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katiebannasch's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and War
Moderate: Child death and Medical trauma
alynnhays's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
- 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
⚠️ This rating does not reflect my personal views but rather my understanding that the book was technically good. Continue reading at your own risk! ⚠️
I'm saying it. I hate historical fiction. My memory is terrible and I can already see myself inaccurately recounting a book about code breaking and false imprisonment to a history buff. I'd likely get both the facts and the fiction completely wrong and make myself look like an asshole. I appreciate the context, but I'd rather have my history served up in an hour by a foul-mouthed podcaster.
The book was good. Like, on paper, it was well-written, had a compelling story, and described the plight of people during WWII (hence the 4 stars). Still, I was so happy to finish this book.
On a positive note, the character development deserves recognition. I was genuinely disappointed by the inevitable tragedies (because, of course, historical fiction loves to romanticize grief and misery). The fact that I cared at all means the author did something right. After SIXTEEN HOURS with these characters, I'd have to be a sociopath not to feel something. This book felt longer than a Taylor Swift song! At least the ending was decent—not just because it was over, but because it was actually pleasant.Spoiler alert: the dog lives!
I'm saying it. I hate historical fiction. My memory is terrible and I can already see myself inaccurately recounting a book about code breaking and false imprisonment to a history buff. I'd likely get both the facts and the fiction completely wrong and make myself look like an asshole. I appreciate the context, but I'd rather have my history served up in an hour by a foul-mouthed podcaster.
The book was good. Like, on paper, it was well-written, had a compelling story, and described the plight of people during WWII (hence the 4 stars). Still, I was so happy to finish this book.
On a positive note, the character development deserves recognition. I was genuinely disappointed by the inevitable tragedies (because, of course, historical fiction loves to romanticize grief and misery). The fact that I cared at all means the author did something right. After SIXTEEN HOURS with these characters, I'd have to be a sociopath not to feel something. This book felt longer than a Taylor Swift song! At least the ending was decent—not just because it was over, but because it was actually pleasant.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Medical trauma
author2223's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and War
Moderate: Racial slurs
greta_o's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Confinement, Medical trauma, and War
mle0017's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Excellent writing and historical fiction based for the most part on real life events and people. It is mostly rooted in the big picture mission of BP and the lives of its members, not necessarily in the code breaking mysteries themselves but equally informative and gripping. Be prepared, the characters are so whimsical and eccentric it's hard to balance with the sometimes jarring extreme sadness of wartime, but that's in line with the tragedy of the time. Read the authors note at the end when you finish to get more details on the real life events and folks the book is based on! An overall great read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Medical trauma, and War
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
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma
lolaslalaland's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
4.0
It's World War II and three brilliant women have been recruited to work at Bletchley Park. They cannot share anything they do for the military outside of the park or even amongst each other which makes it difficult to forge and maintain relationships and not succumb to utter paranoia.
I don't usually read historical fiction. I often find it quite repetitive and boring ("if you've read one World War II book, you've read them all" kind of mindset), but this book really made me reconsider my view on historical fiction. These three women were so unique and different and their friendship was genuine and filled with hurdles and arguments, but also trust and love and dedication. They were brilliant and smart in a time where women were not meant to be recognized for those talents and you could feel just how much that weighed on them on top of the war and the secrecies they needed to keep. I loved each of them so much and felt horribly sad for the many injustices they suffered.
If you've watched the movie The Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch, then you will probably see a lot of parallels with the movie, but the fact is that hundreds of brilliant minds worked at Bletchley Park and not all of them shared their experiences from it. Again, due to their government bullying them and threatening them to secrecy. The author's note at the end of this book clarifies a lot of why she chose to write this book and I think she did a phenomenal job.
I also recommend the audiobook highly! The narrator did a phenomenal job with all the characters, translating their personalities into her voice acting and she performed so many accents. Can we nominate her for some kind of academy award? Wow!
I don't usually read historical fiction. I often find it quite repetitive and boring ("if you've read one World War II book, you've read them all" kind of mindset), but this book really made me reconsider my view on historical fiction. These three women were so unique and different and their friendship was genuine and filled with hurdles and arguments, but also trust and love and dedication. They were brilliant and smart in a time where women were not meant to be recognized for those talents and you could feel just how much that weighed on them on top of the war and the secrecies they needed to keep. I loved each of them so much and felt horribly sad for the many injustices they suffered.
If you've watched the movie The Imitation Game with Benedict Cumberbatch, then you will probably see a lot of parallels with the movie, but the fact is that hundreds of brilliant minds worked at Bletchley Park and not all of them shared their experiences from it. Again, due to their government bullying them and threatening them to secrecy. The author's note at the end of this book clarifies a lot of why she chose to write this book and I think she did a phenomenal job.
I also recommend the audiobook highly! The narrator did a phenomenal job with all the characters, translating their personalities into her voice acting and she performed so many accents. Can we nominate her for some kind of academy award? Wow!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, and War
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
fifteenthjessica's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This will probably be my last finished novel of 2022, and I'll definitely check out more by Kate Quinn.
World War II is in full swing, and decrypting German and Italian messages may be the difference between victory and defeat. Bletchley Park becomes a center of British Intelligence activity, and with many men at war, women are among the people brought in to help. Three of the women--Osla Kendall, a witty socialite who aspires to be seen as more than a ditzy debutante; Mab Churt, a jaded young woman from the poor side of London determined to make a better life for herself; and Beth Finch, a spinster near Bletchley Park who after years of bullying from her mother thinks she's not good for much else other than household help and solving crossword puzzles--form a strong friendship that breaks before the end of the war. A few years later, as the world prepares to watch Osla's war time beau Philip marry Princess Elizabeth, Osla and Mab receive coded letters from Beth saying that there was a traitor at Bletchley Park who was behind her commitment to an insane asylum, and she needs their help get out and catch them.
The novel is overall excellent, most of the characters are lovable (although the traitor felt very two-dimensional), and Quinn shows skill with the genres she blends for this. As someone who isn't that big on romance, I did find myself rooting for most of the couples, even to a certain extent Philip and Osla's doomed romance, however, it would have been nicer if there was more code breaking and mystery worked in. At times, Bletchley Park feels like it's only present in the novel to put higher stakes into the 1947 portion. Another thing is that Quinn paints a great portrait of how, even in relatively egalitarian places like Bletchley Park, misogyny still rears its ugly head.
I was initially going to give it 5 stars, but looking back over my notes, I remembered some pacing issues. At times the narrative switching between the war years and the madcap hunt for the traitor before Philip and Elizabeth's wedding (as well as between the three main characters' POV) was well done, other times it was questionable. Probably the worst incident of this is Beth coming to a (false) conclusion of who the traitor is, only for the very next chapter to reveal the traitor's real identity when they literally show up and tell her. Not to mention, chapter 3 gave such a strong portrait of Mab and Osla's characters that Chapters 1 and 2 seemed extraneous except for bring up some important relationships they have with people outside of Bletchley Park.
World War II is in full swing, and decrypting German and Italian messages may be the difference between victory and defeat. Bletchley Park becomes a center of British Intelligence activity, and with many men at war, women are among the people brought in to help. Three of the women--Osla Kendall, a witty socialite who aspires to be seen as more than a ditzy debutante; Mab Churt, a jaded young woman from the poor side of London determined to make a better life for herself; and Beth Finch, a spinster near Bletchley Park who after years of bullying from her mother thinks she's not good for much else other than household help and solving crossword puzzles--form a strong friendship that breaks before the end of the war. A few years later, as the world prepares to watch Osla's war time beau Philip marry Princess Elizabeth, Osla and Mab receive coded letters from Beth saying that there was a traitor at Bletchley Park who was behind her commitment to an insane asylum, and she needs their help get out and catch them.
The novel is overall excellent, most of the characters are lovable (although the traitor felt very two-dimensional), and Quinn shows skill with the genres she blends for this. As someone who isn't that big on romance, I did find myself rooting for most of the couples, even to a certain extent Philip and Osla's doomed romance, however, it would have been nicer if there was more code breaking and mystery worked in. At times, Bletchley Park feels like it's only present in the novel to put higher stakes into the 1947 portion. Another thing is that Quinn paints a great portrait of how, even in relatively egalitarian places like Bletchley Park, misogyny still rears its ugly head.
I was initially going to give it 5 stars, but looking back over my notes, I remembered some pacing issues. At times the narrative switching between the war years and the madcap hunt for the traitor before Philip and Elizabeth's wedding (as well as between the three main characters' POV) was well done, other times it was questionable. Probably the worst incident of this is Beth coming to a (false) conclusion of who the traitor is, only for the very next chapter to reveal the traitor's real identity when they literally show up and tell her. Not to mention, chapter 3 gave such a strong portrait of Mab and Osla's characters that Chapters 1 and 2 seemed extraneous except for bring up some important relationships they have with people outside of Bletchley Park.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Genocide, Homophobia, Racism, and Blood