Code Name Verity

By: Elizabeth Wein

Narrated by: Morven Christie, Lucy Gaskell

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Code Name Verity is a compelling, emotionally rich story with universal themes of friendship and loyalty, heroism and bravery. Two young women from totally different backgrounds are thrown together during World War II: one a working-class girl from Manchester, the other a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a wireless operator. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted friends. But then a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France. She is captured by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. The story begins in Verity's own words, as she writes her account for her captors.

©2012 Elizabeth Gatland (P)2012 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Unexpected and intriguing

Wow such an unexpected voice and attitude from the narrator/main character. Honestly unsettling, but intriguing take on the horrifying situations of war. Very good read.

It was fine…

I was super excited to listen to this but it fell short for me. Story didn’t keep pace and given the reviews I was expecting something less predictable.

Great book

Emotional and riveting story of a beautiful friendship. I truly enjoyed every bit of it.

Book club pick, so glad I listened

I loved this book and I'm so glad I listened. Hearing the accents and pronunciations was so much better than stumbling through on my own. I loved the story, the characters. and the of course the narration. Beautiful story with suspense, drama, and friendship.

Nacht und Nebel

A few weeks ago, I got this text message from my big sister, D-. "Good audio book suggestion: Code Name Verity. One of the best I've listened to". D- was right. So are all of the reviewers who say it's pretty impossible to write a review of this book that doesn't have spoilers.

Elizabeth Wein's 2012 "Code Name Verity" is marketed as a Young Adult book. I've got two teenagers, and I've read/listened to a fair number of books in this genre. Without sex, vulgarity, and fatuous self-involvement, this book stands out. Wein's historically accurate description of England as it entered WWII and its use of civilian planes - the (de Havilland) Puss Moth, the Tiger Moth - in war service is an intriguing bonus. The vocabulary isn't dumbed down, and it's definitely UK-flavored. I had to look up words like "gormless", which means clueless, stupid and dull, combined.

That made me wonder just what YA, as a genre means. Imogen Russell Williams, in a July 31, 2014, article in The Guardian says, "the sine qua non of YA is an adolescent protagonist, who will probably face significant difficulties and crises, and grow and develop to some degree - Patrick Ness described it as "finding boundaries and crossing them and figuring out when you end, who you are and what shape you are." The two protagonists are a little older - in their twenties - but otherwise, it does meet the criteria.

The book is set in World War 2, and there is violence in the book. It is disturbing, even though it's neither graphic nor gratuitous.

I can say, without giving away key plot points, that "Code Name Verity" is as much of a mindf*** as Gillian Flynn's 2012 "Gone Girl." There were several times I found myself thinking, "Wait, what???" and rewinding a couple of minutes because there'd been a twist so subtle I'd missed it.

Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell were fantastic narrators. Their accents really help set the place.

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Girls' adventure in World War II

This book has gotten much, much love from bloggers and Young Adult aficionados in general. Because girls! In World War II! And it's kind of a little bit dark with Nazis, toned down to YA levels.

Code Name Verity is a girls' adventure story about a pilot and a secret agent, both based in historical reality though the author admits in her afterword that she took a bit of fictional license to allow her young female pilot to fly a plane into occupied France.

As the book begins, Julie, the secret agent half of this best friends duo, is writing a confession to her German captors. She got caught as an enemy spy when she looked the wrong way crossing a street in France, and now she's in the hands of the SS. The first half of the book is her story. She is Scheherazade, trying to prolong her life by giving away secrets and playing mind-games with her captors, games she can't possibly win.

Then comes the second half, which is Maddie's tale, Maddie being the working class girl who became a pilot, who crashed in France, and now works with the French Resistance. She learns of Julie's capture and want to free her. Of course.

Much has been made in reviews of the "shocking twist," which I shall not spoil, but let's just say it is dramatic and moving but not wholly unexpected and certainly not as wrenching for adult readers who have read war stories before. Likewise, the horrors of the Nazi occupation are described, but the author spares the reader the worst.

This isn't a flaw in the book per se — not every war story has to be gory and brutal to excess, but I was constantly reminded that this was a YA novel meant to stir an emotional response. The focus is on Julie and Maddie's friendship and we are treated to long internal monologues regarding everything that passes through their heads.

The story was good and so was the writing, but despite the cleverness of an unreliable narrator, it seemed to be written to appeal to a different sort of reader. Code Name Verity tries very hard to yank your heartstrings and make you shiver with dread at appropriate times. For a teenage girl, this is maybe a near-perfect book. For me, merely decent.

A great story, well told

Would you listen to Code Name Verity again? Why?

Two young women's stories intertwine with the history of WWII, of women pilots and spies, of France, England, Scotland and Germany

What was one of the most memorable moments of Code Name Verity?

Not telling. LOTS of memorable moments--even the small ones.

Have you listened to any of Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell ’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I think this might be my first. It will not be my last.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. This is a book I loved listening to every time I got to it--and was glad it was the one on my Ipod.

A Story of Enduring Female Friendship during WWII

This is a moving book that should not be missed. It is so accurately based on historical premise that every word is not only believable, but personal. Loved the narrators and found the story to be compelling and intriguing. There are few "happy endings" in wartime, and this one is no different, although the reader can't help but be well satisfied in the end. Don't miss the author's footnote at the end of the recording. It will further seal the deal for you that this is a great work.

Not usually my cup of tea

In fact, I prefer coffee, or in this case, it's best to say that I prefer paranormal romance and sci fi to historical fiction. I don't remember what it was about the description or reviews that made this sound like I would like it, or perhaps it was on sale.....In any case, it was a great find.

It is, mainly, a story of two young women serving in WW II in England. It is about how the war brings together these two people who, if not for the war, would have traveled in different social and geographic circles but whose souls were "meant" to meet and serve each other (the story is not about that, it just seems a fact).

The story is told separately, part 1 and part 2, by each of the main characters. The telling overlaps in important ways that you cannot even guess when hearing the first part. It is necessary that you do not know the part 2 point of view because part 1 is of a prisoner of war and you are made to feel her suffering, sans other perspectives. The ending is absolutely not what I expected and was entirely fulfilling to the plot/story line.

I think if you have a heart, you will love this story. Note: War does play a somewhat gruesome role in the story, not gratuitous at all, but may bother some young or sensitive readers.

Surprising and Lovely

What made the experience of listening to Code Name Verity the most enjoyable?

This book exceeded expectations. And from the hype, mine were high. All I'll say about the plot, aside from 'clever' and 'delightful' and 'heartbreaking', is that you'll want to go back to the beginning to appreciate the brilliance of what you now know that you know. The narration enhances the complex and interesting characters and the entertainment value of the story. I thought this book was listed as young adult, but now I'm not sure. It never made me wish I was reading print so I could cross my eyes and skim over weak areas. No awkward squirming in your chair for this one. Plenty of anticipatory squirming, though!

Don't read anymore reviews. It's best to go into this book knowing only that you won't be disappointed.