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bmceleney's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death
pintsizedhelen's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
_hannah_j's review
5.0
This book was AMAZING !!!! Everyone please read it- you will never forget it ...
Happy reading ;-)
Happy reading ;-)
thelittlelibraian's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
lirael83's review
5.0
Absolutely loved it! It is both fantastically uplifting and kind of depressing at the same time. I think reading about the suffrage movement and the Great War and knowing how far we have come, but also how far we still have to go and the challenges faced in trying to achieve those goals. Also knowing that the characters are going to be facing another war in such a short time.
Really loved it, very gripping, would most definitely recommend!
Really loved it, very gripping, would most definitely recommend!
powisamy's review
5.0
One of my favourites of the year so far!
Being a History Student a book like Things A Bright Girl Can Do is clearly something that I would like to read, I mean a YA book about the Suffragettes movement, sign me up. Due to these high expectations, I was quite almost scared to read the book in case it did not reach them, however, I loved Things A Bright Girl Can Do and it quickly became one of my favourite books of the year.
Things A Bright Girl Can Do follows three girl's narratives over the First World War and their involvement with the Suffragettes movement and their varying situations. This was an aspect that I really enjoyed in the book as it showed the various different involvement in the movement due to their situation. Nicholls, therefore, does each narrative justice as all characters plots are interesting and kept me engaged.
Although I did like all three girl's narrative, Evelyn's did stand out for me as I really liked her relationship with Kit especially as he was quite supportive of her during the movement. Her plot also captures the trials of the movement especially force feeding that was quite difficult to read at times.
I, of course, really liked the relationship between May and Nell and it was really nice to see and develop a female-female relationship especially in the context of the period. I also liked the fact that the girls came from different backgrounds and experiences making it an interesting read.
The book also does a good job of pacing the story especially as it is set over the 4 years of WWI and does a good job of showing how this could change was still engaging throughout.
I guess this book did capture my heart in a historic way which is no surprise really as British and Women's History are some of my favourite types that I love to learn about and I just love how it was done and raced through it. It just captured my heart.
This book also has a very social history tone and uses the characters as people who could have been seen in the movement and I do just love this way of viewing history as it does give individuals a voice rather than looking at crowds. The last line of the book also just got me and I do just love this book.
The Verdict:
Things A Bright Can Do is a really great story following the Suffragette movement through the eyes of three different girls and captures the need of believing in something and doing whatever it takes to achieve it.
Being a History Student a book like Things A Bright Girl Can Do is clearly something that I would like to read, I mean a YA book about the Suffragettes movement, sign me up. Due to these high expectations, I was quite almost scared to read the book in case it did not reach them, however, I loved Things A Bright Girl Can Do and it quickly became one of my favourite books of the year.
Things A Bright Girl Can Do follows three girl's narratives over the First World War and their involvement with the Suffragettes movement and their varying situations. This was an aspect that I really enjoyed in the book as it showed the various different involvement in the movement due to their situation. Nicholls, therefore, does each narrative justice as all characters plots are interesting and kept me engaged.
Although I did like all three girl's narrative, Evelyn's did stand out for me as I really liked her relationship with Kit especially as he was quite supportive of her during the movement. Her plot also captures the trials of the movement especially force feeding that was quite difficult to read at times.
I, of course, really liked the relationship between May and Nell and it was really nice to see and develop a female-female relationship especially in the context of the period. I also liked the fact that the girls came from different backgrounds and experiences making it an interesting read.
The book also does a good job of pacing the story especially as it is set over the 4 years of WWI and does a good job of showing how this could change was still engaging throughout.
I guess this book did capture my heart in a historic way which is no surprise really as British and Women's History are some of my favourite types that I love to learn about and I just love how it was done and raced through it. It just captured my heart.
This book also has a very social history tone and uses the characters as people who could have been seen in the movement and I do just love this way of viewing history as it does give individuals a voice rather than looking at crowds. The last line of the book also just got me and I do just love this book.
The Verdict:
Things A Bright Can Do is a really great story following the Suffragette movement through the eyes of three different girls and captures the need of believing in something and doing whatever it takes to achieve it.
philtatosaxiom's review
4.0
This book was brilliant. I just simply loved looking through the eyes of these three unique protagonists who fought in their own ways to be listened. It was a pretty easy read but very intense!
I just loved Nell's charisma and personality: she is for me the one who was THE heroine of the book. She's the one who's evolves impressively from the beginning to the end. I have to admit that at first I had assumptions at how the author was portraying her but I just loved her in the end.
I got annoyed at May's petty and very childish attitude. I think that her naivety just ruined some passages for me, and I would have liked her to really feel how she hurt Nell especially, I did think that their "make-up" was quite quick, unrealistic and a bit fake? Otherwise, May was the perfect example of another face of women's emancipation and I liked that about the book. We had all different kind of behaviours among the movement which brought material and shape to the author's writing.
Evelyn' s story might be the one that I liked the less. I think that I got a bit disapointed for her that she gave up on her convictions so fast and especially, we don't get to know how she reacted when women got the vote. I would have had liked to get her opinion too as the three of them were the only protagonists of this book.
I just loved Nell's charisma and personality: she is for me the one who was THE heroine of the book. She's the one who's evolves impressively from the beginning to the end. I have to admit that at first I had assumptions at how the author was portraying her but I just loved her in the end.
I got annoyed at May's petty and very childish attitude. I think that her naivety just ruined some passages for me, and I would have liked her to really feel how she hurt Nell especially, I did think that their "make-up" was quite quick, unrealistic and a bit fake? Otherwise, May was the perfect example of another face of women's emancipation and I liked that about the book. We had all different kind of behaviours among the movement which brought material and shape to the author's writing.
Evelyn' s story might be the one that I liked the less. I think that I got a bit disapointed for her that she gave up on her convictions so fast and especially, we don't get to know how she reacted when women got the vote. I would have had liked to get her opinion too as the three of them were the only protagonists of this book.
zebac's review
4.0
Sally Nicholls is a super writer, and in May, Nell and Evelyn, she has created three engaging young women who are part of the Suffragette movement just before WW1. The book explores the impact of the War on their lives, and builds an evocative picture of the time. It ends a little abruptly, in something of a rush, but it is the sort of book that would really have enriched my understanding of the period when I was studying A level and churning my way through dates and impact of legislation. At times, structurally it feels a little disjointed, but there are moments of great power and insight.
annauq's review
4.0
Man i was sooooo excited when this came into our bookshop bc QUEER!!! SUFFRAGETTES!!! and i was not disappointed.
This was a really entertaining, lovely way to finish off the year. It’s fresh, it’s gripping, and thoroughly modern ya take on the historical novel. Issues of class and sexuality (race is... conspicuously absent) are explored with surprising depth, in the sense that they were talked about in exactly the opposite way i was expecting. One character cheerfully declares herself a Sapphist to another girl, and they gleefully make out without involving much of the usual angst. A mother is a “bolshevik sympathiser”; Suffragettes and Suffragists are discussed equally and at length; and the impact of world war 1 on women is laid out incredibly nuanced. Oh and there’s a lil bit of stuff about gender identity in it too. And toxic masculinity, and all the other good stuff.
14 year old me would have loved, loved, this book. 22 year old me still very much enjoyed it, and will be recommending it to lots and lots of 13+ year olds.
Mostly tho: QUEER SUFFRAGETTES WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE!!!
This was a really entertaining, lovely way to finish off the year. It’s fresh, it’s gripping, and thoroughly modern ya take on the historical novel. Issues of class and sexuality (race is... conspicuously absent) are explored with surprising depth, in the sense that they were talked about in exactly the opposite way i was expecting. One character cheerfully declares herself a Sapphist to another girl, and they gleefully make out without involving much of the usual angst. A mother is a “bolshevik sympathiser”; Suffragettes and Suffragists are discussed equally and at length; and the impact of world war 1 on women is laid out incredibly nuanced. Oh and there’s a lil bit of stuff about gender identity in it too. And toxic masculinity, and all the other good stuff.
14 year old me would have loved, loved, this book. 22 year old me still very much enjoyed it, and will be recommending it to lots and lots of 13+ year olds.
Mostly tho: QUEER SUFFRAGETTES WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE!!!