Code • Kate Quinn
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
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👍🏼 Thumbs Up:
I loved this book! It’s a fascinating look at the women code breakers during WWII. There is a fascinating mystery component and a lot of character development!
•
👎🏻 Thumbs Down:
It was a little slow on the uptake for me. Once I got into it, though, I couldn’t put it down!
•
🤓 For Readers WHO:
Are fans of historical fiction, and even if you’re tired of WWII I would recommend this one and say it’s well worth your time! This book is The Imitation Game meets The Crown!
•
👉🏼 This is what’s WHAT:
Three women find themselves working at Bletchley Park assisting with code breaking. Their time together results in great personal upheaval that must be righted years later when a dangerous truth is discovered about their time at BP.
•
⏳WHEN I read this book:
I couldn’t put it down! I listened to it constantly. This is high praise from someone who is very critical of WWII HF.
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🚨WHERE you should watch out:
Death, violence, adultery, treason, death of a child, forced institutionalization
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📍WHY you should read this book:
It’s a great look at a lesser known part of WWII history
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📚 HOW I read this book:
Advanced audio copy provided by @netgalley and @harperaudio
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, and Grief
ninjamuse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Medical trauma
Minor: Animal cruelty