Friday, June 13, 2014

Code Name Verity

Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth Wein
Series? Not really, but there is a companion Rose Under Fire
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Date: 2012
How did I get this book? purchased
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

The "problem" with finally having the time to read more books is that I have such a backlog of reviews to write! I read Code Name Verity back in April for my library's book club and have been totally dragging my feet. Backlog or not, I think I have been actively avoiding this review because I'm a little afraid people might throw things at me. I know this book has won a ton of awards and is beloved by so many readers, but ultimately, I couldn't really grasp what all the fuss was about. *Ducks and shields head*

As many have said before me, it's difficult to write about this book without ruining it or giving things away, but I'm going to try my best. Since the back jacket description is only four sentences long, I might technically be spoiling a few minor things, but I promise there will be no major spoilers.

OK, so you know from the very beginning that the book is set during World War II, Verity is a British pilot who has been captured, and Part I of the book is her written confession to the Gestapo. Right off the bat, I have two problems:
1. A very good chunk of the confession is tediously boring and it's half the darn book.
2. Given the circumstances, I found it incredibly improbable that she would be given the time to write a 200 page confession. Yes, 200 pages! There is a "convenient" reason given for why the commanding officer allows this, but I just wasn't buying it. It was allowed because it facilitated the story, not because it's a plausible thing that likely would have happened.
As Part I continues, I have more issues:
3. There is a lot of bouncing around between first person and third person.
4. Some of the things she writes (like cursing out the Nazis) seem pretty stupid to put into writing when your life is in your captors' hands and they are reading what you write. I wholeheartedly understood her sentiments, but I felt like some of it made no sense as part of a written confession. But since her half of the book is the confession, there was no other way to convey those feelings and it ended up feeling *off* to me in parts.
5. Verity has like a million different names. Seriously, it was starting to get ridiculous. And sometimes the various names are used on the same page, in the same paragraph (same sentence? I'd have to go back and check). UGH! It was really starting to drive me mad as I was reading.
By now you must think I completely hated this book, but that's not really true. Unfortunately, it can be far too easy to point out faults when you find a fair number of them. There were good things too, like the friendship at the foundation of this story. But honestly, this is the kind of book where I couldn't fully appreciate it until after I had finished the whole thing. When taken as a whole, I was able to give it a 3-star rating, but most of time I was reading I thought it was going to be a total bust.

So many reviews I've read said this book was a tearjerker, but with all of the various problems I was having with the story, I was much less emotionally invested than I might normally be. I also think this is the kind of book that I needed more patience and time with, but unfortunately I started reading it the day before the book club meeting and didn't have that luxury. Maybe if I had taken more breaks or read it more slowly, my experience would have been different, but I can't know that for sure.

I so rarely have time for re-reads (especially for 3-star books), but the audiobook is available for free this week through the summer SYNC program (also the impetus for finally writing this review!), so maybe I will be able to find the time after all. This definitely deserves a second chance now that I know how everything turns out, and I'm curious how the audio experience will be compared to reading the print book. It's only available until June 18th though, so if you'd like to try listening to this one, go download it!

_____________
Reading Challenges:
New to Me
Lucky No. 14: First Letter's Rule
Historical Fiction

14 comments:

  1. I agree with you, I gave this book four stars and I think reason so many people rave about it is because of the way it came together and that conclusion

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're probably right -- it had a very strong ending, but it felt quite painful at times getting there.

      Delete
  2. I actually did a DNF of this at page 100, but recently downloaded the free sync audio book, I may listen to it and try again. Great review, and I felt similarly in the beginning but admit I am curious about the second half.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Clearly the love for this book comes mostly from the second half and how the two parts intersect. Knowing you DNF'ed it makes me feel so much better though Kimba!

      Delete
  3. I really like this book, but I definitely agree that there was a few flaws and that sometimes the book was hard to follow
    Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm definitely curious to see how if it improves as a re-read. I think some of the things I took issue with would be less of a problem now that I know the ending.

      Delete
  4. I'm with you. I thought it was refreshing to have a book featuring such a strong friendship and no hint of romance... but it definitely didn't live up to the hype. I might have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been constantly wondering what I was missing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I also was wondering what I was missing for most of this book which doesn't usually lead me to think of it as a 4 or 5 star read, even if it all comes together in the end. I like some romance, but I agree it doesn't belong in every story and it was nice that it wasn't in this one.

      Delete
  5. It's definitely a book that requires a little bit of understanding of how it's going to end in order to really full invest yourself in it. Kind of like The Sound and the Fury. While I don't think Wein's plotting or writing style holds a candle to Faulkner's, the comparison is apt in that when I first read The Sound and the Fury my ENG teacher leading the discussion confessed that she almost had us read it backwards - from last section to first because the story and text is really more lucid and understandable that way. However, she ultimately decided against it because she wanted us to experience the novel as Faulkner meant us to. I feel the same about Code Name Verity. If I had know what the book was all about (outside of a four sentence plot summary), I may have been able to invest in the story more deeply. As it was, I, like you, was disconnected for most of the novel. I did come to see why so many people cared about the book, but at the same time, it never jumped out and grabbed my heart. I am curious how it would stand up to a re-read, but unfortunately, I don't think I have the patience for one. Great review! I think you did a great job at balancing the book's positive and negative aspects.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I usually hate spoilers, but in this case I almost wish I knew more going in. Then I could have spent less time being frustrated and wondering what the heck the point of it all was and more time appreciating the story itself and connecting with it. I wanted this one to tug on my heartstrings, but it just wouldn't because of the how it was set up and structured. The emotional impact was extremely blunted for me, unfortunately.

      Delete
  6. Don't worry, I won't throw things. I haven't even read this book. I don't know why, but sometimes a whole lot of hype makes me shy away from the book in question. Therefore, I'm in no hurry to read this one. The 200 page confession is kind of ridiculous. I'm glad it wasn't a complete bust for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yea, I did *get it* by the end, but it was not an easy read. Hype sometimes screws with my head because I can never tell if a particular book will live up to it. The confession was definitely a device/structure thing -- and while interesting and kind of unique, it really started to stretch the limits of believability, at least for me!

      Delete
  7. I haven't read this yet myself, but I really enjoyed reading a review that was from a bit of a different perspective than the other reviews I've read of this book. Nicely done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! If it sounds like something that would interest you, definitely give it a try. I am clearly in the minority and think super high expectations also affected my reading experience.

      Delete

I'd love to hear what you think :)