Code Name Verity

Code Name Verity was extremely compelling. The character development was first rate and the pacing was great! I'd recommend this to just about everybody!

Oh, Code Name Verity, what to say about you?

The thing is, it's a good book. I liked the writing and storytelling, but I was bored nonetheless for 3/4 of the book. The fault is my own when it comes to that, though. See, historical fiction has never been my thing. Of course, I've had a few I really enjoyed here and there which, combined with the high praises, lead me to investigate Code Name Verity.

I'm sad Verity wasn't the knock-out I'd been hoping for, but I did still enjoy it, especially the end. Right off the bat, I enjoyed the writing. Our narrator was so normal. When I read historical fiction I always expect formal language and whatnot, but it wasn't like that in the least. Then again, it was set only 70 years ago. Verity (I think that's the least telling of her names, so that's what we'll go with) was so real. She was sarcastic and witty and brave, but so vulnerable as well. And you know what, I don't blame her in the least. Not everyone can stoically endure the various forms of torture Verity underwent. I loved her for her rash defiance and consequent regret for it.

Though the story was slow-going for me because of its historical roots, I also really enjoyed learning all the new things I did. The funny thing is how I don't usually enjoy historical fiction as a form of entertainment, but I really enjoy learning about history. It's even better knowing how much research Wein put into Verity. I love the bit about the ballpoint pen. Who would've known it was originally invented for use in the Royal Air Force?

Oh man, that twist. At the end? Yeah, I didn't see that coming. How could I? It was set up so perfectly, and for that I applaud Miss Wein.

I loved the total difference between the first and second parts. I don't want to give too much away, but I really appreciated the difference in voice. The second was more clipped and formal while the first was lavish and very story-focused.

Guys, I cried. I mean, I thought I was going to cry, but the reason surprised me in the end all the same. And since I was reading at work it really wasn't pretty. I was drying my eyes every five seconds so I wouldn't look like a complete mess when customers came in, but I'm not one to deny myself a good cry, so I let it flow anyway.

The Nutshell: Code Name Verity wasn't everything I'd hoped it would be, but I know this is largely due to the high expectations I had going in. I did enjoy the writing and storytelling as well as Verity's voice overall. I'm glad to have read it, but in the end I wouldn't say it was a life-changer.

Near Miss

This book has been winning fans and followers since its release, and small wonder. It's refreshing, for one thing, to see a YA book garnering so much attention without having anything to do with the paranormal, or romance, or sequels. It's historical, too, and it's about time we celebrated a believably historical YA novel. Code Name Verity is told from two different points of view, both in the form of written confessionals. "Queenie," who goes by a number of different names throughout the book, begins the narrative imprisoned and interrogated by the Gestapo in WWII. She's been starved and tortured long enough, and she's ready to talk. Or write. As we read her account of her involvement in the British efforts against the Germans, we are mostly reading the story of her best friend, Maddie. Maddie is a mechanic and a pilot, so between the two of them, they make up the most unlikely pair of women in the whole of the British army. By the time the story shifts to Maddie's own account of things, we feel we've known her forever. It's a story of twists and turns, of gradually unraveling truths and lies in a richly personal account from two remarkable young women. The gravity of the narrative is wrapped in all the sass and gumption of these two, so that the reader almost forgets just how dark their situations are. It's an easy read in terms of how the story goes, but there's nothing easy about their lives. It's a story of friendship, bravery, resilience, and determination. By the final pages, you will love these two girls as much as they love each other. A few things to keep in mind: You will need to pay close attention all the way through, and you will need a box of tissues and a hand to cover your gasps of surprise.

Despite some acknowledged artistic license, this book would be an excellent way to integrate history and literature in a classroom. It's also a great way to teach foreshadowing and point of view if you happen to be tired of the old staples. I suspect this would not be relegated to the pile of books kids were forced to read but not love. I should also mention that even though this is definitely a girl power book, it's also a book about espionage, flying, and war. So if you have a room of stereotypical boys and unstereotypical girls, both camps will love it.

* This review was originally posted on my blog 'The Book Parade' http://www.thebookparade.blogspot.com *

Code Name Verity is an intricately-woven story of friendship, truth and lies. It is a deeply emotional book - it made me laugh, and it made me cry - as well as very thought-provoking, showing a glimpse of the ruthlessness of a side of war that we don't often think about - all the covert undercover work that went on behind the scenes.

Despite this, Code Name Verity managed to be a very entertaining read and I grew to really love the characters of Maddie and Queenie (not her real name, but several names are used for her in the book and I'm going to refer to her as this for the purpose of my review because it is the one that you know her by for the longest, I think.)

Queenie was just so dynamic and seemingly fearless - a real free-spirited character - and I think I viewed her with the same awe and admiration that Maddie probably did. Actually, I'm going to quote Maddie's description of her best friend because it is just perfect:

"Gloriously daft, drop-dead charming, full of bookish nonsense and foul language, brave and generous."

Queenie loves pretending and she's good at making up stories, which is why she is in the Special Operations Executive, and it's clear that she really is excellent at what she does (apart from the fact that '[she has] no sense of direction; in some of us it is a TRAGIC FLAW', which led to her being captured by the Gestapo after being in France for less than 48 hours, simply because she'd looked the wrong way before crossing the street.) Anyhow, this excellence of hers becomes even more clear at the end of the book! (I won't say any more because I don't want to spoil it!)

The first part of the book is Queenie's written account for her captors and her voice is so engaging and entertaining to read. In little chunks, she tells us hers and Maddie's story - a touching tale of true friendship. However, I must admit that I sometimes found bits of the stories from the past that Queenie was telling a little bit...boring, what with all the talk of aircrafts and flying and whatnot. (It's okay, though! It was only the odd occasion! And anyway, looking back, having finished the whole book, I can guarantee that it's worth sticking it out to get to the end!)

Anyway, Queenie's story was interjected with snippets from the present and what was currently happening to her. I, personally, found these bits more amusing in general. Despite the torture she's withstood or, as she euphemistically puts it, 'the, ah, stressful circumstances' she's been put through, her fire and fighting spirit remain and she stays, for the most part, chatty and upbeat. She has a tendency to forget she is not writing this for herself and the results of this are rather funny. For example, one time, after viciously insulting von Linden, the man for whom this report is being written, she suddenly realises and writes -

"Oh my God, why do I do it - again and again? I HAVE THE BRAIN OF A PTARMIGAN HEN. HE WILL SEE ANYTHING I WRITE."

Overall, Code Name Verity was a very enjoyable and moving read. Queenie and Maddie were such likable, real characters and they truly were a sensational team. Reading their story, I almost felt like I was there, a part of that sensational team with them.

And the ending was...perfect. Bittersweet, but I wouldn't have wanted it to end any other way. After reading this, I had that satisfied feeling of having just digested a really great book. Seriously, it's well worth the time.

Previously published on my blog: http://fictionfervor.wordpress.com/2012/06/24/review-code-name-verity-by-elizabeth-wein/

I am not a fan of historical fiction. No, I've never particularly enjoyed the genre. I've always been a fantasy and sci fi girl through and through, but I decided to give Code Name Verity a chance for two reasons: (1) I thought it was about time that I tried something new and (2) this book was so hyped-up and I was curious.

Admittedly, I don't like hyped-up books. I always like rooting for the underdogs, so whenever I see a hyped-up book, I want to read it to prove everyone else wrong. I want to prove that another book--one of the underdogs--is better. Sometimes I do finish the book and think, "So-and-so book was better." And sometimes I finish the book and think, "I was wrong."

Code Name Verity was one of the latter.

The first few pages of this book were a bore. I was looking for an excuse to drop it, but I decided that I'd give it fifty pages before I'd start another book. The narrator--"Verity"--seemed to draw out her words, making her sentences much longer than they had to be. I had trouble deciphering her eloquent language, and I mostly skimmed over the tedious descriptions she provided.

Somewhere in those fifty pages, I realized that the writing was just her style.

Fifty pages along, I got too caught up in the plot to even think about her writing style.

Even though I have never been a fan of history (hey, this A+ student here is a whiz in math and science, all right?), World War II has always been such an interesting topic to me. War is just so horribly fascinating. Not the machinery and aircraft used, no. (I get bored to death, hearing about those.) No, it's the people. The spies. The interrogators. The pilots. The soldiers. They fascinate me, these people who are willing to lay down their lives for a cause they believe in. And the people in this book are just so plausible. They could be one of my friends. And they all have their faults and imperfections, but they also have their good aspects. I loved Verity and Maddie and Jamie. I loved how Verity always took offense when people called her English (she's Scottish), I loved the feeling Maddie had when she was in the air, I loved how understanding Jamie was. These people--HOW ARE THEY SO BELIEVABLE.

And the complexities in this novel! ELIZABETH WEIN, YOU ARE GENIUS. Surprises hitting me AT EVERY TURN, and clues being passed EVER SO SUBTLY. Just absolutely genius. I really wish I could say more on the subject, but there would be simply too many spoilers.

And perhaps the most important aspect: Verity and Maddie's relationship. I have a best friend, you see, who's been with me for eleven years of my life. (Considering that I'm only a teen, that's more than half my life.) And I get it. I really do. The knowing someone like the back of your hand, the emotions behind everything that you do. I get it. It's hard to explain--it really is--but Wein captures it so perfectly.

Code Name Verity was fabulous. It's more than a book about the hardships of war. It's a book about a bond so deep that death can't sever. The name of that bond? Friendship.

Source: ARC/galley received from publisher for review

Getting in to Code Name Verity took me a long time, perhaps 80 pages. In fact, I nearly DNFed this one, since I have plenty enough to read and was not feeling any connection to it. Even once I got a bit more caught up in the story, this book was a bit of a slog for me. I was never swept away and it was not a quick read. Still, I am very glad that I put the time and effort into finishing Wein's novel.

Code Name Verity is INTENSE. It is a novel of war, of interrogation, of women, and, most importantly, of friendship. Verity/Queenie (neither her real name, which you won't learn until about two hundred pages in) and Maddie are best friends. Maddie is a pilot and Verity does, well, lots of things. At the opening, the reader is working through Verity's confession. She has been caught by Nazis in occupied France, and has spilled her secrets. She is committing to paper everything she knows about the British war effort.

Verity's section, the first half of the book, gave me the most trouble. While I did like Verity's humor in the face of awfulness, I had a lot of trouble with the way that part was written. Verity writes in third person and in first person. When writing about past events she mostly uses third person, which is fine and interesting, as it conveys that she no longer feels like the same girl that she used to be. However, she also occasionally uses first person when talking about the past, not just the present, and I found that shift awkward and unrealistic. Maybe it's supposed to be a symptom of the pressure Verity is under or something, but I had trouble with this style.

Maddie's tale comes next, and I found it much more easy to read, even though it lacked the humor and, perhaps, the excitement of Verity's. I nearly made it through this book without shedding a tear, but Maddie got me in the end. I loved their friendship, and getting to see it from both perspectives, especially since it's hard to know what's going on with Verity. You can be more sure of verity from Maddie. Ironic that.

Other than the previously-noted issue, the writing was amazing. The story focused a bit too much on details that didn't especially capture my attention, another reason it moved so slowly, like the different kinds of planes. Oddly enough, this is something I also very much appreciate about the book, because it's so chock-full of history and so different from any other young adult book I've read.

Code Name Verity may not capture you immediately, but it's worth a read if you have any interest in history. It's also wonderful to read another WWII book on women's roles, especially the much more rare of women actually involved in what are more traditionally male occupations in the war machine.

Code Name Verity was one of those books where I wasn't sure it was for me. World War II fascinates me as something that happened in history, but I tend to avoid books that take place during it because they just don't interest me. They tend to tackle the same topics/ideas over and overs with slight variations. But everyone was raving about this one and it sounded different, so I thought I'd try it. And while I'm not going to sing its praises from the rooftops, I did really enjoy it.

I have to put in a bit of a disclaimer. I read this as an egalley on my Kindle and I'm not sure what it was, but the formatting was really wonky. And that did effect my experience reading it, I know that. I almost feel like I can't judge it until I read a finished copy, so I can read it properly. So...yeah.

I really liked reading about Maddie and Verity's story. I liked how Verity told it and how there were always these little surprises. Sometimes I could guess it, but not always. I really, really liked the twist that comes a little more than half way through the book. That was wholly unexpected.

Code Name Verity is an emotional story. Everyone I've heard from has talked about the tears, oh the tears! I never cried, but I was pretty freaking close. It wasn't what I expected to be teary about either. I certainly felt emotionally drained by the end of the book, though. Very much like I did after Mockingjay.

If anything, I would say I want more. I want to know what goes on after the book ends. I want to know how things turn out for our characters as the war wraps up and even beyond then. I have some suspicions, but I just wanna know if I'm right.

Elizabeth Wein knows how to tell a damned good story. She knows how to make things tense and high stress and mess with your head. She knows how to make your heart break and she knows how to make you smile.

Overall, Code Name Verity was unexpectedly amazing. I really wish I could've loved it the way everyone else did, and maybe if I reread it as a physical book with all the proper formatting, I would. I strongly encourage you to go and pick up a copy of this book and read this book.

Code Name Verity is definitely one of the best books I've read in a long time. I know it's only half way through May, but I am going to make the bold statement that this will be the best book I read this year. Amazing. I honestly cannot say enough good things about it. I don't want to oversell it and have people go in with elevated expectations, but I don't see how anyone could be let down.