The Number of Love

Reviewed by:

Cindy Akre, blogger and voracious reader

REVIEW INTRODUCTION

Title:

The Number of Love

Author:

Roseanna M. White

Publisher:

Bethany House Publishers

http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/bethanyhouse

Date:

2019

Format:

Paperback

Length:

358 exciting pages

OVERVIEW

This particular book was written in the midst of England in WW1. Historically, many books have been written about the secret Room 40. Codebreakers were a secret weapon in the war.  The author developed the British Navy’s use of codebreakers of German codes during this time.  Margot De Wilde was one of them, and with her background, she not only thrived but excelled at swiftly and accurately decoding, and the intrigue included alongside the developing romance between Margot and Drake was captivating.  Suspense was often found right around every corner for these two people, leaving the reader with a sense of the imminent danger involved.

Both Margot and Drake have no idea how their roles would intertwine.  She was annoyed by him, and he thought of her as a secretary in the typing pool.  Neither of them were what the other thought was true. The codebreakers, including women at a time when women were mostly home, broke more than codes by breaking the common thoughts of their place in society. But that wasn’t a main focus of the novel.  The focus was the intrigue with various agents, both English and enemy, and the extent to which people would go to either protect or erode liberties and freedoms. This was a novel difficult to put down.  

ASSESSMENT

Rating (1 to 5):

5

Suggested Audience:

High school and above; and this particular book can be enjoyed by both Christian and non-Christian alike. 

Christian Impact:

As far as its Christian impact, there was powerful dialogue as Margot’s mother’s death was being discussed.  Margot’s thoughts are exposed as she wonders “How many times had she said she trusted the Lord because He was the only being in the universe she could be sure was smarter than she.”  (p. 195). Drake and Margot talk about faith on page 273, when Drake says to her, “And faith isn’t just feeling. We have to know He’s still there, unchanged, even when we can’t feel Him.”  The book had “Christian impact” in a way that the characters realistically talked openly about the Lord as they also worked through the often-dangerous circumstances in which they found themselves.