Old Baggage

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As featured on BBC Radio 4 Good Reads'The work of a novelist in her prime' Daily Telegraph'Wise and witty' Sarah Hughes, Observer'Essential . However, Mattie is still frustrated by other inequalities between the sexes which persist and there’s also worrying fascist groups gaining in popularity – one of which is led by a former Suffragette. Perfectly timed for the centenary of the women's vote in 2018, OLD BAGGAGE takes a unique approach to the suffragette story. There’s a memorable scene in a jail where Mattie (as a victim of a crime) is expected to behave in a certain way, but her principles and resentment over the way police abused Suffragettes hilariously prevent her from complying and make her follow her own independent corrective actions.

Florrie hints at that when she tells Mattie that Ida is someone worth investing in, even if she does come from a poor background. The story also subtly shows how political ideas influence people and reverberate over the greater span of time. A reference to the Cat and Mouse Act, one of the pieces of legislation used to deal with the suffragettes. Old Baggage is less sweeping, a study of aftermath and let-down rather than wit and optimism, but no less affecting for that.While the primary journey of this novel was such a delight to read, I did feel that the story didn’t deliver an entirely satisfying conclusion for several strands within it. That is the sum total of living life, after all, counting costs and weighing benefits and, in the end, accepting the evidence of honest and trustworthy scales as The Truth. Mattie in short, is a woman who has energy, drive and a burning passion to make the world a better place.

Jailed five times, she marched, sang, gave speeches, smashed windows and heckled Winston Churchill, and nothing - nothing - since then has had the same depth, the same excitement. For example, some of those who come into contact with Mattie Simpkin, with her no-nonsense attitude and forthright manner, would probably regard her as a bit of an ‘old baggage’. Noel is bookish, with few friends, but he is very happy with Mattie, so, when she begins to lose her memory and act oddly, his life begins to fall apart. Jailed five times, she marched, sang, gave speeches, smashed windows and heckled Winston Churchill, and nothing – nothing – since then has had the same depth, the same excitement. She’s found a wooden club, something she hasn’t seen for a while, and along with it comes the memories she associates with that item.

Friends of mine have read and enjoyed and I'm looking forward to chatting about it when we next meet.