Suffragette Girl

by Margaret Dickinson

When Florrie Maltby defies her father by refusing to marry Gervase Richards, she sets off a chain of events that will alter her life. Instead she goes to London and becomes involved with the suffragette movement. She’s imprisoned for her militant actions, and goes on hunger strike. With her health deteriorating, there is one person who can save her – Gervase. After a brief stay in the countryside to recuperate, Florrie returns to London to continue her fight for women’s rights. Only the outbreak of the Great War puts a halt to her activities. It is when James, her younger brother, is shamed by their father into volunteering, that Florrie enlists as a nurse and is sent to the Front. Amidst the fear and horror of the hospital close to the trenches, she finds love. But when her beloved brother is accused of desertion, help comes from a very unexpected source.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Historical, World War I, Fiction

528 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, Margaret Dickinson moved to the coast at the age of seven and so began her love for the sea and the Lincolnshire landscape. Her ambition to be a writer began early and she had her first novel published at the age of twenty-five. This was followed by many further titles including Plough the Furrow, Sow the Seed and Reap the Harvest, which make up her Lincolnshire Fleethaven Trilogy. She is also the author of Fairfield Hall, Jenny's War and The Clippie Girls. Margaret is a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't expect to enjoy this quite a much as I did.
Plenty going on and believable. Made me tear up at one point.
Not a great deal about the suffragette movement, more about the Great War but this book showed us the strength of the main character.
Historical with a hint of romance.
Easy to read.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story about a women from the early 1900's England who comes from a wealthy family and involves herself in various activities because they are good causes. True enough. But she seems to get into them to amuse herself. The story was more a romance novel. I wanted more..more about the suffagette movement perhaps, or the volunteer nurses during WWI, or even about TB. I never felt like she was doing these things because she had strong convictions about voting, war, etc. The reader was constantly reminded that she was a "suffragette girl". In the end, it inspired me to find out more about the suffragette movement.

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a while ago and I really enjoyed the story.
Really love anything from this era and I thought this book was absolutely brilliant.
The story was well researched and made me think about how much the suffragettes went through so we could have the right to vote.
I can't imagine the pain of being force fed in prison when they went on hunger strike.
Found this book very hard to put down.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed it, I'm a big fan of historical novels. Quite an inspiring book and kept me eager to read the next chapter.

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book had a decent sort of a flow and most of the time I was enjoying myself. I was irritated by the way it centred so much on romance, but at the same time if I treated it as a "romance genre" book I could try to allow that for a genre that doesn't appeal to me it was done pretty well. However even so I had two main issues with it.

The first issue was the fact that there was that tired, old cliche- the love triangle. Our heroine has to choose between a steady, dependable "nice guy" and a womaniser with an attitude problem. It all ended differently than I thought it was going to and that misleading by the author was quite good (or maybe just I don't read romance enough to be able to pick the pattern) but both men were really, really unlikeable.

I started off by cringing every time Gervase was in a scene. He was "nice" in a paternalistic, disrespectful sort of a way. Considering Florrie starts off by turning down his offer of marriage he then disrespects her wish to hear no more of it and vows to keep proposing every new year's eve (this becomes a major thing in the book). We are supposed to accept it because even though Florrie feels really uncomfortable, she turns it into a game and manages to be flattered by it. At the same time his "unrequited lover" status leads him to imagine he can judge her life and be angry about things she does (eg being a suffragette) and although at one point she says that he has no right to have an opinion on her life (with the implication that if he was her husband she ought to obey him) in the very next chapter she is melting down because he might be angry at her (for doing her own thing).

Talk about toxic version of "nice guy".

Then we have Ernst. Ernst has frightening mood-swings and keeps Florrie guessing how he will react to her next. Their relationship is completely run along the lines of his desire and convenience- she just gets to wait for him and fit in with his wishes. He is emotionally abusive, jealous, judgemental and it seems there is tightly coiled violence inside him. Without a spoiler about how it all turns out, Florrie ends up deciding that because his work is so damn important then the fact that he is a misogynist, entitled pig is completely understandable and partly her fault.

Sadly she ends up with one of them (and you know from the start it is going to be that way, that the whole story is really about the damn stupid triangle).

The other thing I didn't like was the essentialised crap about motherhood. Isobel once she gets pregnant turns into a boring, boring background character who does nothing apart from being radiantly happy about marriage and motherhood and sad to be parted from her husband who is off fighting the war. She was a suffragette and had so much feminist energy and then suddenly all she wants is to be a domestic nonentity. Florrie is judged for not being so domestically inclined, for wanting to still do feminist stuff and have a life. This is seen as a clue to her not having a "proper" maternal bond to Jacques, because of course if she was really his mother then she would be happy to live in complete dullness nurturing him (as if he is not already over-nurtured by a doting nanny, Grandmother, Great grandmother etc). I was really irritated by Augusta's attitude in these scenes (which is presented as wisdom) and that to me was the most disappointing thing because apart from that I loved the character of Augusta- fearless, feisty, older woman.

The book touched on class and touched on pacifist issues. There was a fair bit of gentle feminism throughout the book which was not quite watered down by all the stereotyping and hetero-normative mess. All characters are white and straight which was perhaps a bit unrealistic given Florrie's travels and involvement in various groups. Relationships between women were beautifully depicted as supportive, caring and non-judgemental. When women were not there for each other, this was portrayed as stemming from various types of anxiety rather than treachery. While it is oversimplifying to idealise women's relationships this way I found it a refreshing read considering how many books have the obligatory "bitch" character.

The book's refusal to slut-shame was also notable and refreshing.

It's a clean, oversimplified little love-story with a heroine you can't help liking (and awful men for her to choose between). If you like things like Anne of Green Gables then you will possibly find something here to enjoy as well. I didn't hate it.

[Jayne Hood · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a wonderful read set through the lead up to World War I and the war itself . Brought home the horrors of the war and the bravery of the people involved. Showed the courage and the fight for voting for women and the suffragette movement .

[TannieP · Rating 2 out of 5]

I nearly didn't finish this book and can't understand all the good reviews. The premise of the plot was strong, although I would have preferred more focus on the Suffragette movement. The title is a little misleading as only about a quarter of the book is focussed on the suffrage movement. As I found the subject of WW1 interesting this was not my main concern. I did not enjoy the style of writing at all. It was my first, and last, Margaret Dickinson book. I found the adverbs to be clunky and jammed into sentences unnecessarily. The style improved in the second half of the book and I felt that this was where the author’s heart lay... it felt like she had a strong idea of the story about TB and WW1. And this was confirmed in the notes at the end. Disappointed.

[Victoria Frow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good. Enjoyed the story but was disappointed as the title suggests it was a story about the suffragettes but it was only in about 20% of the actual storyline. Overall the book was well written and researched but don't recommend if you want a suffragette story but would if you want a story about WW1

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovedthis story. what an intetesting and cruel time.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the story, didn't take long to read, hard to put down.

[rebecca chantry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I initially read the book as part of research for a fine art project about womens suffrage, overall I enjoyed the story and the historical aspects did help with how women were portrayed during the era. Although from the title I did expect more on the suffragette movement itself although Florrie's time at the front was quite riveting. I was frustrated that it didn't mention some highly significant dates in 1928 in the suffrage history and felt let down from what the title implied. However I did love Florrie's character and her determination to continue to fight for a cause and her bond with Augusta.

[Sandra Kennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this on Audible where it was beautifully narrated by Nicolette McKenzie. I thoroughly enjoyed the story line but as it read like a “Mills and Boons” novel I only rated it with three stars. The book touched on the Suffragette movement, the horrors of World War One and the sad tuberculoses sanatoriums that were prevalent just after the war. All of these historical subjects interest me, which is why I picked up this book in the first place. Just a shame it was written in such an old fashioned manner.

[Lil Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the definition of don't judge a book by it's cover.

Tbh, my Mum gave me this book and I didn't want to read it (let's be honest, the front cover bores me to sleep), but I thought I should give it a go, just in case she asked me questions.
But to my surprise, I actually quite enjoyed following the life of Florrie during her time in the suffragettes, then as a VAD nurse on the WW1 front line, to supporting the miners, a trip to Switzerland and finally falling in love with the man who has always loved her.

[June Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant story, from the first to the last page, Florrie, the main character, is beyond courageous, firstly becoming a suffragette, and suffers force feeding in prison, then when war breaks out she becomes a VAD and is sent to the front line, nursing the poor men who are suffering in the trenches, she finds love, only to be denied it. I felt so sorry for GERVASE, who loves her unconditionally. Would recommend this book.

[Novelle Novels · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 out of 5 stars
The title suggests this is mainly going to be about the suffragettes but that is only a small part. Yes the leading lady florrie is a suffragette and at the start we see what she went through but it then flew through other parts in her life and a lot of years are packed into these pages. I loved her grandmother Augusta and she was probably my favourite character but to me although florrie had the best intentions she was quite silly at times which annoyed me.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

BOOK # 23 - SUFFRAGETTE GIRL by Margaret Dickinson - Really enjoyed this book and will be reading more of hers. Strong characters, a really interesting story and a fascinating historic background. A bit hard to get into at first, but pleased I persevered. 9 out of 10

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did - it started out OK but went in different directions and seemed to lose the whole idea of what the book was about. Completed but not really satisfied. There are a number of other books dealing with this period that are better.

[Micki_1989 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like historical drama but this one is a little slow and was hard to complete for me

[Justine Hodgson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story line

[Helen Mckelvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a great read .well read and narrated well

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. What a turn of events for brave, resilient Florrie. As the story unfolds, the horror, bravery, and strength are revealed that many of the women at the turn of the 20th century faced.

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. It's a good read with a strong storyline, but it did have more than a touch of 'jolly hockey sticks' about it, which became a little grating.

The protagonist, Florrie, starts the novel as a thirtysomething woman taking her consumptive teenage son to a clinic in the Swiss mountains. Then we flash back to 1912 where 18-year-old Florrie has plans to head to London to join the suffragette movement. From there, the novel continues in a linear fashion.

Florrie becomes actively involved with the militant wing of the suffragettes and once war breaks out she signs up as a VAD nurse. So far, so good. For me, though, Florrie never seemed to have a great affinity for either cause, she just wanted an adventure, a bit of a jolly jape. She was never three-dimensional enough as a character for me to believe in her like the other characters do.

Florrie is always beautiful, always capable, always feisty, always naturally brilliant at everything, always much admired by every single person who crosses paths with her. This gets a bit wearing at times. Florrie would be so much more interesting if she wasn't such a paragon and an inspiration to everyone else. In fact, she does have some flaws, but nobody ever seems to notice them because they're all marvelling at how wonderful she is. She's silly and selfish and thoughtless many times. She also keeps a rather large secret to herself for very flimsy reasons. The only person who ever really finds fault with her is her father and that's because he's an old-fashioned Victorian, who thinks women should be seen and not heard.

Nevertheless, the story rolls along nicely, despite the sometimes twee phrasing. The novel moves from the pre-war women's suffrage movement to the outbreak of war and nursing the casualties on the Western Front. This is where we get a hefty dollop of romance, when Florrie gets all starry-eyed about an army surgeon she obviously finds devastatingly attractive, but I find quite unappealingly as a character. Florrie, though, is a naive, virginal, young woman, who goes from nought to all the way with the good doctor after just one kiss. He barely has to put in any effort at all to have his evil way with her. So much for her respectable, Edwardian upbringing!

The book also deals with one of the more difficult aspects of the war and the author handles it well. It gets a bit silly for a while after that where trained doctors and nurses apparently suspect nothing is amiss when a blatantly not pregnant young woman leaves the hospital and returns a day or two later with a baby in her arms. Instantly, they believe it's her baby. None of them so much as question her or consider for a second that it's not her baby. I can understand her family in England swallowing her story, but medical people who have worked beside her day in day out until the "birth"? No, sorry .

Florrie is at a bit of a loss without a cause to attach herself too after the war, but, eventually, we get back to where we started with Florrie heading to Switzerland with her son. This part of the storyline feels a bit unnecessary to me. I know why it's there, for Florrie to resolve her love affair with the unappealing Ernst and realise she's actually in love with the saintly Gervase, who's been hanging around pining after her for 20 years, but it seems a bit drawn out for what it is. It's also a little strange to me that Florrie tells her secret to a nurse, but never seems to think it might be appropriate to tell Ernst personally rather than let him read about it in the patient notes. We're constantly told how brave Florrie is, but when it comes to sharing her secret, she's decidedly cowardly. Either that or she's just very self-centred, which is entirely possible too.

I thought the ending was a little too perfect. Everything gets wrapped up in a giant bow covered in love hearts. Okay, I suppose, if you like that sort of thing, but it was a bit too saccharine for me. However, having nit-picked, I really did enjoy this book, despite the odd attack of eye-rolling at certain points. If you're interested in this period of history, it's definitely worth a read. And if you like a historical, romantic saga, you'll love it.

[PrettyFlamingo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This very well researched book really is historically accurate and tells the story of Florrie Maltby, who becomes a suffragette and later a VAD nurse. Margaret doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of war, to the point of the various elements of the story becoming very upsetting for the reader. But that was life, that was reality, and I like that it was presented realistically and not skimmed over or sanitised. I’m currently researching the life of a VAD nurse myself and therefore it was added interest value for me.

Florrie lives an upper middle-class life in a Lincolnshire country house and doesn’t seem to want for anything. She adores her grandmother and her younger brother James, but clashes with her Victorian Dad. At 18, she is bored and stifled and longs for adventure and something more meaningful than simply dinner parties with neighbours in their grand houses and marrying a local landowner. So immediately after New Year 1913, along with her friend Isobel, she goes to London and joins the WSPU. She becomes actively involved in window breaking and other militant campaigns, leading to a series of prison stretches including being force-fed and is at the 1913 Derby when Emily Davison falls under the King’s horse. I did wonder who was funding her London life and where the money was coming from as it wasn’t really explained – presumably her father hadn’t stopped her allowance. The suffragette movement is eventually halted by the onset of war but Florrie and Isobel continue their activities by signing up as VAD nurses.

Florrie is presented to us without any real character flaws. She’s loved and adored by her brother and her friend Gervase back at home, who is besotted with her and makes a habit of proposing every New Year’s Eve, knowing that she never accepts. She’s stunning looking, intelligent, accomplished, determined, learns everything without difficulty, is feisty and has a confidence and capability that belies her youth. Is this realistic, or is it a product of her relatively privileged upbringing that lends a natural confidence? For example, she finds herself out on the Western Front as a VAD nurse when many of these roles would have been taken by professional, trained nurses, as she is equally as good as any of them.

When we get to the Front, this is where the author pulls no punches with the realities of war. Everyone has some horrors to face and some of them were just too much for me to read about. I was physically shaken by the description of her brother James being shot at dawn for deserting his post and the shock of it, and the consequences, reverberated with me for a while afterwards particularly as it was all over a misunderstanding. This part of the story, and the dialogue between Florrie and James, broke my heart. I had to remind myself that this was war, and this really happened to many, many families. I was a little cynical about how so many people managed to meet up on the Front so serendipitously, though.

The romance element to the book didn’t do it for me however. I didn’t like Ernst, the army surgeon Florrie becomes involved with and even with the excuses of war, I found his behaviour very clinical (no pun intended) and self-centred. I wasn’t convinced by the authenticity of her big secret, and I wondered how she would have got away with it, but I liked how it all worked out when she got back to Lincolnshire. I thought the development of the characters and how Florrie comes to certain realisations about herself and Ernst are done very well too. After all the horrors of war, of loss and devastation, things work out for everyone and the story ends happily – as happily as it can.

What I really did like was the writing which fitted perfectly with the book. The author uses a contemporary turn of phrase too which works well. Gervase took Florrie out often in his motor car, people said fiddlesticks, topping and top hole!!! This adds real authenticity.

I enjoyed this book immensely and even though I have been critical to a degree, I really liked Florrie as a modern, determined woman.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book although not as much as some of Margaret Dickinson's. The story was interesting and certainly brought the past to life. I found myself getting quite annoyed with the main character, Florrie at times. Unfortunately some of it seems rather far fetched, especially characters meeting up in the war zones so easily. Saying that it was a good read if you can not question it too much and just go along with the plot.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like reading historical novels, but I wasn't sure I'd like this one. (It was a gift.) I enjoyed the story. The characters were interesting on several levels, except for the mother who was a stereotypical hysterical female. The background of the suffragette movement was interesting. I hadn't realized that I really didn't know much about that part of our history.

[Elizabeth Edser · Rating 5 out of 5]

History on First World War & Suffragettes

[Lilo]

great book.interesting plot.unfortunately people died and it was about relationships but overall the book was splendid.

[Shruti Subramaniam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was a quick read, but a little disappointing. The title is slightly misleading- there's not really much about the suffragette movement in the book. It's more about the life of a young girl who becomes a suffragette and then a VAD nurse during the World War. Following the war, she flits between her country house and London and brings up a child among personal tensions and a love triangle. The story is a simple and fast read, but there is a lot more that is wrong with it. Florrie is a brave, young girl but comes across as whiny most of the time. The ending is predictable and quite underwhelming. It also misses out on elements of pre-war class society, which give the story a more modern, albeit misplaced, undertone.