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Testament of Youth

An Autobiographical Study of the Years 1900-1925
Feb 27, 2019wyenotgo rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
One woman, three worlds. In this biography of her life experiences before, during and after the "Great War", a book that was in many ways a breakthrough, Vera Brittain take us through three entirely different realities, wherein both she and her generation were forever transformed. First the seemingly idyllic Edwardian era where she struggled to extricate herself from the restrictions of a tradition-bound society, one where the only acceptable preoccupation for a middle class girl growing up in sleepy Staffordshire was to land a suitable husband as soon as possible. A society where the permanence and impregnability of the British Empire was taken for granted and where young men were expected to focus their energies on making sure of the supremacy of that empire and the values that it stood for, without question. Then the stark reality of a protracted war that consumed an entire generation as bloody cannon fodder in the mud and misery of Europe while accomplishing nothing whatever of value for either side. Brittain describes with clear-eyed realism the monumental stupidity, futility and tragic waste. And the desperation of an ill-prepared, scarcely trained volunteer nurse facing an onslaught of mangled bodies, with no resources to relieve their suffering; and while this is going on, all four of the young men she cares most deeply for are killed, one by one, leaving her with no particular reason to carry on and no vision of a future life. The "glory of war" is revealed for the sick joke that it is. Finally, the aftermath of war (most tellingly, a section entitled "Survivors Not Wanted"); total disillusionment, rage, resentment at the destruction of everything that she had previously valued. All of this sounds depressingly gloomy; and yet, Brittain succeeds in conveying not just the high drama of a nurse performing under fire and her overwhelming sorrow at the loss of her closest loved ones, but also penetrating insight into the nature of war and the psychology of those swept up in it; and even moments of humor and beauty stolen from the surrounding chaos. No woman had ever attempted such a book before, boldly and graphically telling what it was really like for a young woman from a sheltered upbringing to find herself dealing, day after day with young men's shattered bodies and watching so many of them die in agony. I found all of this tremendously compelling and (perhaps surprisingly) readable. A strong four stars but not five because I found that the book lost momentum in Part 3, the final 100 pages, as Vera endeavors to find a new purpose in life. Such a let-down was of course unavoidable, even though she found it necessary (as a person) to salvage something of what remained of her life and (as a writer) to leave the reader with some hope. The sad truth is that the book was written in 1933 under the shadow of the rise of the Third Reich and we're left with the knowledge that not only did the Great War solve nothing, it actually set the stage for the next catastrophe. Glaring truths about man's folly set against stunning recognition of human courage. And a deeply personal and painfully honest "testament" of one woman who, despite all supporting evidence, refuses to consider herself heroic.