Old Baggage by Lissa Evans- a Short Introduction and Extract

Hi Everyone!

Today I thought I would share something else. Recently, I read Old Baggage by Lissa Evans. It is such an inspiring book with such humor it was a joy to read. I got it for Christmas last year but only just found time to read it. So instead of just sharing a review and a short description of the book, i will share an extract as well.

Mattie Simpkin is a rather a character: she knows what she wants and won't give up until she is satisfied. We first meet her in Crooked Heart, when her godson is evacuated to the country. But her days in the Suffragetts are now only a distant memory and Mattie is trying to find something else to fill her time. She forms the Amazons, a group of daring girls who are taught to have a mind and to be an individual. She makes a close friend and everything runs smoothly. But she comes face to face with a figure from her past. She ends up going against every principle she stands for...

I will not spoil the end but all I can say is that it left me with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye. This book is unforgettable: Mattie really is a woman with a mind of her own!

An extract:

'Mattie shook her head. "I'm afraid that I don't consider militarism an introduction to a wider world."

"It's not militarism but discipline. You'll find that very little can be achieved without it."

"Discipline need not include drills and uniforms- good God, every woman here today could verify that. Obedience should come from the will, not from the whip."

"I'm talking about self-discipline."

"The Amazons have plenty of self-discipline."

"Yes," said Jacko."We've seen them. Scampering around the Heath."

"Rabbits scamper. My girls are hares and foxes, fit, alert and brimming with initiative."

Jacko smiled. "One hardly dares to point  out what happens to hares and foxes in real life."

"In real life they learn to survive" said Mattie. "As so many in uniform did not survive, blindly obeying." '

I loved this book and I hope you can see just how stubborn Mattie is!

Happy reading Everyone!


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