Alli Sinclair

I read "The Codebreakers: by the same author recently which I thoroughly enjoyed, so I was keen to try another novel by Alli Sinclair. However, "Burning Fields" never totally won me over. I enjoyed the first half much better than the second as the plot became too contrived with all the things that were happening in Rosie's life.

I found Rosie overbearing and her family were all weak characters who frustrated me. While I liked Tomas and his Nona, the romance between Rosie and Tomas lacked chemistry making it unbelievable. I was also expecting more detail about the sugar cane industry but I learnt nothing new. Overall, I found "Burning Fields" a struggle to read.… (altro)

"The Codebreakers" was a fascinating novel by Alli Sinclair. It was inspired by the work Australian women carried out during WWII. Despite the loss of loved ones, harassment and sexism, these women were courageous, inspirational, loyal and highly intelligent. Sworn to secrecy, these women were responsible for saving hundreds of lives as they intercepted signals from around the world, mainly those being sent in the Pacific region. Their work and the need to keep what they did top-secret put a strain on their relationships, and it wasn't until 2011 that they were formally recognised for their efforts in helping to reduce the war by at least two years. It makes me sad knowing that, while their male counterparts were showered with medals and accolades, what these amazing women did was hidden for so many years. Shameful!

While I am familiar with Bletchley Park and its role in the war efforts, I had no idea that there were women doing a similar job in Australia. This story was beautifully written and extremely well researched, and highlighted the special work these women did in a garage at Nyrambia. I loved the close bond that formed between the Garage Girls. With very likeable characters, strong female camaraderie, a rural Queensland backdrop and highlighting an interesting part of Australian history that was not known until recently, "The Codebreakers" was a terrific read and would make an exciting movie.… (altro)

The Codebreakers is a novel that makes a story out of a little-known part of Australian war history and brings it to life through fiction. Set in World War II Brisbane, the story focuses on Ellie O’Sullivan who is recruited to work for the little-known Central Bureau. Through Ellie and her friends, the novel covers many of the facets of war in a story that is never boring.

Ellie is working as an engineer for Qantas when she keeps getting requests from a mystery army man. Eventually she gives in and takes the test he’s asking about, followed by recruitment into Central Bureau. Ellie has no idea who put her up for this or what it entails, but she wants to do her part for the war effort. This means moving from away from her roommate and landlady (who have become friends) and into the barracks. Once there, she finds an old friend in Florry and new ones. The work of the Garage Girls, as they call themselves, is to decipher communications from the Japanese using the Typex machines and support the work of Bletchley Park and other codebreaking units. But it’s not all codes, as the women have to fight their own battles – which include loss, betrayal, assault and the secrets that they must never reveal. These secrets hang heavy on the women in different ways, with some not wanting to discuss their war jobs and others like Ellie, wanting to be able to unburden on to others.

Alli Sinclair has done a great job of bringing these women to life and illustrating what an important job that did during the war. The research that has been done is clear, from the references to the grand house and garage where the women worked (Nyrambla – worth checking out) and the way the machine worked. There is a lot of drama happening and at times I wished that there was more on the dramatic events (for example, a character gets stabbed, wakes up in hospital and is back at work within a few pages) to really tease out the high stakes. Ellie is a great character who goes through a lot, but sometimes I did agree with other characters who said she looked on the bright side too often! (Although I don’t think I would have liked her so much if she was a misery guts). It was also nice that the story didn’t end with the end of the war, as the post-war years were just as tumultuous in different ways. I felt Ellie’s boredom and feelings of no longer being useful were captured really well. It’s an easy read, even though it’s quite big at over 460 pages as the story is gripping with never a dull moment. It’s a great read to learn more about little known aspects of Australian history and have fun along the way.

Thank you to Harlequin for the copy of this book. My review is honest.

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