A late book in the Wells oeuvre - this one takes place in 1939-40 and concerns a young man and woman trying to make sense of the war, their educations and each other. Like Mr Britling Sees it Through, it is much about civilian life during wartime and like all things that Wells wrote there is much of interest regarding sex and gender, education in the big scheme of things and what do we do with the world we inherit.

Lots to think about.

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2567515.html

set in England (with diversions to Sweden, Poland, Latvia and Finland) in 1939 and 1940, the story of a young couple coming of age together and separately, with lots of earnest dialogue about the future state of the world. I particularly liked the heroine, a student at Newnham, and slightly wondered why she put up with her slightly older lover who goes off to help the Russians and comes back with serious PTSD and the scales fallen from his eyes. I enjoyed the various scenes where Wells argues with himself in the voices of his own characters; he was often wrong but interestingly so. There is a lot of talk about sex, usually in the abstract. Wells called this his 'finest piece of work' and 'the book of my heart'; I'm not sure about the former, but the latter rings true. ( )