Code Name Verity

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Average customer rating 4.4 (5 comments)

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Anyone who has a best friend should read this book. It is an incredible story, deftly crafted, and incredibly memorable. If you have interest in strong, smart, female characters, historical world-building and clever writing, you are in for the delight of your life. It is one of my new most favorite books, and I recommend it to anyone.

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This book was up to vote for my book club, and we ended up reading it. I had NO IDEA it was a "children's adventure book" until I was finished and prepared to write a review. It read and paced like an an adult fiction book. It was very focused on how women impacted WWII, which I can never read enough about. Very exciting book to read, with a very interesting twist at the end. Highly recommend it!

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A friend recommended this book, and when I first picked it up, I had no idea what I was getting into. By the time I finished the first page, I knew I would not be able to put it down--I had to find out what would happen next! The story held me in its thrall to the very end; I saw the various characters she wrote about. I felt the pain of betraying her friend and her country as she spilled secret after secret because her life depended on it. I felt her fear as every day might be her last. This is truly a tale not to be missed.

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Sometimes I think there may be something wrong with me because I'll pick up a book that has been gushed over and be all excited to dive into it and then... nothing. It falls flat for me. Completely flat - as in, I want to put it down mid-"action" and never pick it up again. Unfortunately, Code Name Verity was that book for me this time around. Code Name Verity is the third book by Elizabeth Wein I've read this year. I'm really conflicted on what I think about her because, from a literary standpoint, there's quite a bit that could be chewed on with her books but from a pure enjoyment standpoint... well, I'd rather watch paint dry I think. I was so lost in portions of Code Name Verity that I had to go back and reread and then reread and I still didn't know what the heck was going on. There's no doubt that Wein knows her WW2 airplanes and did her research on female pilots. Unfortunately, I know next to nothing about the subject so I was left to muddle my way through technical terms, strange names, and unreliable narrating all at once. And it flew (no pun intended) right past me more than once. I think I may have enjoyed the book so much more had there been just a touch more stability somewhere in the book. I also don't think it helped that I read Rose Under Fire just a month or so ago and so felt like I was reading large portions of the same book over again, just re-packaged. So, you can imagine that the "big" moment - the tear-jerker... the climax of the book that just gets people...well, it didn't work for me. I almost missed it. I was so confused and I still don't know what exactly went on in that moment. Man, I wish this review was less jumbled because I just don't know how to explain how this book really just did not work for me without being all vague and confusing myself. I think Code Name Verity would pay off if its reader had the time to devote to research, criticism, and in-depth discussion. I think there are some really valid points and information bits brought up about the treatment of prisoner of wars by the Nazi soldiers. I just didn't think this book worked for me on an entertainment level, and it certainly didn't work for me to read approaching it from the blockbuster viewpoint.

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This book took "creative writing" to a whole new level. Just when I thought I had the book all figured out, it would take a new turn! The way the author wrote the book was not only entertaining, it also gave you respect for her characters and respect for those who served in WWII under similar circumstances. It had good humor to balance out the sad parts. Basically, it had all I could hope for in a novel.