Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

11 reviews

jbpalumbo'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: 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.

basil_plant's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

maybe the best book i’ve read so far this year!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Cursing, Child death, Confinement, Grief, War, and Sexual violence

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

03140786's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

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 a

character is forcefully put into a mental institution against her will by other characters

. Otherwise period appropriate sexism and ableism appear.

bahbahbluesheep's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Sexual violence

inked_in_pages's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, War, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Grief, Sexism, Death, and Child death

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, 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

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.

ebba94's review against another edition

informative inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and War

stampest's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abandonment, Mental illness, and Sexual violence

nataliebootlah's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious 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

I devoured this book. In 1940, three women — Osla, Mab, and Beth — begin mysterious work at Bletchley Park as World War II rages on. Under strict oath, they cannot tell anyone that they’re breaking intercepted enemy communications. A resounding story of friendship, love, and humor is born out of secrecy. That is, of course, until everything falls apart. 

Flash forward to 1947, where the three haven’t spoken in years. Beth is locked away in an asylum and sends Osla and Mab an encrypted message begging them to come to her. They do owe her, after all. 

Twists, turns, secrets, lies, love, and hate fuel the fire of this one. You won’t regret diving head in. 

The Rose Code intertwines historical reality with breathtaking fiction. The amount of research that clearly went into this novel (and the parallels to the real men and women of Bletchley Park) made it that much more enjoyable. I can’t wait to read more Kate Quinn books! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Child death, Racial slurs, and Physical abuse

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and War