Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

[Kristie, Moderator (Retired)]

The winning theme for November was "books about war" and the winning war-themed book is Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. Please feel free to join the conversation before, during, or after reading the book, but remember to use spoiler tags so we don't ruin the story for others that haven't read it yet or aren't at the same point in the story.

[Kristie, Moderator (Retired)]

I keep hearing great things about this one! I'm looking forward to starting it.

[Avid Reader and Geek Girl]

Reserved a copy at the library.

[Debra]

I really enjoyed this book. Looking forward to discussing it when more people read it!

[Karen ⊰✿, Avaricious Reader]

Audio - parts 1&2

The book starts off with quite a bang and really dragged me in. I'm still not sure if the narrator is Queenie or Maddie. I know she suggests that she is Queenie, but I don't feel like there was a definite there, and as she writes in 3rd person, I do wonder how she could know so much about Maddie.
Big question from me at this point is where is the story going? Surely the whole book can't be told from the POV of writing to your captors as a POW. It will be interesting to see what happens next

Audio parts 3&4

Sorry I don't know where in this book t this is for the paperback/hardback versions.
(view spoiler)[ I love the use of script pads and her jokes for Engel on this. It is a nice change from the horrors of war.
I can't help but remember that everything she is writing is being seen by the Germans which means it can't all be real, or the truth. Especially when she met the American and they put her forward for the 'interview'. Is it possible she found some way to signal her and get her to save her from this torture? I have to hope so. It doesn't make much of a book if she dies.
(hide spoiler)]I love the audio narrator. What a fabulous job she is doing.
This is a very slow read, but it is engaging and I'm curious to where it can go from here

[Ashley]

Oh no! This book..... ugh I can't even. It took forever for me to even get interested. I was so close to not even finishing and I always finish books no matter how bad they are. Yes it's about war and should have kept me interested but sadly it didn't. I was so excited to read it until I actually did. It didn't get better for me until the end, when it was pretty much over. It's so disappointing. I really wanted to like it. I hope you guys do.

[Kristie, Moderator (Retired)]

Karen - I'm also listening to the audio. It states that the audio is a duet, but I think there's only one narrator. Did your audio have two narrators at some point?

So far, I think this book is interesting. I'm curious to see where it goes and I'm impressed that it is done in letter format, but without sounding dry. Most of the time, I feel like she is just telling me her story.

Ashley - Sorry to hear that the book wasn't for you.

[Kristie, Moderator (Retired)]

Ah yes! Agreed, RitaSkeeter. I'm surprised that she's so bold about name calling and tattling on her captors.

[Emily]

This book is amazing! I read it last year and loved it.

[Avid Reader and Geek Girl]

Liking it so far.

[Tracey]

I liked it overall, but all of the talk about planes and aviation turned me off to it. It was just not a topic I am interested in.

[Kristie, Moderator (Retired)]

I finished this one and it turned out better than expected. It started out ok for me, then got better as the book went on. I really wanted to know what was going to happen by the end. Believable twists...pretty good overall.

[Kristie, Moderator (Retired)]

*****SPOILERS*****
There are spoilers in the questions below! Do not read the questions, if you have not finished the book.

Discussion Questions:

1 Why is SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden keeping “Verity” alive and imprisoned at the Château de Bordeaux? Why do you think he is willing to give her so much time to write her confession?

2 At the beginning of Code Name Verity, “Verity” starts her confessional story from Maddie’s perspective rather than her own. Why? In “Kittyhawk,” part two of the book, the author changes narrators from “Verity” to Maddie. Does this change your expectations of what’s going to happen? Does having two narrators detract from the story or strengthen it? Why?

3 How well do we really get to know Julie (“Verity”)? What of her confession is “true”? She ends her confession by repeating and repeating “I have told the truth.” What truths has she shared?

4 What are your impressions of Anna Engel? Is she a sympathetic character? Why or why not?

5 How do the roles of the female characters, especially Maddie, foreshadow the women’s liberation and equal rights movements that would take place a generation after the War in Europe and the U.S.?

6 Maddie makes a life-or-death choice that you will probably never have to face. Given a similar bond of friendship, what would you do if you were in a situation that required you to hurt someone you loved?

These questions were retrieved from: http://www.teachingbooks.net/media/pd...

[Kristie, Moderator (Retired)]

So funny, RitaSkeeter. I had a different reaction to the change of narrator. (view spoiler)[ I thought once the narrator changed we were going to hear the rescue story. I was quite shocked with "that" event. I kept wanting to yell at the resistance to do something while they could. I was so frustrated, then so sad...

I initially thought that Verity was Maddie and she was just an unreliable narrator. So I thought she really was writing her story when she started telling Maddie's story. I think you're right and she maybe used the story as a bit of an escape, but also maybe thinking she could keep herself alive by creating a story that von Linden would want to hear more of?? It certainly seemed to keep her alive for a while and she wasn't telling them anything useful. (hide spoiler)]

[Kristie, Moderator (Retired)]

I completely agree. That's just how I saw von Linden and would have answered #1 too.

[Avid Reader and Geek Girl]

LOVE it so far about 200 more pages to go!