Old Baggage: A Novel

Written by Lissa Evans

Narrated by Jane Copland

#1 UK Bestseller

“A thoughtful, funny, companionable novel…executed with verve.”—London Times

The author of the acclaimed Crooked Heart returns with a comic, charming, and surprisingly timely portrait of a once pioneering suffragette trying to find her new passion in post-WWI era London.

1928. Riffling through a cupboard, Matilda Simpkin comes across a small wooden club—an old possession that she hasn’t seen for more than a decade. Immediately, memories come flooding back to Mattie—memories of a thrilling past, which only further serve to remind her of her chafingly uneventful present. During the Women's Suffrage Campaign, she was a militant who was jailed five times and never missed an opportunity to return to the fray. Now in middle age, the closest she gets to the excitement of her old life is the occasional lecture on the legacy of the militant movement.

After running into an old suffragette comrade who has committed herself to the wave of Fascism, Mattie realizes there is a new cause she needs to fight for and turns her focus to a new generation of women. Thus the Amazons are formed, a group created to give girls a place to not only exercise their bodies but their minds, and ignite in young women a much-needed interest in the world around them. But when a new girl joins the group, sending Mattie’s past crashing into her present, every principle Mattie has ever stood for is threatened.

Old Baggage is a funny and bittersweet portrait of a woman who has never given up the fight and the young women who are just discovering it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Apr 16, 2019
• ISBN: 9780062909664

Lissa Evans

Lissa Evans has written internationally bestselling books for both adults and children, including Crooked Heart, Old Baggage, and Their Finest Hour and a Half, which was made into the feature film Their Finest. Her books have twice been longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. She lives in London with her family.

Reviews for Old Baggage

[lorelai2_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lissa Evans brings forth the early struggles of twentieth century feminism in her latest novel,Old Baggage.Living in 1928 London, Mattie Simpkins is no longer on the front lines of the suffragette movement. Instead, she and her good friend Flossie are leading calmer lives, although she does miss some of the excitement from those days.However, Mattie finds herself called back into action as an encounter with a former ally alerts her to a new generation being manipulated into supporting the cause of fascism. Teaming up with Flossie, she forms a group who call themselves Amazons, determined to encourage young women into seeking higher education rather than getting the traditional "Mrs." degree.While this new group revives Mattie's spirits, one of their latest members, a woman named Inez, threatens to quickly undo all of her fresh efforts. This look at the old school fight for women's rights feels as if it can teach us modern gals a little something about our struggles today.

[paradiseporch · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Matilda (Mattie) Simpkin, former suffragette, 1928-1929. She has large old house that an inheritance helped her buy. She occasionally speaks on the topic of women’s rights & their recent history in Britain. In this book, she is joined at “the Mousehole” by The Flea (Florrie) who cooks for her keep. The Flea dies near the end of the book. Mattie starts a girls’ club called the Amazons, mainly to engage red-headed Ida whom she hit on the jaw with a flung bottle while Mattie was chasing a purse-snatcher. Her club grows and she is eventually joined by Inez, who as it happens is her dead brother’s daughter (but doesn’t know it). Ida is put through nursing school by Mattie and, at the end of the book, is departing for a position in Malta, but leaves her son with Mattie. The son was from a teen pregnancy and had been adopted by a rich couple. After the child was mildly crippled by polio at age 1, he was put in a home and left behind when the couple return to Australia. Ida has stolen him out on the eve of her departure.Pg21 People always stared. If one didn’t creep around, if one said what one thought, if one shouted for joy or roared with anger, if one tried to get things done, then seemingly there was no choice but to be noticeable. She couldn’t remember a time when her path hadn’t been lined with startled faces; they were her reassurance that progress was being made. 5 stars and I need to find other books by this author!

[herenya_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The audiobook caught my eye when I was looking through the library catalogue and ended up being of my favourite books last year. It’s 1928 and Mattie Simpkin, a now-middle-aged militant suffragette, lives in Hampstead with her friend Florrie Lee (aka The Flea). Mattie gives lectures about the suffragettes but realises she’s not reaching the younger generation. So she starts a club for “healthy outdoor fun” for teenage girls, the Amazons. This is a delightful yet bittersweet story about friendship and loss and the opportunities available for women, very aware that not everyone has the same privilege Mattie has, of being able to be herself so loudly. Mattie is wonderfully forthright -- she’s amusing, engaging and informative when it comes to things she’s passionate about -- but she’s also fallible. I liked how this story embraces found family, but I don’t wholly agree with its conclusions about blood relations. Especially as I thought it was obvious that Mattie’s mistakes were very much choices she made and not unavoidable consequences of caring about someone due to a family connection or sentimentality. Anyway, there are a few lines in the final chapter that I would like to argue with, but nevertheless I still really, really enjoyed this. “Ida is neither a nanny nor a nursemaid,” said Mattie, overhearing. “She is a fellow Amazon, who brings her own array of knowledge and ability to add to our commonwealth. We shall pool our strengths and divide our weaknesses, and the whole shall be greater than the sum of the parts.”“Like a Trades Union,” said Freda. “My people are socialists,” she added. “I’m already persona non grata in the Girl Guides, after I told Brown Owl that I thought Great Britain should be a republic. Did you know that you could win an Empire Badge by naming Crown colonies?”“Can we have badges in the Amazons?” asked Avril.Mattie nodded. “If that is the wish of the majority.”

[edwardsgt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A prequel to Cruel Heart introducing Mattie Simpkin, a veteran of the Suffragette movement and who is still fighting g battles at the end of the 1920s. Interesting characters and throws an interesting light on life in that period, in particular the rise of fascism and the constant battle of women for equality.

[quondame · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A human story set in the aftermath of the British suffragette movement. After breaking down barred doors one finds more barred doors and life goes on.

[kwharton-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this one, but I was disappointed that a book about feminists with lots of comments about class contained several racist terms (mainly metaphors). I suppose the one about "a Chinawoman" with bound feet might be excused as the character thinking about women's situation, and the others to create a feeling for the time it was set, but they were unnecessary.

[sandyamcpherson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was very taken with the view Lissa Evans presented of the British suffragettes and what they endured.The author did her research really well, but some of the details left me wondering how much of the fiction was fact. Not that it matters. The story is more about women's lives going forward after the hard-fought battle of getting their voting rights.Evans shone a much-needed spotlight on a stark piece of history ~ the rise fascism in Britain back then is a parallel (to some degree) to current intolerance, racism and militarism. The treatment of women, together with the adherence to status (class), as stated "once a char girl, always a char" was brought forward very clearly. However, I can see that the reader's background and personal philosophy about womens' place in society plays a substantial part in how the narrative of Old Baggage is perceived. It's a very idiosyncratic perception on my part.The story puts a conversational in-the-now approach to detailing Mattie Simpkin's character and how she copes in the post-war society of the 1920's. There are many instances of heart-rending angst for Mattie and the supporting characters. Evans does an excellent job of conveying these women's lives as they struggle to find other outlets for their political activism and their growing awareness as they realize that so little really changed in the lives of women and their acceptance as 'persons'.My biggest niggle with the novel came when the competition between the two youth groups on the Heath was described. This was a watershed moment in the book after which the plot seemed to have lost its way --- an unexpected (unheralded?) development was confusing, perhaps not quite relevant, and essentially side-lined the main story.

[richardderus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Real Rating: 4.25* of fiveMore than four, just not quite up to a whole half-star up. For all that I liked the read, it was very sentimental and a bit heart-stringy.No one who lives, fully lives, their life escapes without regrets and anger and bad feelings trailing behind them like farts. But the best, the luckiest, of us find that the trip forward is much less bitter and lonely when we offer real apologies for the hurts and harms we've done. Unthinking unkindnesses, impatient snappings, all can be mitigated with a simple and sincere "I am sorry." It doesn't fix anything, but it makes the damage feel cushioned.Mattie Simpkin does a lot of damage. But she is truly, genuinely sorry for it, says so, and accepts the consequences. Her sadness comes from the times that her energy led her to thoughtless action and devastating damage that can't be forgiven. She is sad a lot.Miss Florrie Lee isn't like that. She's a quieter sort, one whose means of expression are indirect and understated. She does what she can to prevent Mattie's awkward, barging ways from causing too much pain—out of concern for others, you understand, never for herself. Until one memorable moment it *is* for herself.What happens isn't really the point; the story is about people whose love for each other is the breath of life for them. And how much that costs. And who, in the end, must pay for 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.I hope you'll enjoy the read, and I do very much wish that you'll read it.

[copperskye · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Old Baggage is the story of two suffragettes who had spent their lives working in the movement to give women the right to vote. With that right won, they are still trying to make a difference in the lives of young British women, post WWI. I loved the characters, the light humor, and learning about the woman’s sufferance movement. The historical elements and the location, Hempstead Heath, had me googling historical figures, maps, and photos, which is always fun and enlightening. The book is also a timely reminder that for women, the right to vote was a hard-fought battle. Unfortunately, the plot was a bit weak and the story never really took off for me. It would start to move along and then get bogged down in a lecture. Still, the ending had me wishing for more and then I discovered that this is actually a prequel to the author’s Crooked Heart. I’m looking forward to it now.

[beamis12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The year is 1928 and the vote has finally been given to all women 21 or older. Mattie, was one of the Suffragettes, remembers well their mistreatment at the hands of the police. Remembers being thrown in jail, the hunger strikes and all the nasty newspaper articles. Yes, she is much older now, but doesn't rest on her laurels, rather she travels and gives speeches about the Suffragette movement, complete with slides. A chance encounter with a past comrade in arms, has Mattie starting a club for teenage girls. She wants the new women prepared to take on any challanges they will face. A new member of the club will bring Mattie face to face with her past, and cause her to almost lose one dearest to her.This is a prequel to this authors novel, Crooked heart, which I very much enjoyed. It is a poignant look back, but also has moments of ironic humor. A novel of family, friendship and an endearing but flawed lead character. In the end, after numerable mistakes, mishaps, will Mattie be wise enough to cherish what she almost let's go? The ending was a little abrupt, but provides a new challenge to the formidable Mattie.ARC by Edelweiss.

[bonniemarjorie · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

DNF @ 10%The story of an elderly suffragette who now leaves a comfortable life decides to leave that comfort behind and get out there and continue to make a difference. Maybe I didn’t give it long enough but such a powerful subject matter needed to be more engaging. The writing was well done and the historical research was evident but it was, unfortunately, a bit dry.

[eyejaybee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was an unqualified delight. Set in 1928 and 1929, it focuses on the life of Mattie Simpkin. Mattie lives in Hampstead and is a former militant suffragette, whose vociferous and committed campaigning for the cause of votes and equal representation and entitlement for women, had seen her imprisoned on five occasions. Now nearing sixty, Mattie’s zest for life and her ardour for fairness and equality in life remain undimmed, although they are seldom appreciated by her neighbours. She regularly expounds her views, and lifestyle tips, through her weekly column in the local paper, the Hampstead and Highgate Express, and she is a familiar figure striding purposefully across Hampstead Heath. Indeed, as the novel opens, she is engaged in one such walk, rendered more memorable when a man lopes past and snatches her bag before running off at a great pace. Ever resourceful, Mattie burrows in her pocket where she finds a miniature bottle of whisky, which she hurls with unexpected vigour at her assailant. Unfortunately, the bottle misses its intended target, with consequences that will resonate throughout the rest of the story.Mattie is a beautifully crafted character, as is ‘The Flea’, her companion, and Lissa Evans uses them to paint a vivid picture of the Suffragette campaign. As a leading figure in the long struggle for female enfranchisement, Mattie and the Flea had encountered all of the leading Suffragette figures, including the Pankhurst family. Relations between some of the former campaigners are no longer always amicable, and as Mattie endeavours to encourage the Amazons, a troupe of local girls whom she is seeking to engage in a range of educative and improving activities, she finds herself reluctantly drawn into competition with a former Suffragette colleague who has established a similar band of followers whom she is attempting to inculcate with Imperial aspirations.Lissa Evans scores a great success, combining a brief history of the Women’s Suffrage movement, close observation of the trials of life for large families during the depressed inter-war years, and a heart-warming story about keeping one’s earlier principles alive as one ages. Lest that make the novel sound too dry and self-righteous, nothing could be further from the truth. Evans delivers her story with a light touch, and great humour, in a thoroughly enchanting prose style. This was one of those books where the desire to hurry on to finish it to see how the various threads of the story might be resolved competed with the desire to slow down in order to savour the experience for as long as possible.

[upinthestacks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Old Baggage contains important feminist themes by focusing on a former British Suffragette in the late 1920's to 1930's after women have been granted the right to vote. Mattie and her good friend, nicknamed The Flea, continue their fight for feminism by creating a group called The Amazons for young women to have discussions and learn skills that are typically reserved for men. The characters in this novel were very interesting. I enjoyed reading about Mattie, The Flea, and many of the other characters including one of the girls in the group who's mother (who had passed away when she was a baby) had been a Suffragette with Mattie. My only problem with this novel was that most of the story relied on the circumstances that happened before the events of this novel. I really liked reading about the suffrage movement, and felt the discussion of the women's prison cells used for the women who had been arrested during the peaceful fight for the right to vote was eye-opening. Unfortunately these were only small parts of the book and I felt that not a lot was happening in this story.

[jslantz1948 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable read about suffragettes “after the struggle” a topic which is not often covered in novels. Interesting information about the movement, the different women with different motivations United in the struggle to gain for women their rights, especially the right to vote. Now years later Mattie Skmplin finds herself at loose ends, living a routine, nonproductive life. And the an opportunity presents itself for her to continue her mission.

[gmathis_7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a book about strong women--particularly one Matilda Simpkin, former militant suffragette, now of a certain age and determined to pass her philosophy on to a new generation. She does so through the formation of a girls' club that's part Girl Guides, part Socrates, and part hare-brained but organized chaos. On the surface, this is an easy and sometimes hilarious read; once you ponder it, you'll discover a wealth of deeper ideas that deserve your attention as well.

[kimaoverstreet · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel is a bit slow to start and a bit rushed at the ending, but the pages in between make the reading very worthwhile! Written in the style of a novel from the early 1900’s, the period in which it is set, Old Baggage is the story of an aging suffragette in London in the years between the World Wars. Reflecting on her life and searching for a new way to find meaning, protagonist Matilda Simpkin starts a girls’ club called the Amamzons to prepare teenage girls to be strong in mind and body so they are prepared to grasp every opportunity in changing times. Facism is rearing its ugly head and the political messages of the time resonate today. Conflict arises when a new girl joins the group who brings Mattie’s past in conflict with her memories and ideals.

[charl08-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a great novel, it made me want to go back and read her previous book in which the main character first appears. Mattie is a former suffragette now in her early 60s trying to deal with the failure of the vote for some women making significant differences to the lives to all women by the late 1920s, as well as the fallout personally after WW1. Evans brings together a wonderful liveliness as well as lightly weaving together suffragette memories, repercussions and in 'the Flea', also documenting the very real hardships many working class families faced in the 1920s and 30s before the NHS and social welfare for all.Also made me laugh out loud.