The chief merit of [Poems of the War and After] is their simple sincerity. Miss Brittain, better known for her Testament of Youth, without any posing has let her honest singing be overheard. The lyrics which are traditional and modest in form, gain their strength from the cumulative effect of their lines. There is no detached brilliance of verse or phrase here. Though several pieces are clearly imitative and at times echoes of past phrases may be heard, the majority show individuality. Their burden mainly concerns those who kept their rendezvous with death. Sorrow, almost hopeless at times, and disillusion predominate, though lofty admiration is not missing. Quiet as they are, these emotions always ring true.

"Recent Non-Fiction: 'Poems of the War and After'," in America (reprinted with permission of America Press, Inc.; © 1934; all rights reserved), Vol. LI, No. 22, September 8, 1934, p. 524.