Celia's Reviews > Code Name Verity

Review
There are 157 books in my WWII Goodreads Folder, and I have read 65 of them. I thought I should stop reading books about WWII for a while because they were all starting to sound the same.

I am very glad that I made an exception for Code Name Verity. It was very good and emphasized themes of Friendship, Valor, Truthfulness, and Women’s Roles during WWII. I was sometimes confused, but basically entranced by all I read. And the book was full of surprises and unanswered questions.

At the book’s onset, we meet a prisoner of war who is in France and being interrogated by a German whose name is SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden. Verity has struck a deal with the man: she will share Allied War Strategy and info in exchange for more comfort. Verity is hated by her fellow prisoners, but she writes her story on any kind of paper that can be found. She interweaves wireless code meanings and her history of friendship with Maddie Brodatt who she met when they were both Wireless Operators. They both move on to war work- Maddie a pilot and Verity a spy. (Verity knows German and puts her knowledge to good use. Her background is Scottish and she is fiercely proud of being a Scot).

The story is told in two parts. Verity – whose given name is Julia Beaufort-Stewart – tells the reader what is happening at the prison and shares with us what she is writing. THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM.
In Part 2 – we hear Maddie’s version of the story. I loved this part, because of the parallels with what I first read in Part 1.
My friend and I discussed this book and our impressions. It was a lively discussion. It was great that we could help each other understand the nuances of the book.
We had also both read The Women by Kristin Hannah and were able to compare the attitudes about the War in Vietnam with those of WWII.
I strongly recommend this book and its audible counterpart to anyone who loves historical fiction and STRONG women characters.

5 stars