Old Baggage

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Mattie is also fond of sprinkling her speech with quotations from authors, historians and philosophers. There’s one that’s used in the book, and is extremely appropriate to the story, even if there seems to be some debate on who originated it.

At first, this seemed to be a simple story about someone whose glory days were long behind them – and that same person’s inability to cope with that fact. But it’s not nearly that simple. The ending was certainly surprising, but satisfying that Mattie and Florrie reconciled and Mattie was able to help Ida out both economically and with her child. I am reading Crooked Heart now, for which this book is a prequel, so I already know what Mattie does next. Initially, Mattie seems like somewhat of a comic figure. She’s an old battle axe who doesn’t seem to recognize that it’s time to put the axe up on the wall. While her mannerisms can be amusing, and her stubbornness is plenty infuriating to her friends and neighbors, she’s also right. Those two things don’t cancel each other out. Mattie feels she has no purpose in life. She's now middle aged and feels she is seen by others as old baggage. When Mattie meets an old suffragette friend who is now a facist, Mattie decides to take on a new challenge. Although this story can be a bit slow in parts, it can also be engaging and funny in others. It is quite informative on the facts about the suffragettes lives. You can't help but like Mattie, a wonderful character. She makes mistakes but is not afraid to fight for what she believes in.If Old Baggage was more companion to Crooked Heart than sequel, V for Victory unites the two stories. The characters of Heart are now living in the house which was so much the focus of Baggage. Mattie may be no longer physically present but even the reader can feel she is still very much there in spirit. Indeed, there are traces of sadness throughout the book for those absent friends from previous books. When a certain someone does make a reappearance, I got genuinely teary. But again, this is not a sad book. It is full of love. It's about finding people who will love you fiercely and never give up. And reading this final chapter to the tale conjures up the same feeling of satisfaction as when one slots the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle into place. London 1944. In a large house in Hemstead Heath, Vee Sedge is just about scraping by. She takes in lodges so that she can feed, clothe and educate her young charge, Noel. She witnesses a road accident and finds herself in court. But this could be potentially disastrous for Vee and Noel as neither of them are who they say they are. But Mattie has never given up the fight, and ten years later she is still on the lecture circuit, attempting to enlist a new generation of women into the cause. She’s failing, and her lectures are increasingly poorly attended. 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. There are some periphery characters who we’re given touching private moments with, but their individual dilemmas feel slightly left behind in the greater sweep of Mattie’s story. She’s undeniably the centre of the novel and she’s such a mesmerising figure she deserves to be the focus. But when she reaches a certain crisis point and fall from grace it feels like everyone else is somewhat short-changed in the process of her redemption. However, the pleasures of this novel are manifold and the skill demonstrated in rendering history in such a lively, complex way is so admirable. It also felt especially moving at the end of “Old Baggage” reading about the genesis of a substitute parent-child relationship which changes so dramatically at the beginning of “Crooked Heart”. Mostly I admire Lissa Evans’ creative and imaginative style of writing about ornery characters in a way that makes me love them. This was my first novel by Lissa Evans – but it certainly won’t be my last. I recently saw the film Their Finest – (which I loved) but only learned later that it was adapted from a novel by Lissa Evans, who I have followed on social media for a couple of years.

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 was such a well written historical novel. Told entirely in 3rd person, I got a good look into the lives of these people. The places are described beautifully, not that they are exactly beautiful, but I got a real feel for the locations. Also, the language and customs were right on point. This story takes place in England during WWII, so the slang required me paying close attention. It might be a bit difficult for readers who, like me, aren’t used to it. Also, there were a few gaps in the story but mostly when we were focused on Vee, who was the type of person to just take someone at their word.Together they cook up an idea. Criss-crossing the bombed suburbs of London, Vee starts to make a profit and Noel begins to regain his interest in life. When I finished reading Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans, my first thought was that it reminded me of a cross between Cold Comfort Farm, I Capture The Castle and Goodnight Mr Tom. Those aren't comparisons I would ever make lightly - in fact, it's about as strong an endorsement you could get from me. I listened to this book on audiobook narrated by Joanna Scanlan, and I highly recommend this method of reading this book as Joanna just impersonated the character of Mattie so so well, and if there was ever to be a movie made of this book, she is the only person who could play Mattie.

We were a battering ram, Mattie was won’t to say. Together, we broke down the door, but beyond that splintered door had been a dozen more doors, and scattered by their momentum, some women had tried one and some another, and some had given up and turned away and it seemed to The Flea that all that unity and passion had dissipated. Old Baggage by Lissa Evans The right was granted, under rather stringent conditions, in 1918 in the exhausted aftermath of World War I. At which point the movement towards women’s equality collapsed. (If this sounds familiar, let’s just say the pattern repeats). Not as much grifting, though, which was one of the things I adored about the previous novel. The story muddled a bit in the middle, with storylines I wasn’t sure would connect. It made things not as fast-paced or funny for me, and my heartstrings weren’t as taut as before. If you bring a car seat for an infant under 2 years of age and wish them to sit in this car seat for the duration of the flight, you will need to book an extra seat for them. You may bring a car seat on board for an infant or child if it is approved for flying.

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In a large house next to Hampstead Heath, Vee Sedge is barely scraping by with a herd of lodgers to feed and her young charge Noel, almost fifteen now, to clothe and educate. When she witnesses an accident and finds herself in court, the repercussions are both unexpectedly marvelous and potentially disastrous. Because Vee is not actually the person she's pretending to be, and neither is Noel.

Some women listened, some didn’t and to those that didn’t you just had to offer clear and simple advice and repeat it when needed. The other sort, though, presented a type of chink, which with gentle persistence you could widen into a doorway. Old Baggage by Lissa Evans Wartime is a time of "make-do". Mend and reuse older clothes, plant that Victory Garden to get vegetables, scam your neighbors, donate scrap to be used to make airplanes, etc. Hold it, "scam your neighbors"? How does THAT make the list? Well, read Lissa Evans' charming novel, "Crooked Heart", and you'll find out.”As the story begins, it’s 1928. Mattie is in her late 50s, and while she may not think of herself as old, it’s clear that others around her do. (I found this poignant and ironic at the same time as I’m older than Mattie but don’t see myself that way at all. It’s true that “old” starts at least 15 years past one’s own age) I think it was mostly convincing, but don't know much about the time period. History focuses on the World Wars, roaring twenties and the Great Depression, but 1928 seemed an uneventful year compared to those before and after, Great characters, once again: this time, we’re treated to a host of interesting boarders. There was subtle, English humor here, and once again, warmth and sympathy, especially for Vee. I got hints of students of mine when I read about Noel. I liked the relationship with Mario, the American soldier, and Gerry Jepson, a journalist and boarder. I enjoyed learning about Winnie, and her relationship with her twin, too.