Testament of Youth: One Woman's Haunting Record of the First World WarTestament of Youth: One Woman's Haunting Record of the First World War
Score Classic
What it's about
In 1914 Vera Brittain had fought her family to win a place at Oxford. Then war broke out. She left her studies to become a volunteer nurse, serving in London, Malta and France, while the war took her fiancé, her only brother and their two closest friends. Her memoir follows her from girlhood through the war to her life after it, as a writer and pacifist.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of the best nonfiction of all time and is one of the great memoirs of the First World War, told from a woman's side.
You'll love it if you liked
The Guns of August
The Diary of a Young Girl
AtonementGood to know
It's long, and the opening chapters on her provincial upbringing are slow. The war years are devastating. The 2014 film stars Alicia Vikander.
By the numbers
- Readers66 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics51 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller3 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #168 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #333 of the 762 classics we rank
- #1088 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
If you like this, read next
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
Notes of a Native Son
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill
Black Boy: A Record of Youth and Childhood
DispatchesExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Testament of Youth: One Woman's Haunting Record of the First World War worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of the best nonfiction of all time and is one of the great memoirs of the First World War, told from a woman's side. It ranks #1,088 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 72.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Testament of Youth: One Woman's Haunting Record of the First World War about?
In 1914 Vera Brittain had fought her family to win a place at Oxford. Then war broke out. She left her studies to become a volunteer nurse, serving in London, Malta and France, while the war took her fiancé, her only brother and their two closest friends. Her memoir follows her from girlhood through the war to her life after it, as a writer and pacifist.
How long does it take to read Testament of Youth: One Woman's Haunting Record of the First World War?
About 17 hours (661 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Testament of Youth: One Woman's Haunting Record of the First World War?
If you liked it, try The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank or Atonement by Ian McEwan.