May 2013: Code Name Verity

[Jackie]

It began May 1st, but I'm a bad mod and forgot to put up the thread. :/ I'll just use this one and rename it...


Discuss this book here... Remember to mark all spoilers!

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[Candace]

I've heard great things about this book. Unfortunately ,I have been #1 on the hold list at the library for months- long before the club chose to read it. I think someone liked it so much they decided not to turn it back it in! My used store doesn't have it, so I was hoping to rely on discussions here as to whether I should buy it...

[Amber]

To be honest the first chapter or two were a little awkward. It seemed a bit forced. However, it definitely picked up after that. I'm about half way through now.

[Jackie]

Amber wrote: "To be honest the first chapter or two were a little awkward. It seemed a bit forced. However, it definitely picked up after that. I'm about half way through now."

I read like the first 18 pages and that's how I felt. I've put it to the side for now, until I get more brain cells to deal with it. Right now I'm in the mood for brain candy.

[Renee]

Reading it on my kindle and I'm 12% in. I am having a hard time with this one. At this point I am not even sure I like main character. But I will trudge on.

[Gail]

I read this a few months ago, so I am not reading it with you guys, but am anxiously waiting for your opinions and discussion. I loved it. For the people who are struggling, let me just tell you that you will not truly understand or appreciate the first part until you read the second part.

[Angel]

I felt the same way, in that, the beginning I was unsure if I cared for the book, but now I am 20% on my kindle and I'm enjoying it

[Maureen]

Gail wrote: "I read this a few months ago, so I am not reading it with you guys, but am anxiously waiting for your opinions and discussion. I loved it. For the people who are struggling, let me just tell you ..."

I have finished the book and I agree with Gail. (view spoiler)[I enjoy when there are separate viewpoints of the same experience. (hide spoiler)]

[Kate]

I raced through this book and absolutely loved it - one of the better reads of the year. Two things really stood out:

1. The whole concept of the Unreliable Narrator. You don't know if you can trust *anything* Verity says, because she's writing for the eyes of her captors. It was very cleverly done - without there ever really being an "aha" moment, you start suspecting that Verity is hiding much more than she gives on. And -

2. The casual tone for very serious subject matter. I was constantly getting sucker-punched by the backhand way horrible things got slipped into the narrative, i.e. "I do wish they would stop torturing that girl, she is never going to tell them anything." It almost made the horrors more real when she glossed over them so lightly - and it limited the nausea factor of having to read, in gruesome lingering detail, about just what creative ideas the Gestapo have for a jug of gasoline and a prisoner. :\

[Kate]

Although I do have to wonder why on earth this book is classified as YA. It stars girls in their twenties rather than their teens; the male roles are limited; there is very little romance or any of the other characteristics that normally dominate the YA genre. Now I would give this book to a teenage girl in a heartbeat; it's a marvelous read about female bravery and female friendship. But it seems to me much more like a straight historical fiction read rather than young adult, or perhaps "new adult" as the new genre pushing the problems of protagonists in their 20s.

[Gail]

Kate wrote: "Although I do have to wonder why on earth this book is classified as YA. It stars girls in their twenties rather than their teens; the male roles are limited; there is very little romance or any o..."

I completely agree. I was very surprised when I read it that it is classified as YA. I am planning to give it to my older daughter, who is a nineteen year old history major, and I know she will love it. I doubt my fourteen year old would have any interest in it. I tried to get her to read The Book Thief, which I also feel should not be classified as YA, and she didn't finish.

[JoLene, Mistress of the Challenge]

Kate wrote: "Although I do have to wonder why on earth this book is classified as YA. It stars girls in their twenties rather than their teens; the male roles are limited; there is very little romance or any o..."

I agree as well. I read this when it was chosen as a selection for the Forever Young Adult bookclub --- but didn't really feel like it was a typical YA book as it was dealing with very adult themes.

I don't normally re-read books, but this is one that I will probably re-read at some point. I had a cold while reading this and really didn't like the beginning. I'm sure that I missed some of the details in my drug-induced (cold meds) stupor, but it turned into a really good read.

[Emily]

Gail wrote: "I read this a few months ago, so I am not reading it with you guys, but am anxiously waiting for your opinions and discussion. I loved it. For the people who are struggling, let me just tell you ..."

Yes, keep going! The beginning is a bit of a struggle at first but as you get into it the whole thing starts to get stitched together. I listened to the audio version and it was excellent, I ended up a bit more than half way through it at the end of work Friday and I kept trying to figure out an excuse to listen to it over the weekend when hubby wouldn't think I was crazy.

[Emily]

Gail wrote: "Kate wrote: "Although I do have to wonder why on earth this book is classified as YA. It stars girls in their twenties rather than their teens; the male roles are limited; there is very little rom..."

I thought it was strange to be labeled YA too. Didn't seem to fit the current YA mold. Although I could give it to my teenage cousins to read in a heartbeat. I need to get a paper copy for my daughter's must read box (she's only 4 so it's a long way off till she reads this book.)

[Kate]

Personally, I think this is a great book for YA girls - especially the ones we're trying to ween away from those neverending high-school dramas with love triangles where the biggest problem is "Can I date the bad boy AND be on the cheerleading squad???" I would love to see a sixteen-year-old girl read this and tweet, "OMG, I would SO TOTALLY join the French Resistance!!!" Better than "Team _____ 4-Ever!!!"

[[deleted user]]

Completely enjoyed this book. Surprised it falls into the YA genre, I tend to shy away from YA - so happy that wasn't the case with Code Name Verity.

I'm also an aviatrix so it was very much enjoyed!

[Renee]

I finished Verity this morning, it came together is all I can say. Better than I anticipated

[Laurel]

Just starting .

[Cheryl A]

Kate wrote: "Personally, I think this is a great book for YA girls - especially the ones we're trying to ween away from those neverending high-school dramas with love triangles where the biggest problem is "Can..."

I totally agree. Although there's a niche for the teenage drama/love triangle/paranormal, it's wonderful to see sophisticated, well written novels with young protagonists. There are a lot of adults that read YA novels and working in a library, I find that a lot of the young people want to read adult books rather than the excellent selections for that audience.

I read a lot of WWII fiction and this is one of the best I've read in the last year.

[Anne]

I gave up after the first chapter--I didn't realize that it was a WWII book, not a topic that interests me (even though I wrote a memoir from then). I've said it before and will repeat: I do not consider something that happened during my lifetime to be 'historical'--gives away my age, I suppose :-)

[Maryt]

You really have to hang in there with this book. I kept thinking the writing felt too modern for WW2 and although I enjoyed the anecdotal stories of the friendship, I kept wondering where it was all going. This was true for the first 1/3 of the book. But then at some point 50% into the book it all starts to fall together and doesn't let you go. I bawled my eyes out and stayed up way past my bedtime to see it to the end. I immediately told my friends to read this book because the friendship was quite moving, something you don't always see in books. Surprised it's listed as YA but I think that genre is really hard to define. It's not all Twilight and teenage angsty love triangles, thank God!

[Cheryl A]

As I was reading another WWII book, I thought about Anne's comment above. I'm more of a Vietnam War kid - I clearly remember watching the news coverage. I think that is one of the reasons that YA novels such as this are important for younger readers - they have no family members with direct memories of WWII. Sparking interest in a time period these younger readers don't know much about can only lead to a better understanding of the past - even if it's through fiction.

Off soapbox now...

[Gail]

I think you are right, Cheryl. I myself have little interest in the books that have been written recently about Vietnam and Desert Storm, the wars of my lifetime, as I learned enough about them from the news. I am, however, fascinated with both world wars. I think this may be because I grew up hearing anecdotes about them, as my both my grandfathers fought in WWI, and my Mom was a child in London during WWII. I feel the need to understand the big picture about what happened to them. I think many younger readers have heard just enough about WWII to be interested in a book such as this, whether or not they have a personal connection with it.

[Anne]

I think you are absolutely right about young people learning from fiction--and memoir. But that doesn't mean that I want to read about it. In addition the toture aspect of the book turned me off--realistic, yes, but it sickens me. Reading is my relaxation and this wasn't that.

[Renee]

I taught literature to grades 6-8, and found my students really got into WW II literature. I always thought it was because it was so easy to identify good & evil, and so many of the characters were young adults themselves.

[Richard]

I read Code Name Verity last year and really, really rate it highly. It is very cleverly told. Sometimes you probably do need to carry on and trust the author. For example, for me, though friendly motorbike rides are all very well, they weren't where the action was, and I was tempted to skip. Later you realise that these episodes are very important, and they are the relief the plot needs, and they set the foundations for the friendship that is so important in this book. Anyway, I'd recommend this to anyone. Even if you dislike books about WWII, this one is so writerly and so well-told. Is it YA? Well my son (13) has just had to read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas as his English course book. That (to my taste) is a far inferior book on many levels - but it is an indication of what schools, at least, think is age appropriate. I think I'll hold this back till my children are 14.

[Laurel]

I finished Verity today, and was incredibly impressed and moved by this book. I collect fiction relating to WW2 and am pleased to add this to my completed list. I am going to suggest it to members of the WW2 readers group that I belong to, here on GR. I read The Diary of Anne Frank to my grade 6 students, and they were incredibly moved by it, and wanted to learn as much as possible about WW2. If I was still teaching, (am now retired), I would read it to my 5s and 6s. I am sure they would react in a similar fashion.

I waited a week to write my review.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[Zara]

I really hope this wins the Carnegie Award, it's on the shortlist and I loved this book so much.

[Susan]

I rated this book 5 stars. It was a great paean to the friendship between Maddie and Julie, as well as a super WWII book. Thanks to Historical Fictionistas for choosing it. Two of my Goodread friends plan to read it soon. I too was VERY surprised that this book was "coded" YA.

[Patricia]

I did a review but forgot to do it here. Loved the book.I knew something was up when I realized she was writing for the Germans. The reader is challenged to pick out the important parts.Ilove books about strong women.About the YA rating, the Hunger games is supposed to be YA book. They need to know about the tougher sides of life.It doesn't mean OA,s can't enjoy the same book!It was a 5 star read for me which means I will reread or listen to it. Audio lets you pick up on many nuances that can be missed with reading.

[Carly]

I generally do not like YA fiction due to the love triangles, poor me mentality, etc. However, I genuinely enjoyed this book. What a great story for young women. I would suggest all teenage girls read this story. I also love WWII stories since my grandfather served in the war. I know this is fiction, but the female pilot perspective was very interesting.

[Kohinoor]

I am very late to the game, but I just started the book. It was a bit slow for me in the beginning but once Queenie and Maddie became friends, it definitely picked up for me. I'm excited to keep going since the book has so many great reviews. I just finished reading Peter Pan this June with my class so I keep getting a little thrill when I notice a Peter Pan reference lol
I agree with Kate. Too many YA books and even elementary books geared towards young girls are all about boyfriends, angst, baking (there is a chapter book series for 8-9 year old girls called Cupcake Diaries!!)that it is refreshing to see a book about a, excuse my language, ballsy teenage girl taking on the Nazi army. I hope this book gets placed on required reading for high school.

[Ashley Marie]

Just joined the group, but I saw this and HAD to post -- I picked up CNV earlier this year on a whim in the midst of a book-buying spree on Amazon and HOLY. CRAP. I've never been so floored by a book. I took it with me on a business trip to NY and devoured it in two days while riding around in a box truck. As soon as I finished, I was dying to read it again and it's on the top of my To-Read list for next year. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a good action story, not just historical fiction, and would certainly recommend it for required high school reading. Five stars.