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adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
NEED TO REREAD
This was so good. Not quite up there with Code Name Verity, but probably my third favorite of Wein's novels (after Rose Under Fire). I'm really glad that I read The Pearl Thief before I read this one as several characters figure prominently in both. You could definitely read any of these as standalones, but there is crossover. I really need to go back and reread Code Name Verity now that I've read these others.
The intrigue, the racial and class based challenges, the friendships, the terror, the heart -it's a wonderfully fascinating war story.
The intrigue, the racial and class based challenges, the friendships, the terror, the heart -it's a wonderfully fascinating war story.
While the story was beautiful and had a lot of potential I thought Louisa was a bit of a weak main character, her story was good but her character lacked defining traits, like Ellen’s bursts of emotion, or Jamie’s well-meaning stubborness.
Jamie’s bits as a RAF pilot in a plane that doesn’t often get protagonism in WWII stories was rather interesting, too. I did feel, at times, as though I was hoping to read about events or characters mentioned in previous books rather than paying complete attention to the main story, but I expect it had to do with not connecting with the main character rather than the story itself which is nothing short of excellent
Jamie’s bits as a RAF pilot in a plane that doesn’t often get protagonism in WWII stories was rather interesting, too. I did feel, at times, as though I was hoping to read about events or characters mentioned in previous books rather than paying complete attention to the main story, but I expect it had to do with not connecting with the main character rather than the story itself which is nothing short of excellent
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I just know that I'll have a good time when I read an Elizabeth Wein book and this book was no exception.
Although it didn't emotionally affect me as deeply as some of her other books, it was still a very enjoyable, very good read. The notes at the end also show how much the author cares about being as accurate as possible and if complete accuracy isn't achievable to at least be as plausible as possible. The loving attention to detail is certainly a sign of quality.
Although it didn't emotionally affect me as deeply as some of her other books, it was still a very enjoyable, very good read. The notes at the end also show how much the author cares about being as accurate as possible and if complete accuracy isn't achievable to at least be as plausible as possible. The loving attention to detail is certainly a sign of quality.
Man, I really wanted to love this one but it ended up feeling kinda sweaty to me? I love the Code Name Verity Cinematic Universe but for me to have three characters from the CNVCU independently end up in the same tiny town felt implausible, even though I was happy to see them. In her author's notes at the end Wein notes that some of what this story was based on involved a recovered piece of radar equipment from a German plane but she felt that writing about the radar equipment would require too much detail to explain its importance so she wrote it about an enigma machine instead, but to me it ended up feeling hard to swallow because the enigma machines were SO important that it was like......this is a lot for one 15-year-old girl to stumble upon?!
That SAID I still enjoyed this--Wein's research and eye for historical detail is sharp, and I really loved Louisa as a new main character, and I love a historical fiction that shows that people of color like...lived in England in WWII and can be in this kind of historical fiction story in addition to the usual Civil War and civil rights movement stories.
That SAID I still enjoyed this--Wein's research and eye for historical detail is sharp, and I really loved Louisa as a new main character, and I love a historical fiction that shows that people of color like...lived in England in WWII and can be in this kind of historical fiction story in addition to the usual Civil War and civil rights movement stories.
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Published: May 14th 2020
Pages: 432
Rating: 4 Stars
*I received an earc via netgalley however this in no way influenced my opinion. Thank you to Bloomsbury for providing me with a review copy.*
CW: Racism and death
So I received a digital copy of this however my finished copy arrived a few days later so I ended up reading the final finished copy. Code Name Verity is one of my favourite novels ever, so when I hear Elizabeth Wein had a new book coming out I was so excited to read it and even more so when I found out it involved some characters from previous novels like Jamie and Ellen.
This novel follows three young people in 1940 in Scotland, who become intertwined with one another when a German pilot drops of an Enigma machine. The first young person is Louisa a young biracial woman whose parents have both been killed as a result of the war. She finds a job assisting an elderly German woman whose niece runs a hotel and pub in Scotland. Then we have Ellen a young traveller woman who works as a driver for the RAF, she also lives at The Limehouse, where she befriends Louisa. Our final character is Jamie, an RAF pilot.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, it was intense and thrilling. It is well written and as always you can tell that Wein has put a lot of research into the topics surrounding this novel. As always the flight scenes were really fun to read about, especially when Jamie takes the girls flying on Christmas Day.
What I loved about this novel is the characters. I really loved Louisa, it was fun seeing her learn morse code and begin to figure out the codes from the enigma. She has so much drive and passion and I really liked her friendship with Jane (the elderly lady she was caring for). Throughout the novel Louisa deals with racism, people making assumptions about her and using racial slurs. I also really loved Ellen she’s such a strong-willed character and it was really great that Wein discussed the prejudices that people have towards travellers. Jamie was great, I really enjoyed seeing his character again, the thing I love about him is that he isn’t afraid to stand up and question authority and he is rebellious. When all 3 characters came together it made a really interesting dynamic but I absolutely loved it.
Overall this was an enjoyable read that had strong characters and was well researched. I highly recommend this if you’ve loved any of Elizabeth Wein’s other books or if you enjoy WW2 fiction.
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Published: May 14th 2020
Pages: 432
Rating: 4 Stars
*I received an earc via netgalley however this in no way influenced my opinion. Thank you to Bloomsbury for providing me with a review copy.*
CW: Racism and death
So I received a digital copy of this however my finished copy arrived a few days later so I ended up reading the final finished copy. Code Name Verity is one of my favourite novels ever, so when I hear Elizabeth Wein had a new book coming out I was so excited to read it and even more so when I found out it involved some characters from previous novels like Jamie and Ellen.
This novel follows three young people in 1940 in Scotland, who become intertwined with one another when a German pilot drops of an Enigma machine. The first young person is Louisa a young biracial woman whose parents have both been killed as a result of the war. She finds a job assisting an elderly German woman whose niece runs a hotel and pub in Scotland. Then we have Ellen a young traveller woman who works as a driver for the RAF, she also lives at The Limehouse, where she befriends Louisa. Our final character is Jamie, an RAF pilot.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, it was intense and thrilling. It is well written and as always you can tell that Wein has put a lot of research into the topics surrounding this novel. As always the flight scenes were really fun to read about, especially when Jamie takes the girls flying on Christmas Day.
What I loved about this novel is the characters. I really loved Louisa, it was fun seeing her learn morse code and begin to figure out the codes from the enigma. She has so much drive and passion and I really liked her friendship with Jane (the elderly lady she was caring for). Throughout the novel Louisa deals with racism, people making assumptions about her and using racial slurs. I also really loved Ellen she’s such a strong-willed character and it was really great that Wein discussed the prejudices that people have towards travellers. Jamie was great, I really enjoyed seeing his character again, the thing I love about him is that he isn’t afraid to stand up and question authority and he is rebellious. When all 3 characters came together it made a really interesting dynamic but I absolutely loved it.
Overall this was an enjoyable read that had strong characters and was well researched. I highly recommend this if you’ve loved any of Elizabeth Wein’s other books or if you enjoy WW2 fiction.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I love Elizabeth Wein's historical novels, and this one, which includes some of the characters from [b:Code Name Verity|11925514|Code Name Verity|Elizabeth Wein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388161911l/11925514._SY75_.jpg|16885788], definitely does not disappoint. It takes place in Scotland in 1940-1941, at an airbase and at a pub/boarding house. Main character Louisa, 15, gets a job as companion/helper to an elderly woman, Aunt Jane, who is hiding from the world the fact that she is a German former opera singer--she was married to a Brit and uses a forged version of his passport as her own. Jane is a feisty lady, a wonderful character, and her relationship with Louisa is really sweet. Louisa is biracial, her father was Jamaican, and she wants to help the war effort now that she's been orphaned by its bombs. She gets her chance when a German pilot/spy lands at the airbase and stays at the pub where she and Jane are living--and Louisa finds the Enigma codebreaking machine he had hidden there. She also meets Jamie, a pilot at the base who flies his squadron over the sea to guard against German patrols. When he intercepts a coded message from a German plane in the area, he gets it to Louisa with the help of Ellen, a local volunteer who works as a driver for the airbase, and together Louisa and Jane decipher it. They form their own little secret resistance group. The story is very suspenseful, a little sad, as are all war stories; it provides a backstory for the Ellen and Jamie (and his sister Queenie!) characters from Wein's other books; the relationships are wonderful and the research is impeccable. Lots of wartime flying action, codebreaking, air raids, lives in danger facing the possible end of the world as they know it. The period detail is great. I also really liked the diversity in the story, and how all three girls--Louisa, Jane, and Ellen--shared a common thread of knowing what it is like to be discriminated against. For Louisa it was the most blatant, because her "otherness" was displayed for the world to see, but Jane had to hide her heritage, and Ellen was a Traveller, and was often bullied for it. So that gave an added dimension to their characters. Terrific book, good historical fiction for middle schoolers and up.
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No