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Code Name Verity

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Code Name Verity

By: Elizabeth Wein
Narrated by: Morven Christie, Lucy Gaskell
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About this listen

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 Historical Fiction Fiction Aviation War Highlander
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This was a great story. An interesting point of view. I felt that the characters could have been stronger. But they were both brave and shows a different perspective on the female partnership and friendship.
- Z.S

Good Story

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I’d long heard about Code Name Verity before downloading it as an audiobook. So many people in my internet circles enthused about it that when I was wondering what to listen to next, the title popped out of my wish list. Although it is categorised as a young adult book, it can (and will) by enjoyed by everyone. I think the audio only adds to the tension and suspense that is rife in the book. Morven Christie and Lucy Gaskell are to be congratulated for making a great book into an excellent listening performance. Their voices carry the desperation and urgency of this story of two young women during World War II.

The story opens as a young woman is held captive in France by the Germans, she’s in turmoil with the secrets she has told while being tortured. How can she live with herself? Now she needs to give away even more of the British’s secrets in a confession, listing aeroplanes and airfields. But what comes out is a story of Maddie and ‘Queenie’ who become friends as they work together. Maddie is a pilot. Queenie is reluctant to give details away, but little by little we learn more about her and how she ended up in France. However, it’s Maddie’s story that Queenie wants to tell and eventually the story moves to Maddie and a secret fight against the Nazis.

Code Name Verity is a book that deserves to be well known. It’s simply brilliant. Elizabeth Wein captures the tension and fear that Queenie is feeling as she’s being asked to tell everything she knows and betray her country. It’s powerful and emotive and nicely balanced with some dry humour (for example, when Queenie writes some fake prescriptions for the woman who guards her). Just when you think the poor girl might be due a break, something else comes out of nowhere. There’s a particularly tense point of the narrative where everything the reader thought they knew turns on its head. I felt gutted at the turn of events which led to Maddie being front and centre. It felt like I had lost a friend. Sure Maddie was interesting, but… To Wein’s credit, she made Maddie’s continuing story just as interesting with a feeling of quiet danger running through it. At this point the reader knows what happened to Queenie and it’s a grit your teeth and cross your fingers feeling hoping that Maddie’s work will have a different outcome.

The story is possibly the most intricately crafted YA book I’ve come across as a grown up. It’s got everything in it – bravery, determination, drama and friendship that combines to make a commanding read. It’s not full of guts and glory, it’s a sensitive human portrait of the role of women in World War II. Definitely one to read (or listen to) sooner or later.

Possibly the most intricate YA book ever

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

You never quite knew where the plot was heading and that was the wonderful thing about the book.
I could not bring myself to pause the story and didn't want it to end.
Highly recommended if you like history and mystery.

Loved it......

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Good story and the story telling was amazing. The narrator was fantastic and added so much depth to the characters.

Easy Listening

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A well written book that works well as an audio book. Recommended to those new to reading books in the war genre.

Interesting Read

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Morven's narration is excellent.
only disappointment is that book 2 is by an American narrator!

Brilliant- evocative of wartime and heart stopping

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This is a beautiful story. The voices were so true to the characters. I could not stop listening.

Beautiful story

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well written. Story had some twists. Difficult to put down. would recommend for those who like war stories . thank you

Great read

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Really well performed, and I could not predict the story as it progressed.
Maddie was often disapointing though: women in male dominated work just don't allow ourselves to be the weakest link, such as Maddie purports to be.

Unexpected Twists and Turns

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I found this book very irritating,and,boring. My own fault as I dislike fiction at the best of times,and,thought this book was a documentary. Even so,the story was annoying,flipping from place to place with no consistancy in the story line. Eventually I gave up.

Not impressed

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