We That Were Young

Although most modern readers won't experience the same rush of recognition that greeted the first appearance, in 1932, of this semi-autobiographical WW I account, they will appreciate its authenticity. Working from her diaries, British suffragette Rathbone (1892-1980) captures in painstaking detail the daily heroisms and drudgery of women's work in rest camps, hospitals and munitions factories. Initially, her four young protagonists find their duties glamorous, but as yet another fiance, friend or brother gets killed, as the women serve tea to one more exhausted soldier or minister to the umpteenth casualty, horror overcomes them. A character writes, in a letter, ``One can't associate these boys with dying . . . . Do you really believe it was us who worked and played in London? Because I don't. I think it was some people that I read about in a book once.'' Rathbone maintains a restrained, calm voice; her portrait of the losses and courage of a generation powerfully examines the often neglected contributions of women during war. (Apr.)