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

I was ready to start over and listen again!

Would you listen to Code Name Verity again? Why?

I would have begun again as soon as I finished the book, it was that good, and I'll most definitely listen again.

What does Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

They gave an exquisite experience of the characters. I'd never have experienced them so fully if I'd just read the book.

Any additional comments?

I've recommended the book to friends; I'd recommend it to you. It was a perfect experience.

I am Telling the Truth

(Via Audio, but now I now want to read it!) Well written unique book about two young English women who become friends despite social class difference because of World War II, which took them to their destinies. The book is told through their journals, so you get to see the story unfold through different view points. I was hooked from the first couple of sentences, which, along with the title, tells all:

"I AM A COWARD

I wanted to be heroic and I pretended I was. I have always been good at pretending. I spent the first twelve years of my life at the Battle of Stirling Bridge with my five big brothers, and even though I am a girl they let me be William Wallace, who is supposed to be one of our ancestors, because I did the most rousing battle speeches."

(Now just try to put that down!) A true spy-coming of age novel, chalk full of historical and literary references. I cannot for the life of me figure out what book this is like, but I would say that if you liked "The Book Thief" and if you like intrigue, you will like this. I want to go back and read it now so that I can put together some things that are possible to catch the first time. Excellent Narrations.

Children's Book?

Any additional comments?

I'm shocked it would be considered a children's book. As a career teacher, mother and grandmother I consider the book far too violent for children. The sadistic torture of the prisoners is NOT something I personally want to hear about and certainly don't want children reading. Other than that one point, it was a good story and very well narrated.

Captivating

This beautifully written book captivated me throughout the entire novel.
The story is exciting. The characters are fascinating, and the readers are absolutely perfect.
I'm glad I listened to this book as an audiobook because the voices added so much dimension to the book.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes audiobooks.

It Sneaks Up On You!

Would you listen to Code Name Verity again? Why?

I intend to listen again, as I think there are a lot of things I missed in the first performance.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Verity, as there are so many shades to her character.

Any additional comments?

I wasn't positive I would get into this book, so started listening very tentatively. Before I knew it, I was totally into the book, and looked forward to my daily walks and other activities where I can listen. I was amused, shocked, disturbed, surprised, and ultimately fell in love with this book. The narrators did a stunning job, and I would listen to it again just to hear them. I can't imagine why this is being marketed as a YA book. If you don't have some years of experience in life, I think you would miss out on a lot of the content. But what do I know?! I recommend this book to EVERYONE!

Interesting story about oft-forgotten WW2 players.

A riveting WW2 tale about two girls in oft-forgotten roles during the war (air transport pilot and interrogator). Has lots of the elements that make a book my favorite: intrigue, danger, suspense, multi-dimensional characters, etc. I also have a soft spot for the forever fascinating events of WW2 and this book gave me perspective on situations I'd never thought of before. I would recommend this for anyone who wants an interesting story with some memorable characters. (I gave the performance 3/5 because I wasn't as much a fan of the narrator's interpretation of the character Maddie, which I personally found irritating. The story is excellent though.)

A Great story!

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

I really loved this book - I've been reading a bunch of novels and non fiction about ww2 and this one was on my list. I really enjoyed it - a great story with fun characters and a great way to telling the story of German held France. I of course cried while running a couple times which was a bit embarrassing but I got through it.

Excellent female characters…

This is a book set in World War II with great female main characters who are NOT just camp followers. They are primary actors – – a pilot and a spy. As impossible as that sounds, I've heard that such things happened, and the author makes it very very plausible. This was a great story, but it involves Nazis, so bad things do happen. Kind of a lot. But it's not all doom and gloom. This is one of those books that I recommend without reservation.

An unexpected delight

Any additional comments?

I rather stumbled onto this book, having no idea that it was a YA title. It was a happy accident. The story itself is a good one, with intricate plot twists, suspense and interesting characters. Most noteworthy of all were the performances. They were nothing short of brilliant in bringing the characters to life. I will give any book read by either woman very serious consideration.

Story of women's heroism and comradeship in WWII

My three stars reflect my disappointment and ambivalence. When I selected this title, I hoped for three things: historical accuracy, believable characters, engaging story line. Afterwards, I felt let down in all three areas. The characters were not (to me at least) psychologically convincing. The story line was harrowing. And although much research clearly informed the writing, major plot elements were not plausible. Another problem: I was clearly not in the target audience. The tone seemed intended for, say, a middle-school level, not adults. So, overall, this was not a worthwhile audiobook for an adult who is well-informed about World War II, and aviation in the 1940s.