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#32: Elizabeth Wein, Code Name Verity
Oct. 13th, 2013 01:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kareilaFor this book, as well as Seraphina and The Lies of Locke Lamora before it, I was glad I opted for the audiobook; the reader(s) imparted a depth of characterization - and occasional song - that was worth the longer time it took to get through it, and the audio format thwarted my impulse to flip to the last page and see how it would all end, which with this story was particularly strong. (Being able to knit while listening is another plus.)
The conceit of the first part of the novel is that the protagonist, "Verity", has been captured by the Nazis and is telling them everything she knows about the Allies' war operations in order to avoid torture and delay her execution. Except that what she ends up writing is the story of her best friend, Maddie, who was piloting the airplane that brought her across the English Channel to occupied France. The plane crashed, and Maddie's fate is unknown.
The second part, when it comes, is such a surprise and joy that I don't want to spoil it here. Suffice it to say that we do eventually get another perspective, which is good, because Verity has given us reason to believe that not everything she has told the Nazis may be strictly true.
Interestingly, I got a very different first impression of Verity from the opening pages of the novel than I did from the point where she introduces herself into Maddie's narrative. I'm not quite sure if that's due more to the differences in circumstance or to the facades she erects under stress. At any rate, she's a fascinating character.
The conceit of the first part of the novel is that the protagonist, "Verity", has been captured by the Nazis and is telling them everything she knows about the Allies' war operations in order to avoid torture and delay her execution. Except that what she ends up writing is the story of her best friend, Maddie, who was piloting the airplane that brought her across the English Channel to occupied France. The plane crashed, and Maddie's fate is unknown.
The second part, when it comes, is such a surprise and joy that I don't want to spoil it here. Suffice it to say that we do eventually get another perspective, which is good, because Verity has given us reason to believe that not everything she has told the Nazis may be strictly true.
Interestingly, I got a very different first impression of Verity from the opening pages of the novel than I did from the point where she introduces herself into Maddie's narrative. I'm not quite sure if that's due more to the differences in circumstance or to the facades she erects under stress. At any rate, she's a fascinating character.
