Lissa Evans

It is 1928. Matilda Simpkin is a woman with a thrilling past and a chafingly uneventful present. In her youth, she was a militant suffragette. Jailed five times, she marched, sang, smashed windows and heckled Winston Churchill. But nothing since then has had the same depth, the same excitement. Now in middle age, Mattie is looking for a new purpose. Giving the wooden club she still keeps in her handbag a thoughtful twirl, she is struck by an idea - but what starts as a brilliantly idealistic plan is derailed by a connection with Mattie's militant past, one which begins to threaten every principle she stands for. Old Baggage is a funny and bittersweet portrait of a woman who simply refuses to give up the fight.

Old Baggage

'The work of a novelist in her prime' Daily Telegraph 'Wise and witty' Sarah Hughes, Observer 'Essential . . . Evans is a brilliant storyteller' Stylist What do you do next, after you've changed the world? It is 1928. Matilda Simpkin, rooting through a cupboard, comes across a small wooden club - an old possession of hers, unseen for more than a decade. Mattie is a woman with a thrilling past and a chafingly uneventful present. During the Women's Suffrage Campaign she was a militant. 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. Now in middle age, she is still looking for a fresh mould into which to pour her energies. Giving the wooden club a thoughtful twirl, she is struck by an idea - but what starts as a brilliantly idealistic plan is derailed by a connection with Mattie's militant past, one which begins to threaten every principle that she stands for. Old Baggageis a funny and bittersweet portrait of a woman who has never, never given up the fight. 'Utterly wonderful and intelligent' India Knight, Sunday Times Magazine 'A timely, bittersweet comic novel' Guardian 'This beautifully written story teems with atmosphere and perfect period detail but it's the brave and brilliant Mattie that makes it unforgettable' Sunday Mirror 'A thoughtful, funny, companionable novel, offering an invigoratingly fresh vantage on a well-trodden period' Patricia Nicol, Sunday Times

Wilde

I really hope they do a stage adaptation of this. Great read.

Pia Sophia

It's 1928. We follow Matilda "Mattie" Simpkin, an elderly woman who once was a Suffragette. 

This is a light, easy read. I did enjoy the feminist theme of this boo, although the conversations in the beginning of the book feel like an ongoing feminist quotation game. A little forced, I feel. But as the story procedes the feminist theme, and thereby the characterization of Mattie and the plot in itself, get more depth. 

During part two, around the middle of the book, I felt a little bored. I missed action and conflict. And then, the ending. It was super sudden. I don't know if I like it, but I don't dislike it either. 

All in all, it was cute.

As featured on BBC Radio 4 Good Reads 'A timely, bittersweet comic novel' Guardian What do you do next, after you’ve changed the world? ____________________ It is 1928. Matilda Simpkin, rooting through a cupboard, comes across a small wooden club – an old possession of hers, unseen for more than a decade. Mattie is a woman with a thrilling past and a chafingly uneventful present. During the Women’s Suffrage Campaign she was a militant. 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. Now in middle age, she is still looking for a fresh mould into which to pour her energies. Giving the wooden club a thoughtful twirl, she is struck by an idea – but what starts as a brilliantly idealistic plan is derailed by a connection with Mattie’s militant past, one which begins to threaten every principle that she stands for. Old Baggage is a funny and bittersweet portrait of a woman who has never, never given up the fight. ____________________ 'Essential . . . Evans is a brilliant storyteller' Stylist Lissa Evan's upcoming novel, V For Victory is available for pre-order now.

Old Baggage

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