Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

19 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.

srah's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious tense slow-paced

4.5

I took off a quarter point for being a bit longer and slower than it needed to be, and another quarter point for the graphic descriptions in the

Café de Paris

scene, which I have been thinking about all week since I read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, War, Death, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Violence, Child death, and Grief

Minor: Genocide and Homophobia

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Confinement

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, War, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Medical content, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Alcohol, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Blood, Chronic illness, Genocide, and Racism

franklola's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, War, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Child death, Death, and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Genocide

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.

rmperash's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault

Moderate: Child death, Violence, Medical trauma, and Death

remy_licked_my_book's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative medium-paced

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

4.5

This is a 4.5 star read for me! Fascinating story based on incredible, true research done by Kate Quinn. I listened to this as an audiobook and it was a lovely listen. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys WWII reads or anything about the royal family. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Moderate: Violence and Blood

Minor: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse

fivecatsinacoat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free review copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book! It's a perfect complement to the typical WWII books and I've always been interested in the Bletchly Park codebreakers. I did feel that it was a little too long, but it was beautifully written and I can't wait to read more by Kate Quinn. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Child death, Confinement, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Torture, Violence, War, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Racism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Blood and Classism

Minor: Sexual content and Animal cruelty

abby_p's review against another edition

adventurous informative inspiring tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Infidelity, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, and Death

linesiunderline's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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

Ah Kate Quinn… I’ve only read 3 of her books but I can easily say that she writes historical fiction better than most. I adored The Huntress, and for me, The Rose Code equaled it. Another 5⭐️ experience.

I don’t think The Rose Code was as tense a read as The Huntress, however the way that Quinn brings the three central female characters to life is every bit as satisfying as the page turning quality of her previous novel. I could’ve read an entire book about each one of the code breaking women at the heart of The Rose Code.

One of the most tantalizing qualities of great historical fiction is how it gives the reader a feeling of being transported, and Quinn excels at this. When I read her books, I am temporarily pulled away from the present time and I sink down into an experience from the past, and I love that sense of traveling away into the story. I can get lost in her books.

Absolutely brilliantly narrated on audio, and certainly worthy of rereading, this will be one of my favourite books of the year!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, and War