Till We Meet Again spans the period of the two world wars, and the issues surrounding the wars are a major thematic concern. Krantz portrays the folly of diplomats, as their maneuvering plunges Europe into a conflict that destroys the Edwardian world. As the singer Maddy, Eve Coudert also sees the monotony, futility, and horror of war, while entertaining the troops.

At the outset of World War II, Delphine illustrates the naivete and pride of the French, refusing to acknowledge the menace of Hitler or the vulnerability of the Maginot Line. Bruno, Paul's son by his first marriage, displays a covert anti-Semitism and the greed of the speculating bankers. Although cynically aware that Chamberlain's concessions are dooming Europe to another great war, Bruno half-admires Hitler, and to gain money and status, he collaborates with the Nazis.

Like all of Judith Krantz's novels. Till We Meet Again offers a web of romantic alliances, but this novel is also a social history of the twentieth century. A major subject is the increasing importance of air travel. Early in the novel. Eve Coudert enjoys the diversion of a thrilling ride in a hot air balloon; a generation later her daughter Freddy becomes a stunt pilot for the movies; but, in both cases, air travel is considered a form of entertainment. A few years later, however, the airplane proves its military value in World War II; it soon also demonstrates its worth in transporting goods and, eventually, people.

Also important in the novel is the role of an established social order. Tradition can be a stabilizing force when, as in the case of Paul de Lancel, it leads an individual to increase his knowledge, preserve his land, and improve the lot of his employees; but an insistence upon tradition for its own sake destroys the character of Paul's son Bruno. In short, tradition must involve honor and loyalty to the highest principles; when it becomes haughty and autocratic, an aristocracy deserves only destruction.

A prime example of changing conventions is society's attitude toward show business and entertainers. When Eve Coudert runs away from her upper middle class home in Dijon and appears as a singer in a Paris music hall, she is immediately considered declasse by both the French aristocracy and her own social class; by marrying her, Paul de Lancel temporarily alienates his family and permanently damages his diplomatic career. When he is assigned to Los Angeles, however, he discovers his wife's career is accepted and admired there, and when his daughter, Delphine de Lancel, becomes a star of the French cinema, she is much in demand socially.

Another social issue is the increasing sexual openness of women. Accepting the Edwardian code of behavior, the Couderts equate a young woman's innocence with ignorance; thus. Eve — who is not permitted to go out without a chaperone — is easily seduced by the itinerant actor, Alain Marais. Even though Marais is her only lover before she meets Paul, society considers Eve a tramp. Later, in Los Angeles, the underage Delphine drinks and smokes with the older men she dates, but she remains a virgin; her first lover is Nico Ambert, the director who discovers her and makes her a star. Unlike Eve, who genuinely cared for Marais, Delphine does not fall in love until she meets Armand Sadowski, the director she eventually marries. In contrast, Eve's younger daughter, Freddy (Marie-Frederique), at seventeen, falls in love with her flight instructor, a man twice her age, and rebelliously leaves home to live with him. When she meets Tony Longbridge, she is attracted to him and immediately...