Queen of Codes: The Secret Life of Emily Anderson, Britain's Greatest Female Code Breaker

While nobody heard of Emily Anderson - until now - this book will change that! Anderson was a fabulous code-breaker, musically gifted, and made a difference. She was honoured by the UK for wartime code-breaking, and then Germany for deciphering the letters and notes of Beethoven. The author does a fine job of setting out the politics and mechanisms of code-breaking in the First and Second World Wars. The clear writing style keeps the story moving from the drama of the conflict(s) to the just-as-fascinating musical research into the letters of Beethoven. Excellent.

I wanted to read this as the women in the war never get the recognition they deserve. Therefore I was a bit disappointed by the quality of the writing. Things were often repeated. It could have done with the publisher giving it a good going over before printing. Having said that Emily Anderson was obviously a remarkable woman and I'm very pleased to have found out more about her and her colleagues in the code breaking world.

Emily Anderson was an impressive person. I already had her edition of Mozart’s letters, but I had no idea of her life as a code breaker. She was too discreet to allow a biographer much scope for real scrutiny, though circumstances seem to allow an inference of a lesbian relationship, but what we are told, even if rather dry, shows a remarkable character and achievement.

Entering into Emily's world has been delightful - I could not put the book down! Her important story is brought to light for the first time through the excellent research of Jackie Ui Chionna. The book is so well referenced yet at the same time approachable and easy to read, quite an achievement - I highly recommend it.

Living history of our time

A fascinating book about a little-known codebreaker working in British intelligence for three decades and across both world wars. Shines light on a story that should be better known: I'm surprised I hadn't heard the name Emily Anderson before. Also a very readable and accessible book, my wife and I have loved it. Fully recommend.

Very well written, engaging. By the very nature of the secret intelligence work, there is at first glance, so little meat on the bones. However, by using surviving testimony and meticulous research, the author conjured up a living Emily Anderson in a fascinating, readable account.

Really enjoyed this - a story about a fascinating woman and an unsung hero in the world of codebreaking. Brilliantly and lovingly researched. Ten out of ten.

Interesting information regarding little known facts.

Libro di buona qualità, la stampa e la rilegatura sono curate. La storia di Emily Anderson è affascinante e ben raccontata. Mi è piaciuto leggerlo e lo consiglio a chi ama biografie di figure storiche poco conosciute.

Awful book