BOOK CLUB: The Codebreakers

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[Total: 4 Average: 4.5]

The Codebreakers written by Alli Sinclair is one of our March book club reads, and the dedication in the front of the book truly says it all:

“For the women and men of the Central Bureau and all Allied signals intelligence departments and outposts. Their Strength Lay in Silence “

The book is historical fiction, extensively researched by Alli Sinclair and based on true events during World War 2 in Australia.

Brisbane 1943: Ellie O’Sullivan is an engineer for Qantas Empire Airways. She services the planes which fly to New Guinea to drop medical supplies and food to the Allied troops. She loves her job.

Her logic and intelligence attract the attention of the Central Bureau, an intelligence organisation working with England’s Bletchley Park Codebreakers.

Ellie reluctantly takes the skills test, naturally, she passes, and is asked to “come and work with us”. Should she take this new position when she doesn’t even know who “us” is? Her friend Florry convinces her to join and with the signing of a lifelong contract, her journey of “secrets and lies” begins.

Ellie moves from Mrs. Hanley’s boarding house to the 67AWAS barracks. She isn’t allowed to give any explanation to her friends about her new job or why she has moved.

A close bond of friendship forms amongst the girls, known as the “Garage Girls”. They work out of a garage behind a normal house in the suburbs of Brisbane, decoding enemy messages.

Trouble arises when one of them is suspected of being a traitor. Ellie’s life is certainly not dull.

Ellie’s brother died in France and his best friend Louis has stayed in contact.  Ellie meets many new friends, and finds love, but will her love last during wartime?

What will happen after the war for Ellie and her friends? After having an exciting job, what employment will be available for them once the men return?

The book cleverly concludes in Charleville 2009, with Ellie at 88 years of age.

This is a must-read book. It is a story of the contribution of Australian women during World War 2. It is a story of friendship, love, loss. And finally, recognition of their service due to the release of their “secrets and lies”.

I give this book 5 stars, a fantastic read.

ISBN: 9781489296931 / Imprint: Mira AU

A selection of our members are reading The Codebreakers by Alli Sinclair. You can read their reviews below, or add your own.

13 thoughts on “BOOK CLUB: The Codebreakers

  1. A great book set in Australia, in and after the Second World War. As much as possible, the author has stayed factually accurate and this has made for a very interesting story about a part of our history which was kept secret for a very long time. It is about loyalty and friendship and the difficulties and pain caused by keeping secrets . Divulging them would have been treason. I love well written historical fiction and this one is great. I’ll be seeking out some more of Alli Sinclair’s books

  2. I’m not normally one for war books but I loved the storyline of comradery and respect for the female officers and the ending blew me away and bawled my eyes out.
    Very well written a little bit of all the emotions in this one.

    Thanks for the opportunity to read it.

  3. You know those books that capture your interest so much they have you Googling for more information once you’ve finished? This is one of those. Except I was Googling throughout. I love Alli Sinclair’s style, as a historical author, how she throws in such interesting facts. For example (without giving anything away about the story) did you know that the first flight attendants were all nurses because people would get so sick when flying? Fascinating! I didn’t know so many things about how WWII impacted Australia. I do have a couple of things on the negative: Firstly, it took me a while to warm up to the book. I didn’t find the main character relatable, but in the end I just let it go and appreciated her naïve kindness as you would any friend. And secondly, being in the time we are of women’s equality really coming to the forefront again, I feel like Alli chose random pages to throw that sort of thing in and unfortunately it just didn’t come across authentically.

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