Letters from a Lost Generation

This book is a unique piece of literature from the Great War. What sets this apart from others, like Sassoon or poet Owen, is that it gives a picture of how it was not only at the front, but also at home, and that it includes a woman, Vera, in it who communicated with her 4 closest friends through letters. An excerpt of these letters is, in edited form, available in this book. The letters, written real-time one could say, in stead of polished as novels are, give an interesting insight on how life was back then, how youth thought, how war affected the people of the generation swept in it, and how human nature somehow manages to conserve its hope for the future. The fact that all 4 of her friends died in these events and that their generation is almost no more, makes the title and this war stand even more apart. Essential reading.

Ever since 14 July 1988 when I read Chronicle of Youth with absorbed attention and keen feeling I have been fascinated by Vera Brittain. This fine work, without duplicating Chronicle of Youth, sets out the letters written by her and her brother and friends till all her correspondents were killed in the war. This is a poignant work, well worth reading. One stands amazed and impressed by the eagerness of these Englishmen to serve their country, even though they knew the hell that the Western Front was, and though so much was repellant about the condition under which they soldiered.

Anyone who is interested in WW1 and the men and women who lived it, should read this account of the war first hand!This is what the war really meant to people, both in and out of the trenches, for these are the letters written from and to them.A thought provoking book, that it is true, is even more shocking.It is about a generation of people that we should never forget.

I have been interested in Vera Brittain since her autobiography, Testament of Youth, was featured on Masterpiece Theatre in the 70s. I came across this new book by chance when looking for Testament, which my book group is reading and enjoying this month. This collection of letters not only recaptures Vera, her brother, and three close friends, it adds great dimension to their WWI experience. This is a book I will treasure a long time.