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bookmarkedbybecky's review
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
3.5
What I liked:
✨History: Sacrifices and challenges women endured in the fight for the right to vote. If anything, I wanted more of these stories. But please note: some of the stories are not for the faint of heart. I’m forever grateful to these unknown heroines.
✨Helen (our MC): her journey felt real as she discovered her strong, unwavering resolve to honor her daughter's memory and fight for a better place for her daughters.
✨Narration: Sarah Mollo-Christensen captured the soul of Helen as she transformed through the course of the novel - from grieving for her daughter’s death to empowering and inspiring others.
Who should read this:
✨Historical Fiction lovers
✨Women Fiction lovers
✨Understanding the challenges of getting the 19th Amendment passed.
cassies_books_reviews's review against another edition
4.0
I truly enjoyed this book and getting to know the strong woman fighting for their rights.
Helen works at a factory sewing buttons to bring more income in for her family, she’s a wife and a mother. Helen is quiet all she wants is to work and help her family. When news spreads of a tragic incident that happened at another factory, Helen is devastated , she has lost a family member . When she is approached by one of the suffragists to work at one of their movement offices. Soon Helen finds herself getting more and more involved, her job soon puts a strain on her marriage with her husband Albert. Albert is dealing with the judgment from his neighbors about Helens role with the suffragists, Helen is hardly home and everyone is looking down at this, plus he’s dealing with the grief of the family’s loss. Helen believes what she’s doing is important and hopes to change history for her daughters. Soon Helen finds herself being arrested, tortured, and worrying about her son whose fighting in Word War One , the strength Helen shows is empowering and I believe the book is a must read! I loved that some of the characters in the book were actual people! Four stars!
Helen works at a factory sewing buttons to bring more income in for her family, she’s a wife and a mother. Helen is quiet all she wants is to work and help her family. When news spreads of a tragic incident that happened at another factory, Helen is devastated , she has lost a family member . When she is approached by one of the suffragists to work at one of their movement offices. Soon Helen finds herself getting more and more involved, her job soon puts a strain on her marriage with her husband Albert. Albert is dealing with the judgment from his neighbors about Helens role with the suffragists, Helen is hardly home and everyone is looking down at this, plus he’s dealing with the grief of the family’s loss. Helen believes what she’s doing is important and hopes to change history for her daughters. Soon Helen finds herself being arrested, tortured, and worrying about her son whose fighting in Word War One , the strength Helen shows is empowering and I believe the book is a must read! I loved that some of the characters in the book were actual people! Four stars!
booksandchicks's review against another edition
3.0
This is shockingly the first book I've read about the suffragist movement and I'm so glad I finally did! This was a historical fiction book of that time.
The book spans the years of 1911-1918 following the life of Helen Fox who was a real person involved in the movement. I am completely appalled at the treatment towards the women as they were protesting for the right for women to vote! R As a woman today, I am so grateful to the suffragists and their sacrifice and hard work to make it possible that I can vote today.
The writing of the book felt a little rigid... in the sense that I didn't connect with any of the characters. Each chapter had a title that basically spoiled what was going to happen in the next 5 pages... which I didn't love.
Thank you to @bookpublicityservices for a copy of this book.
The book spans the years of 1911-1918 following the life of Helen Fox who was a real person involved in the movement. I am completely appalled at the treatment towards the women as they were protesting for the right for women to vote! R As a woman today, I am so grateful to the suffragists and their sacrifice and hard work to make it possible that I can vote today.
The writing of the book felt a little rigid... in the sense that I didn't connect with any of the characters. Each chapter had a title that basically spoiled what was going to happen in the next 5 pages... which I didn't love.
Thank you to @bookpublicityservices for a copy of this book.
lexiedm14's review against another edition
4.0
4/5.
This book was a really interesting read. I love how it integrated its storyline around major historical events in the early 20th century.
This is a very interesting read and it draws a lot of parallels to our modern day feminist movement.
Helen was such an amazing protagonist. I loved seeing her growth throughout the novel, particularly how her experience with tragedy inspired her to go into activism. I felt a deep connection to Helen as many of the things that she is experiencing are very similar to what many women still go through today over 100 years later. Her perseverance was inspiring.
All-in-all, this was a fantastic historical fiction read. I recommend this book to anyone who not only enjoys to read novels that take place in the early 20th century, but also want to be inspired by daring women living in a male-dominated society.
Thank you so much to Book Publicity Services for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
http://bookpublicityservices.com/
https://www.instagram.com/bookpublicityservices/
This book was a really interesting read. I love how it integrated its storyline around major historical events in the early 20th century.
This is a very interesting read and it draws a lot of parallels to our modern day feminist movement.
Helen was such an amazing protagonist. I loved seeing her growth throughout the novel, particularly how her experience with tragedy inspired her to go into activism. I felt a deep connection to Helen as many of the things that she is experiencing are very similar to what many women still go through today over 100 years later. Her perseverance was inspiring.
All-in-all, this was a fantastic historical fiction read. I recommend this book to anyone who not only enjoys to read novels that take place in the early 20th century, but also want to be inspired by daring women living in a male-dominated society.
Thank you so much to Book Publicity Services for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
http://bookpublicityservices.com/
https://www.instagram.com/bookpublicityservices/
lynburn's review against another edition
4.0
This is another suffragist story I’ve read this year (I seem to be on quite the suffragist roll!). But there’s a reason I keep reading them and that’s because each of these stories tell if the struggle for Women’s right to vote in different ways.
The Accidental Suffragist details the struggle of “everyday” woman Harriet, and how she worked to secure women the right to vote to improve living and working conditions. Harriet has had a terrible tragedy befall her-her 12 year old daughter died in a warehouse fire after starting to work in a factory with unsafe working conditions. Harriet and her husband Albert struggled with allowing their daughter to go to work, but between the both of them, they weren’t making enough money to have meat at every meal to feed their family if 6, or enough coal to keep their tenement apartment warm.
After the tragedy, though, Harriet takes a job with the suffragist association, planning marches, fundraising, and recruiting women, working women like herself, to fight for the right to vote.
Of course, this is seen to a threat to men, companies, and even amongst the other women. It was truly fascinating to read how Harriet’s work with the suffragist impacted those around her.
These stories make me so grateful for these brave women who endured ridicule, abuse, even imprisonment to secure the right for all women to vote. A right that 100 years later we often take for granted.
Thank you to the publisher for the free e-copy of #theaccidentalsuffragist. I really enjoyed this look into history and recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction, especially focused on Women’s history.
The Accidental Suffragist details the struggle of “everyday” woman Harriet, and how she worked to secure women the right to vote to improve living and working conditions. Harriet has had a terrible tragedy befall her-her 12 year old daughter died in a warehouse fire after starting to work in a factory with unsafe working conditions. Harriet and her husband Albert struggled with allowing their daughter to go to work, but between the both of them, they weren’t making enough money to have meat at every meal to feed their family if 6, or enough coal to keep their tenement apartment warm.
After the tragedy, though, Harriet takes a job with the suffragist association, planning marches, fundraising, and recruiting women, working women like herself, to fight for the right to vote.
Of course, this is seen to a threat to men, companies, and even amongst the other women. It was truly fascinating to read how Harriet’s work with the suffragist impacted those around her.
These stories make me so grateful for these brave women who endured ridicule, abuse, even imprisonment to secure the right for all women to vote. A right that 100 years later we often take for granted.
Thank you to the publisher for the free e-copy of #theaccidentalsuffragist. I really enjoyed this look into history and recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction, especially focused on Women’s history.
jgorkaya15's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
3.0
A story of tragedy turned into activism. Helen is a strong female lead, with a lot of tenacity. The story pulls at you, but is slow. It needed more depth from the family- a majority was focused on the suffragist movement with a sprinkle of the family’s effects of tragedy and an activist mother.
liamliayaum's review against another edition
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Book Publicity Services in exchange for my honest review.
The Accidental Suffragist is a historical fiction novel spanning the years before (white) women got the right to vote. The novel begins with the protagonist, Helen Fox, working in a factory in New York City. After a tragic accident at the factory that her eldest daughter works at, Helen is recruited to work for the suffragists.
There are some great themes in this title from how to survive in a male dominated world to female empowerment and plenty of facts about the suffragist movement itself. However, that is where the likability of this novel ends.
The writing is plain and the author utilizes a "tell" versus "show" style. The characters lack depth and the dialogue is repetitive with simple phrases taking up space. I expect every novel I read to have a few grammatical errors as we're all human, but there were too many in this one that distracted me frequently. The timeline held inconsistencies which caused me to reread sections often to understand exactly where, and when, I was in the story.
I kept reading more, thinking it would eventually get better. I made it just past halfway through before my frustration became too much so I did not finish this book. I wanted to like this book, after all, it held great promise to explore the suffragist movement but I just couldn't.
The Accidental Suffragist is a historical fiction novel spanning the years before (white) women got the right to vote. The novel begins with the protagonist, Helen Fox, working in a factory in New York City. After a tragic accident at the factory that her eldest daughter works at, Helen is recruited to work for the suffragists.
There are some great themes in this title from how to survive in a male dominated world to female empowerment and plenty of facts about the suffragist movement itself. However, that is where the likability of this novel ends.
The writing is plain and the author utilizes a "tell" versus "show" style. The characters lack depth and the dialogue is repetitive with simple phrases taking up space. I expect every novel I read to have a few grammatical errors as we're all human, but there were too many in this one that distracted me frequently. The timeline held inconsistencies which caused me to reread sections often to understand exactly where, and when, I was in the story.
I kept reading more, thinking it would eventually get better. I made it just past halfway through before my frustration became too much so I did not finish this book. I wanted to like this book, after all, it held great promise to explore the suffragist movement but I just couldn't.
crolovr's review against another edition
4.0
It is 1911 in New York. Helen and her husband Albert live in a 2 room Tenement with their four children. The oldest daughter Abigail goes to work in a factory to help the family. After Abigail dies in a factory fire, Helen attends her first suffrage meeting.
Helen is hired by the leader Harriot Stanton Blatch to help with protests and recruiting more volunteers. She works alongside famous activists and Marches to Washington, DC. On her second trip to protest in Washington, DC, Helen and the other women are arrested and thrown in prison where they are tortured. After they are released, these women continue their fight to win women the right to vote. The final State gave women the right to vote in 1920.
I found this story very interesting. Helen had to ask her husband permission for everything. Her young children were cooking and cleaning. It amazed me that the $14 a week she was earning was twice what her husband made in the factory. We have these women to thank for our right to vote, but we still have a long way to go for equality. We are still fighting for women to receive equal pay for equal work.
Helen is hired by the leader Harriot Stanton Blatch to help with protests and recruiting more volunteers. She works alongside famous activists and Marches to Washington, DC. On her second trip to protest in Washington, DC, Helen and the other women are arrested and thrown in prison where they are tortured. After they are released, these women continue their fight to win women the right to vote. The final State gave women the right to vote in 1920.
I found this story very interesting. Helen had to ask her husband permission for everything. Her young children were cooking and cleaning. It amazed me that the $14 a week she was earning was twice what her husband made in the factory. We have these women to thank for our right to vote, but we still have a long way to go for equality. We are still fighting for women to receive equal pay for equal work.
shannasbooksnhooks's review against another edition
4.0
Note: This was sent to me by Book Publicity Services with the understanding that I'd read and review the book. I reviewed this book as I would any other.
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Review: This book was definitely an interesting read. I really enjoyed its setting, as it started out in 1912 New York and ended in 1919. As I really started getting into the read, I had this feeling of "This is just another World War historical fiction book in a sea of World War historical fiction books." I felt like this book narrowly escapes that, though, since it's a World War I historical fiction rather than World War II. Additionally, it focuses more on the Suffrage Movement, and WWI was more of an afterthought for the story. The Accidental Suffragist definitely feels more character-driven rather than plot-driven. At first, this bothered me a bit because I would have liked a bit more substance to the plot. However, as I continued reading, I feel like the book being character-driven was the best way to go about the story and the time it spans.
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Review: This book was definitely an interesting read. I really enjoyed its setting, as it started out in 1912 New York and ended in 1919. As I really started getting into the read, I had this feeling of "This is just another World War historical fiction book in a sea of World War historical fiction books." I felt like this book narrowly escapes that, though, since it's a World War I historical fiction rather than World War II. Additionally, it focuses more on the Suffrage Movement, and WWI was more of an afterthought for the story. The Accidental Suffragist definitely feels more character-driven rather than plot-driven. At first, this bothered me a bit because I would have liked a bit more substance to the plot. However, as I continued reading, I feel like the book being character-driven was the best way to go about the story and the time it spans.
joannasbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
The Accidental Suffragist was a short book that was both inspiring and heartbreaking. Taking place in the early 1900s, it shows the struggle of the Suffragist movement snd the bravery these women had. Helen Fox joins the movement after her eldest daughter dies in a factory fire. Though her husband Albert isn’t totally on board with it, she finds a newfound purpose with the movement. I haven’t read a lot about this time period so I was fascinated and heartbroken by the sheer level of difficulty these women had in securing our right to vote, something that can be easily taken for granted nowadays. After reading this book I want to research this time period more and make sure the stories of these heroes are not lost.