Useful for readers of 'Testament of Youth'
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The letter writers concerned are four young men, friends from public school who were all to die in the Great War: Roland Leighton, ( 1915) Geoffrey Thurlow, (1917), Victor Richardson (1917) , and Edward Brittain (1918). Their story has been told in Vera Brittain's war time memoir from 1933, `Testament of Youth', and the whole project seems to be a spin-off from the revival of the book's popularity as from the late 1970's: Though 'Testament of Youth' was virtually forgotten by the time of Brittain's death in 1970, it seems that her new generation of admirers can not get enough of her work, as her novels come back into print and diaries are published. The personal papers of four leading characters from `Testament of Youth' are now placed in the public domain.
A potential problem is that the letters are selected from a wider body of correspondence, and edited albeit by foremost specialists in Vera Brittain's work. A further concern is that the writers are communicating to each other on a private level, often under the duress of taking part in armed conflict. Whether they would have elected to have their views presented to a wide readership, or be given the status of somehow representing a `lost generation' is a concern that can not be answered. Of course the reader knows that the men are going to die, and understands the course the War would take, which makes reading the letters uncomfortable at times. The individual natures of the four men comes over well via their writing, the introduction to the book is also potentially helpful in trying to understand the mentality of the young officer class of the Great War. But I can't help thinking that the readership is confined to people already familiar with `Testament of Youth ', not enough cross referencing is made to other Great War source material.
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Heartbreaking
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If you've read Testament of Youth, Vera Brittain's classic war memoir/autobiography you will already know the story, but hearing the actual voices of her and the young men raise this book to another level. In their late teens when the first world war breaks out, we see their innocent nineteenth century ideals of the glory and honour of war shattered by the reality they face and the death of everyone they know.
A poignant, shattering, heartbreaking reminder of the death of innocence and the true birth of the twentieth century.
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Too,too sad.
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One of the saddest books I have ever read. Four boys from the same year in their school are commissioned in the army and all die in the First World War. First to die is Vera Brittain's fiancee. Between them there was but one kiss and many letters. Last to die was her brother. Trench warfare and the horrors of nursing the wounded are described in detail. The pain of losing a generation is all too apparent.
Read and weep.
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Moving
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These are some of the most enthralling and interesting letters I have ever read and I was hooked from beginning to end. The letters are always so personal and emotionally filled, that you can't help but to question why so many young people had to die. The letters are brilliant for both historical content and a real and human account of what war is actually like. This book raises so many questions, some of which still don't have answers. A brilliant must read!
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Highly recommendable, yet highly emotional, reading
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This book contains hundreds of beautifully written letters, dated from 1913 to 1918. All are to, from or about Vera Brittain, her fiancée Roland Leighton, her brother Edward Brittain and their two friends, Victor Richardson and Geoffrey Thurlow. This time reveals the development of World War 1, but more the suffer and horror endured by the four young men in and out of the trenches.
"Nothing in the papers, not the most vivid and heart rending descriptions, have made me realise the war like your letters."
This passage, written by Vera Brittain to Roland Leighton as he acted as an officer in the trenches, is just one of many containing so much truth. Nothing has made me realise the war like these letters - so much is contained within them. More striking than the visible horrors of war is the raw emotion and pain of such perfect relationships as they are torn apart in such hideous circumstances. Through this intrusion into five people's lives via these breathtaking letters, we witness them growing together simply to be blown apart suddenly, unjustly, by shellfire and sniper bullets.The five people featured are all academics at Oxford. None of them have completed their time their when the war begins, and Vera Brittain has not even started. All of them, then, are people of 'words rather than action', and had not formally considered military life. Vera becomes a V.A.D nurse after her first year at Oxford because she cannot stand being useless any longer whilst those that she loved were suffering on the country's behalf. All of the men act with the highest nobility by heading to the front as soon as they can, and becoming respected and courageous leaders. All of the characters are so incredibly brave and admirable as the situation, making the outcome more tragic and the enhancing the feeling that the men deserve to live, and that Vera deserves them to live for her. As Edward puts it, the loss of friends means that "whatever was the value in life has all tumbled down like a house of cards." If the same plot had been used in fiction, I would have hated the book. It would have come across as over the top in its sentiment. The honesty, emotion and pain contained in it would have come across as almost unrealistic, and the tragedy would have been just too tragic - to the point of trivialising the true horror. However, because the letters, the emotion and the pain were all real as this was written, the book does the direct opposite. In this case, it seems that truth is far, far sadder than fiction.
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