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The Rose Code
The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.
1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything--beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses--but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of east-end London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park's few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart.
1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter--the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger--and their true enemy--closer...
These book club questions were prepared by Bookclubs staff.
Book club questions for The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
The three protagonists - Osla, Mab, and Beth - come from very different backgrounds. How do their contrasting personalities and perspectives shape the novel's narrative?
Discuss the role and portrayal of female friendship in the book. How do the bonds between Osla, Mab and Beth both support and challenge them?
What did you make of the harsh conditions and strict rules imposed on the women codebreakers at Bletchley Park? How did this regimented environment impact their sense of self?
Unpack the character of Prince Philip and his relationships with Osla and others. Did your opinion of him change over the course of the book?
The novel explores different forms of love and relationships. Discuss the romances and dynamics between Osla and Philip, Beth and Harry, and Mab and Francis.
The friendships between the women had to cross significant class divides. What commentary might the book offer on hierarchies of the era?
The storyline involving espionage adds suspense. Did you suspect anyone of being the traitor before it was revealed?
Discuss the theme of betrayal in the novel. Do you consider what Beth did a betrayal? What would you have done if you were in her shoes?
What was the impact of setting the novel in two timelines?
The codebreaking work done by the women was top secret for decades after the war. What does their willingness to keep this silence show about values like duty and loyalty?
How familiar were you with the women of Bletchley Park before reading this novel? How does uncovering the heroic efforts of female codebreakers like those at Bletchley Park revise and expand our understanding of WWII history?
The Rose Code Book Club Questions PDF
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