Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

This is a book that anyone will tell you “do not read any reviews or any blurbs. Just read it. Trust me.” And, here I am, attempting to write a review of it. Stupid, right? Well, I don’t care. I will attempt to the best of my ability to convince you, reader, to immediately purchase and read this book without telling you a damn thing about it. I recognize that is a tall order, and seemingly impossible. So I shall do my best.

This book is about two women in WWII. One is a pilot, one is a spy, and they get shot down in their ferry plane in Nazi-occupied France. The first half of the book is told from the spy’s point-of-view. The second, from the pilot’s. That is all I will tell you. This book is full of twists and turns, and you second-guess yourself constantly trying to figure out everything that could potentially happen. But I’m not going to talk about that either.

What I will tell you, is that this is one of the most perfect books I’ve ever read. I cried my eyes out at some points, but even in a lot of difficult scenes, I was laughing through my tears, and I absolutely fell in love with the narrative. These two characters are so well-written, and so fascinating, I did not want the story to end. I got the audiobook and it is the first audiobook I have ever listened to. It was divine. The actresses could not have been more perfectly cast, and they embodied the spirit of the protagonists superbly.

This book is a journey. And many things take you a very long time to figure out, if you ever figure them out. I have been going back and forth with others that have read it, trying to look for clues in everything I’ve read, and I’m sure I will be doing so every time I read this (which will be numerous. I’m having a hard time not immediately starting it right this second). You don’t even find out the first protagonist’s name until more than halfway through the book. And if I told you her name, it wouldn’t even ruin the flow of the book, or give a huge amount away. But it would absolutely ruin your discovery of the character, and I will not have that.

I am one of those people that will jump ahead in books just to see if what I guessed would happen, does happen. But for this book, I flatly refused to do so, because I enjoyed the journey so very much. And I can nearly guarantee that you will too. I recognize that’s a large claim to make, but I can’t even comprehend someone not loving this book. So, just read it. And if you loved it, tell me. If you hated it, tell me too, because that would absolutely fascinate me.

Click here to buy the ebook or paperback

If you’re interested in trying the audio book, you may want to give Audible a look. Try Audible Now and Get A FREE Audiobook!

8 comments

  1. I’m about 1/2 way through and had to force myself to stop for now. The spy’s voice – I won’t use any names here – is just so well done. Not her speaking voice, while the Scottish accent is fantastic, but her style of speech and intellect and humor are wonderful. There were several times when I was just mesmerized by the action or her thoughts or her descriptions. And there were many times when my stomach was in knots with anticipation.

    I’m forcing myself to take a short break to regroup before starting the second half.

    I highly recommend this to everyone.

  2. Which is why this book is SO VERY ADDICTIVE. The narrative is close to perfection. The turns of phrase and wit is strikingly good.

  3. ok, I bit, I bought, I’m hooked, and absolutely smitten with the author. This is so witty and well written. It’s entertaining and frightening and addictive. I’m 30% thru, according to my kindle, and have absolutely no clue what is coming next. Today I fought with myself – to restart at page 1, because I realize I may have missed some clues! More later when I am done.

    • Wait until you finish it and then get the audio book! I did the audio book first and getting ready to read the eBook. But this s is definitely a book to read twice.

  4. oh my gosh. These characters will stay with me for days and weeks and months, I dare say. Oh to reread it, knowing what I know, to pick up more clues! Oh to have amnesia so I can reread it not knowing anything at all! I must get the audio book. Thank you!

    • I know EXACTLY what you mean. I wish I was just discovering it again. But I’m also excited to go back and look for everything I didn’t catch the first time around. I’m sort of jealous of people that are just finding it, as the first read of this book is so very beautiful.

    • Oh and Michele! If you sign up for Audible, you get a free audio book credit. That’s how I got this on audio. I then cancelled my account cause I was low on funds. The link for that is on the right side of the page.

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