The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
megritchey's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: War, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Sexual assault, and Death
Moderate: Cancer, Racism, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, and Racial slurs
Minor: Abortion, Excrement, Antisemitism, Genocide, Blood, Suicide, and Pregnancy
jbpalumbo'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? No
4.25
Graphic: Medical content, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Confinement, Abandonment, Cancer, Classism, Child death, War, Violence, Sexual violence, Rape, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, and Bullying
Moderate: Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Torture, Terminal illness, Racism, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, and Infidelity
Minor: Vomit, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, and Abortion
The racism and islamophobia are challenged to a degree. There is also a favorable depiction of an open marriage where criticism thereof is challenged.julia_treat99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcohol, Xenophobia, Sexual content, Blood, Cancer, Genocide, Racial slurs, and War
03140786's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Xenophobia, Ableism, and War
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Racism, Racial slurs, and Toxic friendship
Racism is experienced by a supporting character and his son, and other characters use racial slurs to refer to them as well. There is also a description of a sexual assault attempt that happened to a main character in her past. Finally asofiazee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
The story was presented by alternating two time lines: one during ww2, another 3 years after the war. Both weaved in and out seamlessly, building up tension and mystery as we eagerly read on to find out what exactly happened to them, then who shared secrets and camaraderie, but ended up hating each other?
Many, if not all, of the characters are very realistic and fully developed, with their distinct flaws, language, and quirks. At the beginning the plot seems to be somewhat slow, but it was necessary to build up the setting and characters. The final few chapters were a bit too rushed in my opinion, but it did not ruin the reading experience.
I’m so glad to come across this book. Highly recommended for historical buffs!
Graphic: Forced institutionalization
Moderate: War, Child death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Bullying
bringmybooks's review against another edition
- 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
✨ 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!
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and War
Moderate: Mental illness, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Infidelity
leila_reads_too_much'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
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault and War
Minor: Racial slurs
srah's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Gore, War, Death, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Violence, Child death, and Grief
Minor: Genocide and Homophobia
shortshortreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
We were also given the POV of the women post war hinting at the scars and perhaps an unsolved mystery still lingering. This was really well written but I did have to wait for the pace to pick up around 50%. We got to see the women develop and learn their strengths and show they too could contribute to the war.
Moderate: War
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, Rape, Domestic abuse, Death, and Child death
beautifulpaxielreads'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? No
3.5
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
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.
Graphic: Child death, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Medical content, Mental illness, Violence, War, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Bullying, Racism, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Racial slurs, Ableism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Antisemitism and Genocide