I recently read Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein with my book club. I had been wanting to read this book for awhile, but like many of you my "To Read" list is absolutely huge. Code Name Verity did receive a Printz Honor in 2013, and the fact that it's a WWII book from two women's perspectives and situations seemed unique and intriguing.
In my book review of Code Name Verity I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars. This was a good book. It was a really good book. I loved the historical fiction story line, and I felt that Julia aka Verity aka Eva was a good narrator and a character with a lot of depth. Wein did a great job writing the book.
The historical aspects are mostly true b/c the situations all could've happened. However, the specific names and locales are fictionalized. While reading this book I gained a different perspective and insight into a part of WWII I hadn't known about previously. I love historical fictions for that reason; I love learning something while enjoying a great story.
After reading all of my praises above you may wonder why I took off a star. I will say that the beginning of the book is somewhat interesting but it does seem to drag. It's a bit slow at the beginning and therefore difficult to get into. Other than that, I thought it was a great book. You just have to get past the first 75-100 pages.
I did appreciate that the book is mostly clean, but I think the time period helps with that. There may be a few situational language instances, but I honestly don't think there are. I can recall one sexual type of activity (feeling her up), but it wasn't sex and it wasn't clearly written/depicted. Everything that isn't completely clean in the book has a purpose for the story line. I really would say this book is quite clean.
All in all, if you haven't read this fabulous book you should give it a read... just be persistent with the first little bit. It's worth it.
In case you still want a bit more information to convince you, Amazon had the following book description:
"Oct. 11th, 1943-A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun.
When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.
As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy? A Michael L. Printz Award Honor book that was called "a fiendishly-plotted mind game of a novel" in The New York Times, Code Name Verity is a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other."
What did you think of the book? How many stars would you give it?
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