Our Hearts Were Young and Gay by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough

In keeping with my retro reading theme, I just finished for the dozenth time, Our Hearts Were Young and Gay (OHWYG). Originally published in 1942, OHWYG is the hilarious memoir of Skinner and Kimbrough’s post-college (Bryn Mawr) travels through Europe in the 1920s. Laugh out loud funny.

WHAT OTHER REVIEWERS SAY

Orville Prescott, The New York Times (1942) ”There is a noticeable trace of mild humor to Our Hearts Were Young and Gay, but it is very mild indeed, about as tasty as junket or cornstarch pudding. Why it should be a co-selection for December by the Book-of-the-Month Club is a dark mystery.”

HA!  Prescott was sooo wrong (and what a grump!) OHWYG was a best seller, went through dozens of printings, and was made into a major motion picture (1944) staring Gail Russell, Diana Lynn, and Charles Ruggles.

WHO WROTE IT

Cornelia Otis Skinner, daughter of the legendary actor Otis Skinner, was an author and actress. Emily Kimbrough, a resident of Philadelphia, was a magazine editor, author, and radio commentator.