2026 Reading Challenge
Testament of Youth

Questions About Testament of Youth

by Vera Brittain

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Answered Questions (7)

I had absolutely no empathy for the drippy privileged people in this dreadful book . Why is rated so high.?
Laura Daly Because the same drippy privileged people fought and died in a horrible war so you could make comments like this.
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I'm finding it hard to get through this book. I don't know if it's the writing style or the language of that time. Am I the only one? P.S: English is not my first language
Jeslyn You're not the only one, and English is my first language. The postwar section was tough for me, there were points at which I pondered abandoning it. …moreYou're not the only one, and English is my first language. The postwar section was tough for me, there were points at which I pondered abandoning it. Except for a brief flash at the very end, it seemed that as she got more involved in the League of Nations and political efforts, she became less compelling and passionate to me. When she and Winifred head to Germany, Austria, France to observe postwar conditions, their attitudes feel almost callous in describing the conditions of occupied areas and the friction between oppressor and oppressed. Her sentences also are jam-packed (or overstuffed, it could be argued), which often disrupted the flow, particularly when she would add visual descriptions of people or views from a train, etc. smack-dab in the middle of a sentence about policy, conditions, etc. I liked 2/3 of the book very much, but the last 1/3 was almost a chore to get through, sadly. (less)
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Does anyone know what a "C3 child" might be?
Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) British recruits were graded from A1 to C3. The latter was the lowest grade, for men who were totally unsuitable for combat training, fit only for cle…moreBritish recruits were graded from A1 to C3. The latter was the lowest grade, for men who were totally unsuitable for combat training, fit only for clerical and other sedentary jobs. It was discovered that a large proportion of men — about 40% — fell into this category. The C3 classification became a figurative term for somebody of extremely inferior status or quality. The system was simplified later, but C3 caught on as a dismissive epithet and took a long time to vanish again. In the US they would have used the term 4F.(less)
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What age would you recommend one start reading this?
Geraldine I read it over my 13th birthday weekend and it had a deep influence on my subconscious. Reading it again in middle age I appreciated it differently.
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is the language in this book or subject to difficult for a 15 year old?
Hannah I read this as a sixteen year old and it's one of my favourite books of all time.…moreI read this as a sixteen year old and it's one of my favourite books of all time.(less)
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