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A review by willowbiblio
Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
"One had to go on living because it was less trouble than finding a way out, but the early ideals of the war were all shattered, trampled into the mud which covered the bodies of those with whom I had shared them."
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I cried at least 4 separate times while reading this book. The constant awareness from Brittain and her loved ones of the closeness of death was just astounding. It was truly heartbreaking to witness Brittain's transformation from a passionate, sure teenage Oxford student to an ex-nurse who lost almost all the contemporaries that were dear to her.
The losses of Roland and Edward were especially poignant as they deeply understood Brittain. They also felt this major drive to put themselves at the Front and right in the thick of things, which ultimately led to their demise. But it was this indoctrinated characterization of bravery, heroism, and patriotism that led to such immense waste and loss of life during WWI.
We witness a kind of awakening in Brittain that is completely devastating. To then witness her attempt to find some kind of purpose and meaning in a world of peers who have no way to relate to her, and vice versa, was incredibly sad.
I took off a star because I really had to push through the first 50 pages- they just didn't capture me. Similarly, much of the last 50-100 pages sort of lost me. I'm not 100% sure why, maybe it was the pacing or the dichotomy when held up to the depth of what occurred during the body of the novel (the war years). At any rate, this was a beautiful book and I especially loved the inclusion of her and Roland's poetry.
---------------------
I cried at least 4 separate times while reading this book. The constant awareness from Brittain and her loved ones of the closeness of death was just astounding. It was truly heartbreaking to witness Brittain's transformation from a passionate, sure teenage Oxford student to an ex-nurse who lost almost all the contemporaries that were dear to her.
We witness a kind of awakening in Brittain that is completely devastating. To then witness her attempt to find some kind of purpose and meaning in a world of peers who have no way to relate to her, and vice versa, was incredibly sad.
I took off a star because I really had to push through the first 50 pages- they just didn't capture me. Similarly, much of the last 50-100 pages sort of lost me. I'm not 100% sure why, maybe it was the pacing or the dichotomy when held up to the depth of what occurred during the body of the novel (the war years). At any rate, this was a beautiful book and I especially loved the inclusion of her and Roland's poetry.