Testament of Youth

Vera Brittain, author of Testament to Youth, interweaves her memories with passages from her diaries and letters, and the combined effect is authentic and personal. She commits to writing a book about herself and the four men whose friendships mean the most to her soon after the start of World War I, realizing quickly that the war they all regard idealistically will soon be the cause of great suffering. Brittain’s astute literary judgment in this decision is typical of her instinct to write expansively about what she knows; her first novel The Dark Tide is based on her time at Oxford University and her book Testament of Friendship documents the relationship between herself and Winifred Holtby, with whom she lived after they both completed their degrees at Oxford the same year.

Brittain’s voice is reliable, matter-of-fact, and self-deprecating at times. As befits an autobiography based on wartime experience, Testament of Youth is humorless and emotional. Brittain’s honesty is raw, as evidenced by her detailed descriptions of grim realities like her nursing work, her youthful snobberies, and her emotional breakdown after the Armistice. The vulnerability of her tone makes for an interesting contrast when Brittain becomes involved with the League of Nations Union and the Six Points Group towards the end of the autobiography; the sensitive young woman with literary ambitions has transformed into a formidable voice of the people.