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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
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
This book was clever and, for the most part, exciting (though there were a few parts where it dragged momentarily). Surprising but sensible twists, I liked the main characters, and the ending was satisfying. Requires a hefty supply of WWII background knowledge or ability to cope with not understanding the jargon and allusions.
so beautiful, so tragic, so heartbreaking. oh my gosh, this book.
Devastating, and devastatingly good.
Apparently friendship is what really hits me in the gut in fiction. Female friendship? In a war? When both ladies are brave, smart, and devoted?
My friends can attest that I cried. Quite a lot.
Apparently friendship is what really hits me in the gut in fiction. Female friendship? In a war? When both ladies are brave, smart, and devoted?
My friends can attest that I cried. Quite a lot.
Whoa. What an intense book. It took me a solid week to finish it, which seems unusual given that it's only about 300 pages AND it's categorized as YA. But Code Name Verity is a rarity in the YA world - a standalone novel, with richly realized characters, a compelling plot set during the beginning of WWII, all wrapped up in a beautifully written novel.
This one will linger a long, long while. Awesome.
This one will linger a long, long while. Awesome.
Elizabeth Wein wrote this so well! The voices were authentic, the story captivating, and while the bread crumbs were there, I didn't see the end coming until it arrived.
I thought this was well written and I liked both characters, but for some reason I just couldn't get into it. Maybe because it was clearly going to be a tragic ending and I just wasn't in the mood for heartbreak. I might try it again another time.
I love that this was about the friendship between two young women who are capable and complicated.
I did keep tripping over the fact that the first half is supposedly being written under duress while being tortured by the Nazis. I found it very difficult to believe that a British spy would have been allowed to write such a rambling biography that clearly had little useful information for the war effort and maybe it was this that kept pulling me out of the story.
I love that this was about the friendship between two young women who are capable and complicated.
I did keep tripping over the fact that the first half is supposedly being written under duress while being tortured by the Nazis. I found it very difficult to believe that a British spy would have been allowed to write such a rambling biography that clearly had little useful information for the war effort and maybe it was this that kept pulling me out of the story.
The style of the first 50 pages or so nearly made me put this book down and walk away from it. The narration bugged me and wasn't getting anywhere. But overall I'm glad I stuck with it, once the narration turns into story format it works much better and became a lot more engaging. Some of the language doesn't seem correct for the 1940s "dead amazing" being one on particular. But overall, a worthwhile read.
Smart. Vulnerable. No bravado or thrill seeking or unfettered desire for violence. Just two girls who got swept up in the wave of a war that could not be tamed.
The last 32 pages were far more moving than the 300 pages preceding them.
Favorite Quotes
...sobbing with anguish and love; love, for her island home that she'd seen whole and fragile from the air in the space of an afternoon, from coast to cost, holding its breath in a glass lens of summer and sunlight. All about to be swallowed in nights of flame and blackout.
Maddie took the top of her egg off. The hot bright yolk was like summer sun breaking through cloud. The first daffodil in the snow. A gold sovereign wrapped in a white silk handkerchief. She dipped her spoon in it and licked it.
The last 32 pages were far more moving than the 300 pages preceding them.
Favorite Quotes
...sobbing with anguish and love; love, for her island home that she'd seen whole and fragile from the air in the space of an afternoon, from coast to cost, holding its breath in a glass lens of summer and sunlight. All about to be swallowed in nights of flame and blackout.
Maddie took the top of her egg off. The hot bright yolk was like summer sun breaking through cloud. The first daffodil in the snow. A gold sovereign wrapped in a white silk handkerchief. She dipped her spoon in it and licked it.