Letters From a Lost Generation

There is nothing like an actual historical record of correspondence to transport the reader from their comfortable chair into the emotion, pain and sadness of the First World War. This collection of letters is tragic as it traces the relationship between Vera Brittain, a VAD in England, Malta and later France, and her fiance, her brother and two other friends. One by one, the boys are killed and the silence left in their wake is palpable in the collection. There is no escaping the tragedy, as the words on the page are the actual words of the key players. I found myself in tears halfway through the book, despite knowing what was coming (the story is well known due to Vera Brittain's other writings). Just because you could anticipate the show more loss, didn't lessen the tragedy.

I would be hard pressed to find a more poignant account of the First World War than this. show less

Incredible to realize that these letters were written by teenagers. Try and picture American teenagers of today doing the same. Hahahahahahahahaha

The whole story of Vera and her lost boys is just so heartbreaking, and all the worse because you know it was repeated literally millions of times over, in one of the most stupid and unnecessary of wars.

This is a book I found painful to read, even though I loved reading it. Reading the letters I feel that closer than that to the horrors of war, and loss, is hard to get. Coming from the Czech Republic I tend to be bitter about "Peace for our time", but reading this, and other books on the great war makes me understand the British position. This book has stayed with me, and I plan to go back to it sometime. It is not an easy read, but it is a good read.

3764. Letters from a Lost Generation The First World War Letters of Vera Brittain and Four Friends: Roland Leighton, Edward Brittain, Victor Richardson, Geoffrey Thurlow, edited by Alan Bishop and Mark Bostridge (read June 26 2003) As one who was so tremendously impressed by Vera Brittain's Chronicle of Youth (read 14 July 1988) I could not fail to read this book, published in 1999, when I saw it. It is a compilation of letters written to and from the four men named, till each was killed in the War. I could not help but be impressed by how all wanted to be in France (though they knew it was hell on earth) since it was the honorable place to be. A sad book, not really enjoyable to read.