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My final foray into World War II territory (for now, anyway) is Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity, a young adult novel which really defies description, but I'll try. At its heart, Code Name Verity is the story of two young British women, Maddie and Queenie (or Julie), who undertake a secret mission behind enemy lines in Occupied France in 1943. The novel begins as a confession being written by Queenie while being held as a prisoner of the Gestapo. Clearly, her mission has gone terribly wrong. Qu...
One of two books this year to make me cry--I mean, tears-pouring-down-my-face cry. Queenie and Maddie are the best character duo ever. Oh god, my heart still hurts.
It took me a while to get around to this book. I knew lots of people loved it but World War 2 is not my favourite historical period to read about, especially yet another YA book set at that time. Now I wish I had read it much sooner - it is a beautiful story about amazing characters and it leaves you at the end with a major lump in the throat and quite a few soggy tissues.I was very taken too with the way the author chose to tell the tale, first one character telling events her way and then the
I have a feeling I'm not going to be very popular by posting this review, everyone seems to love this book so far and I feel more disappointed in myself and my tastes than the novel or the author. Code Name Verity is one of those books that are the reason why I created the shelf its-me-not-you. I mentioned this very recently in my review of The Book Of Blood And Shadow and it is also similar to the experience I had trying to read The Book Thief and Feed. I just found 90% of the book long-win
I’ll confess right up front that I’m not usually a big historical fiction fan. I realize this seems somewhat hypocritical of me, as I was a history major in college and adore history, but a lot of times, I find historical fiction more impenetrable than a primary source document. The characters either don’t feel like real people to me, or they feel like modern people to me. I get distracted by historical info-dumps and bored by epic scale machinations. Basically, I like my historical fiction very...
A Scottish girl, called "Verity" in a nice bit of obfuscation (is the name accurate or ironic?), is captured by the Germans in France during WWII. Apparently broken by Nazi torture, she begins to write her confession, doling out bits of information to her Nazi captors to motivate them to keep her alive and refrain from further torture. She has been spying for the Allies, so her prospects for a long life are dim.Verity tells the tale of her involvement with the British war effort, spiced with bit...
A note: This review is going to be a bit vague because I really, really, reallyreally don’t want to spoil this book for anyone. Because oh my gosh….A note on the note: This review really is going to be vague unlike all my other ‘vague’ reviews which go on for about a year. The first thing I did after I finished reading this book was to pick up my phone and text my best friend, who I have known since I was eleven and has been there through every single one of my problems and ill-advised fringes,
I am quite surprised this novel got as many 5-star reviews as it did, because this book requires its reader to have a fair amount of interest in piloting, even before he/she can start appreciating the writing itself. In short, the things that Code Name Verity is about - pilots, planes, radios, engineering, war - are the things I evidently have no interest in. Or, alternatively, it's written in a not very engaging way. Surprised this is so well received, very surprised.
It takes a lot to impress me in a novel about World War 2, which is the reason why I wasn't mad about this book like 99& of those who read it. Perhaps it is the difference in experiences that divide me and them - I grew up in a country where the war has left a definite mark, and where people still remember it and mourn its victims. You can still find old houses with bullet holes, and every other street has a memorial plague remembering dozens of underground resistance and innocent civilians slau...
Page 2: DAMN this book is good.Page 25: GODDAMN this book is good.Page 60: This may be the best WW II novel I've ever read. EVER. SUCK IT, HEMINGWAY.Page 68: Crying.Page 70: Laughing.Page 113: Biting freshly manicured fingernails to smithereens DAMNIT WEIN I PAID FORTY DOLLARS FOR THESE NAILS.Page 150: Okay, so, I have to pee, but I really don't want to have to stop reading. This could get uncomfortable.Page 200: *THUMP* "Um, Katie, you OK up there?" "... It's cool. I just fell out of bed."Page
Do you remember when The English Patient came out? Or rather, do you remember when the Seinfeld episode about The English Patient came out? (Elaine goes to see it and HATES it, and is either shunned or dragged back to the theater to rewatch because everyone else loves it. She ends up getting sent to Tunisia by her boss, J. Peterman, because the movie was filmed there. Cameo by Holly the waitress/witch from True Blood playing a waitress.)I'm usually Elaine in these situations, so I worried a litt...
Reviewing this book feels much like walking through a minefield. (Not that I know what that feels like, but I can imagine, you know.) On the one hand, I can’t reveal too much of the plot. I can’t reveal almost anything, really, lest I ruin the experience for you guys. On the other hand, I have to write just enough to make you want to pick this book up because it’s one you don’t want to miss. Trust me. I suppose I could just point you to Maggie Stiefvater’s wonderful review and leave it to her to...
What an absolutely incredible book. I'm honestly speechless. Video review to come.
i loved this book, don't get me wrong. it has great characters and is well-researched and detailed and every scene comes alive and pops with tension and it also has all that slippery writing that i really appreciate. but how fans are practically burning effigies of veronica roth for the feels she made them feel or whatever, while this book is Beloved By All is beyond me. this book definitely has more brutal feels.but—a great book, whose secrets will not be spoilt by me with a more detailed revie...
this was a wonderful story about friendship, courage, and everything in between. and while i cant say this was one of my favourite WWII stories ive read, it also wasnt like anything i have read before. the story is told in a letter/note format, and i think that is what helped make the story feel authentic and genuine. my only complaint is that it talked about planes wayyy too much, but im happy i picked this up! 3.5 stars
Wow, I'm still pretty gutted hours after finishing it. I don't really know if I can write a coherent review here; I might try later. I mainly want to go out and press this on complete strangers. Read it, now, and for GOD'S SAKE don't let anyone spoil you about any aspect of the plot. There are no kidding about four or five major plot twists, with no cheating -- they're all carefully foreshadowed and clues are dropped (there's even an in-character reference to this right at the beginning!) and it...
“It’s like being in love, discovering your best friend.”This is distressing. I am very distraught. I did not like this book as much as I hoped and it breaks my heart. I'm aware that we can't love every book we read and you may think it a tad dramatic of me to say this but WWII historical fiction is a (sub) genre that I've rarely been let down by. Ever.This had all the makings of a potential favourite yet somehow missed the mark. I'm still reeling from it.Set in the turmoil of the Second World Wa...
This is ultimately a story of friendship, love and loyalty. Two secret agents whom have become best friends. One an interrogator, Verity; the other, a pilot, Kittyhawk. Their mission to German occupied France goes awry and Kittyhawk is forced to make a crash landing and Verity has to parachute out. They become separated. The 1st half of the story is told by Verity who has been captured by the Nazis and is armed with a pencil and paper forced to disclose codes. What becomes her ‘dissertation of t...
this book. everyone on goodreads, stymied by the impossible task of saying anything about what happens in this book without giving away the entirety of it, sputters and stutters and eventually says, READ IT. read it read it read it readit readit readitreaditreadit PLEASE READ ITthere's moira's lovely review but most of it is blacked out. read it for the enthusiasm and sense of wonderment. come back to it after you've read the book and click the spoiler link so you can have the book explained to
DNF @ 50%Well the main issue is that this is boring the shit out of me. I meant to put this on my DNF shelf ages ago but I couldn't even be bothered to do that much because that is how bored I was.I doubt I'll ever pick this up in the future but never say never.