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A review by circularcubes
Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
5.0
June 22, 2017
Once again, Testament of Youth has immersed me fully into the life of its author, Vera Brittain. It is a testament (heh) of Brittain's skill that this book has the power to completely transport its readers into the life of a privileged young woman from rural England in the years surrounding the Great War. I remember the shock of first reading her words three years ago and finding that Brittain did not seem all that far removed from myself, between her frustration with her parents, her awareness of generational divide, and her open discussion of her first vague awarenesses of sex. Brittain does an admirable job in this memoir of helping readers to step directly into her shoes as she journeys from headstrong scholar-to-be at the beginning of the war to a rather bitter, alienated, and lonely woman in the decade following Armistice.
Although she clearly intended the book for audiences in the 1930's, for the most part, it still translates well to audiences in the 2010's. There are a few missteps - she relies rather too heavily on name-dropping people who have long since lapsed into obscurity, and, I suspect, were known only in small particular circles at the time of her publishing. This, along with numerous mentions of her parent's troubles finding a "creditable" and reliable servant during the war years and a brief reproduction of a conversation overheard between injured soldiers which relies heavily on phonetic accents belie Brittain's strong sense of economic class, which is otherwise not fully discussed. I also wish Brittain was more frank about her relationships - she describes a single kiss with Roland and her general desire for children, but she doesn't go into further detail. She also had other flirtations and relationships towards the end of the war and upon her return to college, but they are lightly sketched out. It's clear that Brittain remained endlessly devoted to Roland and perhaps wanted to keep their relationship at the forefront of the readers minds, but I desperately wanted to see how she moved on after his death, and I wish she gave us more details on that. The book also loses a lot of steam post-Armistice, and although it's satisfying to see Brittain making steps forward in her life, I wish a bit of the bitter, alienated feminist years were condensed and better articulated.
All in all, this is a powerfully moving book. The 2015 film version is absolutely beautiful (and made me cry about six times) but nothing really compares to this extended and largely elegant portrayal of Brittain's war experiences. I would recommend this unhesitatingly to anyone with the slightest interest in the topic.
August 16, 2014
Vera Brittain's story is incredible. This book really makes World War One come alive, and especially illuminates what the experience was like for young English women such as Brittain herself. To lose almost everything that brings meaning to your life and somehow find the strength to move on and still contribute positively to your surroundings and society as a whole - I hope to be half the woman she was.
Once again, Testament of Youth has immersed me fully into the life of its author, Vera Brittain. It is a testament (heh) of Brittain's skill that this book has the power to completely transport its readers into the life of a privileged young woman from rural England in the years surrounding the Great War. I remember the shock of first reading her words three years ago and finding that Brittain did not seem all that far removed from myself, between her frustration with her parents, her awareness of generational divide, and her open discussion of her first vague awarenesses of sex. Brittain does an admirable job in this memoir of helping readers to step directly into her shoes as she journeys from headstrong scholar-to-be at the beginning of the war to a rather bitter, alienated, and lonely woman in the decade following Armistice.
Although she clearly intended the book for audiences in the 1930's, for the most part, it still translates well to audiences in the 2010's. There are a few missteps - she relies rather too heavily on name-dropping people who have long since lapsed into obscurity, and, I suspect, were known only in small particular circles at the time of her publishing. This, along with numerous mentions of her parent's troubles finding a "creditable" and reliable servant during the war years and a brief reproduction of a conversation overheard between injured soldiers which relies heavily on phonetic accents belie Brittain's strong sense of economic class, which is otherwise not fully discussed. I also wish Brittain was more frank about her relationships - she describes a single kiss with Roland and her general desire for children, but she doesn't go into further detail. She also had other flirtations and relationships towards the end of the war and upon her return to college, but they are lightly sketched out. It's clear that Brittain remained endlessly devoted to Roland and perhaps wanted to keep their relationship at the forefront of the readers minds, but I desperately wanted to see how she moved on after his death, and I wish she gave us more details on that. The book also loses a lot of steam post-Armistice, and although it's satisfying to see Brittain making steps forward in her life, I wish a bit of the bitter, alienated feminist years were condensed and better articulated.
All in all, this is a powerfully moving book. The 2015 film version is absolutely beautiful (and made me cry about six times) but nothing really compares to this extended and largely elegant portrayal of Brittain's war experiences. I would recommend this unhesitatingly to anyone with the slightest interest in the topic.
August 16, 2014
Vera Brittain's story is incredible. This book really makes World War One come alive, and especially illuminates what the experience was like for young English women such as Brittain herself. To lose almost everything that brings meaning to your life and somehow find the strength to move on and still contribute positively to your surroundings and society as a whole - I hope to be half the woman she was.