A review by hiltzmoore
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

4.0

I know many thought this was too slow to get going, but I actually really appreciated the time taken to really develop the three main characters' personalities and backgrounds along with the framework of how BP worked. I must say that reading from the perspective of a clearly autistic young woman during a time that there was no way for her to be diagnosed as such was quite jarring/disturbing and I thought the author did a really good job of capturing that tactfully and realistically for the time period. Quinn's historical fiction always does a good job of depicting women in unusual historically significant roles so that I always learn something (one of my criteria for a good historical fiction piece). I liked reading the Prince Philip storyline this year (21-22) as he has been in the news in 2021 due to his passing. I found some of this section to be a little contrived for author convenience, however, and really felt the last 1/3 of the book, when the excitement ramped up, was a bit too easily tied up.