Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

9 reviews

knit_the_resistance's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

Absolutely riveting, extremely well written historical fiction about real-life characters and composites who broke code at Bletchley Park during WWII. I usually feel like a book needs editing and this definitely did not. It's a little more gruesome in small areas than I'm used to but hey, it's  war, right? Smashing good characters, sparkly clothing, plot. A ripping good yarn. The climactic scene is a little ridiculous but you can forgive the author as it ties all the loose ends together. Proud of myself for figuring out who the villain was, early on in the book. Interesting depiction of the treatment of autistic characters in the 1940s. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, War, and Injury/Injury detail

leahegood's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Summary
Osla, Mab, and Beth ... three girls with wildly different backgrounds and socioeconomic standing, all pulled together by WWII and thrust into the secretive, chaotic, exhilarating work of code breaking.

Told in dual timeline between war time and post-war, this book shows the three protagonists learning to break codes, learning who they are as people, learning their way into friendship, finding love, and losing themselves down the rabbit hole of bombings and the high-stakes wonderland of Bletchly Park.

My Thoughts
This was the most unique WWII novel I've come across in a while. Unsurprising since it's a more niche war time experience (code breaking) and based largely on real-life people. I'm definitely curious to read some of the autobiographies and non-fiction books mentioned in the authors note!

While I give the book all the points for interest and readability, it did toe the line of spice level I'm willing to read. Though not explicit, the narrative nudged a bit past fade-to-black in the bedroom and also blurred ethical lines regarding extra marital (both pre-marriage and within-marriage) sex. The one element that makes me excuse this, ever so slightly, is that some of this content followed the real life narrative of the characters involved in the story.

Content
Sexuality: As mentioned above, the narrative is not explicit but does nudge past the fade-to-black point. This includes making out and intercourse in contexts of marriage, pre-marriage, consensual outside-of-marriage, and sexual assault. Contraceptives are discussed. Homosexuality is mentioned in passing.

Violence: Infrequent. Two instances of bombing aftermaths include stark, but not gratuitous, imagery of destroyed bodies. Nightmares regarding bombing violence and sexual assault are experienced.

Language: Characters swear throughout the book.

Religion: An abusive parent uses Bible passages to enforce her control. Characters mention attending (and enjoying) chapel, but do not live according to Biblical standards 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Islamophobia, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

megritchey's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, and War

Moderate: Cancer, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Genocide, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Antisemitism, Abortion, and Pregnancy

jencolumb0's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

A sweeping historical war-time novel; almost a math geek's League of Their Own. I enjoyed learning about an aspect of WWII history that I had not previously heard about. I also thoroughly enjoyed coming along for the ride of the (fictionalized) rise, fall, and rise again of a trio of war-time friends. As one would expect with a novel set in England during WWII, there is a fair amount of discussion around loss and violence. As the book is centered on a trio of women, the loss and violence they experience is, to a certain degree, reflective of their gender and the patriarchal constructs of the time, though I do appreciate the author's challenge to these experiences. There was just enough romance blended into the book and a solid HEA/HFN for each of the primary characters to keep it from being a complete, war-time downer, though please do read through the content warnings if you have any sensitivity to specific issues because, in more than 600 pages, pretty much every type of loss/traumatic experience is explored to some degree. I did not love that the character coded as autistic ends up spending

three and half years in a mental institution

, even if it was completely irrelevant to their neurodiversity. It just felt kind of ick. Though I, overall, enjoyed the character development, after about 500 pages, had to chuckle at the neat twists that had to snap into place to get to the HEA/HFN. While improbable on balance, those twists make for a satisfying (if not slightly madcap) outcome to an interesting corner of well-fictionalized history. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Classism

Moderate: Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Abortion, and Pregnancy

The racism and islamophobia are challenged to a degree. There is also a favorable depiction of an open marriage where criticism thereof is challenged.

brttbwrs's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I loved the female friendships and how it portrayed them, and the story was pretty good once I was finished, but I got a little frustrated with the pace in the middle. I have seen stories told out of chronological order done well before, but this one falls short for me in that capacity.  All said and done, this one was not my jam, but I can see how someone else could love it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma

bringmybooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring mysterious sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One more book finished for #12BooksRecommendedBy12Friends and it was FANTASTIC.

✨ 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 ✨ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷

Yet another perfect example of being intimidated by a chunky 500+ pg book and then finishing it in less than a week because you just can’t put it down!

I already knew a fair bit about Enigma and Bletchley Park before reading The Rose Code, but Kate Quinn brings Station X alive in such an amazing way. I loved the narrative format of the book, the dual timeline + multiple POV that kept your attention throughout the entire book.

I loved learning more about the intricacies involved in the actual codebreaking, and I loved the way Quinn explains all of it in a way that mostly feels like you get what’s happening (I say “mostly” because although I thought Quinn did a great job explaining, there were still some situations where I had trouble picturing exactly what the machines looked like).

Seriously in love with this entire book, and with all of the characters - so much. The three female characters felt SO REAL to me, and I was an anxious mess as the book came to it’s climax waiting to see what would happen to all of them.

This is my second Kate Quinn (the first being The Alice Network, which I also loved) and I own both The Huntress & The Diamond Eye - The Diamond Eye is another one I plan on reading this year for the 12Books12Friends challenge and I can’t wait!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and War

Moderate: Mental illness, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Infidelity

beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

emotional informative tense medium-paced

• 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? No

3.5

For the most part, The Rose Code was a gripping, compelling work set against the backdrop of the Bletchley Park codebreaking operation in Buckinghamshire, England, during the Second World War.

The novel follows three women who worked there - socialite Osla Kendall, working-class Mabel "Mab" Churt, and shy but brilliant local girl, Bethan "Beth" Finch who today would probably be diagnosed as autistic.

Kate Quinn excels in creating a vivid atmosphere, rich in historical detail with characters who feel three-dimensional.  These characters are either composites of real people, fictionalised versions of real people, or actual historical figures - such as the late Prince Philip

(who the fictionalised Osla is in a relationship with, as was the real Osla before he married the now-late Queen)

, the-then Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret and Winston Churchill.

But even though it's clear that Quinn did her homework on history, I found that upon reading the extensive author's note, I disliked the way she adapted characters and historical events to suit the plot. I know most authors of historical fiction do this, and normally I don't have a problem with it, but somehow it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it's because the backdrop of the novel is set in (relatively) recent times. I don't know - maybe it's just me.

Anyway, The Rose Code is still a beautifully written and excellently-paced novel - but if you're a historical purist, it might not be your cup of tea.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting

Minor: Genocide and Antisemitism

A past gang rape attempt is described. The survivor, Mab, manages to fend off her attackers, and as a result of this, she has a fear of sexual intimacy. Another main character, Beth, is probably autistic - although this is never stated explicitly. She is bullied by her mother. Once employed at Bletchley Park, Beth experiences breakdowns and burnout, and works for hours at a time. She is later sent by one of the other employees at Bletchley Park to a sanatorium in order to ensure her silence about an act of treason. Once there, she is coerced, abused and gaslighted by the staff and on one occasion exchanges sexual favours for information. She also later is threatened with undergoing a lobotomy, and the procedure is described in detail. It does occur to another minor character, but Beth is rescued before the procedure is carried out.

She also has an affair with a married man called Harry Zarb. Harry and his wife Sheila have an open marriage, staying together for the sake of their only son, who has polio.

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

I had no idea about Bletchley Park or the work that was done there during World War II. This historical-fiction did a great job of giving me some insight into what went on at BP and who the people working there were. This book is equal parts funny, hopeful, devastating, thought-provoking, and sad. 

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Content Warnings

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

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

• 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

There are a good many flaws in this book, which is a pity, but even so I enjoyed it (audio version) immensely. Set in WW2 at Bletchley Park, the protagonists are 3 very different women who work there and the relationship between them. Even though I have been to Bletchley Park, I felt I had a much better idea of the work there after reading this book, but it wasn’t heavy-handed in too much technical detail. 
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. 

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Content Warnings

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