Code Name Verity

Every once in a while a novel comes along that captures your im

Every once in a while a novel comes along that captures your imagination, involves your every emotion, and provides a dollop of history that will live forever in your mind. Code Name Verity is such a book.

Set in England and France during WWII, two women volunteers in the the WAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force) become unlikely friends. One is a Lady of the English peerage (most often called Queenie by her friends); one is Maddie, a child of Russian immigrants. Both have their own talents and by strange chance, they end up shot down over German-occupied France. Maddie manages to get away, but Queenie is soon captured by the Gestapo.

As Queenie writes out her confession of spying in hopes of preventing further torture, Maddie does her best to save her. The story comes in a thrilling conclusion certain to wring the hardest heart.

I’m convinced you won’t be able to put Code Name Verity down. The plotting is tight and exciting. The research is meticulous. The book, although marketed as a YA, is suitable for all ages twelve or so and up. CNV is definitely on my top ten best reads of the year list, and so far sits at number one.

12 out of 13 people found this review helpful.

Great book set during WWII about friendship and strength

Code Name Verity
By: Elizabeth E. Wein
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Pub Date: May 15th, 2012
Rating: PG-13 for scenes of torture
Coffee Beans: 5/5
Spoilers: No way, José!
Favorite Line: "It was cozy in perhaps the way you'd be cozy in hell." (ebook, pg 62)& "It's like being in love, discovering your best friend." (ebook, pg 80) & "And that I don't believe in God but if I did, if I did, It would be the God of Moses, angry and demanding and OUT FOR REVENGE,and…"(ebook, pg 318)

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for this honest review

My Review:

There's not much I can say about this book without giving away the plot—which I don't want to do. This book is about the strength and love shared between best friends. About people banding together, risking everything to fight for strangers because they believe that they deserve more than what they have. It's about the deep, deep hollow that's created in one's soul at the pain someone they love is suffering through.

My throat tightened, my heart ached, my fingers kept turning pages. And at the very last page, I mourned the losses and I cherished the victories and I had hope for the lives of those who survived.

This is a fictional story, but the events that happened—the war, the Holocaust, the killing, the torture, the loss of so much—that is what I mourned at the last page of the book. Because in the end, what happened between these covers is only one of a million stories or possibilities of what some of our grandparents, parents, great-grandparents lived through. And like Wein's very last words: LEST WE FORGET.

Now, on to a more specific review. I'm not a fan of historical fiction, normally, but I decided to give this one a go (mostly because I was in an ARC requesting frenzy), and I'm so glad I did. I'm also pleased as punch that I'm reading so many good authors, as of late. Elizabeth is one of them. She is, in one word, brilliant. The story she wrote is astounding in its complexity. But you don't realize it until the last third of the book. And here's why:

The last third is told from someone else's point of view.

I'll admit, at first this really threw me for a loop. I didn't like it. I thought it was dumb. Why the heck do I want (excuse me while I obsessively save my work in Word, lest we have another melt down), why the heck do I want to read this story from another pov? I like the one I'm in (she's funny and snarky and very specifically random). And to be honest, I don't like the new voice. At first. Then I fell in love.

Both parts of the narrative are distinctly different, but neither is whole without the other. You start to pick up on clues with what the first girl had to say and how it plays into what's said in the second part. Then you start to think about the brains Wein has to construct both parts to make them independent but then a terrific mind puzzle when they're together. So brilliant.

I won't say anymore, sorry for the abrupt ending, but I don't want to risk saying anything that would ruin the story. Please, I implore you, if this book sounds even remotely interesting to you, pick it up and read it. And share it with others. It's that good.

Happy reading, my friends!

RaeLynnFry.Blogspot

10 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

Friendship story with a twist

This book was chosen by my book club, and at first I couldn't get into it. Maybe I was just busy or something, but it took me a bit to get into the story. But there's a particular point in the storyline that gives a huge twist and then it's surprise after surprise for the rest of the book. I loved the little historical details the author gives, and that she chose to write about an aspect of WWII that's not as popular to talk about. Overall, an awesome read.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Queenie, daughter of an upper-crust family, is a wireless opera

Queenie, daughter of an upper-crust family, is a wireless operator
captured as an Allied spy and facing execution if she survives six weeks
of medical experimentation in a Nazi camp. In an odd twist of fate, she
is being interrogated in Ormaie, France, where she used to visit her
grandmother and where her great-aunt still lives and is a part of the
French Resistance. Maddie is a pilot in the Air Transport Auxiliary,
ferrying planes and pilots but never allowed in a combat zone until the
fateful flight that ended in disaster. Maddie is Jewish. In any
circumstances other than war, these two women would almost certainly
never have known each other and yet they have become the best of friends
and trust each other completely. That trust will lead to a moment of
devastation and sheer love. KISS ME , HARDY! Kiss me, QUICK! To say
this is an engrossing story is to put it mildly. Much has been written
fictionally about World War II but there is always room for more because
we’re so fascinated with that piece of history. Having the horrors and
the everyday routines of wartime built into the friendship of two women
who find themselves in unbearable circumstances is nearly too much and I
literally could not stop reading until I’d finished and then I wished
for more. Ms. Wein tells a great tale and she does so by making the
reader feel that these two women are much like most of us, willing to do
our part in a bad time but still just ordinary people. Little things
make the story come alive, such as the detail of the first successful
ballpoint pen, licensed to the RAF in 1943 and manufactured for pilots
who needed a way to write at high altitudes where increased pressure
frequently caused fountain pens to leak. There are also the women’s
lists of top ten fears which, not surprisingly, change as they learn
what is really important to them. Above all, this is the story of what
one person can mean to another and the sacrifices they’re willing to
make for each other. Even Verity’s Nazi interrogator has shades of
humanity, something the author didn’t have to do but still a touch that
lifts this book above many other World War II novels. Is the ending of
this tale a happy one? Most would say “no” but it’s an appropriate
ending, one which will remain with me for a very long time. I’ll be
including Code Name Verity in my top 5 books of 2012. KISS ME , HARDY!
Kiss me, QUICK!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

World War II will never be forgotten. This fictional tale takes

World War II will never be forgotten. This fictional tale takes the
reader to WWII and introduces history in an entirely new way. Verity was
captured by the Gestapo on a mission in France for the Allies. An expert
actress with a can-do attitude and a mastery of the French and German
languages, Verity was thought to be the perfect candidate for the
mission that went so horribly wrong. While writing her confession for
the Gestapo, Verity tells the story of her friendship with the female
pilot who flew her to France. The pilot’s name is Maddie; she is brave,
loyal, and goodhearted. Maddie has always been fascinated by flight,
being a pilot is her dream job. Through their initial work as radio
operators, Maddie and Verity met when guiding a German pilot to their
air field to be taken as a prisoner of war. Then, the girls became
friends after waiting out a German raid on their airfield and discussing
their worst fears. Although they have very little in common, Verity and
Maddie consider each other sisters and help each other grow and develop
their skills. Maddie becomes a civilian pilot, shuttling pilots and
damaged aircraft all over Brittan, and Verity’s missions become more and
more complex. Writing her confession feels like a horrible betrayal to
Verity’s home, but after weeks of mental and physical torture, Verity is
pushed to her limit. According to the Gestapo, Maddie died after their
plane was hit and Verity parachuted to the ground. Mourning Maddie and
writing her confession, Verity struggles to survive. Written as a
diary, Wein did an incredible job becoming her characters. Verity is
spunky and wry even when all hope seems lost. Maddie is sincere,
talented, and kind. Both girls are noble and easy to admire, Elizabeth
Wein’s writing makes the reader feel as if she knows the characters.
High school girls will love this novel. An audience of teenage girls
would enjoy reading Code Name Verity. This book was excellent; five out
of five stars!

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Great book

As a guy, I didn't expect to enjoy this book. I was pleasently surprised when I found that not only did I enjoy the book, I couldn't put it down. The author manages to weave two independent stories together, believably, and supposedly insignificant things are found to be important later on. I'm a man who works hard, drives a large truck, and fixes pipes. Despite all this, I loved this book from it's sarcastic begining to it's heart-breaking climax. The characters are so well written that for the first few chapters I thought that I was possibly reading a biography of some kind. All in all, Code Name: Verity is a very complex and enrapturing tale of friendship that'll keep you reading until the very end and then some. Final note: I've never written a review before so please forgive any errors, I wrote this review to show that this book is more than a "chick" book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Where do I even begin with this? I finished this book in JUNE a

Where do I even begin with this?

I finished this book in JUNE and it’s been over 7 months and I still can’t get myself to form words great enough to praise this
MIND-BLOWING experience of a book. I was left emotionally wrecked after finishing Code Name Verity.

It was written in such a way that I felt every single emotion and hurt right along with them. I WAS A COMPLETE MESS.
No matter how hard I tried to close the book and sleep I couldn’t because the writing made me so invested in the story and the
unbreakable bond of Verity and Maddie. Their friendship was like no other and I became emotionally attached to them both.

Even after all this time I still can’t fully form the words to describe this book. I’m not exactly sure how I handled the end of the story,
but I knew it involved ugly sobbing and a lot of ice cream. I wasn’t able to read another book for DAYS! Code Name Verity is most
definitely one of my favorite books of 2012, if not one of my favorite books I’ve read so far.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Dark, gritty and strangely compelling are just some of the words

Dark, gritty and strangely compelling are just some of the words that come to mind when I think about this book.

Code Name Verity is the story of two young women who live in the World War II era.  Each are doing men's jobs as the war in Europe continues.  When their plane gets shot down behind enemy lines, or should I say, Nazi-occupied France, it becomes a story of torture, sorrow, survival and maybe even treachery.

When I first started reading this book, I will admit to having been slightly confused about the 'voices' of the book, and it was only as I read further that I understood the complexity of it and the book itself.  Written in first voice, but alternating between that and third voice as the story continued, there is no denying that this book had the power to suck me into its murky depths, and, yes, I drowned.  I cried.  There.  I said it.  My heart broke as much as Maddie's did when I read the last few chapters.  The slight bit of hope I had during the story was squashed flat - flatter than a pizza base.

I fell in love with these characters - Julie and Maddie.  They were both very strong female characters - each doing their best to survive in one of the harshest times you can - during war.  Their characteristics seemed so real and their pain and turmoil became mine.  That's the sign of a good book.  When a reader has a deep connection with the characters it's hard for them not to like, even love, the book they're reading.  Yeah, that's how I felt.

What made this book even more compelling were the fields the women had chosen to work in during the war effort.  I know enough about the Second World War to know that there was a shortage of men so women had to step up and take over their jobs to keep the country running, but these two women went one step further.  One was a pilot - the other a spy. 

And the writing was done in such a way that it felt like there was a story within a story.  When it was written in the third voice that was where I learned about the dynamics between Julie and Maddie's friendship and the events that lead up to the crash-landing and capture.

There was a lot of information about planes and other things, which I kind of brushed over, even though it was really interesting to learn about things I didn't know much about.  I was too caught up with the friendships between the women and the tension and mystery flowing throughout the book.  I think as far as the plot goes, it was sensational.  Historical fiction, good historical fiction, always knows how to get to me.  This book was no exception.  I love historical fiction, even if I don't read enough of it.   And what's also rare about this book was that there was no romance in it - none, and even though I love romance, I didn't care there wasn't any in this book.  It would have felt wrong if there had been.

I would recommend this book to everyone.  Everyone should give this book a chance so they can discover if it is for them or not.  As for me, I loved it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved it

This book and its characters are endearing.. not one that I will forget about for some time.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Clever and compelling

Original loved it

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Amazing

I read this book and relized i am glad that i have such great friends and so does verity. I loved this book.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

I am not a fan of historical fiction. No, I've never particularl

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

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Chapter by Chapter's review of Code Name Verity

I love reading books about friendship. Sometimes I feel like with the craziness of life, a true friend is what keeps you grounded. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein is one of those books that will have you looking back on the relationships you have with your friends, and has you wondering if you would be able to do what Maddie felt she had to do.

Set in the era of WWII, where Hitler’s reign instilled fear in the heart and mind, we follow the lives of two girls, Maddie and Julie. Two girls, who in a world where there was no war, would not have met or have become friends. Thrust together in a time of great despair, Maddie and Julie build a friendship that even miles won’t separate them.

I will admit, that in the beginning I was struggling through this book. Because Maddie was an aspiring pilot, and due to her love of flight, there was a lot of discussion about old airplanes. At times, it felt like the only constant that I was not able to get past was that there was no break from the descriptions of the planes. Once I thought that there possibly couldn’t be anything else left to say about planes, there would be more. But once I powered through the beginning, the rest of the book was what I was hoping it would be. A story of friendship, and the sacrifices that one would make to prevent a friend from pain and suffering.

The story reads like a diary/journal of sorts, and split in two parts between Verity and Maddie. I LOVED that. Where the first part ended, the second part would start through the eyes of the next. I couldn’t help but be caught up in the whirl wind of emotion that poured out of the pages of Code Name Verity. Author, Elizabeth Wein, put in so much feeling in Code Name Verity. It was because of these little snippits of emotion that were in the beginning half of the book that had me continuing to read, rather than not finishing it. I, for one, am so glad that I decided to keep going.

It was heartbreaking to read about the torture and pain that Verity had to go through when she was captured and held prisoner at Gestapo headquarters. To be forced to watch the torture of other victims as a way to have her confess codes and other military secrets to aid them in the war. To read about how she was tortured, and just how much more she could endure for another week of life….another day even.

Code Name Verity is one of those stories that I won’t soon forget. It did reiterate to me the importance of friends, and how sometimes one must do, what needs to be done for the sake of friendship.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One of the Best Books I Read This Year

This book is amazing.Elizabeth Wein is one of the most brilliant author of the next generation.
Maddie and Julie's friendship is brilliantly weaved. Nothing is how it seems in this book, but it's told so beautifully.
I'm sorry I can't say much more because I don't want to spoil it. Here, let me try to be a little bit more helpful.
Yes, this is a world war 2 book, and yes there is some torture. But there are also some fun moments with Maddie on her motorbike and Julie with her hair pin sabotage. The most oft-repeated line: Fly the plane Maddie.
This book is amazing and you should buy it right now

Awesime Awesome

Epic unbelievable story

Excellent

I loved it. You will too.

Loved it

So great

Inspiring book

I thoroughly enjoyed this book even after I discovered that it was written for young adults and had a predominant bend toward achievements of women and I am not young or a woman. The story takes place in England and France during WWII and illustrates the important role played by women as civilian aviators. The suspense will keep you turning the pages, as you see the courage and intelligence of these young women as the suffer and risk everything to aid in securing victory for Great Britain.

Heartbreaking is right.

This book will stay with you. Beautifully written, intricate story. I finished it days ago and it hasn't let me go yet.

Great Characters!

The plot is somewhat farfetched, but the characters fell REAL