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Codenaam Verity

(Code Name Verity #1)

Elizabeth E. Wein (Goodreads Author),

Esther Ottens (Translator)

4.05 · Rating details · 86,140 ratings · 13,781 reviews

Codenaam Verity is een meeslepende youngadult-roman over vriendschap tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Een stoere pilote uit Manchester en een Schotse special operations executive krijgen een bijzondere band. Als een cruciale missie fout gaat, springt Verity uit een vliegtuig boven Frankrijk. De Gestapo neemt haar gevangen en ze moet onder dwang haar verhaal opschrijven. All ...more

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Hardcover, 320 pages

Published November 6th 2013 by Van Goor (first published February 6th 2012)

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· 86,140 ratings · 13,781 reviews

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Feb 04, 2012 Katie Montgomery rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: loved-you-so-much

Page 2: DAMN this book is good.
Page 25: GODDAMN this book is good.
Page 60: This may be the best WW II novel I've ever read. EVER. SUCK IT, HEMINGWAY.
Page 68: Crying.
Page 70: Laughing.
Page 113: Biting freshly manicured fingernails to smithereens DAMNIT WEIN I PAID FORTY DOLLARS FOR THESE NAILS.
Page 150: Okay, so, I have to pee, but I really don't want to have to stop reading. This could get uncomfortable.
Page 200: *THUMP* "Um, Katie, you OK up there?" ".. ...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Emily May rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, young-adult, 2012

I have a feeling I'm not going to be very popular by posting this review, everyone seems to love this book so far and I feel more disappointed in myself and my tastes than the novel or the author. Code Name Verity is one of those books that are the reason why I created the shelf its-me-not-you. I mentioned this very recently in my review of The Book Of Blood And Shadow and it is also similar to the experience I had trying to read The Book Thief and Feed. I just found 90% of the book long-winded and unnecessary.

The novel opens where the narrator has been captured by the Nazi opposition during WWII. She is given paper to tell her story and she does so through the eyes of her friend Maddie. Different, definitely. Maddie's story is told in various anecdotes, a technique I've already failed to appreciate in The Book Thief but I suppose the intention was to subtly build up a picture of both girls' pasts and their friendship. This book is not very plot-focused or fast-paced, it's about conversations and people and female pilots during the second world war, which would all have been great if it had been balanced out with a touch of drama.

I cannot tell you just how much I wanted to like this. It's about women's involvement in the war and us Northern girls - two topics that don't get nearly enough press. But, for me, there was just too big a focus on piloting and aircraft and I'm sorry but I struggled to care. If you read the author's note at the end she will tell you that this book is actually meant to be about pilots:

"This book started off rather simply as a portrait of an Air Transport Auxiliary pilot. Being a woman and a pilot myself, I wanted to explore the possibilities that would have been open to me during the second world war."

And not enough else was brought in. There's only so many descriptions of a pilot's job I can sit through before I start to snooze, each to their own but flying planes has never been an interest of mine. The best parts of this book were the touching ending and the fact that the narrator is delightfully unreliable (I love them, I do! Eugenides, I miss you...) but I needed more. All I really want is for a book to rouse some passion in me, whether it be excitement, sadness, anger even... I felt nothing.
...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Maggie Stiefvater rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: recommended, young-adult

I’ll confess right up front that I’m not usually a big historical fiction fan. I realize this seems somewhat hypocritical of me, as I was a history major in college and adore history, but a lot of times, I find historical fiction more impenetrable than a primary source document. The characters either don’t feel like real people to me, or they feel like modern people to me. I get distracted by historical info-dumps and bored by epic scale machinations. Basically, I like my historical fiction very I’ll confess right up front that I’m not usually a big historical fiction fan. I realize this seems somewhat hypocritical of me, as I was a history major in college and adore history, but a lot of times, I find historical fiction more impenetrable than a primary source document. The characters either don’t feel like real people to me, or they feel like modern people to me. I get distracted by historical info-dumps and bored by epic scale machinations. Basically, I like my historical fiction very personal and very intimate. So when I got sent a copy of Code Name Verity, I thought, okay. I’ll read twenty pages and then I’ll give it to my sister.

But my sister has not yet gotten this book, because I don’t want to let it out of my house yet. I adored it.

1. First of all, I believe it. The people feel like real people to me, and the details feel like real details. ARE they real details? Possibly not. We all slip up on our research sometimes, but man, this stuff feels genuine. The main character’s best friend is a pilot, and that part I knew was real even before I read that Elizabeth Wein had a pilot's license. I could feel the real-life love and knowledge of flying seeping through the pages. It was grand.

2. It doesn’t feel like anything I’ve read before — certainly not in YA. Not just in genre or in subject matter, but just . . . the characters are unique and specific people and the situations they’re in are unique and specific. It feels like I looked through a tiny window into a real life, and that’s just not something you can cut and paste.

3. As with all my favorite books, it rewards the careful reader. If an author can make me gasp once, it’s likely that novel is ending up on my favorites shelf. If an author can make me gasp THREE TIMES, either the author is making me read their novel underwater or it’s really cleverly done. This one’s really cleverly done. It was a three-gasper. When was the last time I read a three gasper? I don’t remember. Maybe when I read THE MONSTRUMOLOGIST underwater . . . Now, that said, CODE NAME VERITY is not a fast read. If you go into it expecting to whip through it in an evening or even two, you’re not doing it justice. Give the characters some time to infest your heart.

4. It’s hard, but not harrowing. This is worth pointing out, because the central premise is that the narrator has been shot down over occupied France and is now being tortured for her confession. It could be awful. Sort of like BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY, which I also loved, but would never read again because of how hard it was. This book, on the other hand — not only does it have so many lovely and sweeping moments, but it’s also surprisingly funny. I laughed out loud several times. Thought when I tried to explain to Lover why I was laughing, I invariably failed. LOVER: I thought you said she was being tortured? ME: Yeah, but, the Hitler line, it . . . never mind.

5. It stuck with me. This, to me, is the Holy Grail of novels. I love some novels and forget them the moment they’re out of my sight. Other novels I love and then they become part of me for days or weeks or forever. I will be reminded of them at the strangest moments. CODE NAME VERITY does more than stick with me. It haunts me. I just can’t recommend it enough. I can’t even make this recommendation funny. I love it too much.
...more

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Dec 20, 2013 Rick Riordan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

My final foray into World War II territory (for now, anyway) is Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity, a young adult novel which really defies description, but I'll try. At its heart, Code Name Verity is the story of two young British women, Maddie and Queenie (or Julie), who undertake a secret mission behind enemy lines in Occupied France in 1943. The novel begins as a confession being written by Queenie while being held as a prisoner of the Gestapo. Clearly, her mission has gone terribly wrong. Qu ...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Maggie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of The English Patient :)

Recommended to Maggie by: Chachic

Shelves: 2012, i-ve-just-read-you-and-i-love-you

Do you remember when The English Patient came out? Or rather, do you remember when the Seinfeld episode about The English Patient came out? (Elaine goes to see it and HATES it, and is either shunned or dragged back to the theater to rewatch because everyone else loves it. She ends up getting sent to Tunisia by her boss, J. Peterman, because the movie was filmed there. Cameo by Holly the waitress/witch from True Blood playing a waitress.)

I'm usually Elaine in these situations, so I worried a ...more

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Aug 14, 2014 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library-has, wwii, historical-fiction

A Scottish girl, called "Verity" in a nice bit of obfuscation (is the name accurate or ironic?), is captured by the Germans in France during WWII. Apparently broken by Nazi torture, she begins to write her confession, doling out bits of information to her Nazi captors to motivate them to keep her alive and refrain from further torture. She has been spying for the Allies, so her prospects for a long life are dim.

Verity tells the tale of her involvement with the British war effort, spi A Scottish girl, called "Verity" in a nice bit of obfuscation (is the name accurate or ironic?), is captured by the Germans in France during WWII. Apparently broken by Nazi torture, she begins to write her confession, doling out bits of information to her Nazi captors to motivate them to keep her alive and refrain from further torture. She has been spying for the Allies, so her prospects for a long life are dim.

Verity tells the tale of her involvement with the British war effort, spiced with bits of information about airplane types and airfield names to keep the Nazis at bay. But somehow her writing tells more about her developing friendship with Maddie, a British pilot who (against all rules and regulations for female pilots) flew her to France for this mission. The two girls come from different walks of life and have different talents and interests, but as they are periodically thrown together during the war they find that they are kindred souls.

It's like being in love, discovering your best friend.

This book also shows so many different faces of heroism, sometimes in heartbreaking ways. It's not an easy or light read--I think I spent the last 50 pages sniffling and wiping my eyes.

I can't say it's a perfect book. There are some slow parts where I just wanted the story to kick into a higher gear: We already read about this event from a different POV and know what happened, so why are we belaboring this part of the past? Move along! And it's non-linear, moving back and forth between the past and the present, and backtracking to tell another character's point of view. I'm all for creative storytelling but I think that particular device has been overused lately.

Not everything about the plot is plausible, so there was a little more belief-stretching than I like to have to use in a non SF/Fantasy book. And, of course, lots of wartime angst and misery, although it's handled with a fairly light hand (more older YA level than adult).

On the other hand, it's got some really intriguing twists in the plot and a lot of unexpected depth, and some great writing. It's well worth your time; just don't read it when you want something light and fun. There's humor and joy in it, but also great pain. It moved me, and it will stick with me.

Initial post: I just finished this story of two friends, a British woman and a Scottish one, helping with the WWII effort. I'm a quivering bundle of goo; I don't think I can be objective about this book for a day or two. There were a few slow parts and more pain and angst than I usually like in my fiction, but some really wonderful parts to it as well. I'm going to call it 4 stars for now and see how it settles. ...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Marie Lu rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorites

One of two books this year to make me cry--I mean, tears-pouring-down-my-face cry. Queenie and Maddie are the best character duo ever. Oh god, my heart still hurts.

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Mar 05, 2012 Maja (The Nocturnal Library) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Maja (The Nocturnal Library) by: Chachic

Shelves: 2012-favorites, favorites, amazing-writing, all-the-right-choices, alternating-povs, historical-fiction, own-a-dtb, made-me-cry, never-saw-it-coming, reviewed-in-2012

Reviewing this book feels much like walking through a minefield. (Not that I know what that feels like, but I can imagine, you know.) On the one hand, I can’t reveal too much of the plot. I can’t reveal almost anything, really, lest I ruin the experience for you guys. On the other hand, I have to write just enough to make you want to pick this book up because it’s one you don’t want to miss. Trust me. I suppose I could just point you to Maggie Stiefvater’s wonderful review and leave it to her to convince Reviewing this book feels much like walking through a minefield. (Not that I know what that feels like, but I can imagine, you know.) On the one hand, I can’t reveal too much of the plot. I can’t reveal almost anything, really, lest I ruin the experience for you guys. On the other hand, I have to write just enough to make you want to pick this book up because it’s one you don’t want to miss. Trust me. I suppose I could just point you to Maggie Stiefvater’s wonderful review and leave it to her to convince you, but I’m not that much of a coward. *coughs* I just did that! *coughs*

So here goes nothing…

I don’t normally read historical fiction unless it’s highly recommended. Code Name Verity was, directly or indirectly, recommended to me by two of my trusted friends, Chachic and Jo, and, as I already mentioned, my favorite young adult author Maggie Stiefvater. And of course they were right.

Code Name Verity is a story about two best friends, Maddie and Queenie, fighting in World War II. They probably never would have met in peacetime, as they come from entirely different circles of society: Queenie is Scottish royalty who grew up in a castle, while Maddie is a bike shop owner’s granddaughter. That didn’t stop them from becoming best friends while serving together in WAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force), and staying close even when the war took them in different directions.
All Maddie ever wanted was to fly airplanes. She was in training before the war and when the war started, she waited patiently for them to accept female pilots, which eventually they did. Queenie’s talents lie elsewhere: she is fluent in both German and French and able to momentarily slip into any role, be herself one second, and someone entirely different the next. Although these two have very little in common on the surface, deep down they are both incredibly strong, intelligent and compassionate women.

But for me, the most fascinating character was Queenie’s capturer, Hauptsturmfürer von Linden. He starts as pure evil, of course, but as the story progresses, we are offered small details of his life that give him an entirely different face, one that is complex and multi-layered and that causes the reader to be just as conflicted as Queenie.
I don’t know what I expected, but he just looked like anybody - like the sort of chap who would come into the shop and buy a motorbike for his lad’s 16th birthday – like your headmaster.

Our story starts when Queenie gets captured by the Gestapo in France. Upon breaking her with torture and turning her into a collaborator, von Linden allows her to write down the events that led her to his cruel hands, and her written testimony is what we are given.

The narrative itself takes some getting used to. Queenie tells her present story in first person, but switches to third person and focuses on Maddie every time she talks about the past. It was a little strange at first, having the narrator talk about herself in third person, but I soon realized that it was an excellent way for Wein to help her readers adapt to constant alternations between the past and the present.

Every once in a while you know that you’ve stumbled upon a classic. Code Name Verity might have been published in 2012, but there is no doubt in my mind that it will endure the test of time. It has the weight (although not quite the genius) of The Book Thief. I'm sure it will receive awards and critical acclaim.

Also posted at The Nocturnal Library ...more

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Jan 30, 2018 ❄️Nani❄️ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: historical

“It’s like being in love, discovering your best friend.”

This is distressing. I am very distraught. I did not like this book as much as I hoped and it breaks my heart. I'm aware that we can't love every book we read and you may think it a tad dramatic of me to say this but WWII historical fiction is a (sub) genre that I've rarely been let down by. Ever.

This had all the makings of a potential favourite yet somehow missed the mark. I'm still reeling from it.
Set in the turmoil of
“It’s like being in love, discovering your best friend.”

This is distressing. I am very distraught. I did not like this book as much as I hoped and it breaks my heart. I'm aware that we can't love every book we read and you may think it a tad dramatic of me to say this but WWII historical fiction is a (sub) genre that I've rarely been let down by. Ever.

This had all the makings of a potential favourite yet somehow missed the mark. I'm still reeling from it.
Set in the turmoil of the Second World War, the book follows the fate of two young British women: Maddie, a modest pilot, and Julie, an aristocratic Scotswoman turned spy. I loved the story just not the way in which it was told.

It took me so long, SO LONG to get into the book and I almost I considered giving up completely – mainly because I struggled to follow what was going on, and was confused by all the plane jargon, coded abbreviations, jumping between different time periods, and rambling writing style. it all felt a bit haphazard.

There were so many things I couldn't understand like Julie’s determination to bargain for extra time to finish her story when it would just prolong her suffering, but my biggest source of confusion was why the Germans were so keen for her to write it, as it contained very little information on the British War Effort that would actually be of any use to them.
I was frustrated by how difficult it was to grasp why certain things were happening, such as the interview with an American journalist, or even why Maddie and Julie spent a whole day trying to cycle to a café in the rain.

The second half of the story shed so much light on almost all of the puzzles and I got more into the story as the book went on.
Needless to say, I was absolutely unprepared for the ending. That damned shocking ending which felt like a punch in the throat. It was such an unfair twist that I can’t, for the life of me, get it out of my head. Still.

As much as I enjoyed the latter half, I wish I love the book as a whole because I feel like I've missed out on certain things that would have enhanced my reading experience more. ...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Jo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Jo by: Chachic

Shelves: soul-sister-heroine, just-been-cutting-onions, you-got-a-friend-in-me, good-grief, of-epic-proportions, own, 2012, ya, history-smishtory

A note: This review is going to be a bit vague because I really, really, reallyreally don’t want to spoil this book for anyone. Because oh my gosh….

A note on the note: This review really is going to be vague unlike all my other ‘vague’ reviews which go on for about a year.

The first thing I did after I finished reading this book was to pick up my phone and text my best friend, who I have known since I was eleven and has been there through every single one of my problems and ill-advised fringes, and tell her that Igosh….
A ...more

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Dec 05, 2012 jo rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: great-britain, books-i-teach, blew-my-mind, queer

this book.

everyone on goodreads, stymied by the impossible task of saying anything about what happens in this book without giving away the entirety of it, sputters and stutters and eventually says, READ IT. read it read it read it readit readit readitreaditreadit PLEASE READ IT

there's moira's lovely review but most of it is blacked out. read it for the enthusiasm and sense of wonderment. come back to it after you've read the book and click the spoiler link so you can have the book explained to yo ...more

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May 24, 2015 Jen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star-favourites

This is ultimately a story of friendship, love and loyalty. Two secret agents whom have become best friends. One an interrogator, Verity; the other, a pilot, Kittyhawk. Their mission to German occupied France goes awry and Kittyhawk is forced to make a crash landing and Verity has to parachute out. They become separated. The 1st half of the story is told by Verity who has been captured by the Nazis and is armed with a pencil and paper forced to disclose codes. What becomes her ‘dissertation of t ...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Tatiana marked it as dnf · review of another edition

Recommended to Tatiana by: definitely not Emily

Shelves: historical, ya, starred-2012, 6

I am quite surprised this novel got as many 5-star reviews as it did, because this book requires its reader to have a fair amount of interest in piloting, even before he/she can start appreciating the writing itself. In short, the things that Code Name Verity is about - pilots, planes, radios, engineering, war - are the things I evidently have no interest in. Or, alternatively, it's written in a not very engaging way. Surprised this is so well received, very surprised.

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Aug 01, 2014 Hailey (Hailey in Bookland) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, historical-fiction

What an absolutely incredible book. I'm honestly speechless. Video review to come.

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Jan 27, 2014 karen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: thank-you-bea-or-ala, why-yes-i-ya

i loved this book, don't get me wrong. it has great characters and is well-researched and detailed and every scene comes alive and pops with tension and it also has all that slippery writing that i really appreciate. but how fans are practically burning effigies of veronica roth for the feels she made them feel or whatever, while this book is Beloved By All is beyond me. this book definitely has more problematic feels.

but - a great book, which will not be ruined by me with a more det ...more

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Apr 06, 2018 jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

this was a wonderful story about friendship, courage, and everything in between. and while i cant say this was one of my favourite WWII stories ive read, it also wasnt like anything i have read before. the story is told in a letter/note format, and i think that is what helped make the story feel authentic and genuine. my only complaint is that it talked about planes wayyy too much, but im happy i picked this up!

3.5 stars

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Jun 22, 2017 Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ added it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, did-not-finish, owned

DNF @ 50%

Well the main issue is that this is boring the shit out of me. I meant to put this on my DNF shelf ages ago but I couldn't even be bothered to do that much because that is how bored I was.

I doubt I'll ever pick this up in the future but never say never.

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Jan 15, 2014 Maciek rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, read-in-2014, reviewed

It takes a lot to impress me in a novel about World War 2, which is the reason why I wasn't mad about this book like 99& of those who read it. Perhaps it is the difference in experiences that divide me and them - I grew up in a country where the war has left a definite mark, and where people still remember it and mourn its victims. You can still find old houses with bullet holes, and every other street has a memorial plague remembering dozens of underground resistance and innocent civilians It takes a lot to impress me in a novel about World War 2, which is the reason why I wasn't mad about this book like 99& of those who read it. Perhaps it is the difference in experiences that divide me and them - I grew up in a country where the war has left a definite mark, and where people still remember it and mourn its victims. You can still find old houses with bullet holes, and every other street has a memorial plague remembering dozens of underground resistance and innocent civilians slaughtered by the Nazis. People leave flowers and candles under these signs; the memory is very much still with us and quite probably will never leave.

What can literature tell us about the war which hasn't already been said? Do we need novels about it when there is an abundance of historical accounts, both written and visual? Perhaps I am being unfairly harsh towards novels such as Code Name Verity - after all, it is only a story. I've enjoyed stories set during the war, and written by those who haven't experienced it - such as David Benioff's excellent City of Thieves, which is about two Russian boys who had to perform an impossible task, set during the siege of Leningrad. I thought that it was a rip-roaring yarn, which mixed comedy with drama brilliantly, and while it's obviously fiction it respected both the setting and the events described. So, why was I disappointed in Verity?

Perhaps because it's not really a novel about the war; in the afterword, the author admits that the novel started as a portrait of an Air Transport Auxiliary pilot, and that since she is also a pilot she wanted to explore the possibilities that would be open for her during the period. There is a major focus on aviation in this book: technical details of the planes, details of a pilot's job, etc. As much as I tried to care, I could only take a little of this trivia before beginning to lose my interest.

Then there's the story itself, which concerns two female friends who both serve in the British army: one is a pilot, and the other is a spy. The novel begins with a believable situation: the plane carrying the spy crashes in occupied France, and she is soon captured by the Germans. What follows up, however, quickly becomes unbelievable - essentially, the spy is allowed to write her memoirs as a form of confession to the Nazis, and is allowed to indulge in her personal stories. This Nazi captain is presented as a sophisticated lover of literature (with a touch of cold indifference for the fates of his prisoners thrown in), who allows our spy to essentially write a novel about herself with just a few relevant facts thrown in - she does a pretty good job at keeping a scornful and feisty tone for someone who is supposed to be suffering from direct and indirect torture on a daily basis. The spy also essentially admits to be a con artist and pretend to remember in her notes, which somehow doesn't bother the morally ambiguous villain. The whole plot is staged for the final "twist", but by that time I was so disinterested in both the story and its characters that I long stopped to care.

There are a few interesting bits here - a scene where a German pilot who has accidentally crossed the channel is tricked by the British to believe that he's still in occupied France, and convinced to land in their base is suspenseful and well-written. But I simply never bought into the whole rest of the story, which was just too made up to allow me suspend my disbelief. Instead of reading about two fictional English girls and their adventures in aviation during the war, I'd recommend potential readers to read about the Night Witches - an actual, all female regime of the Soviet Air Forces. These women developed a technique of descending low and turning off their engines and silently gliding towards the drop point, with only wind noises to give them away. The Germans nicknamed them "Night Witches" because they likened the noises to the sound made by broomsticks; due to the weight of the bomb and low altitude, the pilots carried no parachutes. This is an actual, true story worth reading about, and perhaps one day someone will turn it into believable fiction.

...more

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Aug 24, 2018 Brenda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: recommendation-gr-friend, historical-fiction, young-adult, read-on-kindle, 2012-release, 5000-books, own-read

WWII brought together two young women on the shores of England – Maddie of Manchester and Queenie of Scotland. Without thought, they became best friends while training and working as radio operators. Maddie was a fresh, young pilot and when she was flying Queenie into France, trouble struck. Suddenly they were separated – Queenie was captured by the Gestapo and feared for her life.

Writing her account of why she was in France; delivering coded secrets; laying bare her thoughts – Queenie did all ...more

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Aug 18, 2015 Phrynne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

It took me a while to get around to this book. I knew lots of people loved it but World War 2 is not my favourite historical period to read about, especially yet another YA book set at that time. Now I wish I had read it much sooner - it is a beautiful story about amazing characters and it leaves you at the end with a major lump in the throat and quite a few soggy tissues.
I was very taken too with the way the author chose to tell the tale, first one character telling events her way and the ...more

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Jul 17, 2011 TheBookSmugglers rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

1943, England and France. Maddie and her best friend Queenie (“Verity”) are a sensational team, a pair of unlikely best friends. One: an English commoner, a pilot for the ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary) with a passion for flying and a penchant for mechanics. Two: a Scottish aristocrat, a spy with a way with words, working with the SOE (Special Operations Executive). Both: doing their part for the British War Effort.

No. No, no, no. Wait a minute. I am doing this wrong. Let me start agai ...more

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Mar 15, 2012 Moira Russell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: on-the-kindle, 2012-50-new-books-challenge, ebook

Wow, I'm still pretty gutted hours after finishing it. I don't really know if I can write a coherent review here; I might try later. I mainly want to go out and press this on complete strangers. Read it, now, and for GOD'S SAKE don't let anyone spoil you about any aspect of the plot. There are no kidding about four or five major plot twists, with no cheating -- they're all carefully foreshadowed and clues are dropped (there's even an in-character reference to this right at the beginning!) and it's j Wow, I'm still pretty gutted hours after finishing it. I don't really know if I can write a coherent review here; I might try later. I mainly want to go out and press this on complete strangers. Read it, now, and for GOD'S SAKE don't let anyone spoil you about any aspect of the plot. There are no kidding about four or five major plot twists, with no cheating -- they're all carefully foreshadowed and clues are dropped (there's even an in-character reference to this right at the beginning!) and it's just amazing. (view spoiler)

If it doesn't sound too completely off, this book is almost more like what I wanted Blackout/All Clear to be -- not time travel and all that of course, but the idea of the smallest action having reverberations through time, of "small" daily heroism being just as good as great big theatrical famous heroism, or when those two kinds of heroism even come together and are the same thing -- the "miracle of the little ships" at Dunkirk for Willis, and....well here I have the same problem as everyone else, that you can't talk about specific events in this book because that will really spoil the reading experience. (view spoiler) ...more

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Mar 15, 2014 B the BookAddict rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Recommended to B the BookAddict by: All About Books group read

Shelves: hist-fiction, favorites, wwii

There have been a couple of negative reviews which have made me want to stab myself in the eyes in frustration. WERE THEY NOT THINKING WHEN THEY READ THIS BOOK, maybe watching tv at the same time or maybe they were TEXTING, TWITTER??? Instances used as the basis for this novel actually happened, read the author's notes, have a look at some of the references!

Some time later and a lot calmer, I write...

"I closed this book feeling I'd met real people that I'd never forget. Code/>"I ...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-stars, historical-fiction, england, france, epistolary, world-war-ii, young-adult

This is one of those books that's almost impossible to talk about without revealing plot elements, and that's most enjoyable to discover as you go. So, if you think you'd like a young-adult novel starring two women--one a pilot, one an intelligence officer--in WWII, and you don't like spoilers, you should probably avoid all reviews (mine included) and just read it.

Now for the review.

Overall, Code Name Verity is an enjoyable book. The story is gripping, with tension and da This is one of those books that's almost impossible to talk about without revealing plot elements, and that's most enjoyable to discover as you go. So, if you think you'd like a young-adult novel starring two women--one a pilot, one an intelligence officer--in WWII, and you don't like spoilers, you should probably avoid all reviews (mine included) and just read it.

Now for the review.

Overall, Code Name Verity is an enjoyable book. The story is gripping, with tension and danger throughout--naturally enough, as one of the protagonists spends the book as a Nazi prisoner. The characters are fairly vivid, and I enjoyed reading about a pair of tough, capable women. I was unaware of the role of women pilots in England's Air Transport Auxiliary during the war, and so especially enjoyed reading about Maddie's advancement as a pilot. The author, a pilot herself, does a great job of communicating her love of flight, and her clear knowledge of planes adds verisimilitude. Wartime England and occupied France are both brought to life, and the writing style is adequate without drawing attention to itself.

Two problems then. First, I liked the idea of the main characters' friendship better than its depiction; they seem to leap right from getting acquainted to undying sisterhood, with readers missing a step somewhere along the way.

Second, there are the myriad problems with the epistolary format. The first 2/3 or so of the book is supposed to be written by Julie, the captured intelligence officer, as a "confession" for her captors. Unreliable narrators are fun and this keeps the reader guessing. But for the premise to work, we must believe that 1) the Nazi captain is such a lover of literature that he doesn't mind that his prisoner's "confession" is actually a novel-length narrative weaving together her own day-to-day life as a prisoner and her best friend's wartime experiences, and 2) despite that, he's too dense to realize that she's not telling the truth--even though the third sentence of her account is "I have always been good at pretending," even though she paints herself as a gutsy con artist throughout and admits to making up details. That's a lot to swallow. I'd figured out much of what Julie was hiding halfway through her narrative--for instance, that she liked the translator much more than she let on--and had a hard time believing someone whose job is getting the truth out of prisoners wouldn't have figured her out too. Wein just does not handle well the tension between an author's need to give hints to the reader of what's really going on, and Julie's need to write a completely convincing document. Interspersing Julie's story with other documents could have arrived at the same result without making both her and her captors look stupid.

Maddie narrates the last third, and the premise here doesn't make much sense either--she writes most of it in hiding in France, where if found her writing would endanger not only her but the family sheltering her. The two characters' voices sound alike, and the voice doesn't quite fit either of them: too refined for Maddie the working-class mechanic, not refined enough for the ultra-privileged Julie, and too young for either. (Their voice reminded me of Cassandra Mortmain in I Capture the Castle, and she isn't much like either of them.) In both cases their styles are also too novelistic to be plausible--complete with dialogue, scenes, etc.

There are some plot details, too, that don't add up. (view spoiler) But, in the end, Code Name Verity is a competent book that I would have enjoyed much more at age 14 than as an adult. It's very young-adult, in everything from pacing to plot elements to the characters' voices, and I wonder why Wein chose that route, given that the protagonists are women in their 20s whose stories would suit an adult book just fine (despite that, they're rather jarringly referred to as "girls" throughout, perhaps to make them seem closer to the intended audience's age).

So, do I recommend the book? Maybe. Despite the glowing reviews, I found nothing mindblowing about it. But if you typically enjoy YA and are willing to engage in a lot of suspension of disbelief around the premise, chances are you'll love it. ...more

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Mar 19, 2013 C.G. Drews rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, historical-fiction, young-adult, read-2014, 5-star, best-of-2014

I'm going to be upfront with you: I DNF'ed (did not finish) this originally. I sent it back to the library! Half of me reckons I should have left it there. Gosh, I'd be in less PAIN. But, noooo, I borrowed it out again, this time as an audio book.

Farewell, sweet innocence and blitheness of heart. I am destroyed. Just kidding. I've never been blithe in my life.

The audio book was the best! There were two readers, one for Part I and one for Part II. It's the best way to hear this story. (The amount of tim ...more

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Jun 30, 2014 Angela M rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I'm an emotional, sentimental, and idealistic reader. Not in the sense that I want happy endings all the time because most of the books I love are pretty sad and are filled with a lot of loss. In fact many of my favorite books are gut wrenching and have broken my heart. I'm idealistic because I want to read books that are 4 & 5 star reads all of the time. I want to love a book not just like it . I want a book to really get to me in some way. I have to admit that I was not expecting this book ...more

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Aug 18, 2015 Melissa (Mel’s Bookshelf) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

I took a bit of a risk I think, my very first audio book AND Historical fiction... My most detested of all genres... But I enjoyed it! Just didn't LOVE it like so many others seem to have done.

The story is written (or told in this case) by two best friends set in World War 2. The first part of the novel is written by Queenie who is a prisoner of war, caught in France by the gestapo. She is made to write an account of why she is in German occupied France, and of her friendship with Ma I took a bit of a risk I think, my very first audio book AND Historical fiction... My most detested of all genres... But I enjoyed it! Just didn't LOVE it like so many others seem to have done.

The story is written (or told in this case) by two best friends set in World War 2. The first part of the novel is written by Queenie who is a prisoner of war, caught in France by the gestapo. She is made to write an account of why she is in German occupied France, and of her friendship with Maddie, who was flying the plane that brought her into France. The second part of the book is Maddie's version of events. The first part of the novel written by Queenie is obviously written under duress, and although entertaining, it is not till the second part that it all comes together and the whole truth is revealed.

It was a good book. Extremely well written. The characters were written flawlessly and the research that must have gone into this, especially the planes and navigation parts, was amazingly thorough!

The audio version itself was impressive. The beautiful Scottish accent of the first narrator was wonderful. I really enjoyed the audio version. I don't think if i read the written version of this book, i would have enjoyed it quite so much. I enjoyed the audio version because I could do other things. Unfortunately I am yet to master housework and reading at the same time so this allows me to do just that. Its funny, when I read a book I can't remember much about where I was when I read it. With this audio version I can remember the EXACT moment of the most pivotal shocking moment of the book - I was unloading the dishwasher and nearly dropped a plate!

I really enjoyed how the story came together with the second narrator. Everything started to make more sense and it was extremely interesting. Overall though there were quite a few slower parts but then something really interesting would happen to peak my interest again.

It took me a while to get used to listening to a book being read for me. I haven't been read to since I was a child so it was a bit difficult for me to stick with it at first. But as the story started to flow I was all in.

I would have liked a little bit of romance. I saw potential there, just to throw a bit in, but nothing really happened. I understand though it was hardly a romantic setting!

Overall I really enjoyed it. However I as I said, I didn't LOVE it. But that's not the books fault! Its all me! Its still the highest rating I've ever given a historical fiction before.

Between 3.5 and 4 Stars

For more reviews visit my blog
www.booksbabiesbeing.com

Find me on twitter
www.twitter.com/BBB_Mel ...more

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May 28, 2012 Christine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: women-writers, historical-wwii, kindle

Re-read for July 2016 UC Book Club selection

It is pleasure to know that some books stay as good as you remember. Now, if you need me I will be the crying mess in the corner that is cursing Hollywood that this hasn't been filmed yet.

Old Review
There is something lacking in war stories that make it to television. We have great battle epics, such as appear on HBO, and we have the rescue stories that appear everywhere. Understandably the battle epics focus on men; what women app/>Old ...more

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Apr 04, 2014 Regan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-owned-read

I just... This was just so good I can't even articulate it.

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Mar 01, 2017 Chris Horsefield rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ww2-ya-holocaust-ya-novels-wwii

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Elizabeth Wein has, with consummate skill, written a powerful story about two girls from vastly different social backgrounds who, at the start of World War II are thrown together and quickly became firm friends. Maddie is a working-class girl from Stockport whilst Julie's ancestry goes back to a certain William Wallace who defeated an English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297.

Maddie is a WAAF radio operator who, because she'd learnt to fly in 1938, soon finds herself tran Elizabeth Wein has, with consummate skill, written a powerful story about two girls from vastly different social backgrounds who, at the start of World War II are thrown together and quickly became firm friends. Maddie is a working-class girl from Stockport whilst Julie's ancestry goes back to a certain William Wallace who defeated an English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297.

Maddie is a WAAF radio operator who, because she'd learnt to fly in 1938, soon finds herself transferred to the Air Transport Auxiliary as a ferry pilot whilst Julie, who speaks fluent French and German, is seconded into the Special Operations Executive. Sometime later, with Maddie wrestling with the controls of flak-damaged Lysander, Julie - no, I am not Scottie, Queenie or Lady Julia Lindsay MacKenzie Wallace Beaufort-Stuart; I am simply Julie - parachutes into occupied France.

Captured and tortured by the Gestapo - thanks to a snafu before take-off Julie finds herself carrying Maddie's logbook and ATA papers - she becomes a modern day Scheherazade, forced to write a believable report of the organisation, defences and activities of the RAF.

A consummate actress with a powerful imagination her manuscript - you're reading her thoughts and her words as she writes them - skillfully merges fact with fiction, embellishing what the Gestapo already know and what they can probably check. As a result their decision whether to have her shot, guillotined, sent to a concentration camp or simply used for medical experiments is, time and time again, delayed.

Does Julie survive her interrogation and torture at the Gestapo headquarters in Ormaie? Does Maddie survive the crash? Do either of the girls get back to the UK?

Fly the plane, Maddie...

As you read Julie's manuscript you'll undoubtedly notice that several phrases and sentences are underlined: this isn't an editorial oversight and they play a critical role in the finale - a finale which is best summed up by the proverb "Revenge is a dish best served cold". Perhaps prophetically those words first appeared almost 100 years earlier, in the French novel 'Mathilde' by Marie Joseph Eugène Sue.

And, as SS-Hauptsturmfuher Amadeus von Linden and his colleagues quickly discover, the French maquis are very skilful in ensuring that 'La vengeance se mange très-bien froide'.

Fly the plane, Maddie... ...more

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