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Codenaam Verity
(Code Name Verity #3)
by
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
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
November 6th 2013
by Van Goor
(first published February 6th 2012)
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Start your review of Codenaam Verity

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?" "... It's cool. I just fell out of bed."
Page ...more
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?" "... It's cool. I just fell out of bed."
Page ...more


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-win ...more

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
...more

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

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:
i-ve-just-read-you-and-i-love-you,
2012
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 litt ...more
I'm usually Elaine in these situations, so I worried a litt ...more

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.

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 bit ...more
Verity tells the tale of her involvement with the British war effort, spiced with bit ...more

Mar 05, 2012
Maja (The Nocturnal Library)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Maja (The Nocturnal Library) by:
Chachic
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
...more

“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 Wa ...more

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, ...more
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, ...more

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 ...more
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 ...more

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.
...more

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 brutal feels.
but—a great book, whose secrets will not be spoilt by me with a more detailed revie ...more
but—a great book, whose secrets will not be spoilt by me with a more detailed revie ...more

May 24, 2015
Jen
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
5-star-favourites,
europe-war
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

Feb 12, 2012
Tatiana
marked it as dnf
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Tatiana by:
definitely not Emily
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.
...more

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
3.5 stars

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. ...more
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. ...more

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 slau
...more

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 then the ...more
I was very taken too with the way the author chose to tell the tale, first one character telling events her way and then the ...more

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
...more

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

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

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 amoun ...more
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 amoun ...more

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
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 Name Verity's charac ...more

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 to
...more

Nov 16, 2012
Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
france,
3-stars,
historical-fiction,
young-adult,
world-war-ii,
female-friendship,
england,
epistolary
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--natural ...more
Now for the review.
Overall, Code Name Verity is an enjoyable book. The story is gripping, with tension and danger throughout--natural ...more

When Caitlin from my local bookstore recommended Code Name Verity to me (in the category of ‘historical fiction + kinda gay), she told me that 1) I would be obsessed, and 2) I would want to reread this book as soon as I finished it. She was right about both.
I read this book in the range from 1:00am to 4:00am, first of all. I don’t even remember the last time I needed to finish a book so bad. I needed to find out what happened!! How was it all going to go down? I had guesses, sure, but I didn’t ...more
I read this book in the range from 1:00am to 4:00am, first of all. I don’t even remember the last time I needed to finish a book so bad. I needed to find out what happened!! How was it all going to go down? I had guesses, sure, but I didn’t ...more

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

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 appear are wives, girlfri ...more
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 appear are wives, girlfri ...more

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 Maddie, who wa ...more
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 wa ...more
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Paste Magazine has listed Code Name Verity as the best YA novel of the 2010 decade! The full list is here:
https://www.pastemagazine.com/article...
...more
https://www.pastemagazine.com/article...
...more
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