Code Name Verity

By Elizabeth E. Wein

Code Name Verity is a compelling, emotionally rich story with universal themes of friendship and loyalty, heroism and bravery.
 
Two young women from totally different backgrounds are thrown together during World War II: one a working-class girl from Manchester, the other a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a wireless operator. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted friends. But then a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France. She is captured by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. The story begins in "Verity's" own words, as she writes her account for her captors.


From the Hardcover edition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: May 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9780385676557

Reviews for Code Name Verity

[nittnut · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was my most recent audio book. The narrator is fabulous and the story is very suspenseful. It takes place during WWII and is about women doing extraordinary things. The story has two distinct narrators. The first half is one narrator and the second half is the other. The second narrator clarifies much of the first narrator's story. I kind of knew, but was so disappointed that this was fictional. It felt so real. I am sure there are many similar stories that are true though. It would be too easy to spoil this story. I will just say that within a very few minutes of beginning, I was wholly involved. Heart and head. Fabulous story.

[capriciousreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This going on my top ten for the year. May well be in my top ten of all time. Just completely, astonishingly, amazingly fantastic.

[karenvg3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I split between reading and listening and absolutely loved this one. It was hard to stop listening as the audio was so good. The story is one that I will have to read again because once I got to the second half and certain things were revealed it made me want to go back and reread from the start. I have such a fascination with WWII and this book fed that desire. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[brangwinn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Almost to the end of this novel the reader is concerned that they are following the words of a traitor as this World War II novel follows the lives of two English females in the Royal Air Force. When their plane crashes in France, “Verity” the spy is tortured, and its not til the end you learn whether she’s been telling the truth to her German tormentors. Meanwhile, her friend, the pilot, has been hidden by the resistance. Excellent reading up to the last page.

[liscarey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Code Name Verity opens with a young woman, a prisoner of the Germans in France during World War II, writing the confession they have demanded of her, in order to escape the torture she hasn't been able to withstand. As the story progresses, it become clear we are getting the stories of two young women. Onc is Maddie, daughter of a bicycle shop owner, who rescues a pilot from a crashed plane, starting a chain of events leading to her becoming a transport pilot once the war starts. The other is a young woman called Queenie, initially a wireless operator, who speaks German. She gets recruited first as a translator, and then as an interrogator.

Both women want to contribute more directly to the war effort.

In alternating chapters, we get the prisoner's account of Maddie's experiences, and her meeting with and growing friendship with Queenie, and the prisoner's experiences in the hotel the Germans have made their prison. And, gradually, we begin to understand her motivation and the real goal of her actions.

There's lots of tension and excitement, here, but also lots of character development. Wein explores what was until recently a largely overlooked part of the war: the participation of women in quite dangerous, critical wartime activities, including both espionage and the movement of planes. This was both an absorbing novel, and a fascinating look at a part of the war that was neither armed clashes nor cracking codes.

Recommended.

I bought this book.

[whatsmacksaid · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bawled my way through the last fifty-five pages. Like, every time I calmed down enough to keep reading (or at least enough to see), something else would set me off. I don't think I've cried so hard over a book since I was sixteen and Sirius Black died.

[soubhikiewiet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The narrating on this audiobook is top notch! I don't know why I am drawn to so much historical fiction about WWII. Code Name Verity offered a different point of view than anything I've read before. I enjoyed the fresh story, I'd recommend this one for sure!

[sussura · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"If, after three chapters you are not sitting somewhere comfortable, with tissues, and something to hydrate with, do not blame me."

- a thing I have said more than once when recommending this book, so I thought I should say it here too.

[strandbooks_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Code Verity was my work book club pick. I wish the writing was better because it could have been a good story. It is a YA novel about 2 young women in WWII, one who is a pilot and the other a spy. They have a crash landing in France where the spy is immediately caught. I found the dialogue difficult to follow and the plot dragged.

[creighley_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

October 11, 1943, a British spy plane crashes in occupies France. The pilot and passenger are best friends. The pilot manages to get away; the spy soon finds her in a Nazi prison. She is given little hope and is told to reveal her mission or suffer a grossly death. As she writes her tale of how she came to be in France, she is struggling to find a way to survive.

[hunybadger · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For me, this was a Nancy Pearl rec and I was thrilled by the story and style. The strong, female characters are real (with real flaws and fears) yet they live passionately. Or maybe it's better to say, they live the way they want to, in a chaotic time. I think one character was fleshed out more. Also, their voices could have been made more different due to their origins. Yet, I still enjoyed both of their perspectives and understood neither was a trustworthy narrator.

The picture of WWII was real without being dreadfully explicit. The more gruesome elements of war are left to the imagination (which is sometimes worse than if graphically detailed). It paints a good picture of war's uncertainty: the lack status on friends and family, the outcome, how long the war will last etc. It also paints a real picture of heroic deeds. Most often heroes don't think of themselves as heroes, they do "what needs to be done" and only hindsight paints with heroism.

The writing perspective caused me confusion at first. Now, I realize it was an indicator of the writer's mental state.

I like novels that have elements, nonsensical at first and in the beginning, which are explained near the end. It's not that I don't puzzle over them initially but I don't want my understanding of the book's essence to get bogged down if I don't understand immediately. So I soldier on, even if I don't fully understand what's occurring. It's imperative then to have the unexplained explained near the end. This novel does wrap up well, not with a cliff hanger so much as an explanation of the shorthand writing style of the character. This revelation makes the novel and character so much richer.

[tadad_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have very mixed feelings about this one. I guess I'd sum it up this way:* The premise of the first half (that a Nazi interrogator would allow a prisoner to write what is, essentially, a memoir of their life instead of just providing the answers desired) caused some disbelief strain.* The first half was too long and, for me, unengaging. * The first half is also confusing BUT this is not a negative as you eventually realize that there's "unreliable narrator" stuff going on and that adds some zest.* The second half is well-written and very engaging.* The whole thing is a bit heartbreaking but I wouldn't agree with the use of the word "searing" that I've seen in places.I'd give the first half 2 stars and the last half 3.5 stars. Since the second half does quite a bit to rescue the first, I'll settle on 3.

[postapocalypso · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can't even

[wiremonkey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein right before the Christmas break so bear with me- my memory is worst than Lance Armstrong's credibility (couldn't help myself. Sorry.)I think I am going to be lazy and just copy the description from amazon as I can't figure out how to give a summary of this book without major spoilers: Two young women from totally different backgrounds are thrown together during World War II: one a working-class girl from Manchester, the other a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a wireless operator. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted friends. But then a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France. She is captured by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. The story begins in "Verity's" own words, as she writes her account for her captors. amazon.caCode Name Verity is that rarity among rarities in Young Adult Fiction these days: it is a book about a friendship between women without any bullshit. They are not fighting over a guy. One does not become popular and leave the other behind. Neither is the other's sidekick- Verity and Maddie are equally skilled in their different professions, they have equally strong personalities. There is no pettiness, no jealousy, no weird obsessions with each other. No need to spend every freaking moment together talking about asinine things (sorry. I obviously have a beef about how women friendships are portrayed in popular media).But it is also a very well-researched, as historically-accurate-as-you-can-ask-fiction to-be story. Verity is a wireless operator who becomes a covert operative, and Maddie is a pilot - two jobs women were doing during WWII.Part I is devoted to Verity's confession after she gets caught in enemy territory. Her flippant, devil-may-care tone belies the very precarious situation she finds herself in and lulls the reader into a certain sense of complacency as she tells the story of her and Maddie. Although this section is entertaining it is really with Maddie's version in Part two that the tension ramps up and the danger Verity is in (as well as Maddie- heck the whole freaking European continent) is really felt.Original in its format, topic and (unfortunately) in its portrayal of women friendship, this is an excellent addition to the canon of Young Adult WWII books.

[aurorapaigem-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book for its historic fictional characters and for its quality storytelling. I think any young girl who needs to read about kickass females should read this book. I was blown away by all the strength these girls showed during WW2. I couldn't have done half of what they accomplished. Even though this is a fictional story, the afterword with the author tells us that these characters were pieced together from actual accounts. I know there is a second story, but this one was so good that I almost don't want to read the next one in case it spoils the feeling that I was left with after finishing Verity. I listened to the audiobook through Overdrive and thought that the voice actors did a wonderful job of conveying the emotion that the characters were going through. This book will be added to my list of favorite reads.

[befuddledpanda · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars. What a story. This is so well done. I truly enjoyed the main characters and was very emotionally impacted by them. Their friendship is truly inspirational, and I envied them. I appreciated that the two females were strong characters on their own, and they had a positive relationship (not a competitive one). The plot is also ambitious but well executed, clever, and plausible. I won't be forgetting this book anytime soon.

[jzunker-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3Q, 3P This historical fiction takes place during WWII in France, featuring two girls who develop a deep friendship. They are brought together as female pilots assigned to the British War Effort. Verity is a spy held hostage by the Gestapo who reveals her secrets in order to prolong her life. The story features her friendship with Madie who is outside surviving, and telling the story from her point of view. This story has constant twists and turns will surprise the reader. The reader will gain an extraordinary point of view on this time and the role of women during the way, too. Strong accolades for the writing and story! Also of special note, the reader should read the author's epilogue to understand the effort she went to research the history and how it shows up in the story. Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal; Kirkus Review Best of 2012,

[bkinetic_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful story of intrigue and friendship between two intrepid young women fliers during during World War II.

[nanadebbie-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A heart-wrenchingly beautiful story. I highly recommend this to everyone.

[devafagan-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really, really good. Amazing voice.

[rosenstern · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lovely book. Terribly sad at some points. This is the story of a special operations executive and her best friend, a pilot, during WWII. Julie, the SOE, gets captured by German forces who begin to torture her for allied information. Her best friend, Maddie, a pilot is stuck in German held France. The novel depicts both girls' lives before the war up until the present. The writing is captivating and the book is chock full of relevant details and information. I felt as though I were there with the girls. Worth it.

[ellsie98 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'll admit it - when I first started this book, I detested the main character so, so much that I just wanted to put it down and walk far, far away without looking back. But as I am reading it for the Carnegie 2013, and I didn't want another repeat of Revolver 2010 (oh god) I forced myself to the second half of the book.
And I am so glad that I did.
I enjoyed seeing the events from a different perspective, i.e. that of Maddie, Verity's best friend, and I must admit that I did quite like the mystery surrounding the main character's real name, which, in the second half of the book, we FINALLY discover to be Julie. The ending of the book almost made me cry, and I can't even imagine what Maddie must have been feeling at that point.
And then she read Julie's written story.
I was so happy to discover that Julie had written a novel of lies! I suspected it from the moment that it was mentioned 11 wireless radios were placed in the plane wreck (as Julie had given away 11 pieces of code) but I was uncertain until the very end of the book, which gave a satisfying sense of finality and closure to the book.
I think it comes above Wonder, too.

[kateminasian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the second World War II book I've read in the past week, the first being The Book Thief. I hesitate to compare the two- the subject matter is not that similar, except the setting- but I found Code Name Verity much more well done.

The capacity of humans to be so cruel to fellow humans always astounds me. In the past, in the present, and, I'm sure, in the future, there are and will be stories which will stretch my ability to comprehend how somebody could behave towards another person, or group of people. One of the most compelling facets of Code Name Verity is that while the story itself is fiction, you know (because we all know what a tragedy and horror World War II was), you just know that something like it could have happened.

And in the face of that tragedy, you also see examples of amazing bravery and resistance to the evil. And again, while it is fiction, you know that there were brave, everyday people such as ourselves, who acted out in a variety of ways to defy the Nazis. Books with stories such as these always make me turn a mirror back on myself and I wonder if I could ever be as courageous. This, in my opinion, is what makes a good story a great book.

Code Name Verity had parts where I laughed out loud, where I was scared, where I was astonished, and where I was sad. If you're looking for a light and fluffy book, this is not going to be what you want. But if you're looking for something that will make you think, this is it. I'm of the school of thought that we should never, ever forget the atrocities of our collective human history, lest we repeat them. And if stories such as these make them more real to people, make them contemplate the fact that awful things happened to good people, then it is worth the read.

[librarycin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Julie/Queenie/Verity is a spy in WWII. Maddie is a pilot. They meet and become friends. Later, Julie is captured and held prisoner. I listened to the audio, and it was ok. Like a lot of audios, this one unfortunately, didn't really hold my attention all that well, so I'm sure I missed a lot.

[hmskip · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great book. Surprising ending. Told in a first person point of view and very craftily written.

[kell1732 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I feel like this book could have been good if a few things about it had changed. Half of the book is written from "Verity's" point of view as she writes down her confessions on whatever pieces of paper her captors can scrounge up. Normally, it would be interesting/heart-wrenching to read about a character who has been tortured and forced to give up secrets in order to try and make the pain stop, however, the confessions that she writes is done is such an unrealistic way that it was distracting. Basically, she is allowed to sit there and write a novel about her life story from how she first go involved in the war to her capture. Wein tries to make this seem plausible by showing that the SS officer (SS-Hauptsturmfuhrer von Linden) in charge is actually a very literary person and enjoys a good narrative, by I'm not buying it. There is no way that the officer von Linden works under would allow this to continue. Von Linden probably would have been shot in the head long before "Verity" even got close to the juicy bits of the story. This alone was enough to ruin this whole section for me.However, by the second half, it got better. Which is why this book isn't graded lower than it is. The second half is from the perspective of her friend of whom "Verity" talks about in her ever so lengthy confession. Maddie is a much more realistic character, and the manner of her writing down her experiences of hiding in occupied France makes much more sense as is acts as both a report on her plane crash and a diary. I also believe that Maddie is a much more interesting character than "Verity".Maddie's constant fear of getting captured was very real, and not only did she worry about herself but she constantly worried about the family that was hiding her away, knowing that if she were caught, this family would surely die, or worse, be tortured by the Nazis. She was also the more relateable character as she is not actually a member of the military and so doesn't have the training for these situations like "Verity" has. She admits to her fear, and while she claims that she is a coward, Maddie is actually one of the bravest people in the whole book, as she does what needs to be done despite the fear that she feels. This, in my opinion, is true courage.If this whole book were written in the perspective of Maddie, or if the "Verity" sections were short, and thus more realistic, I would have enjoyed this book much more than I did. As is, I can't give it a higher score since I really disliked half the book. And disliking half the book automatically disqualifies it from high scoring.

[kbarber-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. This was definitely a girl-power story. Although, it was girl-power in a way that has depth, women doing what has to be done rather than just "I told my man to get lost..." stuff. I mean, there was a bit of that - but it wasn't the crux of the story. And, it wasn't girls competing with each other, they were working together. My favorite quote from the book reflects that - "It's like being in love, discovering your best friend."

It was accurate for the time period. I did some fact checking and was happily surprised by the interesting tid-bits mentioned. Another great line was, "Our reconnaissance planes are tarted up in a lovely salmony-mauve camouflage to match the clouds." So I googled "pink spitfire" and just thought that was the coolest thing ever, both the pink spy plane and the way the author described it.

The best thing about this book is that it was not superficial like some other YA works. There was emphasis placed on Julie's beauty, but more emphasis on her intelligence, goodness and bravery. Those were really the most important character traits of all of the females mentioned in this novel.

[mirandalg14 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I always say I don't like historical fiction and then I always like the ones I read. I always learn a lot as well.

[zeborah · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

HERE BE SPOILERS.Wow.From the first page this is a harrowing tale by a broken torture victim confessing all. And then you start wondering (if that slyly oxymoronic title hadn't made you suspicious - which it hadn't me, because probably part of why I adore unreliable narrators so is because I'm so terrible at spotting them) if she isn't maybe resisting after all. And then you're trying to figure out what game she's playing because you can tell it's a good one, especially after the Crowning Moment of Awesome that is getting her interrogator to tell her his daughter's name.And then in part two all becomes clear and it's increasingly obvious that this isn't a memoir of doom, it's a spy caper. And it's good and fun and full of hope for a happy reunion and many more adventures.And then "Kiss me, Hardy!" and oh my god you spend the rest of the book bawling your eyes out.

[readerspeak_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was just fantastic as an audiobook. I loved listening to both girls' stories and marveled at how they interwove with one another. At a critical moment, I asked myself, "Did I miss that?? How could I miss that?" Wein accomplishes so much with the diary format. Bravo!