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Testament of Youth

An unforgettable true story of love and loss in World War I

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Testament of Youth

By: Vera Brittain
Narrated by: Sheila Mitchell
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A British woman recalls coming of age during World War I in this unforgettable true story of young love, war and how to make sense of the darkest times

'One of the most powerful and widely read war memoirs of all time' Guardian
'A haunting elegy for a lost generation' The Times
'Should be compulsory reading' Daily Mail

In 1914 when war was declared, Vera Brittain was twenty, preparing to study at Oxford. Four years later her life - and the lives of her whole generation - had changed in a way that would have been unimaginable.

Testament of Youth, one of the most famous autobiographies of the First World War, is Brittain's account of how she survived those agonising years; how she lost the man she loved; how she nursed the wounded and how she emerged into an altered world.

A passionate record of a lost generation, it made Vera Brittain one of the best-loved writers of her time, and has lost none of its power to shock, move and enthral readers since its first publication in 1933.

With an afterword from Kate Mosse OBE.

'A heartbreaking account of the impact of the First World War on a stout-hearted, high-minded young woman' Sunday Times

Readers love this classic:

'It should be required reading' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'No fictional love story I have ever read has moved me as much as this real one' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'[A] beautifully written, heart breaking and powerful account' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Reduced me to tears' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'The effect of war on a generation seen from a young woman's perspective is more insightful than any rendition of battles or victories I have ever read!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐©1970 Mark Bostridge Art & Literature Authors Historical Military Women War Heartfelt Thought-Provoking
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Critic reviews

Vera Brittain's heart-rending account of the way her generation's lives changed is still as shocking and moving as ever.
Like the much-misunderstood poppy, Testament both memorializes and warns... to remain uninformed is actually life-threatening.
it was a surprise to pick her book up now and discover how very good it is. (Diana Athill)
sublimely moving... this is a truly great book... should be compulsory reading for the nation's debauched and aimless yobs and yobettes (Val Hennessy)
essential reading, not just as an anti-war polemic but as a portrait of a whole generation of young people who were totally ill-prepared and whose lives were utterly changed within four momentous years.
brilliantly captures the protracted horrors of a war into which her generation was preciptated unprepared... as a personal and social document of its turbulent times, written from the viewpoint of a serious and reflective young woman, this autobiographical work fully merits rediscovery.
Everyone should read this book. Like all true classics, it has something to tell us all, one generation after another. And this handsome new edition benefits from photographic illustrations and an elegant preface by Shirley Williams, Vera Brittain's distinguished daughter. If you have tears, prepare to share them now.
A heartbreaking account of the impact of the First World War on a stout-hearted, high-minded young woman
All stars
Most relevant
A reminder why we need peace and not war. Vera Britten’s story is movingly told and so important to remember more than 100 years later.

Important and unforgettable- make peace not war

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Beautifully read, deeply touching I have listened to this many times, least we not forget what they all went through.

Beautiful and deeply touching

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Enjoyed this memoir very much for both it's intimate personal perspective and historical commentary. I found the readers clipped British accent difficult for my American ear.

Memoir as riveting as any historical novel

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This was wonderful. I fully understand why this is thought to demonstrate the variety of experiences of the young people in WWI. Britain’s story is unique, but the scale of change and personal trauma she live through is not. The first 2 thirds of the book are particularly compelling accounts of trying to coordinate leave with loved ones and the superstitions that crept into everyday life. The final third deals with life after the war, which initially I was less interested in. I’m glad to have read it though as it covers a period most media ignores - the anguish of finding a new normal; learning that the war time children didn’t understand what their seniors had gone through; ultimately coming to accept that life was worth pursing despite devastating personal loses.

The style of writing is very much of its time and combined with the heavy topics and long chapters it can be a bit of a slog in places. I chose to listen to this on and off over the course of a couple of months.

Voice of a generation

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Without doubt this is an incredible piece of work and gives a very interesting view of a specific woman’s experience, before, during and after the 1st World War

An amazing piece of literature

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