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Voting Day
On a cold, damp Sunday in February 1959, the men of Switzerland decide whether to grant women the right to vote. But what about Swiss women on that day?
Meet Vreni, a hardworking farmer’s wife, her daughter, Margrit, who seems to have found success as an office girl in Bern, Esther who is working as a cleaner and trying to get her son back, and Beatrice, who has put her heart and soul into the yes campaign for the women's vote.
A compelling story of four unforgettable characters whose paths are connected on this voting day by the fate of a ten-year-old foster child. Published independently in Switzerland, the novella is also available in German, French and Italian.
Meet Vreni, a hardworking farmer’s wife, her daughter, Margrit, who seems to have found success as an office girl in Bern, Esther who is working as a cleaner and trying to get her son back, and Beatrice, who has put her heart and soul into the yes campaign for the women's vote.
A compelling story of four unforgettable characters whose paths are connected on this voting day by the fate of a ten-year-old foster child. Published independently in Switzerland, the novella is also available in German, French and Italian.
113 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2021
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188 people want to read
About the author
Clare O'Dea
5 books37 followersOriginally from Dublin, Clare O'Dea is the author of two non-fiction books, two novels and a collection of articles. Her fiction, non-fiction and journalism often explore Swiss themes and settings.
Clare lives in Switzerland on the invisible border where the Swiss-German and French-speaking cultures meet. Her books have been published in Switzerland, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Clare lives in Switzerland on the invisible border where the Swiss-German and French-speaking cultures meet. Her books have been published in Switzerland, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
March 31, 2022
In a Nutshell: A power-packed novella that delivers a lot of thought-provoking content within a few pages.
Story:
The writing style took me a little time to get into, especially as there were too many characters at the start. But once I got into the groove, the book kept me hooked. Though it is just 113 pages long, it is not a quick read as the content will need you to read with concentration. But it is totally worth it.
What I loved is how the book focussed on common women and provided a glimpse of how their routine lives must have been. Like when one of the characters declares, “It seems like the solution for a better life is to find a man”, you won’t accuse her for such a declaration but understand where she is coming from. The issues these women face seem very relatable, even if some of them have nothing in common with us.
The book covers a whole range of themes, and each is written without being too obvious, thereby making you use your own capacities and thought process rather than being spoon-fed by the author. I loved this approach. Active reading is so much better than a passive acceptance of ideas.
The author's note at the end reveals the background of that vote and its aftermath, and her rationale behind writing this story. Don’t skip it.
Definitely recommended.
4.25 stars.
My thanks to Fairlight Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “Voting Day”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Story:
1st February 1959. An ordinary Sunday almost everywhere. But for Switzerland, a day where the country’s future could be rewritten. This was the day Swiss men got to vote on whether Swiss women ought to get the right of suffrage. While the men were busy deciding the fate of this historic poll, what were the common Swiss women doing? We see this through the lives of four ordinary Swiss women:
👉 Vreni – A farmer’s hard-working wife who is due for a medical procedure but is worried to leave her work behind;
👉 Margrit – Vreni’s daughter who seems successful as an office worker in Bern but is battling a troublesome issue;
👉 Esther – A hospital cleaner who has singlehandedly faced financial and other troubles since many years and is desperate to reunite with her son; and
👉 Beatrice – The hospital admin who has worked hard for the campaign to get women the right to vote.
The intertwined fate of these four women changes a part of their future on voting day, even if it wasn’t the way they had anticipated.
The story comes to us in the third person perspectives of the four women, turn by turn. Vreni’s story first, followed by Margrit’s, Esther’s and finally Beatrice’s, before a combined finale.
The writing style took me a little time to get into, especially as there were too many characters at the start. But once I got into the groove, the book kept me hooked. Though it is just 113 pages long, it is not a quick read as the content will need you to read with concentration. But it is totally worth it.
What I loved is how the book focussed on common women and provided a glimpse of how their routine lives must have been. Like when one of the characters declares, “It seems like the solution for a better life is to find a man”, you won’t accuse her for such a declaration but understand where she is coming from. The issues these women face seem very relatable, even if some of them have nothing in common with us.
The book covers a whole range of themes, and each is written without being too obvious, thereby making you use your own capacities and thought process rather than being spoon-fed by the author. I loved this approach. Active reading is so much better than a passive acceptance of ideas.
The author's note at the end reveals the background of that vote and its aftermath, and her rationale behind writing this story. Don’t skip it.
Definitely recommended.
4.25 stars.
My thanks to Fairlight Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “Voting Day”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
February 21, 2022
My thanks to Fairlight books and NetGalley for a review copy of the book.
Voting Day tells the stories of four different women in Switzerland whose lives are intertwined in known and unknown ways, and whom we follow on one day, 1 February 1959. This was the day when Switzerland, or rather, its men voted on whether women were to be ‘given’ the vote or not. The vote failed and it was only over a decade later in 1971 that women finally got suffrage.
The four women we follow are Vreni, a farmer’s wife who works tirelessly to look after and cater to her family—husband Peter and three growing sons, helped by a little errand boy Ruedi. Vreni is heading to town to the women’s hospital to undergo surgery, which gives her the first ‘break' she’ll have had in years. In town, before going to hospital, she plans to spend some time with her oldest child, daughter Margrit, who is working in the city having trained as an accountant sponsored by Peter's aunt. Vreni is pleased her daughter has a chance at a different and better life than herself. As our story shifts to Margrit, we see that while she is living a different life from her mother, she too faces restrictions and also an unwelcome situation at work that she doesn’t know how to handle, and from which there seems no escape. At the hospital, we meet Esther who works as a cleaner and learn her story and the various hardships she faced when left a single mother with an infant to care for. And finally, we follow Beatrice, an older lady who works as administrator at the hospital and who also takes an interest in Esther’s welfare. Alongside she has also been campaigning with other suffragists trying to ensure that Swiss women finally get the vote. Then in an epilogue of sorts, we see how all the women are getting on.
In these stories, except perhaps in Beatrice’s story, the decision on women’s right to vote that is to take place that day is only touched on slightly, while our focus remains the four women’s lives. But through them, we are shown the limited choices available to them (and by extension, women in general) in terms of what they can do in and with their lives, the stereotypes they are forced to conform to, the hardships they must endure, all because they are not seen as ‘equal' to their male counterparts. Vreni has worked in the past but has had to settle down to be a farmer’s wife, the only respectable choice that was open to her (even if it wasn’t a ‘wrong’ one per se); Margrit is working but living in a shabby little room and must face harassment and blackmail at work with no visible means of escape because her career can be made or ruined by a man; Esther who is an orphan takes the only path open to her when her husband pretty much abandons her and their infant son, and for that must face the consequences; while Beatrice though from a wealthy background still doesn’t get the chance to fully explore her talents for it is her brother who is given the better education, but she is still able to lead a life without marrying. Her brother incidentally faces troubles of his own relating to other prejudices in society.
The vote might just be about making a tick on a piece of paper but it means far far more—a significant step towards equal treatment, towards new opportunities, perhaps some of those stereotypes and restrictions being eased. But this too has been left to the men to ‘give’ them.
This was a small book but one that showcased well the inequality, lack of opportunity and limitations women faced until so recently, and continue to face in different contexts and to different degrees. But it also shows more positively, how by supporting each other and working within the means one has, change and betterment are still possible.
An excellent read
4.5 stars
Voting Day tells the stories of four different women in Switzerland whose lives are intertwined in known and unknown ways, and whom we follow on one day, 1 February 1959. This was the day when Switzerland, or rather, its men voted on whether women were to be ‘given’ the vote or not. The vote failed and it was only over a decade later in 1971 that women finally got suffrage.
The four women we follow are Vreni, a farmer’s wife who works tirelessly to look after and cater to her family—husband Peter and three growing sons, helped by a little errand boy Ruedi. Vreni is heading to town to the women’s hospital to undergo surgery, which gives her the first ‘break' she’ll have had in years. In town, before going to hospital, she plans to spend some time with her oldest child, daughter Margrit, who is working in the city having trained as an accountant sponsored by Peter's aunt. Vreni is pleased her daughter has a chance at a different and better life than herself. As our story shifts to Margrit, we see that while she is living a different life from her mother, she too faces restrictions and also an unwelcome situation at work that she doesn’t know how to handle, and from which there seems no escape. At the hospital, we meet Esther who works as a cleaner and learn her story and the various hardships she faced when left a single mother with an infant to care for. And finally, we follow Beatrice, an older lady who works as administrator at the hospital and who also takes an interest in Esther’s welfare. Alongside she has also been campaigning with other suffragists trying to ensure that Swiss women finally get the vote. Then in an epilogue of sorts, we see how all the women are getting on.
In these stories, except perhaps in Beatrice’s story, the decision on women’s right to vote that is to take place that day is only touched on slightly, while our focus remains the four women’s lives. But through them, we are shown the limited choices available to them (and by extension, women in general) in terms of what they can do in and with their lives, the stereotypes they are forced to conform to, the hardships they must endure, all because they are not seen as ‘equal' to their male counterparts. Vreni has worked in the past but has had to settle down to be a farmer’s wife, the only respectable choice that was open to her (even if it wasn’t a ‘wrong’ one per se); Margrit is working but living in a shabby little room and must face harassment and blackmail at work with no visible means of escape because her career can be made or ruined by a man; Esther who is an orphan takes the only path open to her when her husband pretty much abandons her and their infant son, and for that must face the consequences; while Beatrice though from a wealthy background still doesn’t get the chance to fully explore her talents for it is her brother who is given the better education, but she is still able to lead a life without marrying. Her brother incidentally faces troubles of his own relating to other prejudices in society.
The vote might just be about making a tick on a piece of paper but it means far far more—a significant step towards equal treatment, towards new opportunities, perhaps some of those stereotypes and restrictions being eased. But this too has been left to the men to ‘give’ them.
This was a small book but one that showcased well the inequality, lack of opportunity and limitations women faced until so recently, and continue to face in different contexts and to different degrees. But it also shows more positively, how by supporting each other and working within the means one has, change and betterment are still possible.
An excellent read
4.5 stars
April 1, 2025
It's 1959 and the Swiss voters (all men at this stage) are voting to see whether to allow women to start voting as well.
O'Dea chooses to explore this issue by taking us through the day with 4 different women coming from different milieus and with different ages. Thus, she gives us more in which to expand our views and our thoughts.
By taking us into their stories, she was able to explore the nuances of what control or lack thereof these women have and what the access to voting might help change.
Very well done.
Epilogue - the men voted NO - might have been scared of change
An ARC kindly provided by author/publisher via Netgalley
O'Dea chooses to explore this issue by taking us through the day with 4 different women coming from different milieus and with different ages. Thus, she gives us more in which to expand our views and our thoughts.
By taking us into their stories, she was able to explore the nuances of what control or lack thereof these women have and what the access to voting might help change.
Very well done.
Epilogue - the men voted NO - might have been scared of change
"Since mum became political she has no time for me" (with bad grades shown). 1954.
An ARC kindly provided by author/publisher via Netgalley
April 2, 2022
4.5*
Voting Day is a fascinating and moving series of interlinked stories, set against the backdrop of Switzerland's 1959 referendum concerning whether to allow female citizens the right to vote. However, the book is more about women's lives than women's rights. In any case, it felt like a timely book to be reading in the lead-up to Australia's federal election in mid-May.
Having always thought of Switzerland as a fairly enlightened nation, I was flabbergasted to learn that women didn't in fact get the right to vote there until 1971! Sadly, this is the paradox of the direct democracy, in which those who hold rights and powers can (and often do) vote to exclude others from enjoying those same rights and powers.
All the action in Voting Day takes place on a single day - Sunday, 1 February 1959. The novella is broken up into five parts - one each telling the stories of Vreni, Margrit, Esther and Beatrice, and a short epilogue, set a year later.
Vreni is a farmer's wife in the traditional mould. She's not particularly interested in voting on her own account, but reflects that it's not really fair for the younger generation if her sons can vote, but her (more intelligent and ambitious) daughter can't. In any case, she's preoccupied with her trip into Bern for gynaecological surgery scheduled for the following day, and a much-anticipated day spent in the company of her daughter, Margrit.
Margrit, Vreni's daughter, is a modern woman in her twenties, living and working in Bern. She's not particularly interested in politics, but views the referendum as as important test of ideology - are men and women in it together as citizens, or not? Margrit's also preoccupied, in her case because she's been placed in an invidious position by her sleazy boss. She discovers that her aging and apparently fragile mother possesses a steely resolve she'd never previously given her credit for.
Esther works as a cleaner and lives in-house at the hospital to which Vreni is admitted for her surgery. Overhearing Vreni's name and address opens a floodgate of memories, reflections and anger for her. Esther, a woman of Yenish (traveller) heritage, was deserted by her husband a decade ago and has since suffered the forcible relinquishment of her son into the foster system when she was unable to earn enough through legal means to support them both.
Beatrice is a French-born woman who works as an administrator at the same hospital where Esther works and Vreni is a patient. She's been heavily involved in the "Yes" campaign for the referendum, through her involvement in the feminist network, and is devastated by the result. Meanwhile, she's been assisting Esther, both by encouraging her to establish herself in a secure job and housing, and in trying to set the groundwork for Esther's recovery of her now 10-year-old son, Ruedi.
Voting Day is an engrossing read, telling the stories of four resilient women and the challenges they face in their lives. While their stories are quite distinct, elements of each will resonate with, or at least evoke sympathy from, the reader. The level to which each woman contributes to and is impacted by the prevailing socio-economic conditions highlights the idiocy of excluding an entire half of the adult population from political engagement. Clare O'Dea's direct but nuanced writing style evokes a strong sense of history and place.
Like its predecessors in Fairlight Books's exquisitely-packaged Fairlight Moderns series, Voting Day is a thought-provoking and quietly beautiful read. I'd recommend it to any reader interested in women's lives and mid 20th century settings, and certainly not limited to those with a specific interest in the worldwide suffragist movement.
My thanks to the author, Clare O'Dea, publisher Fairlight Books and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this stimulating title in the lead-up to its release on 1 April 2022.
Voting Day is a fascinating and moving series of interlinked stories, set against the backdrop of Switzerland's 1959 referendum concerning whether to allow female citizens the right to vote. However, the book is more about women's lives than women's rights. In any case, it felt like a timely book to be reading in the lead-up to Australia's federal election in mid-May.
Having always thought of Switzerland as a fairly enlightened nation, I was flabbergasted to learn that women didn't in fact get the right to vote there until 1971! Sadly, this is the paradox of the direct democracy, in which those who hold rights and powers can (and often do) vote to exclude others from enjoying those same rights and powers.
All the action in Voting Day takes place on a single day - Sunday, 1 February 1959. The novella is broken up into five parts - one each telling the stories of Vreni, Margrit, Esther and Beatrice, and a short epilogue, set a year later.
Vreni is a farmer's wife in the traditional mould. She's not particularly interested in voting on her own account, but reflects that it's not really fair for the younger generation if her sons can vote, but her (more intelligent and ambitious) daughter can't. In any case, she's preoccupied with her trip into Bern for gynaecological surgery scheduled for the following day, and a much-anticipated day spent in the company of her daughter, Margrit.
Margrit, Vreni's daughter, is a modern woman in her twenties, living and working in Bern. She's not particularly interested in politics, but views the referendum as as important test of ideology - are men and women in it together as citizens, or not? Margrit's also preoccupied, in her case because she's been placed in an invidious position by her sleazy boss. She discovers that her aging and apparently fragile mother possesses a steely resolve she'd never previously given her credit for.
Esther works as a cleaner and lives in-house at the hospital to which Vreni is admitted for her surgery. Overhearing Vreni's name and address opens a floodgate of memories, reflections and anger for her. Esther, a woman of Yenish (traveller) heritage, was deserted by her husband a decade ago and has since suffered the forcible relinquishment of her son into the foster system when she was unable to earn enough through legal means to support them both.
Beatrice is a French-born woman who works as an administrator at the same hospital where Esther works and Vreni is a patient. She's been heavily involved in the "Yes" campaign for the referendum, through her involvement in the feminist network, and is devastated by the result. Meanwhile, she's been assisting Esther, both by encouraging her to establish herself in a secure job and housing, and in trying to set the groundwork for Esther's recovery of her now 10-year-old son, Ruedi.
Voting Day is an engrossing read, telling the stories of four resilient women and the challenges they face in their lives. While their stories are quite distinct, elements of each will resonate with, or at least evoke sympathy from, the reader. The level to which each woman contributes to and is impacted by the prevailing socio-economic conditions highlights the idiocy of excluding an entire half of the adult population from political engagement. Clare O'Dea's direct but nuanced writing style evokes a strong sense of history and place.
Like its predecessors in Fairlight Books's exquisitely-packaged Fairlight Moderns series, Voting Day is a thought-provoking and quietly beautiful read. I'd recommend it to any reader interested in women's lives and mid 20th century settings, and certainly not limited to those with a specific interest in the worldwide suffragist movement.
My thanks to the author, Clare O'Dea, publisher Fairlight Books and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this stimulating title in the lead-up to its release on 1 April 2022.
April 8, 2022
I really enjoyed this novella set in Switzerland on voting day, February 1959. The vote was a referendum for womens right to vote, two thirds of the men voted no. Women didn’t get the vote till 1971! The story itself is told from the point of view of four women loosely connected (a chapter each) then a epilogue. Each of the women represents a different aspect of society and it’s done really well. I felt for all the women; Vreni, a country housewife; her daughter, Margrit, who has moved to the city and is being sexually harassed by her boss; then Esther, a poor Yenish woman, whose son has been taken from her and is living with Vreni; and finally Beatrice, an older woman in hospital administration who has been helping Esther. I read this so quickly! I liked the writing, the interconnectedness of the story, it was an interesting look at the lives of these women.
February 3, 2022
Set in 1959 against the backdrop of Switzerland's failed referendum for women's suffrage, Voting Day is split into four sections, each dedicated to a different Swiss woman, all of whose lives end up intersecting. This novella is short, sweet, and to the point: O'Dea deftly carves out a rich inner life for each of her four protagonists, and the story crescendos bittersweetly during the anticlimax of the result of the vote.
The only problem I had was with the sentence-by-sentence writing, which felt overly modern, simplistic, and occasionally under-edited:
(This seems to be a theme with a lot of my recent reading, doesn't it: liking the idea of a story more than I like the prose.)
As this only takes about an hour to read, I have no hesitation in recommending it if this is a premise or period of history that particularly interests you, but unfortunately I don't think this was as brilliant as it had the potential to be.
Thank you to Netgalley and Fairlight for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review.
The only problem I had was with the sentence-by-sentence writing, which felt overly modern, simplistic, and occasionally under-edited:
Oh God, she saw Luigi. I can't say he's a work colleague... maybe a neighbour? I'm so disappointed in him. He was up front all along, so why did he have to get so secretive in the end? It doesn't do justice to what we had together.
Well, seeing as I was in that special situation with Herr Fasel, and not looking for anything serious, I thought, why not? I have no time for all this fuss people make about love and heartbreak and bagging a man. I'm a modern woman, and I don't have to fit into some outdated mould.
(This seems to be a theme with a lot of my recent reading, doesn't it: liking the idea of a story more than I like the prose.)
As this only takes about an hour to read, I have no hesitation in recommending it if this is a premise or period of history that particularly interests you, but unfortunately I don't think this was as brilliant as it had the potential to be.
Thank you to Netgalley and Fairlight for the advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review.
November 23, 2021
When you think of modern Switzerland, visions of prosperity, orderliness and cleanliness come to mind. And yet it bears remembering that however progressive the place seems now, it didn’t give the women a right to vote until 1971…insanely late in the game by any world’s standards. That’s the ugly side of direct democracy – essentially the male votes who had all the power chose to have things a certain way/their way for as long as they were able to get away with it - until the EU pressure became too much.
This short novel highlights that particularly ugly note on Swiss record. Set in 1959 when the vote went 2/3rds against, it features four interconnected perspectives of four very different women as they go about their lives, lives that’ll intersect on that voting day.
An engaging quick read shining the light on the often overlooked downside of the good ole’ days, this book turned out to be a very good character driven read with a message. The balance is just right, the message doesn’t overwhelm the narrative and each individual strand of the narrative works well individually and interwoven into the grand total. Very nicely done. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
This short novel highlights that particularly ugly note on Swiss record. Set in 1959 when the vote went 2/3rds against, it features four interconnected perspectives of four very different women as they go about their lives, lives that’ll intersect on that voting day.
An engaging quick read shining the light on the often overlooked downside of the good ole’ days, this book turned out to be a very good character driven read with a message. The balance is just right, the message doesn’t overwhelm the narrative and each individual strand of the narrative works well individually and interwoven into the grand total. Very nicely done. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
September 1, 2022
It's 1959 in Switzerland, and the men of the country have to vote on whether to grant women the right to vote. Author Clare O'Dea takes us through the day in the life of four women whose lives are intertwined, and defined by their economic circumstances, misogyny, and differing levels of support each has.
The story is told in four parts, as we follow each of the women as they go about their day and deal with various problems. The women are:
-Vreni: she's a hardworking farmer's wife, who must go for gynecological surgery in Bern
-Margrit: Vreni's beloved daughter who works in Bern, and whose boss is threatening her
-Esther: she works in the hospital in Bern, and is desperate to get her son back. Her son was taken from her when she was out of work and abandoned by her husband. The boy now resides at Vreni's farm and helps around the farm
-Beatrice: A hospital administrator who has campaigned hard for the right to vote.
O'Dea tells a quiet story, showing you how limited the women's lives and choices are because of societal stereotypes and expectations. Gaining the right to vote would be the first step towards equality, but, not surprisingly, the vote doesn't go in the women's favour. (In fact, in real life, women in Switzerland had to wait to 1971.)
And though the story's legal outcome was disappointing, the women's lives actually are changed remarkably thanks to them supporting each other to improve their lives.
This is a short but compelling book.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Fairlight Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
The story is told in four parts, as we follow each of the women as they go about their day and deal with various problems. The women are:
-Vreni: she's a hardworking farmer's wife, who must go for gynecological surgery in Bern
-Margrit: Vreni's beloved daughter who works in Bern, and whose boss is threatening her
-Esther: she works in the hospital in Bern, and is desperate to get her son back. Her son was taken from her when she was out of work and abandoned by her husband. The boy now resides at Vreni's farm and helps around the farm
-Beatrice: A hospital administrator who has campaigned hard for the right to vote.
O'Dea tells a quiet story, showing you how limited the women's lives and choices are because of societal stereotypes and expectations. Gaining the right to vote would be the first step towards equality, but, not surprisingly, the vote doesn't go in the women's favour. (In fact, in real life, women in Switzerland had to wait to 1971.)
And though the story's legal outcome was disappointing, the women's lives actually are changed remarkably thanks to them supporting each other to improve their lives.
This is a short but compelling book.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Fairlight Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.
June 25, 2022
There’s a lot to enjoy in this short novel, or perhaps novella. It’s a real small gem and another great book in the fantastic Fairlight Modern series. A quick read, but by no means a slight or light-weight one. Many themes and issues are explored and overall there’s much to ponder on here. The premise is simple – how the lives of four very different women intersect on Voting Day, the first of February 1959 when Switzerland held a referendum on women’s suffrage. The motion was rejected, and remarkably Swiss women didn’t finally get the vote until 1971. The women’s lives are explored with empathy and insight, and their background vividly evoked. The book is expertly plotted and the strands cleverly woven together. Such is the author’s narrative skill that she makes us feel we really know the women even though she employs so few pages in describing them – every word is used to good effect. An excellent piece of writing which I very much enjoyed.
May 15, 2022
My only complaint is that it’s too short :) I loved Claire O’Dea’s writing! Will certainly be looking for more of her.
March 13, 2022
This novella takes place on one day in 1959, where Swiss men were asked to vote on whether women should be allowed the vote. It follows four women whose lives intersect on this day, and while getting the vote is in the background with three of their stories, we see how their lives are affected by their lack of voice, and how their lives are ruled by the men around them. The last story is about Brigit; she has been fighting for the vote. Sadly, it failed and they weren't given the vote until 1971! I had no idea they got it so late in Switzerland.
As always with these types of narrative, some sections were more interesting than others; I particularly enjoyed Magrit's, which had the most satisfying conclusion on this day. There is an epilogue where we get to see how they've all fares in the next year.
I liked the story and thought it was well done, but I didn't feel any particular connection to the characters.
*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*
As always with these types of narrative, some sections were more interesting than others; I particularly enjoyed Magrit's, which had the most satisfying conclusion on this day. There is an epilogue where we get to see how they've all fares in the next year.
I liked the story and thought it was well done, but I didn't feel any particular connection to the characters.
*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*
March 18, 2022
This deceptively short book takes us through the lives of several women as they reflect on and fight for the right to vote. What I found fascinating was how the women's own personal struggles are reflected both through the lens of the various political challenges and referenda, and through their own creeping realisation of the sentiments shared around them.
It was a lovely book, and was a great look into what is still a staggering fact- that women in Switzerland had to wait so long to be able to vote.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It was a lovely book, and was a great look into what is still a staggering fact- that women in Switzerland had to wait so long to be able to vote.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 7, 2022
I think most people today would struggle to understand that a country as modern (in many ways) as Switzerland was the last country in Europe to give women the right to vote. This is the subject of Claire O’Dea’s novella, Voting Day. It takes place over the course of one day in February 1959 when men voted on whether to give women the same right and follows four women. Vreni is a middle-aged farmer’s wife and mother of four setting off to spend the day in Bern where her daughter Margrit lives and works, before checking into hospital for an operation. Beatrice is the hospital administrator and women’s suffrage activist who is also helping the hospital cleaner Esther gain custody of her son. Their lives have taken different paths, dreams followed or abandoned and almost forgotten. Vreni sees her operation and recuperation time as a holiday from the monotony of daily life while Margrit, who escaped the farm for an independence of city life is caught in a different kind of trap. Beatrice, crushed by the failure of vote – 2/3 of Swiss men who voted on that day in 1959 did not think women should be allowed - nevertheless finds hope in a new project.
I knew that Swiss women didn’t get the right to vote until 1971 before I started reading so O’Dea’s 1959 setting was unexpected and intriguing. I loved how sensitively she brought to life these very different women and their hidden depths and strengths. The juxtaposition of twentieth century modernity against deep conservativism, prejudice and tradition. And while the vote failed to enfranchise women, there is a lovely note of optimism and hope to the novella that I also really liked.
My thanks to Fairlight Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read Voting Day. Highly recommended.
I knew that Swiss women didn’t get the right to vote until 1971 before I started reading so O’Dea’s 1959 setting was unexpected and intriguing. I loved how sensitively she brought to life these very different women and their hidden depths and strengths. The juxtaposition of twentieth century modernity against deep conservativism, prejudice and tradition. And while the vote failed to enfranchise women, there is a lovely note of optimism and hope to the novella that I also really liked.
My thanks to Fairlight Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read Voting Day. Highly recommended.
April 10, 2022
On February 1, 1959 (male) voters in Switzerland said a clear no to women’s suffrage, perpetrating a situation that would continue till 1971. Voting Day takes place on that epochal day, refracted through the point of view of four women from different social backgrounds: Vreni, a farmer’s wife who is heading to Bern seemingly for hip surgery and looking forward to taking a break from a life of labour; her daughter Margrit, who has managed to find a more desirable occupation as a secretary in the capital but grapples with issues she tries not to let out; Esther, a woman of Yenish/ nomadic roots, who works as a cleaner trying to achieve the financial security that would allow her to regain custody of her son; and Beatrice, an hospital administrator and campaigner for the YES vote who is trying to help Esther.
This is a complex, nuanced novella that shines the light not only on the limited options that were offered to women but also on how it is possible to absorb a male point of view and come to think that after all politics may not be for women. Beside highlighting the position of inferiority women occupy in a society where men make all the decisions, the book reveals the multifarious ways in which women end paying the consequences of men’s misdeeds. It portrays a society wrapped up in conservativism and questions several aspects of Swiss society: from its rigid protestant ethics and notions about respectability, reflected in the harsh attitudes toward those lower on the social ladder and in the way citizens are subjected to forms of moral scrutiny and judgement, to the idyllic view of rural Switzerland, the stereotypes of feminine purity, strength and resilience and the glistening façade of corporate Switzerland.
Voting Day kept me on my toes as it unravelled the secrets of its characters -- something that happens with discretion and delicacy – and the unexpected ways in which their lives intersect. Characters grew on me as I learned about their past and the difficult choices they had to face. Despite being a historical novella, it is also a thought-provoking timely book whose message goes beyond Switzerland and is relevant to the present because, as the Irish-born Swiss-naturalised author says in the final note, we cannot take our rights for granted.
Another gem in the Fairlight Modern series.
4.5 rounded up
I am grateful to Fairlight Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a complex, nuanced novella that shines the light not only on the limited options that were offered to women but also on how it is possible to absorb a male point of view and come to think that after all politics may not be for women. Beside highlighting the position of inferiority women occupy in a society where men make all the decisions, the book reveals the multifarious ways in which women end paying the consequences of men’s misdeeds. It portrays a society wrapped up in conservativism and questions several aspects of Swiss society: from its rigid protestant ethics and notions about respectability, reflected in the harsh attitudes toward those lower on the social ladder and in the way citizens are subjected to forms of moral scrutiny and judgement, to the idyllic view of rural Switzerland, the stereotypes of feminine purity, strength and resilience and the glistening façade of corporate Switzerland.
Voting Day kept me on my toes as it unravelled the secrets of its characters -- something that happens with discretion and delicacy – and the unexpected ways in which their lives intersect. Characters grew on me as I learned about their past and the difficult choices they had to face. Despite being a historical novella, it is also a thought-provoking timely book whose message goes beyond Switzerland and is relevant to the present because, as the Irish-born Swiss-naturalised author says in the final note, we cannot take our rights for granted.
Another gem in the Fairlight Modern series.
4.5 rounded up
I am grateful to Fairlight Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 7, 2022
Voting Day by Clare O'Dea is a short but powerful book that juxtaposes what women do (in Switzerland in 1959) with what rights they have (and don't have). While specific to a place and time, it is also universal in the bigger statements it makes.
A day in the lives of four women and the ways they intersect. In the course of the day we see how essential each is in the lives of those around them, how they are relied upon for both physical and emotional support, yet also denied the right to have a say in how they are governed and how they can exercise the rights they have and those they should have.
Yet even with the political and social justice issues in the background, it is still a story about four people trying to make the best of the lives they have. While some expect, apparently, fancy language from the mouths of regular characters, the writing is actually part of what makes the story work. Simple, straightforward, and relatively naive at times it reflects the characters quite well. As for sounding like the time period (since it is an historical novel) I had no problem with it. The earliest conversations I recall in my life are from probably 1960 or so and this sounds similar. We didn't talk all that different back then, with the exception of slang. This isn't so long ago that the language should sound all that distinct, but some like to complain. Oh well, so be it. But it sounds like early 60s language to me and that is close enough to 1959 (I was alive in 1959 but don't have much in the way of memories from that year).
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
A day in the lives of four women and the ways they intersect. In the course of the day we see how essential each is in the lives of those around them, how they are relied upon for both physical and emotional support, yet also denied the right to have a say in how they are governed and how they can exercise the rights they have and those they should have.
Yet even with the political and social justice issues in the background, it is still a story about four people trying to make the best of the lives they have. While some expect, apparently, fancy language from the mouths of regular characters, the writing is actually part of what makes the story work. Simple, straightforward, and relatively naive at times it reflects the characters quite well. As for sounding like the time period (since it is an historical novel) I had no problem with it. The earliest conversations I recall in my life are from probably 1960 or so and this sounds similar. We didn't talk all that different back then, with the exception of slang. This isn't so long ago that the language should sound all that distinct, but some like to complain. Oh well, so be it. But it sounds like early 60s language to me and that is close enough to 1959 (I was alive in 1959 but don't have much in the way of memories from that year).
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
Read
January 9, 2022I was unsure during the first segment about a disgruntled farm wife, but once this set of linked stories moved on to the next segment I was hooked. Four Swiss women with four points of view (the outer two third-person, the inner two first-person), each of whom observes and comments on the others ... their stories deftly linked into a little chain that becomes a circle at the end, rounded out by their mutual concern with another character who at first seems to be only a minor distraction. It's a microcosm of a particular place and time in history that opens up a window into many human concerns that vex us to this day.
I don't want to give away more about the plot or characters because much of the pleasure of this slim narrative is observing how O'Dea builds it up, step by step, out of the lived experience of women's lives. On this historically significant day, these women are denied by male Swiss voters their right to participate politically in society, yet they retain the right to choose - to choose life, agency, empathy, and creativity over passivity, stasis and despair. Yes, all people deserve the right to cast a ballot, but it's our will to "vote" with our hearts that will ultimately determine our future.
I don't want to give away more about the plot or characters because much of the pleasure of this slim narrative is observing how O'Dea builds it up, step by step, out of the lived experience of women's lives. On this historically significant day, these women are denied by male Swiss voters their right to participate politically in society, yet they retain the right to choose - to choose life, agency, empathy, and creativity over passivity, stasis and despair. Yes, all people deserve the right to cast a ballot, but it's our will to "vote" with our hearts that will ultimately determine our future.
June 23, 2025
Voting Day is a short sharp exploration of the thoughts and experiences of four women in Switzerland in 1959 on the day of the vote for women's suffrage. Through four connected short stories we learn about the pressures and expectations, hopes and ambitions of four women across generations and social backgrounds.
O'Dea does well to give us full characters in only a few short pages, leaving some room to explore the social politics of the day: their relationships with other women (often gossipy and needling), with their husbands (housekeeper first, breeder of children second, lover and affection very much down the list), and with society at large. None of these are new ideas, although it shows how much Switzerland at that time was struggling to accept the "women's liberation" ideas that were taking hold elsewhere in Europe.
An easy and worthwhile read.
O'Dea does well to give us full characters in only a few short pages, leaving some room to explore the social politics of the day: their relationships with other women (often gossipy and needling), with their husbands (housekeeper first, breeder of children second, lover and affection very much down the list), and with society at large. None of these are new ideas, although it shows how much Switzerland at that time was struggling to accept the "women's liberation" ideas that were taking hold elsewhere in Europe.
An easy and worthwhile read.
September 1, 2025
What a fantastic read.
The book is set over the course of one day - 1 February 1959, the day that the Swiss (all male) voters denied women suffrage. The story follows 4 women consecutively through the day. They are linked which becomes clearer as the different voices/lives are observed.
It is a sharply written, clever and perceptive snapshot of history. The individual "small" lives increasingly leaking into the politics of this small conservative country. As a result the novel bulges with insight despite being contained within 160 pages.
The book is set over the course of one day - 1 February 1959, the day that the Swiss (all male) voters denied women suffrage. The story follows 4 women consecutively through the day. They are linked which becomes clearer as the different voices/lives are observed.
It is a sharply written, clever and perceptive snapshot of history. The individual "small" lives increasingly leaking into the politics of this small conservative country. As a result the novel bulges with insight despite being contained within 160 pages.
February 19, 2022
I was gifted a proof copy by the lovely team at Fairlight books and what a joy it was to read this Fairlight Modern. Clare O'Dea's writing transported me to a different time and a different place. The book follows four women and their struggles in 1959 Switzerland. It successfully created characters with depth and showed all the small ways in which women were treated as less than men at that time. I finished reading this book feeling angry but also hopeful and happy. I would recommend this book to everyone to read!
January 8, 2022
This is my 4th Fairlight book, and I have enjoyed them all. This was a 'small' story about a family and voting day and whether women were going to be allowed to vote in the next election.
One day that intersects the lives of four women, Verni, a farmer's wife, Margrit her daughter, Esther, a cleaner desperate to find her lost son, and Bernice a hospital administartor working towards a "yes" vote for women.
The Author did an excellent job breaking down small acts into happenings. As the book opens, "It was going to be the best possible day." Verni, the protagonist is going to spend the day with her daughter, Margrit
I found the at times, the direct, to the point vernacular charming.
For example, when Peter, Verni's husband describes his daughter moving into to town to work, "How long do you think Margrit will keep up this life now? The tiny attic room, those smoky streets. She stands to lose her looks."
And when Verni takes the train to meet her daughter, upon seeing her, she states, there is something wrong, because she "has lost her glow."
Please keep going with this series; they are all gifts in a small package that I look forward to.
Thank you NetGalley & Fairlight Books for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book.
jb/https://seniorbooklounge.blogspot.com/
One day that intersects the lives of four women, Verni, a farmer's wife, Margrit her daughter, Esther, a cleaner desperate to find her lost son, and Bernice a hospital administartor working towards a "yes" vote for women.
The Author did an excellent job breaking down small acts into happenings. As the book opens, "It was going to be the best possible day." Verni, the protagonist is going to spend the day with her daughter, Margrit
I found the at times, the direct, to the point vernacular charming.
For example, when Peter, Verni's husband describes his daughter moving into to town to work, "How long do you think Margrit will keep up this life now? The tiny attic room, those smoky streets. She stands to lose her looks."
And when Verni takes the train to meet her daughter, upon seeing her, she states, there is something wrong, because she "has lost her glow."
Please keep going with this series; they are all gifts in a small package that I look forward to.
Thank you NetGalley & Fairlight Books for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book.
jb/https://seniorbooklounge.blogspot.com/
January 12, 2022
4.75/5
This novel touched the heart deeply. It is hard to think not that long ago women weren't given the right to vote over anything: men controlled voting. Didn't matter what the subject matter was about. This novel, in my opinion, deserves an award for showing the struggles a woman faced during the times of not being able to vote. It it hard to fathom the truth of history sometimes, and with the many outputs of books and documentaries on the topic it might never be a bad idea to look back and see just how far we have come. Rights for all kinds of people. Hopefully one day the world will unite and accept the facts that we all are human; we all have flaws, but with the likes of others we can make a difference in the world. With the hope of one day, children can grow up and become whoever they want to be; vote for the things they feel truest in the heart and to love their special someone.
This novel touched the heart deeply. It is hard to think not that long ago women weren't given the right to vote over anything: men controlled voting. Didn't matter what the subject matter was about. This novel, in my opinion, deserves an award for showing the struggles a woman faced during the times of not being able to vote. It it hard to fathom the truth of history sometimes, and with the many outputs of books and documentaries on the topic it might never be a bad idea to look back and see just how far we have come. Rights for all kinds of people. Hopefully one day the world will unite and accept the facts that we all are human; we all have flaws, but with the likes of others we can make a difference in the world. With the hope of one day, children can grow up and become whoever they want to be; vote for the things they feel truest in the heart and to love their special someone.
April 2, 2022
A short and resonant novel about the solidarity and distance between women on a fateful day.
O'Dea's "Voting Day" is set on the titular day in Switzerland--specifically, the day of the February 1, 1959 referendum. But here is a non-spoiler: Swiss women won't get the vote at the federal level until 1971.
I didn't really know what to expect from this story, but it has a charming, head-hopping structure where each chapter is told from the point of view of a character that appeared in the previous section. One woman leads to the next, and it's fascinating to see the ties that link them to one person and pull them away from another. I cheered, I teared up, and I read quietly as O'Dea's characters gave us a small piece of human relationships, recognizable though incomplete. This is just a small fragment of something. A really good fragment.
Recommended for anyone who wants a short read driven by its characters and their day-to-day struggles together and apart.
Thank you to Netgalley and Fairlight Books for granting me an eARC of this book in exchange for honest review.
O'Dea's "Voting Day" is set on the titular day in Switzerland--specifically, the day of the February 1, 1959 referendum. But here is a non-spoiler: Swiss women won't get the vote at the federal level until 1971.
I didn't really know what to expect from this story, but it has a charming, head-hopping structure where each chapter is told from the point of view of a character that appeared in the previous section. One woman leads to the next, and it's fascinating to see the ties that link them to one person and pull them away from another. I cheered, I teared up, and I read quietly as O'Dea's characters gave us a small piece of human relationships, recognizable though incomplete. This is just a small fragment of something. A really good fragment.
Recommended for anyone who wants a short read driven by its characters and their day-to-day struggles together and apart.
Thank you to Netgalley and Fairlight Books for granting me an eARC of this book in exchange for honest review.
March 22, 2021
What an important novel at so many levels. Significantly, the women who are connected by this day on which women in Switzerland are denied the vote, have another link: that of a foster or 'contract' child. This slim, impactful novel covers key moments of their respective lives. Each of the four women are depicted in their individual challenges as well as in their cascading dynamics with one another. The history of the boy who joins their fates is also the history of women and their children in a society that has a history of hard work and social conservatism. The novel captures progress toward equality in all its complexity. The ending delivers in a scenario so compelling that my mind has made a lasting cameo of it. Brava Clare O'Dea, this is a beauty in all languages.
March 28, 2022
I don't know why this review won't stay up, but 3rd time's the charm!
When I saw the title of this novella, my interest was piqued. After I read the synopsis, my desire to read "Voting Day" was strong. Luckily, Fairlight Books and NetGalley kindly allowed me to read an ARC of this powerfully short work of fiction written by Clare O'Dea.
The scene: Switzerland in February of 1959 on the day in which men - yes men - will vote on whether they agree to let Swiss women vote. At first, I thought, "What a shock! 1959???" Yes, 1959. And on that day in February 1959, most men voted no. After my initial surprise wore off, I realized that 1959 is only one year earlier than 1960: the year women of every ethnicity in Canada were granted the right to vote.
Despite the somber overtone, Vreni, Margrit, Esther and Beatrice's stories are compellingly readable and even hopeful. Vreni is a farmer's wife. She is constantly busy working to keep her household running smoothly. As she travels to the city for a medical procedure, she recalls all her choices that have led to this moment. Vreni’s story transitions to her daughter’s when the two meet in Bern for some food before Vreni must admit herself to the hospital. The next woman we are introduced to is Margrit, Vreni's daughter and a career woman working in Bern. Margrit is contending with a failed relationship and a boss with wandering hands.
After we meet Margrit, we learn about Esther’s story of love found and then lost, as her fairytale romance soon fades in the dark and harsh realities of life as a single mother. Her husband, a pitiful excuse of a human being, leaves Esther and their son. Esther struggles to make ends meet and turns to sex work. She loses custody of her son, but with the help of Beatrice, an administrative worker at the hospital that Vreni travels to, Beatrice and Esther work to get Esther back in touch with her son, of whom Vreni is fostering.
Beatrice, an intelligent, strong, and modern female of the time, is fighting tirelessly for women’s rights. Given a substandard title for the work she does, she’s incredibly organized and motivated and fearless. Her story focuses on a dinner she has with her brother in which the two recall their childhood and its ups and downs. Beatrice’s brother is gay and must hide this fact as homosexuality is illegal. He sympathizes with Beatrice and supports her cause. Although he admits that he voted “Yes”, he is the one who communicates the results of the vote to Beatrice. Beatrice’s heartbreak is devasting.
The women—all connected knowingly and unknowingly—struggle in their lives in one way or another. However, they're all women who are all too aware of the ways in which men control them and their right to vote. The men whom these women encounter are, for the most part, unconcerned with the women’s lives. They barely participate in the women’s lives, and this story is a story about women and women’s relationships.
What I found most compelling about this story was the relationships between and among the women and how they drive movement and momentum. The men are almost an afterthought. Considering that this story takes place only about 60 years ago, the lack of portrayals of strong female/male relationships is disappointing, and yet it feels like from these snippets of each of the women’s lives that this was the norm.
This novella packs a punch and has further convinced me that Irish female writers are incredible at capturing a small sliver of time in which women are struggling against the patriarchy in Western Europe—I’m thinking of Claire Keegan’s “Small Things Like These” and Ruth Gilligan’s “The Butcher’s Blessing”—both of which I received as ARCs from NetGalley.
Many thanks to Fairlight Books and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read “Voting Day” in exchange for an honest review, and many thanks to NetGalley for highlighting amazing Irish female writers! “Voting Day” is definitely a book I’ll be recommending to other readers.
When I saw the title of this novella, my interest was piqued. After I read the synopsis, my desire to read "Voting Day" was strong. Luckily, Fairlight Books and NetGalley kindly allowed me to read an ARC of this powerfully short work of fiction written by Clare O'Dea.
The scene: Switzerland in February of 1959 on the day in which men - yes men - will vote on whether they agree to let Swiss women vote. At first, I thought, "What a shock! 1959???" Yes, 1959. And on that day in February 1959, most men voted no. After my initial surprise wore off, I realized that 1959 is only one year earlier than 1960: the year women of every ethnicity in Canada were granted the right to vote.
Despite the somber overtone, Vreni, Margrit, Esther and Beatrice's stories are compellingly readable and even hopeful. Vreni is a farmer's wife. She is constantly busy working to keep her household running smoothly. As she travels to the city for a medical procedure, she recalls all her choices that have led to this moment. Vreni’s story transitions to her daughter’s when the two meet in Bern for some food before Vreni must admit herself to the hospital. The next woman we are introduced to is Margrit, Vreni's daughter and a career woman working in Bern. Margrit is contending with a failed relationship and a boss with wandering hands.
After we meet Margrit, we learn about Esther’s story of love found and then lost, as her fairytale romance soon fades in the dark and harsh realities of life as a single mother. Her husband, a pitiful excuse of a human being, leaves Esther and their son. Esther struggles to make ends meet and turns to sex work. She loses custody of her son, but with the help of Beatrice, an administrative worker at the hospital that Vreni travels to, Beatrice and Esther work to get Esther back in touch with her son, of whom Vreni is fostering.
Beatrice, an intelligent, strong, and modern female of the time, is fighting tirelessly for women’s rights. Given a substandard title for the work she does, she’s incredibly organized and motivated and fearless. Her story focuses on a dinner she has with her brother in which the two recall their childhood and its ups and downs. Beatrice’s brother is gay and must hide this fact as homosexuality is illegal. He sympathizes with Beatrice and supports her cause. Although he admits that he voted “Yes”, he is the one who communicates the results of the vote to Beatrice. Beatrice’s heartbreak is devasting.
The women—all connected knowingly and unknowingly—struggle in their lives in one way or another. However, they're all women who are all too aware of the ways in which men control them and their right to vote. The men whom these women encounter are, for the most part, unconcerned with the women’s lives. They barely participate in the women’s lives, and this story is a story about women and women’s relationships.
What I found most compelling about this story was the relationships between and among the women and how they drive movement and momentum. The men are almost an afterthought. Considering that this story takes place only about 60 years ago, the lack of portrayals of strong female/male relationships is disappointing, and yet it feels like from these snippets of each of the women’s lives that this was the norm.
This novella packs a punch and has further convinced me that Irish female writers are incredible at capturing a small sliver of time in which women are struggling against the patriarchy in Western Europe—I’m thinking of Claire Keegan’s “Small Things Like These” and Ruth Gilligan’s “The Butcher’s Blessing”—both of which I received as ARCs from NetGalley.
Many thanks to Fairlight Books and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read “Voting Day” in exchange for an honest review, and many thanks to NetGalley for highlighting amazing Irish female writers! “Voting Day” is definitely a book I’ll be recommending to other readers.
March 17, 2021
In the Switzerland of 1959 a referendum on votes for women was defeated by an almost 70% majority of male only voters. This startling historical fact is the inspiration for Clare O’Dea’s novel, ‘Voting Day,’ published in February, the 50th anniversary of when in 1971 justice prevailed and Swiss women were finally granted their democratic rights.
In the wrong hands this novel could easily have been a thinly-disguised polemic on the defeated proposal for equality, but Clare O’Dea does something much more subtle and narratively impactful than that. She paints a picture of the lives of four women of the time: Vreni, a farmer’s wife, Margrit, a young office worker, Esther, a cleaner in a hospital, and Beatrix a professional administrator. By shining light on a slice of these women’s realities, inner thoughts, longings, suffering, joys, challenges and experiences of the Switzerland of the time O’Dea brings us a story that is layered and nuanced and deeply affecting. And in telling their stories, she reveals so much: the unspoken but deeply unequal distribution of the burden of domestic work; women’s exposure to inequality and harassment in the workplace; the power of a state to judge and punish women; women’s unfulfilled potential; the way they were made to feel they were not entitled to have a say, so that many of them did not seek it; the ‘fundamental unfairness of it all.’
The story is beautifully written and perceptively observed. And while on the face of it the focus is that day in 1959, it’s a narrative that has so much resonance, still, beyond that place and time. There is so much in this short book to relish: wonderful descriptions of forest walks; train journeys, relationships, the threads that connect the characters and the ways in which their lives are impacted by the strictures of the time.
So far, Voting day has been translated into three languages: French, German and Italian. In these versions, the title translates as ‘the day the men said no’. This book holds up a mirror to the world, showing through deft storytelling skill how the struggle for equality continues to prevail. A key message in this wonderful novel is that for equality to be achieved, the powerful must be the ones to change, to share their agency, to include the excluded, to support the right for women to have their say, so everyone can take their place, shoulder to shoulder and together open the door to a better world.
February 28, 2022
Set in 1959, on the day when men are voting on women’s suffrage, Voting Day is the story of four women whose lives are affected by the lack of rights for women in Switzerland. As the day progresses, from pre-dawn as farmer’s wife Vreni prepares breakfast before leaving to visit her daughter Margrit and enter the hospital for an operation, the narrative moves takes the reader through the day to the evening meal Beatrice, a successful professional woman, has with her brother and reacts to the results of the vote and ponders how she can really help Esther, a young mother driven to desperate measures who continues to struggle because of poverty.
With glimpses into the past, Clare O’Dea has written a poignant story of a historic day that unfolds with pain, disappointment, desperation, and hope. Ending with an epilogue that brings the four women together, this is a worthwhile read that, through fictional characters, highlights issues women faced in the 1950’s in one of the last Western European countries to pass women’s suffrage.
One of the aspects of this story that I enjoyed the most was the way in which the older and younger generations related to each other, particularly in the support that is given between women. This was my first experience with reading Fairlight Moderns or a book by Clare O’Dea. I find myself eager for more of both. Recommended.
This review refers to a temporary digital galley I voluntarily received and read via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required and these are simply my own honest opinions.
With glimpses into the past, Clare O’Dea has written a poignant story of a historic day that unfolds with pain, disappointment, desperation, and hope. Ending with an epilogue that brings the four women together, this is a worthwhile read that, through fictional characters, highlights issues women faced in the 1950’s in one of the last Western European countries to pass women’s suffrage.
One of the aspects of this story that I enjoyed the most was the way in which the older and younger generations related to each other, particularly in the support that is given between women. This was my first experience with reading Fairlight Moderns or a book by Clare O’Dea. I find myself eager for more of both. Recommended.
This review refers to a temporary digital galley I voluntarily received and read via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required and these are simply my own honest opinions.
March 4, 2022
On Feb 1, 1959, the men of Switzerland voted whether women should be given the right to vote. They voted no, 2/3-1/3.
In this slim novel, O'Dea imagines 4 different women, all linked, and looks at what they were doing on that day, and why. Each us on a different path in life, but we see how their lives are controlled by men, and what they have to give up to be in control of their own lives. Thoughtful and interesting, as these men see nothing wrong with their behavior. Some are cruel, some clueless, but all expectations of the women around them--and expect those expectations to be met.
Vreni, a middle-aged farmer's wife, mother of at least 4 and foster parent of 1. She cooks, cleans, serves. She would say she is happy, but she is also tired, ignored, and disrespected.
Margrit, Vreni's adult daughter, who does not want her mother's life and lives in the city. She has been assaulted by her boss and her boyfriend has left her for a woman back home. She feels trapped and lost, and could go home and be married in an instant--but does not want to cook, clean, and serve.
Esther, abandoned wife, cleaner, mother of one who is fighting to her son back from care. With limited education and skills, she cannot support them both alone.
Beatrice, a 61-year-old hospital administrator who never married and has a great job, and fought hard for the vote. She has few regrets, but they are there. Like Margrit, she did not want her mother's life.
In this slim novel, O'Dea imagines 4 different women, all linked, and looks at what they were doing on that day, and why. Each us on a different path in life, but we see how their lives are controlled by men, and what they have to give up to be in control of their own lives. Thoughtful and interesting, as these men see nothing wrong with their behavior. Some are cruel, some clueless, but all expectations of the women around them--and expect those expectations to be met.
Vreni, a middle-aged farmer's wife, mother of at least 4 and foster parent of 1. She cooks, cleans, serves. She would say she is happy, but she is also tired, ignored, and disrespected.
Margrit, Vreni's adult daughter, who does not want her mother's life and lives in the city. She has been assaulted by her boss and her boyfriend has left her for a woman back home. She feels trapped and lost, and could go home and be married in an instant--but does not want to cook, clean, and serve.
Esther, abandoned wife, cleaner, mother of one who is fighting to her son back from care. With limited education and skills, she cannot support them both alone.
Beatrice, a 61-year-old hospital administrator who never married and has a great job, and fought hard for the vote. She has few regrets, but they are there. Like Margrit, she did not want her mother's life.
March 14, 2022
Always intrigued by anything remotely political and the perspectives of women, this book called to me when I saw it was up for request on Netgalley and I really am glad I did. Bringing together three different women with different perspectives and lives, this story gives so much in a small amount of pages and makes for reading you just fall into as soon as you begin.
Sharing perspectives of women as they vote to get the vote in Switzerland, this book gives us three women that are incredibly well written and explored within this novella so incredibly well and how injustices and the stereotypes they face make their lives more difficult while in the progress of a campaign that holds them back institutionally, switching focus between the women we learn so much about the their lives and how they handle the society they're in.
The plot is driven by these characters really throughout the book as they go about their lives and how the vote touches on their lives, even if lightly, with a message that doesn't make these characters smaller but definitely highlights just how important it is for women to have autonomy and be able to live their lives.
A great short read that feels particularly pertinent during women's history month.
(Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC for review).
Sharing perspectives of women as they vote to get the vote in Switzerland, this book gives us three women that are incredibly well written and explored within this novella so incredibly well and how injustices and the stereotypes they face make their lives more difficult while in the progress of a campaign that holds them back institutionally, switching focus between the women we learn so much about the their lives and how they handle the society they're in.
The plot is driven by these characters really throughout the book as they go about their lives and how the vote touches on their lives, even if lightly, with a message that doesn't make these characters smaller but definitely highlights just how important it is for women to have autonomy and be able to live their lives.
A great short read that feels particularly pertinent during women's history month.
(Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC for review).
June 14, 2022
There was something very soothing about this novella despite the turbulent undercurrent. It was quite startling to me to see how late Switzerland was in giving its women the vote (given that the East had already had women heads of the country by then!). It is not exactly only about the vote, nor is it about Swiss citizens as a whole. This book is (I felt) predominantly about mothers. There are two kinds of mothers in the story, one who is an established woman of the house and respected for her role and the other a woman who is left helpless due to several circumstances stacking up on over the other. Then there is the middle ground, a woman who is not exactly a mother but has poured her need to care into carving a whole new path for herself. A daughter is the fourth woman in the story and no less important. She is the future her mother envisions, the only female in the family. She is striving to build her life, but life is not as easy as it could have been, but the relationship between the mother and daughter duo provided a very interesting picture of the everyday Swiss life of the time.
For such a short volume, the narrative takes many paths and fulfils the emotional quotient required to convey the depth of each section. I liked the writing and the way the story unfolded. I did not expect to encounter the kind of people I did. Once I met them, I knew how their story arc would go, but it was still a satisfying read.
The author's note at the end added a little something more to the reading experience. I will leave my review with the statement that it is a good book for someone looking for something different to read.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
For such a short volume, the narrative takes many paths and fulfils the emotional quotient required to convey the depth of each section. I liked the writing and the way the story unfolded. I did not expect to encounter the kind of people I did. Once I met them, I knew how their story arc would go, but it was still a satisfying read.
The author's note at the end added a little something more to the reading experience. I will leave my review with the statement that it is a good book for someone looking for something different to read.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
October 14, 2023
On the day in February 1959 when Swiss men denied women the vote in a notorious referendum, 4 women meet at a hospital in Bern. Margrit helps her mother Verena (Vreni) to check in for an operation. Beatrice, the hospital administrator, is there as a last-minute stand-in for the head receptionist, and Esther is a cleaning lady. But in fact Esther, who is of Yenish origin, happens to be the mother of a boy, Ruedi, whom social services have taken from her and placed in Vreni's care. Desperate to get her son back, Esther has written many times to Vreni in vain. Eventually, Beatrice intervenes on her behalf and in the grand finale the 4 women meet again in a scene so drenched in alpine sentimentality that it makes "The Sound of Music" look sober in comparison. This book has its heart in the right place, obviously, and as a passionate helvetophile I found it interesting to revisit a period, not so distant after all, when women were disenfranchised in that beacon of a country. However, the plot is just too manufactured and the characters too sketchy for credibility. As a sad instance of over-egging the pudding, O'Dea gives Beatrice a gay brother who is sympathetic to the cause... Bof.
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