Bibliographic Information:
Title: The Rose Code
Author: Kate Quinn
ISBN: 9780062943477
Publisher: William Morrow/ Harper Collins
Copyright Date: 2021
Genre: Historical fiction, thriller, espionage
Format: Print book
Awards or Honors: 2022 Alex Award
Reading Level/Interest Level: 16+ (I couldn’t find a formal age suggestion given that this is for a general audience, but it’s frankly no more adult than many YA books)
Plot Summary: Osla, Mab, and Beth each find a different route to Bletchly Park, WWII’s most secret code-breaking facility. Each has something different to contribute to the war effort, but the price is their silence. A friendship forged in war, loves won and lost, and the randomness of tragedy all have their part to play. Readers follow the trio as they each find their place, whether translating, code-breaking, or running the machines that decrypt the intercepted messages. The three women fall in and out of love, grapple with unimaginable tragedy, and leave their mark on history.
The narrative moves back and forth between the action during WWII, and its aftermath, which leaves one of them trapped in an insane asylum, desperately trying to tell the world that there was a traitor at Bletchly Park…
Author Background: Kate Quinn grew up in Southern California but got her undergraduate degree and a master’s degree in Classical Voice at Boston University. She has written numerous bestselling historical novels, most recently related to WWII. She lives in San Diego with her rescue dogs.
Critical Evaluation: Meticulously researched and imaginatively written, Quinn weaves a complicated tale that requires cracking much as a code does. By turns heartbreaking and uplifting, this tale of three very different women and the very different lives they lead illuminates the sacrifices and successes of war. While not technically YA, it’s an Alex Award winner. One of the protagonists is a teenager for part of the book and the others are in their early twenties.
Creative Use for a Library Program: Let’s crack some codes! Run a code-breaking workshop where participants learn to write and read Vigenère ciphers. This is an excellent opportunity to introduce readers to any books the library has in its collection about ciphers and espionage, as well as historical books related to Bletchly Park. (Quinn includes a list of recommended reading at the end of the book.)
Speed-Round Book Talk: Three women working in the heart of the most secret place in all of Britain: Bletchly Park. The secrets they keep will have repercussions for history and themselves. After the war, they must break a code once more, to reveal a traitor in their midst.
Reason for Inclusion: This book is a wonderful glimpse into a recently visible piece of history, as well as a book well-tailored for mathematical minds. It’s also a relatively rare depiction of neurodiverse characters (both historical and fictionalized).
Want more? Watch the official trailer for The Rose Code:
References
ALA.org (n.d.) Alex award. Retrieved from https://www.ala.org/yalsa/alex-awards#current
Quinn, K. (n.d.) About. Retrieved from https://www.katequinnauthor.com/about/
Verma, Henrietta. “The Rose Code.” Booklist, vol. 117, no. 12, 15 Feb. 2021, p. 31.
Leave a Reply