The Rose Code

 Tell me a story... about the Codebreakers of Bletchley Park

 The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

Publication date: March 9, 2021

Date read: June 6, 2021

As England prepares for war with Nazi Germany, three women are recruited to work at the mysterious Bletchley Park - the secret facility where the best minds in Britain try to break German and Italian military codes. Osla wishes to prove that she's more than just a debutante, and uses her German language skills to translate decoded messages. Mab pulled herself up out of poverty and is working the code-breaking machines, trying to provide for her family. And Beth, a local girl under the harsh thumb of her mother, finds her true calling as a cryptanalyst. The story jumps back and forth between this time period and one just a few years after the war, when the three women must put aside the secrets that tore them apart in order to solve one final mystery.

This is my third book by Kate Quinn and, while I've loved them all, this was my favorite out of the bunch. I think it was because I already have a bit of a fascination with Bletchley Park (thank you The Imitation Game), so I was already going into the book with a basic understanding of what the characters would be doing there. 

I thought that the characters were incredibly well-developed and written, although I didn't always like them. I actually had serious hate for some of the main characters at times, but this was due to intentional plot points by the author. And hating certain characters didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book at all. 

I think that Quinn is currently one of the best historical fiction writers out there today - having also written The Alice Network and The Huntress (as well as a few other series books that I haven't picked up yet, but plan to). I also liked that the trope of moving between the past and the present - which seems to be in most historical fiction these days - was altered a bit to only jump a few years. It's a trope that can be affective - Quinn often uses it herself - but that I get a little tired of at times. I did feel that it was used affectively here and didn't seem forced. 

I think that this book will appeal to most readers of historical fiction, even if you haven't read Quinn in the past or are going into this book with no previous knowledge of Bletchley Park. It combines the best parts of historical fiction with the best parts of a spy thriller. Add in characters that will definitely stick with me for a while and I feel that this is one of the best mainstream books of the year. 

Rating: 5/5 stars

Trigger Warnings: attempted sexual assault, death of a spouse, death of a child, gaslighting, forced institutionalization, war, racism, physical and emotional abuse by a parent

The Past is Red

 Tell me a story... about the perils of climate change

The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente

Publication date: July 20, 2021

Date read: July 4, 2021

This book is broken into two parts. "The Future is Blue" was previously published in a short story collection called Drowned Worlds in 2016, and then again in 2018 in Valente's own short story collection called, appropriately, The Future is Blue. "The Past is Red" is a new story. Both are included in this book. 

These stories follow Tetley, an outcast who lives in Garbagetown, one of the remaining livable places on Earth after the sea levels rose and covered all the land. (Garbagetown is exactly what it sounds like - a large floating pile of garbage). Tetley is hated by her community for something that she has done, so she sets off on her own to try to find a new place in Garbagetown where she can live in peace.

It's really difficult to write a summary for this book, because it's really short (160 pages) and I don't want to give away any plot points. Especially because this book isn't super plot-heavy... it's mostly just the story of an individual's day-to-day life through a post-apocalyptic world where everyone hates her. There are important things that happen, especially in the "The Past is Red" section, but it's not the kind of book where big dramatic events are happening on every page. 

I loved the world building in this book. Valente creates a world that is terrifyingly possible. I would love to read more stories set in this world, both about Tetley and about other characters, or just to read about how Garbagetown was set up after the world flooded. It's amazing how Valente was able to craft such an incredible (and incredibly realistic) place, set in this post-flood future, in so few pages. 

The narration is sort of stream-of-consciousness (not completely, but it gives that impression at times), which can sometimes make the story a tiny bit hard to follow - I found myself having to re-read some paragraphs in order to follow the idea. Not a negative, but just a point I have to make. It just takes a little getting used to. But I adored Tetley and following her story. And I didn't mind being in her head. 

If you like a good post-apocalyptic story, I recommend this one. It's a quick read, and while not a lot happens throughout the story, the ending packs a real punch. No spoilers, but I loved the ending. It's a wonderfully tragic world to immerse yourself in for 160 pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Trigger Warnings: physical assault, death of a loved one

Caution: LOTS of swearing