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jgwc54e5's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this novella set in Switzerland on voting day, February 1959. The vote was a referendum for womens right to vote, two thirds of the men voted no. Women didn’t get the vote till 1971! The story itself is told from the point of view of four women loosely connected (a chapter each) then a epilogue. Each of the women represents a different aspect of society and it’s done really well. I felt for all the women; Vreni, a country housewife; her daughter, Margrit, who has moved to the city and is being sexually harassed by her boss; then Esther, a poor Yenish woman, whose son has been taken from her and is living with Vreni; and finally Beatrice, an older woman in hospital administration who has been helping Esther. I read this so quickly! I liked the writing, the interconnectedness of the story, it was an interesting look at the lives of these women.
lilianmelanie's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
eggcellent_reads's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lauralikesbooks's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
amalia1985's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
February 1959. Switzerland has decided on a referendum to give women the right to vote and today is voting day. Once more, the women of the country have to depend on men to choose ‘’what is right and proper’’ for them…
This novella is a quiet chronicle of how four women from different social backgrounds experience not only the day of the referendum but the circumstances that have defined their lives. A mother travels to Bern to meet her daughter who has found herself threatened by a despicable man, a young woman tries to find the means to provide for her son aided by a hospital administrator who is a fervent supporter of the campaign. In the faces and stories of Beatrice, Margrit, Vreni and Esther, an eternity of injustice, neglect, oppression, abuse and sheer tyranny is depicted. Motherhood and womanhood. Lack of opportunities and impossible choices. Life on the periphery of society because that is what the other half of the population has dictated.
Speaking in strictly literary terms, I was not impressed. The writing is simple, a bit dry at times, the dialogue ‘’sounds’’ jarring and the characters are nothing we haven’t seen before. But sometimes even books that can be called ‘’average’’ must be deemed necessary reads.
Why? Because Switzerland decided to grant the vote to the women of the country in 1971 (which is unthinkable…) Because we do not have the luxury to take anything for granted anymore.
Many thanks to Fairlight Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
christinecc's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A short and resonant novel about the solidarity and distance between women on a fateful day.
O'Dea's "Voting Day" is set on the titular day in Switzerland--specifically, the day of the February 1, 1959 referendum. But here is a non-spoiler: Swiss women won't get the vote at the federal level until 1971.
I didn't really know what to expect from this story, but it has a charming, head-hopping structure where each chapter is told from the point of view of a character that appeared in the previous section. One woman leads to the next, and it's fascinating to see the ties that link them to one person and pull them away from another. I cheered, I teared up, and I read quietly as O'Dea's characters gave us a small piece of human relationships, recognizable though incomplete. This is just a small fragment of something. A really good fragment.
Recommended for anyone who wants a short read driven by its characters and their day-to-day struggles together and apart.
Thank you to Netgalley and Fairlight Books for granting me an eARC of this book in exchange for honest review.
O'Dea's "Voting Day" is set on the titular day in Switzerland--specifically, the day of the February 1, 1959 referendum. But here is a non-spoiler: Swiss women won't get the vote at the federal level until 1971.
I didn't really know what to expect from this story, but it has a charming, head-hopping structure where each chapter is told from the point of view of a character that appeared in the previous section. One woman leads to the next, and it's fascinating to see the ties that link them to one person and pull them away from another. I cheered, I teared up, and I read quietly as O'Dea's characters gave us a small piece of human relationships, recognizable though incomplete. This is just a small fragment of something. A really good fragment.
Recommended for anyone who wants a short read driven by its characters and their day-to-day struggles together and apart.
Thank you to Netgalley and Fairlight Books for granting me an eARC of this book in exchange for honest review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual harassment
roshreviews's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
In a Nutshell: A power-packed novella that delivers a lot of thought-provoking content within a few pages.
Story:
1st February 1959. An ordinary Sunday almost everywhere. But for Switzerland, a day where the country’s future could be rewritten. This was the day Swiss men got to vote on whether Swiss women ought to get the right of suffrage. While the men were busy deciding the fate of this historic poll, what were the common Swiss women doing? We see this through the lives of four ordinary Swiss women:
Vreni – A farmer’s hard-working wife who is due for a medical procedure but is worried to leave her work behind;
Margrit – Vreni’s daughter who seems successful as an office worker in Bern but is battling a troublesome issue;
Esther – A hospital cleaner who has singlehandedly faced financial and other troubles since many years and is desperate to reunite with her son; and
Beatrice – The hospital admin who has worked hard for the campaign to get women the right to vote.
The intertwined fate of these four women changes a part of their future on voting day, even if it wasn’t the way they had anticipated.
The story comes to us in the third person perspectives of the four women, turn by turn. Vreni’s story first, followed by Margrit’s, Esther’s and finally Beatrice’s, before a combined finale.
The writing style took me a little time to get into, especially as there were too many characters at the start. But once I got into the groove, the book kept me hooked. Though it is just 113 pages long, it is not a quick read as the content will need you to read with concentration. But it is totally worth it.
What I loved is how the book focussed on common women and provided a glimpse of how their routine lives must have been. Like when one of the characters declares, “It seems like the solution for a better life is to find a man”, you won’t accuse her for such a declaration but understand where she is coming from. The issues these women face seem very relatable, even if some of them have nothing in common with us.
The book covers a whole range of themes, and each is written without being too obvious, thereby making you use your own capacities and thought process rather than being spoon-fed by the author. I loved this approach. Active reading is so much better than passively acceptance of ideas.
The author's note at the end reveals the background of that vote and its aftermath, and her rationale behind writing this story. Don’t skip it.
Definitely recommended.
4,25 stars.
My thanks to Fairlight Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “Voting Day”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
Story:
1st February 1959. An ordinary Sunday almost everywhere. But for Switzerland, a day where the country’s future could be rewritten. This was the day Swiss men got to vote on whether Swiss women ought to get the right of suffrage. While the men were busy deciding the fate of this historic poll, what were the common Swiss women doing? We see this through the lives of four ordinary Swiss women:
Vreni – A farmer’s hard-working wife who is due for a medical procedure but is worried to leave her work behind;
Margrit – Vreni’s daughter who seems successful as an office worker in Bern but is battling a troublesome issue;
Esther – A hospital cleaner who has singlehandedly faced financial and other troubles since many years and is desperate to reunite with her son; and
Beatrice – The hospital admin who has worked hard for the campaign to get women the right to vote.
The intertwined fate of these four women changes a part of their future on voting day, even if it wasn’t the way they had anticipated.
The story comes to us in the third person perspectives of the four women, turn by turn. Vreni’s story first, followed by Margrit’s, Esther’s and finally Beatrice’s, before a combined finale.
The writing style took me a little time to get into, especially as there were too many characters at the start. But once I got into the groove, the book kept me hooked. Though it is just 113 pages long, it is not a quick read as the content will need you to read with concentration. But it is totally worth it.
What I loved is how the book focussed on common women and provided a glimpse of how their routine lives must have been. Like when one of the characters declares, “It seems like the solution for a better life is to find a man”, you won’t accuse her for such a declaration but understand where she is coming from. The issues these women face seem very relatable, even if some of them have nothing in common with us.
The book covers a whole range of themes, and each is written without being too obvious, thereby making you use your own capacities and thought process rather than being spoon-fed by the author. I loved this approach. Active reading is so much better than passively acceptance of ideas.
The author's note at the end reveals the background of that vote and its aftermath, and her rationale behind writing this story. Don’t skip it.
Definitely recommended.
4,25 stars.
My thanks to Fairlight Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “Voting Day”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
dreesreads's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
A thoughtful little novel that looks at 4 Swiss women on 1 Feb 1959--the day the men of Switzerland voted against giving women the right to vote. These 4 women, all connected, represent the different choices Swiss women could make in their lives, and how no matter what women chose, men still had control of their lives. These men run the gamut from kind to cruel to criminal, but all expect the women in their lives to serve at their whim.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
manorclassics's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
This little novella tells the story of one day through the perspective of four different women. The day in question is 1st February 1959, when the men of Switzerland voted on whether or not to allow women to vote too. For three of the women, Vreni, her daughter Margrit, and Esther, the vote is far less important than their own personal concerns, and I actually enjoyed those parts most, especially the way Vreni and Margrit's story intertwined with Esther's. I liked that we got an epilogue at the end as well, which takes place a year later. I'm being vague on details because I really enjoyed how events unfolded and being surprised. Even though the book is short a lot happens, and we also get the backstory of each woman so I felt like I knew them well at the end. Overall a really good, tightly-plotted story that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Many thanks to the publishers, Fairlight Books, and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance review copy, it's much appreciated.
Many thanks to the publishers, Fairlight Books, and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance review copy, it's much appreciated.
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