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Our Hearts Were Young and Gay: An Unforgettable Comic Chronicle of Innocents Abroad in the 1920s
Actress Cornelia Otis Skinner and journalist Emily Kimbrough offer a lighthearted, hilarious memoir of their European tour in the 1920s, when they were fresh out of college from Bryn Mawr. Some of the more amusing anecdotes involve a pair of rabbit-skin capes that begin shedding at the most inopportune moments and an episode in which the girls are stranded atop Notre Dame cathedral at midnight. And, of course, there's romance, in the form of handsome young doctor Tom Newhall and college "Lothario" Avery Moore.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1942
24 people are currently reading
2990 people want to read
About the author
Cornelia Otis Skinner
38 books25 followersCornelia Otis Skinner was an American author and actress. Skinner was the daughter of the actor Otis Skinner and his wife Maud (Durbin) Skinner. After attending the all-girls' Ethel Walker School, and Bryn Mawr College (1918-1919) and studying theatre at the Sorbonne in Paris, she began her career on the stage in 1921. She appeared in several plays before embarking on a tour of the United States from 1926 to 1929 in a one-woman performance of short character sketches she herself wrote. She wrote numerous short humorous pieces for publications like The New Yorker. These pieces were eventually compiled into a series of books, including Nuts in May, Dithers and Jitters, Excuse It Please!, and The Ape In Me, among others.
With Emily Kimbrough, she wrote Our Hearts Were Young and Gay, a hilarious description of their European tour after college. Kimbrough and Skinner went to Hollywood to act as consultants on the film version of the book, which resulted in We Followed Our Hearts to Hollywood. Skinner was portrayed by Bethel Leslie in the shortlived 1950 television series 'The Girls,' based on Our Hearts Were Young and Gay.
In later years Skinner wrote Madame Sarah, a biography of Sarah Bernhardt, and Elegant Wits and Grand Horizontals about the Belle Epoque.
She also appeared with Orson Welles on The Campbell Playhouse radio play of The Things We Have on May 26, 1939.
With Emily Kimbrough, she wrote Our Hearts Were Young and Gay, a hilarious description of their European tour after college. Kimbrough and Skinner went to Hollywood to act as consultants on the film version of the book, which resulted in We Followed Our Hearts to Hollywood. Skinner was portrayed by Bethel Leslie in the shortlived 1950 television series 'The Girls,' based on Our Hearts Were Young and Gay.
In later years Skinner wrote Madame Sarah, a biography of Sarah Bernhardt, and Elegant Wits and Grand Horizontals about the Belle Epoque.
She also appeared with Orson Welles on The Campbell Playhouse radio play of The Things We Have on May 26, 1939.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 303 reviews
March 6, 2013
Hilarious. A best-selling book during the 1940s. Two young women graduate from college and decide to tour Europe.
A funny story: I'm sitting in the dentist chair with my mouth filled with goo, waiting for the flouride treatment to do its magic. In my hand is Our Hearts Were Young and Gay. I had found this old title on my late mother's bookshelf, where it had sat dusty and neglected for years. I had always wondered why my mother had this book in her library. So my mouth is filled with glop and my teeth are immobile in these pasty, stiff trays shaped like horseshoes and I'm reading OHWYG. And I start to laugh. And then I start to guffaw. But I can't get a breath because of the pasty horseshoe glop, so I start to shake and quiver a bit while gasping because I'm laughing so hard at the antics of the two heroines in the book. The dentist and his assistant hear my gagging from the next room and come running back to the room where they have left me. Tears are running down my face and I'm shaking and trying to get a breath. The looks on their faces were priceless: terror! I'm certain they thought I was going to die right there in the examination chair. Poor Dr. Meroney. I'm so sorry to have nearly given you a heart attack.
I loved this book. Be warned though, there are many references in it to personalities of the 1920s, mainly Hollywood types, that you may not recognize. But even with the occasional (now meaningless) name dropping, it's a hilarious romp.
A funny story: I'm sitting in the dentist chair with my mouth filled with goo, waiting for the flouride treatment to do its magic. In my hand is Our Hearts Were Young and Gay. I had found this old title on my late mother's bookshelf, where it had sat dusty and neglected for years. I had always wondered why my mother had this book in her library. So my mouth is filled with glop and my teeth are immobile in these pasty, stiff trays shaped like horseshoes and I'm reading OHWYG. And I start to laugh. And then I start to guffaw. But I can't get a breath because of the pasty horseshoe glop, so I start to shake and quiver a bit while gasping because I'm laughing so hard at the antics of the two heroines in the book. The dentist and his assistant hear my gagging from the next room and come running back to the room where they have left me. Tears are running down my face and I'm shaking and trying to get a breath. The looks on their faces were priceless: terror! I'm certain they thought I was going to die right there in the examination chair. Poor Dr. Meroney. I'm so sorry to have nearly given you a heart attack.
I loved this book. Be warned though, there are many references in it to personalities of the 1920s, mainly Hollywood types, that you may not recognize. But even with the occasional (now meaningless) name dropping, it's a hilarious romp.
August 20, 2022
This is a fun memoir about two college girls making a trip to Europe together in the 1920’s.
Written much later when the girls are adults with children of their own, the writing style is chatty and conversational in a way other books about the 20’s or from the 40’s usually aren’t. In fact it seemed so deceptively modern that the reality of the time period kept surprising me. Wait, what do you mean movies were still in black and white?
Cornelia and Emily were quite a pair. Definitely elite girls--highly educated and from well-off families, but they were surprisingly naïve about what they called “LIFE,” and their innocence got them into all kinds of humorous scrapes.
Unfortunately many of the references, which may have been trendy spots or famous stars in the 1920’s, meant nothing to me, which did cut into my enjoyment of the story.
But I did relate to their excitement at exploring these countries for the first time, suddenly realizing that you found yourself in a place you had previously only dreamed of.
“'The Eiffel Tower!’ she whispered. ‘The Eiffel Tower is in Paris, France! The Louvre is there and Notre Dame and Napoleon’s Tomb, but not me!’”
Overall, I’m glad to have met these two silly girls, and enjoyed following them on their journey of a lifetime.
Written much later when the girls are adults with children of their own, the writing style is chatty and conversational in a way other books about the 20’s or from the 40’s usually aren’t. In fact it seemed so deceptively modern that the reality of the time period kept surprising me. Wait, what do you mean movies were still in black and white?
Cornelia and Emily were quite a pair. Definitely elite girls--highly educated and from well-off families, but they were surprisingly naïve about what they called “LIFE,” and their innocence got them into all kinds of humorous scrapes.
Unfortunately many of the references, which may have been trendy spots or famous stars in the 1920’s, meant nothing to me, which did cut into my enjoyment of the story.
But I did relate to their excitement at exploring these countries for the first time, suddenly realizing that you found yourself in a place you had previously only dreamed of.
“'The Eiffel Tower!’ she whispered. ‘The Eiffel Tower is in Paris, France! The Louvre is there and Notre Dame and Napoleon’s Tomb, but not me!’”
Overall, I’m glad to have met these two silly girls, and enjoyed following them on their journey of a lifetime.
August 18, 2008
A wonderful, absolutely charming book! The writing is witty, light, and funny, and the adventures make for delightful reading. It creates such a wonderful picture of 1920s European travel, but is also a deliciously high-spirited and cheery tale--wonderful!
January 29, 2013
"Our hearts were young and gay and we were leaving a part of them forever in Paris."
Sigh....sniff, sniff....I wish I could have seen England and France in the 1920s.
July 17, 2011
you know, i never understood what charm was until i read this book. charm clearly has an innocence lacking in our times.
marvelous read. incredibly funny. great sharp wit and gentle, self-deprecating humor ("We were poisonously young"). for all the books that i've read from this time, i've never run across the feeling this one imparts--it makes me nostalgic for a time i never experienced.
highly recommended.
marvelous read. incredibly funny. great sharp wit and gentle, self-deprecating humor ("We were poisonously young"). for all the books that i've read from this time, i've never run across the feeling this one imparts--it makes me nostalgic for a time i never experienced.
highly recommended.
June 20, 2024
Actress Cornelia Otis Skinner and friend Emily Kimbrough embark upon a European adventure, traveling by ship from Montreal to Paris in the 1920s. They collaborated on a travel memoir two decades later, relating the many humorous situations that occurred during their trip. They were in their late teens at the time and traveled without their parents, feeling their first taste of freedom. Cornelia’s parents wisely met them in France. It is filled with the exuberance and naivety of youth. From the perspective of an older self, they seem to know they were pretending to be more worldly than they really were. The memoir provides a sense of what life was like for those who had the means to afford such a trip. It imparts an appealing sense of time and place. It is light-hearted and amusing - a very pleasant read.
April 5, 2019
I read this because it was in the bookcase in my parents' home when I was stuck inside during a blizzard when I was a teenager, and laughed so hard, I cried. I still have that original copy, but I'd love to hear this read.
As I review my books, I realize that this is the first memoir I read. Ever. What a way to go!
I was young and 'poisonously innocent' when I read it, and didn't realize the significance it would come to have in my later years. I came to realize that, as Mae West once said, "Keep a diary, and some day, it will keep you." Diaries spruced up and made palatable for the general public are the real memoirs of the past.
I'm hoping to find this for a reread when I unpack my books this summer. Fingers crossed!
As I review my books, I realize that this is the first memoir I read. Ever. What a way to go!
I was young and 'poisonously innocent' when I read it, and didn't realize the significance it would come to have in my later years. I came to realize that, as Mae West once said, "Keep a diary, and some day, it will keep you." Diaries spruced up and made palatable for the general public are the real memoirs of the past.
I'm hoping to find this for a reread when I unpack my books this summer. Fingers crossed!
January 29, 2009
Without a doubt this is my favorite book ever. I seldom reread books but I've read this one at least 4 or 5 times and I laugh until I cry each time. I buy copies at used book sales and give them to my friends.
April 8, 2018
To be young, and free, and to see the world- to touch for the first time stones on which martyrs have walked, to stand in the rooms of kings.
This book is filled with that wonder, and perhaps the reason I enjoy it so much is because I resonate so strongly with those feelings. I am a privileged girl, and have seen many of the places in this book. And while it may be easy to laugh at Cornelia & Emily's mishaps, wardrobe choices, and grand imaginations, that is how I felt, and continue to feel every time I set foot in a new land.
But before I begin to wax too poetic and scare off some of my more light-hearted friends, allow me to point out that this book is hilarious, and loveable, and huggable, and if you do not have a bellyache from suppressed laughter by the time you've finished- I pity thee.
On the other hand, it does poke fun at a few of my favorite books and authors.
Um, excuse me? I do not recall Sir Percy looking hideous, EVER. Quite to the contrary.
*is offended*
Cornelia, I hereby challenge thee to a duel. Thou hast insulted the author of Freckles.
And there was a leetle bit of unseemly content. God's name is used in vain once or twice, as well as one 'damned', and not in the biblical context. In addition, the 19-ish-year-olds learn about the birds and the bees- from a painting. The book doesn't dwell on this. Aaanndd even in the good old early 20s, they run into a couple who, in their innocence, they describe as "good friends" and who their mother attempts to explain to them by comparing them to Oscar Wilde. None of this is emphasized, though, and the first time I read it, in my innocence, I had no idea what they were talking about. Alcohol consumption and smoking are mention numerous times, and the girls, erm, do a lot of flirting.
And yet, I would still classify this book as 'innocent and clean,' soo....
After finishing this book, it is likely you will wish you could time-travel and tour the continent in the 1920s, if we're still talking about downsides. :)
This book is filled with that wonder, and perhaps the reason I enjoy it so much is because I resonate so strongly with those feelings. I am a privileged girl, and have seen many of the places in this book. And while it may be easy to laugh at Cornelia & Emily's mishaps, wardrobe choices, and grand imaginations, that is how I felt, and continue to feel every time I set foot in a new land.
"What is more melancholy and profound than to see a thousand objects for the first and last time? To travel is to be born and to die at every instant."~Victor Hugo
But before I begin to wax too poetic and scare off some of my more light-hearted friends, allow me to point out that this book is hilarious, and loveable, and huggable, and if you do not have a bellyache from suppressed laughter by the time you've finished- I pity thee.
On the other hand, it does poke fun at a few of my favorite books and authors.
"I felt like a French aristocrat who had escaped the talons of the revolution, although the only one I remotely resembled was the Scarlet Pimpernell."
Um, excuse me? I do not recall Sir Percy looking hideous, EVER. Quite to the contrary.
"...and my some miracle we got through without losing a wheel or running over any small children, which ever since I read "A Tale of Two Cities" I thought coaches always did."
*is offended*
"Nothing, Emily said, was a greater aid to beauty than a long slumber; the eyes were mad clear and sparkling and the skin like tinted porcelain. (She must have gotten that out of Gene Stratton Porter.)"
Cornelia, I hereby challenge thee to a duel. Thou hast insulted the author of Freckles.
And there was a leetle bit of unseemly content. God's name is used in vain once or twice, as well as one 'damned', and not in the biblical context. In addition, the 19-ish-year-olds learn about the birds and the bees- from a painting. The book doesn't dwell on this. Aaanndd even in the good old early 20s, they run into a couple who, in their innocence, they describe as "good friends" and who their mother attempts to explain to them by comparing them to Oscar Wilde. None of this is emphasized, though, and the first time I read it, in my innocence, I had no idea what they were talking about. Alcohol consumption and smoking are mention numerous times, and the girls, erm, do a lot of flirting.
And yet, I would still classify this book as 'innocent and clean,' soo....
After finishing this book, it is likely you will wish you could time-travel and tour the continent in the 1920s, if we're still talking about downsides. :)
June 1, 2022
This is tailor-made comfort reading. Funny, self-deprecating, AND a travelogue. It did make me a little sad to realize that whatever Europe I do see eventually, it will never be this. But I am still glad that I got to experience it thanks to two very funny women from a century ago. (Also, everyone would probably have been quite racist towards me based on some of the text here).
March 2, 2023
Such a fun read. Hijinks and shenanigans galore when Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough go on vacation to Europe. The writing is witty, the literary allusions delightful, and the adventures wild.
(The Literary Life Podcast 2023 Reading Challenge – Cindy’s pick: Travel/walking journal or book)
(The Literary Life Podcast 2023 Reading Challenge – Cindy’s pick: Travel/walking journal or book)
August 18, 2022
Humorous, yes, but for me this memoir showed too much age to rate more than 3 stars. Plus all the French names, words, and phrases made my eyes glaze over. There are plenty of yuks but if you are an older person you will get the humor much easier.
October 18, 2009
I was first introduced to this book by a college friend - the first edition with sprightly line illustrations and the special war edition (print going near the edges of the page). From the get-go I was in love, perhaps because I was about the age of Cornelia and Emily, and I wanted to go to Europe like they did.
Eventually I did go, even visiting a few of the same places (St. Valery en Caux, the Cluny Museum) and I was reminded of their adventures - very tame by today's standards but still funny.
Skinner's writing is a bit wordy and passe compared to how it might be written today, and I had to go to my French-English dictionary more than once. That's part of the charm of this memoir of the 1920's.
Eventually I did go, even visiting a few of the same places (St. Valery en Caux, the Cluny Museum) and I was reminded of their adventures - very tame by today's standards but still funny.
Skinner's writing is a bit wordy and passe compared to how it might be written today, and I had to go to my French-English dictionary more than once. That's part of the charm of this memoir of the 1920's.
July 30, 2015
Cornelia Otis Skinner, an American actress, writer and screenwriter co-wrote Our Hearts were Young and Gay with her good friend Emily Kimbrough, a memoir about their travels in Europe in the 1920’s. It is difficult to see where Kimbrough’s collaboration is exactly as the book is written in Skinner’s first person narrative. None of that seems important however as the book is full of charm and humour, and both women come across quite hilariously full of adorably lovable quirks and eccentricities.
Having finished college Cornelia and Emily embark on a European tour which they have planned for some time.
Full review: https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2015/...
Having finished college Cornelia and Emily embark on a European tour which they have planned for some time.
Full review: https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2015/...
August 29, 2022
I listened to this on audio and it was such fun. Cornelia and Emily embark on a trip without their families to England and France and encounter various diversions and events on the way. From getting ship wrecked in the St Lawrence river to bed bugs in Paris, their trip is certainly memorable! I had many laughs listening to this one!
July 29, 2022
I would give this little book more stars if I could. It is a JOY and a TREASURE. I will be buying copies to give as gifts. What a wonderful, well written , smart and hilarious true account of two friends in the 1920’s going to Europe for the summer. Just loved it so much!❤️
August 27, 2018
Funny and delightful. Many laugh out loud moments, especially in the early part of the adventure.
April 4, 2018
Actress Cornelia Otis Skinner and her friend Emily of Muncie, Indiana embark on a European adventure in the early twentieth century. Before they get out of the St. Lawrence River, the boat suffers a wee shipwreck. The girls' humorous adventures make readers laugh. They cover up a case of measles with the assistance of a doctor so as to avoid quarantine. They encounter bed bugs in some accommodations. The tale shows the life of the upper class at that time and place. While travel changed in intervening years, and this type of humorous memoir lacks the popularity it enjoyed at the time it was written, it still amuses. I listened to the audio book read by Celeste Lawson.
July 7, 2022
Uproarious laughter, that's all I can say. Only one of the jokes might be considered in bad taste today, which is saying quite a lot for a '40s play. Based on true memoirs of the two protagonists, Emily and Cornelia are off on an adventure! In between dodging humiliating parents, foisting their artistic talents on unsuspecting fellow passengers, and their naive conversations, there are enough one-liners, quips, and asides in here to make me laugh all afternoon on reflection. I wish I could see it on stage, as the acting always makes a play ten times as funny than just reading it.
March 2, 2022
So glad I came across this in someone else's bookshelf. Her name immediately brought back the long gone days when I used to page through my father's subscription magazines.
This book was a non-stop giggle, hugely entertaining, but at the same time painting a picture of the way of life of well-to-do young Americans in the 1920s.
This book was a non-stop giggle, hugely entertaining, but at the same time painting a picture of the way of life of well-to-do young Americans in the 1920s.
August 1, 2022
What a fun read! I guess if you are a good writer it still shows 80 years later. Emily and Cornelia travel to Europe when they are young and have grand, innocent adventures. Never, ever, try and stow away if Emily is aboard. Pack correct footwear in case a sporting activity is required, and always check out your hotel recommendations in advance! And please be kind to the Oscar Wildes of the world. We need more love in it.
May 25, 2019
What fun to read about the adventures of Cornelia and her friend Emily! One troubling part that was, I imagine, a sign of the times in which they lived: "We were again startled the evening Madame ushered into the dining room two new boarders whom she seated next to Emily and me. They were very polite and unobtrusive, but they were also quite black. We gulped a little at this, and Emily said, 'Maybe they're Egyptians," which for some reason seemed an optimistic viewpoint." Unacceptable in today's culture.
On the whole, an enjoyable, but dated book.
On the whole, an enjoyable, but dated book.
September 19, 2008
I first read OUR HEARTS WERE YOUNG AND GAY when i was in a convent in Vermont. I was 14 or 15. The pleasure which I find in it then has not diminished. it's like visiting with old friends. There are scenes which are hilarious and have withstood the test of time. A tuly enjoyable read for all ages.
March 7, 2009
I read this years ago as a teenager at my mother's recommendation. It's such a hoot and such a good picture of a bygone era, and Cornelia Otis Skinner has such a flair for the idiosyncratic, as evidenced in her many colorful monologues. Great fun.
September 30, 2007
Cornelia Otis Skinner is a damn funny woman.
This book had me rolling on the floor laughing. She's as good as Thurber...
This book had me rolling on the floor laughing. She's as good as Thurber...
July 25, 2010
Delightful. Hadn't read this in years and years and it still makes me laugh. The reader was excellent.
April 20, 2012
I really enjoyed this. I like biographies. This wasn't one of my favourites, but I did like it.
June 10, 2022
A fun little book about two nineteen-year-olds traveling in Europe. I laughed out loud a few times. I also enjoyed the window into the past, how people traveled, etc. Here's my favorite quote:
"For all that little financial lesson in the Montreal hotel, Emily was still confused by British currency. She’d grown highly incensed not only with it but with me because she couldn’t understand it. It was the only thing I ever heard her admit to not understanding. It was in vain that I tried to show her the difference between a half crown and a two-shilling piece. She refused to admit they were anything but two versions of fifty cents, and persisted in being so stubbornly obtuse about it that I finally told her that if she just bring herself to read what was written on them, she’d know. This didn’t work out so well either because she’d keep taxi drivers waiting interminably while she’d scan the reading matter of each and every coin, turning it round and round, sometimes breathing on it and rubbing it clear. When I suggested that people might think her awfully queer, she said, not at all, they’d merely mistake her for a coin collector.
I tried explaining to her that one florin meant two shillings but that only made her madder. The day we received a bill made out in guineas and I told her that there was no such thing as a guinea, it was a pound and one shilling, only the swanker shops charged you in guineas, and you paid in pound and shillings, but you called it guineas, although as I had said there really was no such thing, she slapped me."
"For all that little financial lesson in the Montreal hotel, Emily was still confused by British currency. She’d grown highly incensed not only with it but with me because she couldn’t understand it. It was the only thing I ever heard her admit to not understanding. It was in vain that I tried to show her the difference between a half crown and a two-shilling piece. She refused to admit they were anything but two versions of fifty cents, and persisted in being so stubbornly obtuse about it that I finally told her that if she just bring herself to read what was written on them, she’d know. This didn’t work out so well either because she’d keep taxi drivers waiting interminably while she’d scan the reading matter of each and every coin, turning it round and round, sometimes breathing on it and rubbing it clear. When I suggested that people might think her awfully queer, she said, not at all, they’d merely mistake her for a coin collector.
I tried explaining to her that one florin meant two shillings but that only made her madder. The day we received a bill made out in guineas and I told her that there was no such thing as a guinea, it was a pound and one shilling, only the swanker shops charged you in guineas, and you paid in pound and shillings, but you called it guineas, although as I had said there really was no such thing, she slapped me."
June 16, 2022
In the 20s, two American girls in their 20s went to Paris, however, it was over 100 pages before they got to France and then page 142 before they got to Paris.
Next time someone complains about a long layover or delay, I will be thankful that I wasn't run aground and have to stay 8 days in Quebec before heading to Europe!
The journey and experiences and story telling were fun. And interesting that 100 years later, many of the same sights are on our itinerary-the Normandy coast, Rouen Cathedral and old town, and so much in Paris.
Quick read for anyone interesting in historical travel writing.
Next time someone complains about a long layover or delay, I will be thankful that I wasn't run aground and have to stay 8 days in Quebec before heading to Europe!
The journey and experiences and story telling were fun. And interesting that 100 years later, many of the same sights are on our itinerary-the Normandy coast, Rouen Cathedral and old town, and so much in Paris.
Quick read for anyone interesting in historical travel writing.
September 1, 2018
Delightful. Funny, charming, and well written. This story of two young women on their first trip abroad to Paris in the 1920s is everything I'd hoped for. Not available in a real eBook, I was only able to read this in a scanned library copy. Took a lot of cleanup to make it readable, frankly, but it was absolutely worth it. The scene where Cornelia is being spirited off the cruise ship with the measles is a classic, but there's a delight at every turn. Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 303 reviews