skygiants | (no subject)

OKAY SO CODE NAME VERITY

If you have not read or heard of Code Name Verity, here is what you need to know: it's about two women in World War II, and one is Scottish and one is British, and one has a title and a giant castle and one is the granddaughter of a mechanic, and one of them is a pilot and one of them is a spy, and they are BEST FRIENDS, and their friendship is the heart of the book.

Also at the start of the book the spy, code name Verity -- who is brilliant and clever and brave -- has been arrested in the first two weeks of her mission for accidentally looking the wrong way when she crossed the street in France, which tipped off the Gestapo that she was British, and now she is being tortured and selling off radio codes to the enemy to survive. The other thing she is selling off is her story: the story of her friendship with Maddie, the pilot, and the story of how both of them got to where they are. And that's the story that you're reading.

Also Elizabeth Wein is really, really good at pulling your heart slowly out of your chest by her fingernails, but if you've read any Elizabeth Wein before, then you know this, this isn't news.

Here's the thing: many of you are probably quite familiar with Verity. "Gloriously daft, drop-dead charming, full of bookish nonsense and foul language, brave and generous" -- she comes from a long, long line of dazzling, witty, chameleon-like tragic blonde heroes. She's a direct descendent of Percy Blakeney and Francis Crawford of Lymond and Lord Peter Wimsey and Wein's own Medraut and Telemakos and a dozen others, and if she were a man she would be played by Leslie Howard in a 1940s film. But this is the first time I can think of that I've seen that character as a woman, in a story about women, and it is ABOUT TIME. (Although if anybody can think of anyone else who has done this I am always in the market for recommendations.)

For the record, this may also be why I am completely convinced that the Bloody Machiavellian British Intelligence Officer whose wife went to the same college as Verity is in fact Lord Peter Wimsey.

DEMARCATION: ACTUAL SPOILERS

As soon as Maddie did in fact prove to be alive, I knew that Verity wasn't going to make it, because ELIZABETH WEIN ARGH. But I kept hoping anyway! I did not however see the shoot-me-as-an-ultimate-expression-of-love coming, and I really should have.

My favorite character though in the end was not Maddy or Verity, as much as I loved them both, but ANNA ENGEL ;slkdjf;sfd. I am going to have to reread sometime soon just to pay extra attention to everything Verity says about Engel in the first half of the book. But, uh, not yet.

There was only one thing that threw me about the book, and it's that Maddy uses ALLCAPS OF RAGE in exactly the same way that Verity uses ALLCAPS OF RAGE. But I can handwave that as best friend brainshare.

Crossposts: http://bookelfe.livejournal.com/300926.html

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

musesfool

JUST FLY THE PLANE, MADDIE.

When Verity shouted, KISS ME, HARDY I started crying and I don't think I stopped until long after I was finished reading.

SO HEARTBREAKINGLY GOOD.

From:

skygiants

KISS ME, HARDY is going to be one of those phrases that's just forever ruined for me, isn't it.

AHHH SO GOOD!

From:

rymenhild

My first comment here was also going to be KISS ME, HARDY, and also, Oh, God, AUGH. Stab me in the heart,

eegatland, why don't you.

But if Peter is the Machiavellian Intelligence Officer... oh, damn, damn, damn, he'd do what he had to, but when the war was over he would snap again, wouldn't he?

From:

skygiants

SHE SAYS SHE WILL, THANKS :D :D :D (D: D: D:)

It does add an extra level of resonance to the scene where Maddy is worried that they're going to hang her . . . NOT THAT THAT SCENE needed any extra levels of resonance ANYWAY.

(But I mean if we're talking about people who are addicted to the Great Game . . .)

From:

shati

Same. It was a very dehydrating reading experience.

From:

cahn

OH MY GOD THIS BOOK. I too started crying at KISS ME, HARDY and didn't stop until the end. Until well after the end. Actually.

Peter. PETER. OH! Now I SO DESPERATELY COMPLETELY want the fic that tells it from Peter's point of view (or maybe Harriet's?)

AND YES A THOUSAND TIMES TO VERITY AS THE DESCENDANT OF SIR PERCY ETC even though I didn't really articulate that in my head until you put it out there.

AND ANNA ENGEL. And even though I SHOULD have known Verity wasn't going to make it, because as you say ELIZABETH WEIN, I didn't... it's not that kind of book! Sir Percy and Lord Peter ALWAYS make it through and so I got completely blindsided and ALSO KISS ME HARDY JUST FLY THE PLANE MADDIE AUGH MY HEART.

(um. this book clearly brings out the capital letters in me!)

From:

skygiants

Harriet's! It's got to be Harriet's POV because this is a book about ladies and the fic should reflect that. BUT I ALSO DESPERATELY WANT THIS. (Notes to Yuletide authors? Bueller? Anyone? *cough*)

I KNEW but I didn't want to know. ;___; VERITY. I also just, the thing that makes it work is how real it is, what a stupid little mistake she got caught by -- it makes her such a real person in all her brilliance. VERITY AND MADDIE AND ANNA. I also really, really want fic about what was actually going down between Verity and Anna in all those scenes she can't write.

From:

cahn

Yeah -- no -- you're right (plus which, I realized I have just about zero idea how anything interesting looks like from Peter's standpoint ANYWAY, because all the interesting books are from Harriet's viewpoint) -- also YES VERITY AND ANNA ohhhhh.

From:

rymenhild

The problem is the Official Secrets Act. If Harriet isn't herself working for Intelligence, Peter can't tell her a word, and even if she is, he can't tell her what she doesn't need to know for her work.

Znqqvr znffviryl oernxf gur Bssvpvny Frpergf Npg, ohg bayl gb Irevgl'f snzvyl. Fur jbhyqa'g gnyx gb nalbar jub qvqa'g nyernql ybir Irevgl.

So Harriet can only have a POV if she's personally one of the girls' handlers. Probably Verity's. She could have been part of it all along, but Verity never mentioned her because she was protecting her...

Edited (encoding spoilers) Date: 2012-07-26 12:46 am (UTC)

From:

skygiants

I WOULD READ THAT STORY SO HARD. Also: totally plausible. (Especially given the college connection, and all the gaps in what we hear about Verity's training.)

From:

jinian

Oh, this book. I knew Verity was fucking with them just because of the name, but I didn't know she was BRILLIANTLY lying her ass off IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY. I actually feel that your kinship comment would have reduced that reveal for me, so I'm glad I read this as soon as I possibly could.

Maddie! Anna Engel! OMG!

This is one of the few books where I actually want people to get married after the end of it.

From:

skygiants

Oh dear, I hope it doesn't do that for anybody else -- though I do really want to talk about how this is a character type that I haven't really seen written as female before. Do you think I should put it under a cut?

I actually had so many wild theories of how Verity could possibly be fucking with them -- including that Verity had gotten arrested on purpose as part of her mission, or that Verity and Maddie had actually switched identities and Verity was Maddie all along -- that the actual reveal of where the fuckery came in was just kind of like "oh, well, of course." My favorite part was realizing all the little details of the small ways she lies, as well as the big ones -- like when you realize that when she's talking about a blackshirt insulting Maddie's grandfather for selling to Jews, of course that's a lie, and what really happened is that they were insulting Maddy's grandfather for being a Jew.

From:

jinian

I know, it's a worthwhile thing to say and could get people to read the book (if somehow they do not trust your taste completely? how could that be?), and I don't know if anyone else would have a problem with it.

I had those same theories too! It was definitely the details that blew me away.

From:

skygiants

if somehow they do not trust your taste completely?

I know, what is up with that! Why does the internet not just do everything I tell them! WHY IS MY ENTIRE FLIST NOT READING 7 SEEDS RIGHT NOW. *cough* anyway

I held onto the "Verity and Maddie secretly switched identities" theory for way too long. It didn't even make any sense! Maddie does not speak ANY of the languages that Verity has proven to need! AND YET.

Man, the more I think about it, the more excited I am to reread the first part to unpack it all. I mean it will also be like being shot in the heart all over again but that's a risk I'm willing to take!

From:

cahn

!! ...that went right over my head. I have to go and read THE ENTIRE BOOK OVER AGAIN. (I am waiting to do this until I get my hard copy; I read an e-copy and now I have to buy it twice, GAH)

I would actually like for you to put it under a cut with something like "These are the mildest of meta-spoilers," because, well, I read two reviews that said NO SPOILERS that mentioned Verity was an unreliable narrator, and of course she is, and of course for any half-critically-aware reader it's not really a spoiler at all, but I tend to read in a not-very-critically-aware way and it would have taken me much longer to twig had I not known it already. Same with your comments. Though I LOVE THEM, I am also glad I'd read it first.

From:

skygiants

Okay! Thanks for weighing in, and under a cut it will go. :D

From:

rymenhild

I mean, I knew (from reviews, even!) that Verity* was an unreliable narrator, and I could tell some of the things that were going on (rot13)jura gur vagreivrjre pnzr gb cevfba... ohg...

Gur zbzrag Znqqvr gbyq hf nobhg gur ryrira jveryrff frgf orvat fahpx vagb gur jerpx NSGREJNEQ, nsgre Irevgl jnf tbar, vf gur zbzrag V fnvq, "BU IREVGL LBH ZNTAVSVPRAG ONFGNEQ." Orpnhfr bs pbhefr fur'q znqr hc rirel pbqr fur pynvzrq gb unir orgenlrq ba gur svefg cntr bs gur obbx. Bs pbhefr fur xarj gur jerpx jnf snyfr. Bs pbhefr fur -- oh, Verity.

*Even the name Verity is sort of a spoiler, despite the fact that it's built into the title! But I don't know what else to call her.

From:

skygiants

Yeah, I figured that there had to be SOMETHING going on with the codes, but I had no idea what.

Do you think that Verity knew that Znqqvr jnfa'g qrnq, gubhtu? Orpnhfr rira vs gur enqvbf unq orra cynagrq yngre, gur cynar jnf fgvyy gur fnzr cynar. V nyjnlf svtherq fur yrtvgvzngryl qvq guvax gung Znqqvr unq qvrq.

From:

rymenhild

My reading after finishing the book is that Whyvr xrcg gelvat gb oryvrir gung Znqqvr jnf nyvir, ohg jnfa'g fher. Ohg Whyvr tnir hc nsgre n juvyr. V guvax vg jnf jura fur jnf jevgvat Eboreg Oheaf nyy bire ure abgrf: "Zl urneg vf fnve sbe fbzrobql." Naq Naan Ratry'f rlrf jrer erq sebz pelvat -- Irevgl pynvzf fur qbrfa'g xabj jul, ohg vg'f orpnhfr Irevgl'f fgbel oebxr ure urneg! Whyvr tnir hc gura. Fb jura fur urneq Znqqvr ng ynfg -- vg jnf Whyvr'f gevhzcu.

(Va gur fnsrgl bs EBG13, V guvax bs Irevgl nf gur haeryvnoyr aneengbe naq Whyvr nf gur erny crefba oruvaq ure.)

From:

skygiants

Yeah, that is pretty much my read too. (Including the narratorial meta.)

From:

in_the_blue

This sounds great! I shouldn't have but I went ahead and read spoilers anyway. Makes me want to read the book even more.

From:

skygiants

ahh noooo for spoiling you but ahhh yessss for you reading this book! YOU WILL LOVE IT.

From:

in_the_blue

I am SUPER DUPER OKAY with it, or I wouldn't have read the spoilers! I don't mind them at all! It's on my list now.

From:

rymenhild

*facepalm*

I have not yet written my review of Code Name Verity yet, but it basically goes like this: "There are two young British women. They are both badass. They are best friends. EVERYTHING ELSE IS A SPOILER. DON'T READ THE SPOILERS. GO READ THE BOOK."

From:

shati

Yeah, I read a review along those lines early on, decided that I love Elizabeth Wein's books enough to actually stay spoiler free, and I am so glad I did. Usually I spoil myself freely!

From:

in_the_blue

Ahahaha, well, probably by the time I get around to it I'll have forgotten everything spoilery I read anyway! See? No problem at all.

From:

qian

I finished the book just before going to bed and woke up the next morning with "kiss me, quick!" echoing around my head.

Also, I hadn't made that connection between Verity and the charming, clever, adorably self-satisfied tragic blond hero -- but yes! I've been feeling for a long time that there needs to be more witty, charming, slightly fey female heroines in that mold.

From:

skygiants

I've also been wanting ladies in that mold for ages, because I grew up loving that kind of hero, and then aged up into feeling a little bit guilty for loving them so much -- I feel so much less guilty about a heroine! So I'm hoping this is the start of a long line of them. :D

From:

innerbrat

it's about two women in World War II, and one is Scottish and one is British,

BECCA.

From:

skygiants

HAHA I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THAT. I was trying so hard to get it right, too, because the Scottish one is extremely insistent that she isn't English!

From:

remindmeofthe

This book! This book this book this BOOK.

I just read it recently, after having downloaded it so long ago that I'd forgotten what it even was. Going into it completely cold was the best possible way I could have read it. Not knowing even the basic outline from the beginning makes Julie's version of events all the more convincing and makes the reveal of the truth in the second half even more stunning. It was this extra layer of ignorance that really enhanced the effectiveness of the unreliable narrator and I am so, so glad I did it that way.

This was one of the best books I've read in a long time, and my lack of internet this summer means I've been reading a looooot of fucking books. It is not, as Julie says, a jolly girls' adventure story, and what was what I loved the most about it. Nothing against jolly girls' adventure stories, I love those too, but the messy realness and awfulness in this story is what makes it so good.

And of course everything I just said means I have no idea how to rec it. "Read this! It's good! No, I won't tell you why. No, I'm not telling you what it's about. Yes, there's probably stuff I should warn you about. Why are you still here asking me questions? GO."

From:

skygiants

Hee! I actually wasn't sorry to be able to guess she was an unreliable narrator, because I had so much fun trying to pick out all the ways she was unreliable and I was STILL wrong.

It is totally not a jolly girl's adventure story, and the ways in which it resembles a jolly girl's adventure story just highlight what is actually happening. AND IT'S SO GOOD! I really just do want to tell everybody to read it. GO GO GO!

From:

metaphortunate

Here via

oyceter, and thank you for pointing out that Verity is a direct descendant of Wimsey and Lymond! THEY NEED MORE DAUGHTERS. THEY NEED ALL THE DAUGHTERS. I would read ALL those books.

And god, this book was great.

From:

skygiants

ALL THE DAUGHTERS! I really, really hope this starts a trend -- I didn't quite realize how glaring the absence was of that female character until I read this book and was like "MORE PLEASE."

I mean this book was amazing for a million other reasons than that, of course. (The Jamaican pilot! Maddie's pilot mentor! ANNA ENGEL!)

From:

holyschist

Speaking of Anna Engel (and I may have to reread for her, too): am I the only one who thinks she might have shot von Linden?

From:

grrlpup

hope you will forgive me for barging in late, but it's not just you-- I assumed Anna Engel assassinated him! By the time I was reading otherwise in people's comments, the book had already gone back to the library, so I still haven't gone back to see if it's plausible.

From:

holyschist

I may have to go back and reread just to figure that out, but I can't think of any reason offhand it wouldn't be, unless she was transferred somewhere else too early.

From:

rymenhild

This is a thousand years late, but I came back to this post because I am finally getting around to reading The Pearl Thief and there's this brief mention of Julie reading too many Harriet Vane novels.

Harriet Vane novels. Not Peter Wimsey novels or Dorothy Sayers novels.

I had to read the sentence three times to realize that Harriet Vane is the novelist, and she's a real person in Julie's world.

Which is to say, you're right and have always been right. The Machiavellian Officer _is_ Peter Wimsey!