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The Enigma Game Paperback – 14 May 2020
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Windyedge Airfield, Scotland. World War II.
Louisa Adair, newly orphaned and shunned for her mixed-race heritage, has come here to the edge of the world to look after an old lady with a dark past. Jamie Beaufort-Stuart is a flight lieutenant whose squadron is posted to the airfield over winter. Ellen McEwan is a young woman held hostage by the German pilot who lands at Windyedge one wild stormy night carrying a terrible secret.
Three young people desperate to make a difference in a war that has decimated their families, friends and country. When the means to change the course of history falls into their hands, how will they use it? And when the enemy comes looking for them, who will have the courage to strike back?
A thrilling story of wartime secrets, international intrigue and wild courage from the award-winning author of Code Name Verity, with three young heroes you'll never forget.
- Reading age12 years and up
- Print length432 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions19.9 x 2.3 x 12.9 cm
- PublisherBloomsbury Children's Books
- Publication date14 May 2020
- ISBN-101526601656
- ISBN-13978-1526601650
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Review
A total treat ― Melinda Salisbury on THE PEARL THIEF
A romantic and acutely observed historical mystery ― Metro on THE PEARL THIEF
The Enigma Game is a gorgeous, complex, layered story set chronologically between The Pearl Thief and Code Name Verity, but equally enjoyable as a standalone novel, with beautiful musings on discrimination, prejudice, war, family, and the secrets we hide - and reveal - throughout our lives -- A. O’Connell, Reviewer ― NetGalley
Code Name Verity has built a reputation for being an outstanding example of historical fiction - and The Enigma Game looks likely to follow suit. Superb! -- O. Edmonds, Librarian ― NetGalley
This is a very fine historical novel, with characters as alive as any you could hope to meet in fiction ― Books for Keeps
The Enigma Game is meticulously researched and carefully crafted, combining the ingredients of friendship, intrigue and mystery that author Elizabeth Wein favours for her popular YA wartime adventures which began with the award-winning Code Name Verity in 2012 ― Reading Zone
Book Description
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Bloomsbury Children's Books (14 May 2020)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 432 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1526601656
- ISBN-13 : 978-1526601650
- Reading age : 12 years and up
- Dimensions : 19.9 x 2.3 x 12.9 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 446,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer reviews:
About the author
I was born in New York City in 1964. My family spent two years in England and three years in Jamaica, and as a child I was fluent in Jamaican patois. When my parents separated, my mother moved us to her home state of Pennsylvania. When she died in a car accident in 1978, her wonderful mother, Betty Flocken, took me in.
After getting a BA from Yale University, I went back to England, where I learned to ring church bells in the English style known as "change ringing." While I was working on my PhD in Folklore at the University of Pennsylvania, I met my future husband at a bell ringers' dinner-dance. He is British, and in 1995 I moved to England with him, and we settled in Scotland in 2000, which is where we raised our two children and is where we live now. I hold both American and British citizenship.
I learned to fly in Scotland and took my private pilot's license in 2003. Inspired by this new skill, flying became the core theme of my writing over the past decades. I have now written numerous aviation-inspired fiction and non-fiction books for young people, and my best-known book, Code Name Verity, became a Number 1 New York Times bestseller.
Customer reviews
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Customers find the book an interesting read with a gripping story set in rural Scotland. They describe it as a fantastic war story with an unusual take on the genre.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book readable. They describe it as an interesting read.
"Really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to my class...." Read more
"This is a brilliant, gripping, gut-wrenching prequel to Wein's Code Name Verity featuring a terrific ensemble cast of memorable characters...." Read more
"Another interesting read..." Read more
Customers enjoy the story's quality. They find it an exciting and moving war story, with a gripping and gut-wrenching prequel to Code Name Verity. The book takes an unusual take on a WWII story, set mostly in rural Scotland.
"...Loved the fact that it was a fantastic war story but also so much more than that...." Read more
"I loved this new book by Elizabeth Wein; it is an unusual take on a WWII story, set mostly in rural Scotland with largely women protagaonists...." Read more
"This is a brilliant, gripping, gut-wrenching prequel to Wein's Code Name Verity featuring a terrific ensemble cast of memorable characters...." Read more
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 May 2020Really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to my class. Loved the fact that it was a fantastic war story but also so much more than that. I loved the variety of characters and the fact that they all had their own personal story and challenges, their own flaws and charm. The Enigma Game deals with loss, war, aging and prejudice but also focuses on what friendship and trust have to offer. I also loved the way that music was used in the novel. A real gem of a book!
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 September 2020I loved this new book by Elizabeth Wein; it is an unusual take on a WWII story, set mostly in rural Scotland with largely women protagaonists. It had plenty of real tension but also emotional depth. And for those of us who are fans of "Code name Verity" (of which I am one) it fills in some gaps. Strongly recommended.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 November 2020This is a brilliant, gripping, gut-wrenching prequel to Wein's Code Name Verity featuring a terrific ensemble cast of memorable characters. And of course the ending wrecked me.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 August 2020The Code Name Verity series is great.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 May 2020I have always wanted to read an Elizabeth Wein book so when I got a chance to read The Enigma Game I jumped at the chance. The Enigma Game is a great historical fiction novel that tackles topics that are often forgotten in history.
As a history student who loves reading about underrepresented groups dealing with race and sexuality, it was really great that this book tackled that and included this. Louisa, the main character, is biracial who has a Jamaican father and is well developed and likeable. While there is racism in the book, it is representative of the time and I think that it was tackled in a great way. Please seek out own voices reviews from this area to see further information.
Although a smaller part of the novel, sexuality is also included in the book although again there is some homophobia. Again I think that this was well developed and a great inclusion in the story and it was nice to have this inclusion to the story.
It is also clear that Elizabeth Wein did her research which I can always appreciate. The bibliography was also a nice touch as I even recognised some of the historians used.
The story focuses on the Enigma Code and a machine, which I found to be really interesting and even though fictional, it was nice to read about something that I didn't know about before. There is also a lot to do with the air force which was a nice inclusion to the story and I really did enjoy Jamie and Ellen who were intertwined in this plot.
This is slightly weird but I have read a lot of books recently where a character has a connection to an older person and this is not an exception. I really do think it's something that I enjoy in books and this was no exception. I loved Louisa and Jane and I loved how we saw their relationship develop over the course of the book as well as Jane as a person.
I would also love to read more from Elizabeth Wein in the future because these have just given a small taste into the historical world that she has created.
The Verdict:
The Enigma Game was a truly unique historical fiction story that tackles topics that I would love to see more of in YA.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 May 2020Thank you to Bloomsbury UK and NetGalley for providing me with an EARC copy of this novel!
I read Code Name Verity a few years ago and absolutely adored it, but for whatever reason I didn’t actually realise that there were any other books connected to it. In reality there is a sequel, and this book is a prequel to the action that occurs in Code Name Verity. Knowing that this book was going to feature some of the characters that I got to know and love in that previous novel made me very excited to pick it up!
Wein has a wonderful emotive way of writing, as soon as I began reading this book I was sucked in, I was in love with all the characters, and fully invested in the story.
The book is narrated by a number of characters, and I love each and every one of them! Louisa is a bold and brave 15 year old who moves to Scotland for a job, and refuses to let anyone stop her just because of the colour of her skin. Ellen, is a RAF driver, who is proud to serve her country, while hiding her Traveller heritage. Jamie, the same Jamie from Code Name Verity, is a flight lieutenant who would do anything for his squadron.
I sometimes find that multi-POV books can fall flat, with too many voices and not enough time spent on anyone, but this was definitely not the case here. I loved every single character in the novel, and I eagerly awaited every character’s POV.
While we’re discussing character, a special shout-out must go to Jane, an old woman that Louisa is hired to look after. She is fiery and wild and I adored her! She was so stubborn and refused to live her life on anyone’s terms but her own.
In addition to a wonderful cast of characters, the book is also filled to the brim with action. Spies, bombs, air-raids and aerial battles, this novel has it all. But the novel is also filled with love and joy, and it is an incredible read.
I also want to give a special mention to the geographical setting of the novel. All the action takes place around Aberdeen, and the surrounding areas. As someone who currently lives in Aberdeenshire, I particularly appreciated the local dialect that the author used, it was pretty accurate, with a nice and accurate use of Doric, and descriptions of Aberdeen that were particular to the time. I was very impressed by this!
Overall I really enjoyed this novel, it was a wonderful YA historical read, and I would highly recommend it, and Code Name Verity to all!
Top reviews from other countries
- D. MILLERReviewed in the United States on 2 January 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT READ
I loved this book and author. I donated it to my library and on my recommendation it seems to always be checked out.
- scotgalReviewed in Canada on 6 October 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read.
Really enjoyed this book.
- Nancy in NCReviewed in the United States on 28 September 2021
4.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
This book had all the right stuff but failed to meet expectations for me. Too much time spent on the realities of the 40s. More time about the Enigma game would have been more interesting.
- hayseedReviewed in the United States on 26 April 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Even though it's a novel I read
I enjoyed the book very much, so much so that I shared it with my husband, and he's sharing it with a friend.
- M AllanReviewed in Canada on 18 December 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent YA book
Enjoyed this book. It is good for YA.