In this volume, de Beauvoir reflects on her experiences as a recent graduate from the Sorbonne, teaching high-school girls, and reveling in the freedom her new financial independence brings. She details her profound romantic and intellectual partnership with Jean-Paul Sartre, as they define their unconventional relationship. The narrative also explores the impact of World War II on her life, bringing themes of austerity, violence, and questions of freedom and individual responsibility to the forefront. As relevant and penetrating as when first published, "The Prime of Life" offers rare insight into a truly fascinating mind.