Looking forward to sharing my review of this sweet read today with you all as part of the Rachel’s Random Resources blog tour! Read on to find out what I thought…
Title: The Girl From Bletchley Park
Author: Kathleen McGurl
Publisher: HQ
Synopsis:
Will love lead her to a devastating choice?
1942. Three years into the war, Pam turns down her hard-won place at Oxford University to become a codebreaker at Bletchley Park. There, she meets two young men, both keen to impress her, and Pam finds herself falling hard for one of them. But as the country’s future becomes more uncertain by the day, a tragic turn of events casts doubt on her choice – and Pam’s loyalty is pushed to its limits…
Present day. Julia is struggling to juggle her career, two children and a husband increasingly jealous of her success. Her brother presents her with the perfect distraction: forgotten photos of their grandmother as a young woman at Bletchley Park. Why did her grandmother never speak of her time there? The search for answers leads Julia to an incredible tale of betrayal and bravery – one that inspires some huge decisions of her own…
My Review:
The Girl From Bletchley Park is a sweet, easy to read novel set across dual timelines. The present-day narrative focuses on mum of two Julia as she tries to deal with her difficult marriage and struggling business. We also move back in time to the 1940s, as Julia’s grandmother Pam joins the Wrens to help with the war effort as a top-secret codebreaker.
Both storylines are easy to read and enjoyable. They’re quite different…but in many ways similar too. I felt frustrated with both Julia and Pam who at times seemed so naive as to not see what was happening with their partners. I wanted them to have a bit more spark about them sometimes. However, I really enjoyed reading about Julia and Pam, and though I would have liked to read more detail about the code-breaking parts in the 1940s timeframe, I liked the balance of modern-day and wartime narratives. Although Julia missed a lot of what was staring her in the face, she was a really likeable, down to earth person who I really warmed to!
This book also really made me want to visit Bletchley Park – somewhere I’ve wanted to visit for a long time! The history of that building is amazing and I’ll always enjoy reading books set in that location – this one being no exception. Also, what a gorgeous cover this book has! ????
It’s a great book for curling up on the sofa with – pair with a cup of tea!
Buy The Girl From Bletchley Park from Amazon.
About the author:
Kathleen McGurl lives near the coast in Christchurch, England. She writes dual timeline novels in which a historical mystery is uncovered and resolved in the present day. She is married to an Irishman and has two adult sons. She enjoys travelling, especially in her motorhome around Europe.
Follow Kathleen on Twitter, Facebook and visit her blog.
Usually I’d be jumping to read this but… after having adored The Rose Code, this one sounds a bit… less interesting. And frankly, I am getting a bit tired of the dual timeline trope where in present day they have to solve a mystery from the historical timeline. Sorry!
That’s fair – it is a very common story! I also loved that The Rose Code! This is definitely less about the what was going on at Bletchley Park (which as I mentioned in my review, I would have liked to have seen more of!) and more about the characters’ relationships! Cheers for reading my review anyway! Laura