Reviewed by Emma Crowley
When Stefania Carmichael steps into the mysterious world of Bletchley Park, she immediately finds herself signing the Official Secrets Act. In whispers, she is told that she’s been recruited because of her talent for languages. Before the war ripped Europe apart, Steffie was living in Rome, charming everyone she met with her quick wit and sharp mind, and engaged to the man of her dreams, handsome and brave Matteo. Now everything has changed.
With secrets swirling around the building, Steffie finds it hard to know who to trust, until she forms a close bond with two other new recruits. Ailsa is a gifted radio operator and Fran a logistics genius, and the two women help Steffie navigate her new world of codebreaking. But even though Steffie’s skills are crucial to the war effort, her position is put in jeopardy when Italy joins the opposite side of the battle – and her beloved fiancé becomes the enemy.
Her heart belongs to Matteo, but Steffie knows she must do whatever it takes to help England win the war. So when she is asked to go on a classified mission, she jumps at the chance. But it soon becomes clear there’s a traitor in their midst, and all eyes turn to her…
With her life at stake, can she prove herself innocent and save the man she loves? Or will Steffie lose everything?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Bletchley Girls to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Bletchley Girls by Anna Stuart is a fantastic read following three young women and the secret work they did at Bletchley Park throughout the second world war. Admittedly, I found it be a bit slow going at the start as introductions were made and background provided to the three main characters and to the work that went on at the park. I did think where could this story possible go as nothing much appeared to be happening bar giving the reader details. But I should have known that Anna Stuart was merely whetting the readers appetite and she had lots and lots in store. For once the women spread their wings so to speak the plot took on a whole other level and this developed from an enjoyable easy read to something much more. I became completely engrossed in the numerous twists and turns and the detail was just incredible. It was fast paced, edge of your seat stuff and you really felt as if you were there alongside the women as each became a vital cog in a much bigger machine and all with one aim, to put a stop to Hitler’s rampage once and for all.
Three very different young women arrive at Bletchley Park as raw recruits but they each have one common goal to help with the intelligence work which will hopefully aid those on the front and ultimately bring about the downfall of Hitler. They sign the official secrets act promising never to talk to anyone of the work they engage in. It’s 1940 and Steffie arrives having had to flee Rome at the outbreak of war. Her father had been the military attaché at the British embassy and his contacts had secured her this job. But as the story progresses Steffie proves she is not just some top dogs daughter rather in fact she proves she has what it takes to see connections where others don’t. She can take in the whole picture and time and time again as she eventually travels to foreign shores she demonstrates that she is worthy of her position. She has left her fiancée Matteo behind in Italy and rather than preparing for a wedding she finds herself thrust into a male dominated world where she hopes to show that women can play a vital role and should be valued and listened to.
Alisa really is a fish out of water. She has gone against her parents wishes and left the isolated Scottish island of North Uist. Her parents wanted her to marry and have children and more or less never stray from the island. She was shy and nervous and a bit stand offish at first but I think that’s because she was nervous and had taken such a brave leap into the unknown. She had a talent when it came to detecting radio frequencies and recording messages and this grew the more I read about her. She was really just a young girl who wanted some adventure and to see the world. Alisa had such strength to go against what her parents wanted for her. I think she was perhaps out of the three women the one who changed the most and through her work and dedication underwent such a transformation. Her journey takes her away from British soil and she was right in the path of danger but her resilience, her sharpness and her willingness to put herself on the line time and time again deserved nothing but admiration.
Fran was a character I loved. In fact I loved all three but perhaps Fran was the one who edged out for me ahead of the other two just a little bit. All credit to her for not following the route of entering medicine as her parents had and wished for her to do also. She wished to study literature at university and had taken up a job in the university library. This is how she came to work in the park as her fellow librarian Peter was one of the men chosen to operate in the huts that were within the park. So many little units working together to play their part and the camaraderie that was built up was amazing. I loved the intrigue and mystery that developed as the story took a surprising turn and Fran as she was so brilliant at organising everything ramped up her efforts to crack the clues and join the dots. There was a real sense of academia about her which stood her in good stead. No doubt about it the women each had a difficult, challenging and taxing job but they also had the intelligence and wherewithal to keep going in the face of stiff opposition.
I had never previously read a book that centred on the top secret intelligence work that occurred at Bletchley Park and I think that’s also why I became so engrossed and enthralled the more the plot was developed. After reading so many books in the World War Two genre at times you can became tired of the same old story rehashed in the same way with yet again a predictable ending but here because the subject matter for me was so fresh, vivid and gripping I felt like I was reading about the war from a totally different perspective and thanks to the detailed research by the author I was fascinated and intrigued by everything going on. There could have been a danger that at some points this story could have slipped into becoming more like a textbook as specifics regarding decoding and radio operators etc were detailed but thankfully that never became the case. Every little detail provided brought so much to the story and therefore this became a very compelling read.
I have read so much of people fighting at the front, of resistance groups and of course the camps but now I have developed a deep appreciation for the relentless work that was carried out by so many men and women whose brains and ingenuity helped win the war. These brave, courageous women that featured here were hardworking and filled with such integrity and loyalty to their cause and each individual brought their talents and skills to the team. I would have loved an epilogue to really wrap things up. I know there was an ending of sorts for the characters but I still felt there was a bit more to be told as the war had not concluded by the time the book finished. But I suppose that’s me being greedy and wanting more and it’s also the sign of a very good book. The detailed notes at the end provided by the author were a welcome addition and only enhanced my understanding and enjoyment of the story as a whole. So what began as a quite slow read morphed into a fabulous story that was entertaining, informative, emotional and also detailed the bonds of friendship and showed how the integral work undertaken will never be forgotten. The Bletchley Girls is definitely a must read for anyone who loves historical fiction.
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