The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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Code Name Verity Discussion
I first read this book a couple of years ago, and it stayed with me more intensely than just about anything else. I have the audio so I listened to it and as soon as I started I knew I would basically be living in earbuds until it was over. It was just as gripping the second time 'round. I mean: Kiss me, Hardy! (sob.)I paid more attention to the structure this time, knowing what I was in for, and was even more impressed with Wein's craft. Every detail serves double duty, or triple duty, or more. Their fear lists - dogs, cold, court martial, brother's safety - all very normal young women in wartime things, but each item goes from flippant and personal to vital and wide-ranging and transforms into nightmare, but nightmare that must be lived with and overcome. And overcoming a fear doesn't mean it's not still a fear; it just means that any hazy outlines are now terrifyingly sharp.
I didn't love Rose Under Fire as intensely, but I'm going to have to listen to it again now, too. And then maybe Verity again. Basically, I'm going to only claim like 2 tasks this challenge, because I'll spend all my time bouncing between those two books.
(That's not true. But I'm grateful and awed that the reread was as transportive as the first read.)
"Kiss me, Hardy! Kiss me quick!" *WEEPING NOISES*I looked so hard for an audio of this and neither of my libraries (childhood home in WV or current home in MD -- yay for overdrive!) had it. I'm feeling a feeling not unlike jealousy. haha.
I went with Good Omens (also a re-read for me and I *did* get it on audio), but I just really, really loved Code Name Verity, so I am sure I'll end up haunting both threads. lol.
It just...sucked me into that world the whole time I was reading it, and when I couldn't read...I was thinking about everything I'd read and wondering what would happen next.
I have Rose Under Fire set for this season, but I don't know that lightning will strike twice there. I will get the Code Name Verity audio eventually.... *Determined face* Yes, yes I will.
More companion novels than series from what I gather. Wartime. Women. Planes. That sort of connection. I had the same reaction though, Gemma. Definitely stand alone with itself. (And the tears and the making me feel feelings.) So I was relieved it seems stand alone with companion novels. I have Rose Under Fire slotted to read though. Probably in the next library batch. *fingers crossed*
WONDERFUL book. I read it just almost exactly a year abo ... and listened to the audio. Here's a link to my review ...https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
One thing that puzzles me is that it is now listed as #1 in a series. But it isn't really a series. The characters don't repeat. Yes, this book and Rose Under Fire are both set in WW2 and both feature female pilots but that alone doesn't make them a series ... at least not in my eyes. Anyone else puzzled by this?
Mod
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
One thing that puzzles me is..."
They really are not a series - the only thing I can think of is that there are a couple characters from this one, who are mentioned in Rose Under Fire - not as important or anything, more as people she knew at one point in England.
As others have said, tho, Rose Under Fire didn't suck me in like this one. I liked it, no question, but just didn't find it as compelling.
I was so pleased to see this was a pick for the group reads! I read it for the Fall Challenge and it was just unbelievably good. I'm also glad that the second one isn't a continuation of the first. I have Rose Under Fire in my TBR list but I'm going to wait a bit before I read it.
i liked Rose Under Fire much more than CNV - but I'm debating relistening to CNV to see if the audio works better for me because I read it and just didn't get the emotional affect that RUF had in audio
Gemma wrote: "Haha, so I just tried to describe the book and the plot to my mum and wound up in tears again. Ugh. I'm pleased that Rose Under Fire isn't a follow-on. It would have been total..."
So why categorize the books as a series at all? A series should really have a continuing character or story line. Many authors return again and again to the same basic setting and themes (Pat Conroy, for example). Doesn't make their individual novels a series.
Sandra Dallas will frequently include or reference a character from a previous novel in a later novel. Again, they are stand-alone works of fiction, not a series.
And there are "companion" books - i.e. books that treat similar themes, reference or include the same characters, even - that are written by different authors (for example: Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea / or / Scarlett) and Rhett Butler's People). Should these books also be listed as series? I think not.
Sorry to go off on a tangent. This issue just really frosts my cookies.
i'm guessing the continuing character of Maddie who appeared in both is why they classed it as so - and the underlying mission of the women during the time; the same squadron etc is enough to tie it to a series - plus written by the same personETA - this definition would fit why its a series to me - a set of books, articles, etc., that involve the same group of characters or the same subject - same group of characters (the women pilots) and the same subject/time period (WW2; England)
Add me to the list of people who have already read Code Name Verity and thought it was amazing. "Kiss Me Hardy" still makes me tear up. I have read Rose Under Fire but it didn't pull me in the same way.I personally wouldn't classify them as a series since the stories are not dependent on each other, but Rose Under Fire does have a spoiler for Code Name Verity so it might make sense to list them to be read in order. (view spoiler)
Elizabeth Wein has also written a series which is a rather different version of the Arthurian legend. I've read the first two books in that, and am planning to read the third (and maybe the fourth) for Task 25.1.
Mod
But, I'm not sure that it really matters, as long as you can find out whether you really need to read the ones marked as a series in order!
there has been some discussion of how to define series on GR and could it maybe be developed so that there is indication of series that need to be read in order; ones in teh same world etc - even if its just a description on the series page
I seem to be in the minority of people who didn't love this book. The second part redeemed it overall, so I upgraded my rating to 3 stars, but the first part just about did me in with boredom.
Agree with the series talk. I personally like those books that are similarly linked and in the series space they have (A ----- Universe book) or (------- Universe).That way you know it's "connected" but mostly independent.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I found it really annoying that I didn't know who the narrator/pow was for about the first half of the book. Now that I have completed the book, I get it now, but I did find that annoying. Did that bother anyone else? Or was I the only one confused by this?This story was told from a unique point of view.
Sheila wrote: "I don't know about the rest of you, but I found it really annoying that I didn't know who the narrator/pow was for about the first half of the book. Now that I have completed the book, I get it no..."That didn't bother me at all, Sheila. I listened to the audio. I think it goes along with her role in espionage to be circumspect.
Sheila wrote: "I don't know about the rest of you, but I found it really annoying that I didn't know who the narrator/pow was for about the first half of the book. Now that I have completed the book, I get it no..."I’m with you, Sheila. I also get what the author’s intended purpose was for narrating in that manner but it just didn’t work for me. It's weird to be in the overwhelming minority on this because 77% of GR users rated this book 4 or 5 stars which is pretty amazing. I wanted to adore this book.
But unfortunately I had to side with the lowly 6% of GR users who rated it 1 or 2 stars. It was just...ugh, not for me. :(
I just finished the audio version, and I'm glad I went with audio for this book. I didn't rush thought it when things really started to get exciting and I didn't skip parts that were tough. "I have told the truth. I have told the truth. I have told the truth. I have told the truth...." Heartbreaking! The audio version does a great job with the accents, the songs, and the different languages making it that much more real.I also feel like Elizabeth Wein did a good job balancing the "girl power," dare I say feminism, of women in war and the realism of what people experiences were while keeping an interesting and exciting story. That's a fine like to walk and not be unrealistic or cheesy. And she didn't complicate the complicated storyline with any romance, which I'm sure would have been easy to through in there *cough Jaime cough*.
I probably won't read the next book in the "series" but I would recommend this one.
Although it is obvious the author worked hard at trying to create strong women characters as is the trend in novels aimed at teenagers and young women just beginning their careers, I most enjoyed the details given about trying to keep information out of the hands of the enemy while simultaneously communicating vital information to their colleagues.
As a young woman, I wanted to fly...and took flying lessons. So I identified with Maddie a lot but not so much with "Verity". I listened to the audio version as I drove to Florida. I vacillated between dismay that Verity was sharing secrets and hope that she was not. I admired her trying to survive in such a horrific circumstance but, overall, she still felt remote to me. Maddie, on the other hand, touched me, and I found myself routing for her - wanting her to succeed and wanting her to forgive herself. I gave the book 4* mainly because the Maddie section came last.
(Meshell) I finished this book today. Oh my! I so LOVED this book. If I think about it much I start tearing up again. I am an Air Force veteran, so reading a book about women in service of their Country just made since to me. These women were true hero's during WWII. I'm thankful the author wrote that although this book is fiction, everything she wrote was "plausible". My favorite line of the book was, "There's glory and honor in being chosen, but not much room for free will."
Michelle wrote: "I am an Air Force veteran, so reading a book about women in service of their Country just..."Michelle - have you read Fannie Flagg's The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion. I think you might enjoy it.
I finished this book yesterday morning and overall I really enjoyed it. There were certainly some slow moving parts, and I agree that the beginning was quiet choppy. I also felt depth of characters was a bit lacking as I don't put the book down knowing really more about either character really that well, as Julia's pov section was really coding who she really was and what she was doing and Maddie's was brief and didn't give too much away of her inner feelings. I also wanted to know more about the extra characters, the v. Lindens of the world and the Engels, who seemed to have more depth to them but we didn't really know. All that being said, I did want to reach the end--and quickly--to figure out what happened to the girls, but (SPOILER AHEAD) I knew I wasn't 100% into this one when I didn't even cry when Julia died (in a book I loved, there would have been waterworks!
Cindy C.I had bought this book quite a while ago, but it had gotten tucked away under my (always growing) to-read pile. I enjoy historical fiction and I was really pleased with this book. The contributions of women during World War II (and most wars) are usually swept aside since they didn't participate in combat. I was happy to read in the author's note how much research Wein put into the characters and how she tried to model them after real women and their war experiences. I am a teacher and I have several students who really enjoy historical fiction and I would definitely recommend this to them.
Michelle wrote: "I finished this book today. Oh my! I so LOVED this book. If I think about it much I start tearing up again. I am an Air Force veteran, so reading a book about women in service of their Country just..."Book Concierge wrote: "Michelle wrote: "I am an Air Force veteran, so reading a book about women in service of their Country just..."
Michelle - have you read Fannie Flagg's [book:The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reu..."
Book Concierge, I haven't read All GIRL FILLING STATION, but I will. Thank you for the suggestion.
I've had this book on my TBR for about a year, so I was glad it was an option for the 20.10 task. I found myself really enjoying some parts and being distracted or bored by other parts. Mostly because the characters didn't grab me like some in other WWII books that I have read. I gave it a 3 star for that purpose, but would consider re-reading it in the future.
This book started out really slow for me. I don't read much YA, or even fiction for that matter, but the 20 points kept me reading. I was initially annoyed to be reading so much about a third party (Maddie) without really knowing much about the narrator. When the narrator reveals herself to be Queenie, it started to make a little more sense, and I was able to stay more engaged with her story. Also, at that point, I realized that the narrator was starting to show her subversive side and Queenie became a little more interesting. As others have stated, the book really took off with Maddie's side of the story, probably because it began to make sense. I really enjoyed the second half of the book, and the death of Julie was a great twist. While not bringing tears to my eyes, it did tug at the ol' heartstrings.
I did love the historical aspect of this book. When the author commented about real women in WWII and how she couldn't make them up, I felt proud of those women, whose names I don't know and who are probably long passed. This book is a great tribute to them.
I listened to the audio of this and really enjoyed it. I actually listen to most books I "read" because I'm a letter carrier and am able to listen for hours at a time as I'm delivering the mail. I've gotta say, I'm pretty happy that it was miserable weather while I was listening to this, so there weren't many folks outside to see me holding back tears!Unlike some of the other folks have said, I actually quite liked how the first part was narrated. Maybe it just came across better in the audio than it did in print?
While I really enjoyed this book, I doubt that I will listen to the next book. I don't typically read war fiction, but a friend had given this 4 stars, so I thought I would give it a try for this task. I never would have read it otherwise, so yay for the SRC for expanding my reading horizon. =)
what "lines" would each of us cross [or not] in order to simply survive?this book tugs at me, haunts me, and challenges me. i know it's a work of fiction [at it's genuine best], and yet; the horrors of it's war, that was indeed, very real, and what the lives that lived through the seemingly endless days of that war endured...the courage to carry through it...just "sucker punches" this reader to her very core.
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! A very complex story that ended up unfolding differently than what I had imagined by reading some of the publishing summaries. A tale of the type of friendship that is rare and beautiful; the kind where you even dream the same dreams. After finishing, I started thinking about my friend who I lost shortly after highschool to Bulemia. She was so sick in the end, barely recognizable. We had promised to always be together. It's been 35 years now and I miss her still. I guess when we read...we bring with us our past and perceptions. I brought Krissy along with me while I read this book.
I'm in the minority on this one, clearly. I didn't find it believable in any way, shape, or form, and both the women left me completely cold. Part of that might have been due to the storytelling style, but I think it was mostly due to the absolutely ludicrous setup in the beginning. If only every POW could have had interrogators who were willing to indulge their literary aspirations as long as they possibly could draw them out.
I just got this from my library today and already 20 pages in.
Okay so I got a little more into the book. I am liking it more. Is it my imagination or is there two different points of view in this story?-the Maddie character and the narrator's
I really enjoyed this. In particular, I thought that the way Julie distances herself from "Queenie/Scottie" when narrating the first part was absolutely fascinating--you can already tell that she's picking and choosing anecdotes and incidents purposefully, constructing a story for herself as much as for the German officers, a source of comfort in a bleak space. Then, as she begins to lose her grip a little more (or appears to), and becomes more and more exhausted, she begins to muddle the first- and third-person narratives, which I thought was a brilliant way of showing her breakdown.I thought that Julie's narrative was more interesting from a technical/literary POV, whereas Maddie's was more absorbing and emotionally engaging.
Also, "KISS ME HARDY!": I cried a bit. And with Lady Beaufort-Stuart's letter at the end: "I would like to 'keep' you too." MORE CRYING.
I'm going to be honest. I don't really like historical fiction, so I was really worried I wasn't going to like this book, but I just loved it. I thought it was so memorable and moving. I loved how it revolved around the friendship of two young women instead of being just another YA carbon copy book. All of it was so interesting to me and it was fantastic how the two parts of the book come together. And the ending...oh my goodness. "Kiss me Hardy. Kiss me quick!" I burst into tears, and I'm not a crier at ALL. The ending completely ravaged me. God, I'm still recovering. Amazing read.
This book was confusing at first to grasp. I liked the characters of Julie and Maddie. I liked their friendship and the dedication Maddie had to find Julie aka Verity. I felt bad for Julie and I didn't understand why she was being interrogated. I understand she was an Allied pilot but in one section where her interrogator received a letter from Hitler, Hitler really wanted her dead. It just seemed extreme. I liked the back story of the two main character more than the parts with Julie in the prison cell. Then it switched to Maddie telling the story and I was confused again. Overall, I think these two women were brave to serve for their country. Overall, I give it 4 stars.
I loved loved loved this book and couldn't put it down. I will not confess the amount of work I put aside in order to gulp this book down. The characterization for Maddie and Julie was spot-on and the author did such a smashing job of creating distinct voices for each girl. The way the sections echoed off each other was just perfect in my mind.I loved the structure of the book where you start the story from Verity's point of view. The entire time Verity did what she was supposed to, leading the readers on a merry chase of truth and half truths so that by the time Maddie told their story and got to the end, I just about fell apart.
In a fairytale ending, Verity would be heroically rescued and reunited with Maddie. But the book is not a fairytale and the brilliant touch is that we almost get that ending... only to have it all go south in front of our eyes. I had to put the book down at that point and take a breath. Then another. And then another before diving back. I don't think I'll ever hear the phrase "Kiss me Hardy. Kiss me quick" without associating it with that one scene.
The only part of the book that I felt unnecessary was the mother's letter at the end. I would think that there would be some seeds of bitterness between Julie's mother and Maddie over what happened. With time, I could see the wounds healing and some sort of relationship reforged; but I just felt like the mother's forgiveness happened too quickly to be realistic. But since we don't really get to hear the mother's side of the story except for that one letter, she could really be that type of woman.
Overall this is such a wonderful book looking at growing up during WWII, the difficult choices we make in the name of our beliefs, and highlighting the role women played in the war effort. Excellent read and I would highly recommend!
This book was amazing and the author's research shines through. She even provides a bib.
This book was amazing and the author's research shines through. She even provides a bib.
I'm with Ursula on this one - I just didn't find this believable at all. I checked this out from the library at the very beginning of this season's reading challenge and it's languished for six weeks now, as I just couldn't get into it. The first chapters were wordy and obtuse and just awful. It's nice to have a young adult book written about the work of women in war, as I have a daughter whose of the age to read books like this and since we're a military family, I like her to see that women have their place in the services, as well. I'm just not sure I'd suggest this one to her.
E wrote: "I just finished the audio version, and I'm glad I went with audio for this book. I didn't rush thought it when things really started to get exciting and I didn't skip parts that were tough.Well now I'm really disappointed that I didn't listen to the audio version! I did totally speed through the ending because I wanted to find out what happened.
This was my second time trying to read this book, and I almost didn't finish. It was interesting when I was reading, but nothing really pulled at me to pick up the book once I put it down. But once I got about half way in, I was hooked and stayed up late to finish it.
I think Wein did a marvelous job. I loved the characters and the relationships. I think she even did a good job with the "evil" characters making them more than one dimensional.
Lindy-Lane wrote: "what "lines" would each of us cross [or not] in order to simply survive?
While looking at stuff online about the book, I came across this interesting reading guide and wanted to share: http://www.bookbrowse.com/reading_gui...
Since this was brought up above, I'd like to get your opinions:
"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?"
rachieg wrote: "Since this was brought up above, I'd like to get your opinions:"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?"
There were suggestions of him developing an attachment to her, from her being his daughter's age. He had to receive direct orders to send her away. He looked haunted after she was gone. Then the suicide (or was that l'Engle murdering him and making it look like suicide?) Plus the Scheherazade aspect of it.
I love unreliable narrators, so I really should have read this book more slowly, to put the pieces together. I think the one thing that might have made it more believable would have been to give Maddy a writing habit before the crash happened. She didn't have anyone forcing her to write any confession, but she did so at the same time. If she'd already had a journaling habit, it might have seemed a bit less contrived.
On the whole, I loved the story too much to quibble too much. I don't give 5* ratings out often, but this book gets one. I thank whoever nominated this one and the people who voted, because I doubt I would have read it otherwise!
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book. I've put off reading it for a couple of years because I was sure I would love it, knew it was going to be sad and wasn't ready to expend that kind of emotion. However, I did not enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would, which was very surprising.The story was a little slow for me and I didn't really feel anything for the characters at the beginning. By the end when it started to pick up I did find myself caring a bit more and sitting up, wanting to know what happened next. There were definitely parts where I found myself loving it, and other parts where I found myself checking how many pages I had read and how many I had to go.
Overall, I think the high expectations that I held for this book ultimately ruined it for me. I still really enjoyed it, but not as much as I hoped it would. I'm glad this task finally forced me into reading it so that I have one less book on my to read list though!
I've had this book on my to-read list for nearly 2 years and have been putting off because I don't really like books about Nazi atrocities. I put it off for another several weeks this season, even though it was my choice among the group reads. I finally got around to it yesterday and pretty much read it straight through. I still don't enjoy reading about Nazi atrocities. But I did love the book. I liked the way the identities unfolded slowly, even right up to nearly the end with the great-aunt. This was a good choice (though I think I am ready for another long break from Nazis).
This is my second attempt at this book and I didn't like it any more this time than I did the first. My first attempt it landed in the DNF(after less than 50 pages) stack with no intentions of picking it back up. I did finish it this go around and I was not impressed but very disappointed with all the 4 and 5 star ratings. I started this AGAIN at the beginning of the challenge. It has taken me 2 months to finish it simply because I could only read a few pages at a time. The lack of any action and plot left me with no reason to be anxious to pick it up to continue/finish. I am glad to be done with it!!!!!I normally LOVE historical fiction especially WWI/WWII but this one had so many issues that it just didn't work for me. First of all I have no interest in pilots,piloting,flying or the like. IMO this book was about aviation, not the history of the war. Therefore I found this book to be very long,drawn out and boring. I prefer a book that doesn't wait until the end to pick up and get a tad interesting.
I also didn't like not knowing who my narrator is. The purpose for narrating it this way didn't work for me and caused for poor delivery of a story that I may have liked if not told in this manner.
Overall, if it were not for the SRC this book would have remained in the DNF for a very long staycation. I didn't like the characters, had no connections with them nor did I care what happened to them. With the narrator being so unreliable, I must agree with Ursula that this story was very unbelievable. Something about the writing style of this book reminds me of The Book Thief which still remains in the DNF. I definitely would not recommend this. The best thing going for this book is the cover, which I do like. I am giving it two stars. One because I didn't like it, the second one for the cover.
This wound being the monthly read in another group I'm in so I decided to give it a try, despite war stories not really being my thing.I did not like the first half at all. It was boring, and I just couldn't bring myself to care about all of the war talk and the flight stuff. It was just dull. However, I did like how all of the little details came forward in the second half of the book. It was very smart and surprising.
Maddie's part was better for me, since it seemed to be more focused on the friendship than the war. But overall, I was still mostly bored. I wish I could have liked it more.
I liked this book enough to read it with my husband for Bedtime Story Hour (we read aloud for the last hour before we settle in) and he likes it, though doesn't love it the way I do. He loves the flight details, which to me were mostly 'Maddie flies planes and some of them are big and some of them are small and some of them are broken.' The only name I recognize is Spitfire, while he knows all of them. He even kicked up a fuss when Queenie said something about one of the planes that was wrong and insisted the author didn't do her research, and I had to remind him that she's an Unreliable Narrator. We're reaching the end of Queenie's narration. I don't know what he'll think of Maddie's, but I hope he approves of the ending.
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Book Thief (other topics)The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion (other topics)
Rose Under Fire (other topics)
Code Name Verity (other topics)
Wide Sargasso Sea (other topics)
More...
The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.