'The Rose Code' by Kate Quinn

The Rose Code, Kate Quinn (4.0)

Once again Ms. Quinn has brought to life female protagonists fighting in obscurity during a war. This time the three women (two based on real women) worked at Bletchley House, the famous English location that housed many men and women who worked to break the German and Italian codes during WWII, Enigma being the most famous. As with her other novels, she throws in a few real people (e.g. Alan Turing, Dilly Knox, Prince Philip) but the story revolves around 3 very different women who found themselves doing important work during the war. Much of the intrigue of the story has to do with not being able to discuss their work and the small and large impacts that has on their lives. Even though we know what happened with Enigma and the war, the drama she deals with here was more individualistic and riveting. A few character arcs were predictable, but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment of reading a good, fast paced story.

'Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow' by Gabrielle Zevin

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin (3.5)

While I generally enjoyed this book, I give it a 3.5 as I found the ending underwhelming. The plot and protagonists were interesting and unique. We follow two people who meet as children in a hospital (one visiting a sister with cancer, the other having multiple surgeries to repair a bad foot). They bond playing video games. As they grow up, they meet again and start developing games together. The personal dynamic is well written, and I found the descriptions of the games fascinating and not too technical – for those less interested in such things. I don’t need a Hollywood ending, but I thought it petered out towards the end.