The Lost Girls: Love and Literature in Wartime London

Aspects of the British World War II experience continue to generate fascinating reading. Taylor (Orwell: The Life) explores the lives of a group of young women who orbited the British literary magazine Horizon during the conflict and immediate postwar years. Lys Dunlop, Janetta Woolley, Sonia Brownell, and Barbara Skelton came to London to escape humdrum or complicated family backgrounds, seeking adventure, employment, and education of a sort not found in school. They met at Horizon, which became their work and social center during the chaos of World War II. These young, chic women were integral to the production of an important literary endeavor. Extensive research into the papers and letters of these women, their lovers, and other onlookers exposes a web of alliances and dalliances, often woven by Cyril Connolly, editor of Horizon. Their personalities and accomplishments show how significant their contributions were.