Review: The Mozart Code

I had quite enjoyed Rachel McMillan’s The London Restoration when I read it last year (review here) so was looking forward to The Mozart Code, which was published earlier this month. I really liked the historical aspect of the novel and the tense storyline kept me reading.

Here’s the book’s description:

Lady Sophia Huntington Villiers is no stranger to intrigue, as her work with Alan Turing’s Bombe Machines at Bletchley Park during the war attests. Now, as part of Simon Barre’s covert team in post-war Vienna, she uses her inimitable charm and code name Starling to infiltrate the world of relics: uncovering vital information that could tilt the stakes of the mounting Cold War. When several influential men charge her with finding the death mask of Mozart, Sophie wonders if there is more than the composer’s legacy at stake and finds herself drawn to potential answers in Prague.
Simon Barrington, the illegitimate heir of one of Sussex’s oldest estates, used the previous war to hide his insecurities about his past. Now, he uses his high breeding to gain access to all four allied quarters of the ruined city in an attempt to slow the fall of the Iron Curtain. He has been in love with Sophie Villiers since the moment he met her, and a marriage of convenience to save Simon’s estate has always kept her close. Until now, when Sophie’s mysterious client in Prague forces him to wonder if her allegiance to him—and their cause—is in question. Torn between his loyalty to his cause and his heart, Simon seeks answers about Sophie only to learn that everything he thought he knew about his involvement in both wars is based on a lie.

The post-World War II world is quite fascinating. A new kind of war is on its way when millions of people are still trying to recover from the last one. It’s a different type of war, though, one that people like Simon can excel at. He’s extremely intelligent and uses his brain and upbringing to help uncover spy rings and stay many steps ahead of the people he’s hunting. Simon also used that intelligence during WWII and worked at Bletchley Park but, at the time of the war, no one knew what was happening there and many people would have assumed the men not off fighting in the “real” battles were cowards and not doing their part. It took years for details to come out and I have a feeling we’ll never really know what happened in places like Bletchley – the Official Secrets Act was a powerful thing.

Unfortunately, I had a few problems with this story. Brent and Diana, from The London Restoration, were in this novel but they didn’t really have a good reason for being included. If you had picked up The Mozart Code without reading the companion novel, you’d wonder what on earth this couple was doing there and why they were so important to Simon and Sophie. I mean, I did read their book and I still couldn’t recall the exact relationships between the four and why they were all together. Like with the other book, the flashbacks didn’t always work for me, nor did the hints about the characters’ past. Sophie briefly worked for the Special Operations Executive and it was hinted at but by the time more details were revealed, I didn’t really care anymore and didn’t really see why it mattered. And their work at Bletchley Park was referenced often but not enough for me to know why I needed to know the small pieces of info McMillan was telling me. It was just like I was missing A LOT of information and details and the characters suffered because of it.

Even though I had a few issues, the action in this story was pretty addictive. I was on the edge of my seat and I didn’t know how all the characters were going to make it through unscathed. It reminded me of how I felt while reading The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. The spying, the intrigue, the mystery! I was into it.

I liked that McMillan brought up how difficult it was to adjust to the new normal and how some people, like Simon and Sophie, wished the war was still going on. Not literally, of course, they’re not monsters. But there was a purpose to doing war work which was especially potent for women. After years of doing their bit, people were expected to get back to normal. I can’t imagine what that would have been like. (Actually, maybe we can imagine it after the last two years we’ve had…) I don’t blame Sophie for wishing something more was happening because I would have hated to have been working for a purpose for years and then all of a sudden be unable to simply because I’m a woman and the men were back and I was no longer needed.

Read The Mozart Code for the mystery and intrigue and riveting historical details. Rachel McMillan is a talented writer and I’ll still be checking out what she writes next, even if I had a few issues with her latest.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Thomas Nelson, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Paris Apartment

If you asked me what I like to read about in World War II era historical fiction novels I would answer: Bletchley Park, the Special Operations Executive, and stolen art being returned to the rightful owners. The Paris Apartment included ALL THREE. I was in book heaven as I read Kelly Bowen's latest novel and was completely swept up in the story she told. 

Here's the book's description:

2017, London: When Aurelia Leclaire inherits an opulent Paris apartment, she is shocked to discover her grandmother’s hidden secrets—including a treasure trove of famous art and couture gowns. One obscure painting leads her to Gabriel Seymour, a highly respected art restorer with his own mysterious past. Together they attempt to uncover the truths concealed within the apartment’s walls.
Paris, 1942: The Germans may occupy the City of Lights, but glamorous Estelle Allard flourishes in a world separate from the hardships of war. Yet when the Nazis come for her friends, Estelle doesn’t hesitate to help those she holds dear, no matter the cost. As she works against the forces intent on destroying her loved ones, she can’t know that her actions will have ramifications for generations to come.
Set seventy-five years apart, against a perilous and a prosperous Paris, both Estelle and Lia must unearth hidden courage as they navigate the dangers of a changing world, altering history—and their family’s futures—forever.

The synopsis doesn't fully cover all that this book is. You're drawn in at first with the mystery of the untouched apartment but there are many, many layers to that apartment and the lives it touched. It's hard to get into most of it because Bowen has weaved a story rich in history (as well as family secrets) and I don't want to give anything away. I'd rather you enjoy the reveals as I did. 

There were four different perspectives in this novel which, for the most part, worked really well. I was most drawn to Estelle's storyline and it seemed to me like the others were just supporting characters, even though they were all important to the overall story. Estelle's timeline features Sophie and the actions of the two women were inspiring. I'm glad novels and movies are starting to showcase more of brave acts women did during WWII because a lot seems to be unknown about the female spies and resistance fighters. Estelle's granddaughter, Lia, and Gabriel, the art restorer she contacts, both tell the "present day" storyline. I use quotes because we'll find more and more that the present day is actually a few years ago, 2017 in this instance. This is because those who were adults during WWII are dying and soon there will be no one alive who fought in the war. So much information, such as what surrounds Bletchley Park and the SOE, is only just starting to come to light and I'm sure we're never going to be able to have a full picture. There are still lots of first person accounts that a lot of novelists reference so I think I'm going to have to dive into the non-fiction realm soon to get some more information myself. 

I found there were a few instances where there was some Big Reveal - perhaps about a character's true intentions or how they were connected to the full storyline - that didn't have as much of an impact as I would have thought. Perhaps because I expected the revelations? Saw them coming? I didn't need them to be super obvious but sometimes it seemed like Bowen dropped in some information and then swiftly moved onto something else before fully explaining the importance of said information. 

For anyone keeping track, this is my third "The Paris Something" novel I've read in the last few months. First I read The Paris Secret (review here), which I adored. Then it was The Paris Library (review here). All three were set during WWII and they all had dual timelines and multiple characters. Two took place in Occupied Paris and two had SOE spies. I've never been to Paris in person but thank goodness for books like this that still capture the magic of the city even during times of war. 

This was Bowen's first foray into dramatic historical fiction, having written numerous historical romances in the past. I'm really looking forward to the next drama she writes and will definitely be looking into her romances, too.

I was totally captivated by Kelly Bowen's novel The Paris Apartment. Not only was the historical aspect incredibly fascinating, but the characters and their motivations were incredible and awe-inspiring. This novel is a must read for historical fiction fans.

*An egalley of this novels was provided by the Canadian distributor, HBG Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Rose Code

Oh my good gracious, this book. I very much enjoyed Kate Quinn's last two novels so I assumed I would like The Rose Code. Um, I LOVED IT. I was invested from the start and could not stop thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. I listened to the audiobook, which is still a new-ish thing to me, and found myself  trying to squeeze in listening time as often as possible. Then, when it was done, I was at a loss. Now what is there to do except wait for Quinn's next novel?

Here's the book's description:

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...

As I said, I listened to the audio for this book. The narrator was Saskia Maarleveld and she was phenomenal. She was able to create an ever so slightly different voice for each of the three main female characters and her male voices weren't irritating in the least. (It's something I've found annoying with audiobooks when narrators have to voice the opposite gender - it's not always done well.) I could have listened to her for ages and will definitely take a look at what other novels she narrates! If you're an audiobook fan, definitely think about getting this one (and may I suggest from Libro.fm where you'll support an indie bookstore of your choice?).

There was a lot happening in this book (it's over 650 pages and almost 16 hours on audio) but it all ticks along, never really seeming like it was too much. Of course, I'm a big fan of WWII era books and found the history of Bletchley Park incredibly fascinating so I wasn't bored at all. That might not be true for all readers, of course. I didn't know ton about BP, as the characters called it, but knew enough that there were codebreakers and an intense amount of secrecy which meant it wasn't discussed at all for decades. I have watched The Imitation Game (Turing makes a few appearances in the novel) but now I'm on the hunt for more books and movies (fiction or non) about the group of men and women (so many women!) who worked in the small town in England. Suggestions welcome!  

The story goes back and forth starting in 1940 and moving through the war and 1947, in the days before Princess Elizabeth's wedding on November 20th. There are alternating chapters told in third person POV from Beth, Osla, and Mab. The past (the time at BP) and the, well, more recent past are clearly defined and it was not hard to follow at all. I didn't find myself frustrated with wondering why someone was locked in an asylum and when it would all be revealed. I trusted Quinn and she gave me a magnificent, mysterious tale that when it was revealed, it was immensely satisfying.

I cared about each and every character. The three women were so different but still managed to form a friendship in the most unlikely of situations. They were found family and went through some absolutely horrendous times both together and apart. They were bound by the Official Secrets Act and even though they couldn't tell each other everything, they were still in the BP bubble together and no one outside that bubble could ever really understand what that was like. And even while that bonded them, it also, ultimately, tore them apart. Because I cared about them so much, I felt every emotion each of them was feeling. They had some terrible feelings at times so it was tough to read at some points. But there were moments of levity as well and I appreciated Quinn's talent of balancing the horrors of war with the everyday things people still had to deal with.

The Rose Code is, by far, my favourite of Kate Quinn's novels. It was well-written and entertaining and perfectly hit the kind of history I was really interested in. I highly encourage every historical fiction fan to pick up a copy of this one.

*An advanced listening copy (ALC) was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*