Rating: 
Summary: evocative autobiography of one woman's experiences in WWI
Review: I first read this book when I was not much younger than Vera Brittain was when she "viewed the outbreak of the First World War as an interruption of her plans", and I was immediately touched by her experiences. I have read (and re-read & re-read) this book many times. While I am not of the same social class that she was, I can relate to her desire to make something of her life, first through a university education (then restricted to many women) and later through finding meaningful work. (This is something that we all seek.) She fell happily in love, only to lose first her fiance, then her two male friends, and finally her beloved only brother in the carnage of the First World War. Her experiences as a V.A.D. (Volunary Aide Detachment) nurse in the war--from describing what the wards were like, to the frenzy she faced during a "push", to watching the Americans arrive in 1917, to her life on the hospital ship "Britannic", that's right, the sister ship to "Titanic"--both went down, are unforgettable. When she writes, she does not spare herself, nor seek to make herself look good--and she takes an unflinching look at her own difficulties (a word which does not even begin to describe it!!) adjusting to a post-war world which did not want the survivors. She tells of the difficulties she had fitting in (again, but this time older & wisher) at Oxford, of her mental near-breakdown, and of the bright light that was Winifred Holtby. I cannot recommend this book enough. It should be required reading in colleges and universities, and not just for history, English, and womens' studies majors. Perhaps those who do not understand what all the fuss over "women's lib." is all about should make this required reading as well (both male and female). She is the first feminist role model for me, and inspired me to learn as much as I could about current events AND history (so much so that I majored in history in college, with a concentration in modern Europe). This book is well worth your time and effort, and will probably send you to the nearest library or bookstore to hunt for more books on this era. It is also rare because most of the books written about the First World War are written by men (Sassoon, Graves, etc.), so this is unique in that it tells of the impact of the war from a woman's perspective. History tends to forget that women as well as men have experienced war. Brittain writes both from the view of those back home in Britain (when she is on leave) and from the view of someone at the front, cleaning up the wreckage (as a volunteer nurse). If you are wondering what happens to her, she wrote a "sequel" of sorts titled "Testament of Experience", which chronicles the years 1933-1950. "Testament of Youth" is a wonderful book, one which you will read again and again, and all the more moving because it is a true story.
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Summary: Seduces Your Soul
Review: I read this when I was fifteen, and it changed me. The issue of my time was nuclear weaponry, and I, who really hadn't given much thought to war or peace, became a passionate pacifist, and in particular someone willing to go to the wall for disarmament.I thought of growing up as something inevitable, that happened passively, with the passage of time; I never thought of taking hold of my maturation, and taking an active part in my development. After I read this book, my whole view of what is humanly possibly changed. Vera Brittain "soberly equipped in [her] new V.A.D. uniform... turned [her] back forever upon [her] provincial young ladyhood." At first suggestion, you'd think she merely left what was still essentially Victorian England for War, and returned to the modern era of the twenties. The fact is, a generation jaded, but also educated, and in a way, sophisticated by the Great War, ushered in the modern era. This is the essence of the book, and the reason for its title, but this is not an academic thesis. This is a moving and eloquent personal account of one of the most wrenching events in recent history. There are passages in this book, such as the first time Vera sees American troops, as they march down the road past her camp, the I have read hundreds of times, have memorized with so many readings, and yet still make me cry. The book has become a part of my soul. My own copy, that I have had for nineteen years, I had to take to Kinko's to be spiral bound, I had worn out the binding. The edges are tattered, and some of the pages are stained because I have taken this book many places to continue reading it for the fourth, or seventh, or twelfth time. People interested in WWI will enjoy reading a V.A.D.'s perspective; as far as I know, this is the only complete first-hand account of this war from a woman. But people who know nothing of the war will still be touched by Vera's recollections of those days, written from two decades later. Another stunning thing is her treatment of her recollections; her memory is good, full of details that breathe life into her story. She is completely honest about herself, her deeds, and thoughts at the time, even one that might have embarrassed. She is fond of remarking on her naiveté, but does not poke fun at herself, or express regret over the course of her life. Obviously, she believes the war was a great and terrible tragedy, but if there were war, and there was, she went with her generation, and came home, and feels she could have done nothing else. But she makes one of the most eloquent statements of war I have ever read when she remarks on the return of troops in masses when the war has finally ended. People are not cheering "We won the war!" she says, but merely sighing "The war is over." This is a beautiful and captivating book, but it isn't a light read; you have a relationship with this book, so be prepared for commitment.
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Summary: it never ends
Review: it has been a while since i have read this book, & i have to replace my lost copy, but, i still remember how unsparing it is.
i got it to learn more of what my maternal grandfather went through. several years ago, i learned from listing to john mccdermot's version of eric bogle's "and the band played waltzing matilda" my mum listened to it with me. i have never been able to listen to this song without at weeping or at least tearing up. as i wiped my eyes, my mum casually informed me that her da had miraculously survived gallipolli! knowing that fact let me on trying to find out about the nice little corner of hell known as the great war. (i am not a christian any longer, but, i retain a very real idea that hell is real, not a place you goto when you arn't a christian, but, a place we put each other in) this book is more important than ever, & i would like any person who is thinking war is glorious, or willing to rush in head first, it should be reqired reading. writing this on sept 11th, & as a person of whom some of their earliest memories are of watching the veitnam war on television, & who knows all too well the damage war does: (my paternal uncle jaime died in italy five weeks before ww2 ended) in memeory of the dead of all wars, the sept 11 victims, & the ones whose bodies lived, but their souls died. sometimes, i think the first two catagories are the lucky ones, to quote long john silver via robert louis stevenson. thank you, vera brittain. i hope that you are back with your finance, your brother, & his mates, young again, & i deeply hope that all of you are at peace now. (revised slightly on date indicated, but, written on the first anniversary of 9/11)
Rating:
Summary: Affecting, incisive, brittle, worthwhile
Review: Ms. Brittain's autobio about the devastating losses she, and her generation, suffered as a result of WW I is simply brilliant. The book is clear, easy reading, and the story, though quite harsh, is never too filled with "woe is me" sentiment. Ms. Brittain's movement from provincial comfort to "university" to working as a volunteer VAD in the hospitals, coupled with the loss of a brother, a love, and a fiance, makes for fascinating reading. Ms. Brittain mourns the passing of the youth of the "war generation", but by the time the book is done, one realizes that the non-combatant "survivors" of Ms. Brittain's own generation--of literary "sets" and chivalric valour betrayed and changes in the social order in deep ferment-- has also passed from among us. This is not a joyful book, and its narrative voice can be quite bitter. But it is a meaningful book, and a very good read. Ms. Brittain's pragmatic feminism resonates well some seventy odd years later.
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Summary: world events intersect with personal destiny
Review: Never have I read a better account of current events interupting the normal rituals of young adulthood and changing the destiny of a group of individuals so dramatically. This book so captures the dreams and longings of people coming of age and finding themselves in terms of careers and loves and then having the rug pulled from under them that it could stand as a testimony for all generations shattered by war. In sometimes heartbreaking and often very poetic language the writer takes you along on a journey of discovery under horrific conditions and the reader is made to understand the remarkable transformations that these young people go through. The fact that the book was written by a young woman and is one of the few war memoirs that reflect a feminine sensibility and perspective serves to make this a unique book in the literature of either World War. Required reading for anyone interested in 20th century history.
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Summary: Why isn't this GREAT Book better known here in the States?!
Review: Reading the first few pages of this extraordinary memoir convinces me that Vera Brittain was truly one of the great writers ever! In fact, it must be among the very greatest memoirs ever. So when I mention this book to friends, they without exception , have never heard of it! Granted it's about a war from long ago, starting 90 years ago, a horror that Vera B. looks at, and condemns with all her passionate genius. And there were hundreds of classics written at the time, written about this most senseless of wars, a slaughter worse than anyone could ever have predicted. But she describes with great compassion this nightmare, and its effect on herself and her generation. When you read about how her fiance is killed, it will be difficult not to put the book down, and do some serious thinking. And her nursing efforts aboard the SS Brittanica (later sunk by a German U-Boat) make a fine story as well. The book may be a bit dense, and overly literary, but it seems that during this era quoting poetry was a normal part of conversation, unlike today!.Anyway, give this book a chance and you'll be completed entranced by this incredible author!
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Summary: Testament of Youth qualifies as a "classic"
Review: Testament of Youth was first given to me by a British pen pal. I read it, loaned it, lost it. I could never find another copy, which is why I looked here. It should be a movie. It is as classic and powerful a war memoir as Red Badge of Courage. The ghastly trenches of World War I were never more alive than in Testament of Youth, which might seem amazing, given that the author is herself far removed from the war. That, to my mind, is the genius and the beauty of the book -- it conveys like no other the terrible lifelong pain and tragedy caused by war for those who lose their loved ones. Vera Brittain never got over it, and you will never be able to forget her grief and strength if you read this wonderful book, which few Americans seem to be acquainted with.
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Summary: A wonderfully moving personal account life during WW1
Review: This book by Vera Brittain is one of the most moving that I have read. Written as an account of the experiences of young men and women at the onset and during the First World War, it gives a particular insight which is different from, but equally absorbing as, those accounts, so often understated, of soldiers who fought in the trenches during the conflict. To be more accurate, while she recounts the feelings and experiences of the men who were closest to her, hers is the only woman's viewpoint which is given in any depth - and, indeed, it is her personal account, given in such depth that it draws in and involves the reader in a way unlike any simple factual account of events. While it recounts in some detail her own work as a nurse in the war theatres, it is a story with as much muted romanticism as those of the Brontes or Jane Austen, and belies to a degree the orthodoxy of Vera Brittain's feminism. This is a book to be recommended without hesitation, for anyone interested in the period, but also as a timeless account of human endeavour, endurance and love.
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Summary: This book changed my life.
Review: This book changed my life. I first read it as a young woman, and I have never stopped reading it since.
Vera Brittain became one of my first female role models.
She made World War I come alive for me; her courage, her
unflinching honesty, her integrity and her humor in the face of the horrors of the Great War shine through in
her autobiography. Vera Brittain taught me that a woman
can lose her faith, her family, her friends and her love
and yet not lose herself. Her life was an act of hope
and belief in humanity.
Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: This book was the subject of a PBS drama in he early 1980's. However as good as that BBC television play was the book itself is far and away a better experience. If you are interested in the "Great War" and it's effect on the battlefield and Western culture then this is a must read. Vera Brittain was born into a upper middle class British family, exactly the generation that so willing risked their lives for their Country, King and Empire. The effect upon her, her family and friends as well as her generation is overwhelming and gaves a human face to the great events of this last century. You will not be able to read this without feeling the overpowering effect that the Great War had on those both at the Western Front and at home. A great and often overlooked book, one of the few of it's type written by a woman, a real hidden classic.
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