Historical

Code Name Verity

Code Name Verity

  • Downloads：4940
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-06 09:55:51
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Elizabeth Wein
  • ISBN：1423152883
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

The beloved #1 New York Times bestseller， a "fiendishly plotted" （New York Times） "heart-in-your mouth adventure" （Washington Post）， that "will take wing and soar into your heart" （Laurie Halse Anderson）。

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 universally acclaimed Michael L。 Printz Award Honor book， 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。

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Reviews

Mj Dawson ，

It was a little slow at times， but a good book for a cozy evening or rainy day "read"。 The twists and turns were interesting and the ending。。。。 Well， the ending was。。。。 not what I was expecting it to be。 It was a little slow at times， but a good book for a cozy evening or rainy day "read"。 The twists and turns were interesting and the ending。。。。 Well， the ending was。。。。 not what I was expecting it to be。 。。。more

Stephanie ，

The first half dragged and I was very confused and bored， but after reading the second half I understood why。 I still didn’t love the characters， though the concept was fairly brilliant。 I just couldn’t get into it much until the end。

Mainey Schneden ，

This book was hard for me to read。 I took a month off of reading which didn’t help。 The ending was beautiful and I cried。 I love historical fiction where women are spies/resistance this book is good but not great。

Chantel Bailey ，

I was lost for about the first 20% trying to figure out where this book was going。 The second half got much better。 And the last third really pulled it together into something I enjoyed。 So if you are struggling to get started， keep going， it's worth it。 I was lost for about the first 20% trying to figure out where this book was going。 The second half got much better。 And the last third really pulled it together into something I enjoyed。 So if you are struggling to get started， keep going， it's worth it。 。。。more

amireadingtoomuch ，

Might be the best WW2 book I've read this year Might be the best WW2 book I've read this year 。。。more

Elizabeth Imperato ，

excellent Thought I was done with all the beautifully written WW11 books。 I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a beautiful read based on a beautiful friendship。

Kevin Funk ，

Queenie （code name "Verity"） is a Scottish secret agent who is captured by Nazis in France during WWII。 The story begins after she has apparently been "broken" by her captors through various means of torture。 She trades codes， airfield locations， and airplane designs for clothes， food， and exemption from torture。 Her treatment is nonetheless reprehensible despite her cooperation。 She is tightly locked in a battle for control with her captors。She chooses to share much of her confession through a Queenie （code name "Verity"） is a Scottish secret agent who is captured by Nazis in France during WWII。 The story begins after she has apparently been "broken" by her captors through various means of torture。 She trades codes， airfield locations， and airplane designs for clothes， food， and exemption from torture。 Her treatment is nonetheless reprehensible despite her cooperation。 She is tightly locked in a battle for control with her captors。She chooses to share much of her confession through a written narrative of her recent history as well as that of her best friend and secret-agency transport pilot， Maddie （photos shared with Queenie by the Nazis show she died in a plane crash after Queenie parachuted from the damaged plane into France）。 It is her written confession that comprises the first two thirds of the book。The last third of the book is comprised of Maddie's written journal。 The first half of the book moves rather slowly and meanders through some experiences and conversations shared between Queenie and Maddie （some of them seem irrelevant， even I'm hindsight）。 It is around the halfway point that events speed up to take on a discernable plot。 From there， the reader is treated to some well-executed twists that really enhance the work and draw the reader。 If I rated the two halves of the book separately， the first half would get two stars and the second half would get four stars。 All up， this is a three star affair。 。。。more

Alexa S ，

The best book I've read in a while。 I wish I'd counted how many times I audibly gasped and started freaking out at the twists！ As heartbreaking as this book was， the girls are so lovably real and unexpectedly hilarious， Verity especially。 It's by no means an easy read， but it is so so so good， especially after the second half。 It's worth the heartache， I promise！ The best book I've read in a while。 I wish I'd counted how many times I audibly gasped and started freaking out at the twists！ As heartbreaking as this book was， the girls are so lovably real and unexpectedly hilarious， Verity especially。 It's by no means an easy read， but it is so so so good， especially after the second half。 It's worth the heartache， I promise！ 。。。more

Laurie Cohen ，

Seven hours of my life that I will never get back。

Rachel Frost ，

A bit confusing at first trying to figure out who was giving the account， but it cleared up pretty early。 Wonderful story of friendship。

Jan ，

If you enjoyed The Book Thief， Salt to the Sea， and All the Light Around Us， you will enjoy this YA book。 Although it’s a YA book， I think it reads like an adult book。 Beautiful portrayal of friendship in the horrors of war。

An ，

Really good

Sheryl ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I am really bad at historical anything。 While I appreciate the friendship and how it was all presented， I had a hard time getting through the book because of all the historical references and technical terms。 Still broke my heart how it ended， I was rooting for Verity and Maddie till the very end。 It makes me proud how they both did their very best in the circumstances they've found themselves in。 How to survive such a time， I couldn't begin to imagine。 I am really bad at historical anything。 While I appreciate the friendship and how it was all presented， I had a hard time getting through the book because of all the historical references and technical terms。 Still broke my heart how it ended， I was rooting for Verity and Maddie till the very end。 It makes me proud how they both did their very best in the circumstances they've found themselves in。 How to survive such a time， I couldn't begin to imagine。 。。。more

Mark Jay ，

Just another WWII book

my name is Seda 。Mae。 DePuy :） ，

Very good book。 Looking forward to reading the next， going straight on。

Corinna ，

Another reread for the year。 A WWII novel that， really， is just about the friendship of two strong， intelligent women。

Rebecca ，

This is probably not a great book for sensitive middle readers due to the graphic nature of the subject matter which includes the torture of prisoners。I enjoyed reading about this deep wartime friendship of two strong females （although they both seemed to cry a lot）。 There are some twists， especially in the first part， or some disparity between the two parts， because each part is the point of view of a different narrator so the reader doesn't always know what the truth is。 This is probably not a great book for sensitive middle readers due to the graphic nature of the subject matter which includes the torture of prisoners。I enjoyed reading about this deep wartime friendship of two strong females （although they both seemed to cry a lot）。 There are some twists， especially in the first part， or some disparity between the two parts， because each part is the point of view of a different narrator so the reader doesn't always know what the truth is。 。。。more

Melissa Swearingen ，

Good。 Very good。 Without spoilers I will just say that there was only one plot twist that seemed implausible to me （though perhaps it was something that really happened to someone else， but it didn’t seem likely） and that’s the bridge scene。I wouldn’t recommend for young or sensitive readers though it’s marked young adult due to the nature of Nazi interrogations not being nice things to read about。 Those horrors are not provided in great detail but there’s plenty to bother young readers。 Persona Good。 Very good。 Without spoilers I will just say that there was only one plot twist that seemed implausible to me （though perhaps it was something that really happened to someone else， but it didn’t seem likely） and that’s the bridge scene。I wouldn’t recommend for young or sensitive readers though it’s marked young adult due to the nature of Nazi interrogations not being nice things to read about。 Those horrors are not provided in great detail but there’s plenty to bother young readers。 Personally I don’t want children reading about torture （yes I’m looking at you super popular Hunger Games， bleh！）。 It’s also emotionally intense again as you might expect。 But that said， it’s creative， and beautiful， and thought provoking and hard all at once。 I very much “enjoyed” it if that’s the right word for a novel set in wwii and those horrible times。 。。。more

Jessica ，

It took me three tries - and a switch to audiobook - to get into this。 But boy， once I did， was it masterful。 Give it a chance even if it seems dry at first。

Mimi ，

Nope

Talia ，

It’s not you， it’s me。While I’m glad I stuck it out—the overall story was incredibly touching—I struggled to pick up this book every time。 I blame the many， many pages about aircrafts and pilots。

Liz ，

Just incredibly boring。 Would for sure have DNF’d it has it not been for book club。 I’m truly mystified by all of these favorable reviews。

Jenna Nishimura ，

Code Name Verity is a book about the deep bond between two friends: Maddie， a Scottish pilot and “Verity，” an English spy。 The two women find themselves in German occupied France on a mission where everything goes wrong， and each are hell-bent to carry out their part of a botched mission。 What I liked: I haven’t read an epistolary novel since The Color Purple and this one took me a bit to get situated because we bounce between a written confession and Verity’s thoughts during and after writing。 Code Name Verity is a book about the deep bond between two friends: Maddie， a Scottish pilot and “Verity，” an English spy。 The two women find themselves in German occupied France on a mission where everything goes wrong， and each are hell-bent to carry out their part of a botched mission。 What I liked: I haven’t read an epistolary novel since The Color Purple and this one took me a bit to get situated because we bounce between a written confession and Verity’s thoughts during and after writing。 Then， halfway through， we switch to the same process for Maddie as the timeline starts over through her diary kept in hiding while she joins the French Resistance。 This might be easier navigated in written form but I devoured this tale as an audiobook （BTW - spectacular narrators on Audible！） With that caveat in mind， once I got used to the rhythm and got to know each protagonist， I feel in love with this deeply personal means of storytelling。 Hats off to author Elizabeth Wein for masterful letter-writing story skills！What I loved: I am a giant sucker for overlooked stories being unearthed via historical fiction。 I hold this genre near and dear to my heart because with each story well told， I feel not only more knowledgable about a life in that particular era， but a deeper empathy for another walk of live。 To be a woman during WWII who wants to reconstruct engines， fly planes， or battle in multilingual wits was an uphill battle by gender， let alone the rest of the logistical hurdles。 Code Name Verity absolutely delivered on research woven into a harrowing tale。 。。。more

Wendela ，

Holy ship this was excellent

Chantelle ，

Such a good read

Cathy Ryan ，

A wonderful sense of immediacy all through the story。 So engaging。 Unexpected。 Every bit of this 'historical' novel， though totally fictitious， reads as true。 A wonderful sense of immediacy all through the story。 So engaging。 Unexpected。 Every bit of this 'historical' novel， though totally fictitious， reads as true。 。。。more

Connie ，

I can’t believe this is over。 This whirlwind of glorious characters and harrowing plot twists， of me crying and laughing one after the other while I read。It was not a perfect book。 I could give you a short list of the problems I had with the structure and ending， but in this review I am not going to focus on that。 This book got five stars and a place on the fave shelf not because it was a literary masterpiece， but because it was an emotional one。It was not perfect- far， far， from perfect。 But it I can’t believe this is over。 This whirlwind of glorious characters and harrowing plot twists， of me crying and laughing one after the other while I read。It was not a perfect book。 I could give you a short list of the problems I had with the structure and ending， but in this review I am not going to focus on that。 This book got five stars and a place on the fave shelf not because it was a literary masterpiece， but because it was an emotional one。It was not perfect- far， far， from perfect。 But it got to a point while I was still turning the pages， when I was about half way through， that I just did not care any more。 。。。more

Snickerdoodle ，

The lives of two young women become entwined in England during WWII。 They become best friends and， in each doing what they're best at， find themselves immersed in wartime drama。 First half of the book is tough to stick with but the second half makes it all worthwhile。 The lives of two young women become entwined in England during WWII。 They become best friends and， in each doing what they're best at， find themselves immersed in wartime drama。 First half of the book is tough to stick with but the second half makes it all worthwhile。 。。。more

Julie Sommer ，

The beginning of this book was a bit of a slog， since the layout is very non-conventional。 The payout of the end story was worth it。 Excellent characters， wonderful story， and everything really picks up towards the end， so just keep reading。

Lan ，

This made me feel like my soul had been scraped out of me with a rusty spoon， it was so gut-wrenching。I was anxious going into this， and rightly so。 There's a lot of torture and bloodshed and gruesome deaths in here， which is not surprising in a story that includes Nazis， and should be expected if you do the bare minimum of reading the book jacket before starting the story。 Despite that， I think the violence is handled well。 It doesn't read like tragedy porn， it's treated as fact， though a horri This made me feel like my soul had been scraped out of me with a rusty spoon， it was so gut-wrenching。I was anxious going into this， and rightly so。 There's a lot of torture and bloodshed and gruesome deaths in here， which is not surprising in a story that includes Nazis， and should be expected if you do the bare minimum of reading the book jacket before starting the story。 Despite that， I think the violence is handled well。 It doesn't read like tragedy porn， it's treated as fact， though a horrible fact。 Actually， the first half of the book doesn't really say much outright because Verity is covering so much up。 The covering up is also handled really well， because it doesn't make the violence any less horrible。 You know there's a lot she isn't saying; what she does say is bad， you can put some of the pieces together （also bad） and imagine the rest （also bad）。 I really really loved the first half of the book。 Verity's narration was so good， and I'm a sucker for an unreliable narrator。 The premise of the story felt plausible when it had so much potential to be contrived -- in so many ways: her having access to pen and paper was as believable as her ability to crack jokes and be utterly hilarious in one of the most unimaginably terrible situations possible， which speaks to the author's plot and character crafting。 You really do believe that Verity is the sort of person who would do such a thing。Maddie is not quite as exciting， of course， and her personality doesn't leap out of the book to slap you in the face like Verity's， BUT that's sort of the point。 I would love to use this book in an English class as an example of parallel and juxtaposition， holy cow。 But my problem with the second half of the book doesn't have anything to do with Maddie's narration。 Despite her more reserved personality， I loved her voice and perspective too。 My real complaint is quite small， because the story really is beautiful in the most depressing way， but I found there were just a few too many implausibilities in Maddie's half。 It isn't unrealistic that Maddie would end up near Verity or that she would become involved in the resistance， or even that she would knowingly and unknowingly meet some of Verity's torturers。 But I did find the Thibaults' dynamic a little hard to believe -- Amelie， especially。 It sounds as though she is quite young and I understand that she is very very clever， but I found it hard to believe that the entire family was spinning elaborate coverup tales to keep their activities secret from another member of their family。 I mean， sure。 But Amelie is not just there on the fringes， she's the best at it。 She never messes up。 She even improvises successfully。 I'm a little leery of listing this as a criticism， because the author clearly did a ton of research for this story， so maybe there was a family or two like this in France during WWII， and it wasn't irredeemably annoying， just rankled a little， as it was hard to believe but not enough to kill my suspension of disbelief。 What did kill my suspension of disbelief was （being as vague as possible to avoid spoilers） the connection between Julie's great aunt and where the dead prisoners are buried。 It was just too coincidental。 Or maybe it was just the last coincidental thing and it was the straw that broke the camel's back for me。 It was poetic and beautiful， but when so much of the rest of the story felt so realistic， those few unrealistic things took away from it a bit。It's been a long time since I read historical fiction （I loved it as a kid， but don't read it nearly as much now）， and I have pretty much been fantasy-only for the last few months， but I'm glad I stepped out of my usual genre for this one。 （As I've said like 3 times now） it really is a beautiful story。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Code Name Verity

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Code Name Verity&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Code Name Verity&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0