Scan barcode
hepalmer's review
4.0
wonderful book - covering "recent" swiss history and a wondeful overview of women's lives in the late 50s in Switzerland.
veecaswell's review against another edition
3.0
Always intrigued by anything remotely political and the perspectives of women, this book called to me when I saw it was up for request on Netgalley and I really am glad I did. Bringing together three different women with different perspectives and lives, this story gives so much in a small amount of pages and makes for reading you just fall into as soon as you begin.
Sharing perspectives of women as they vote to get the vote in Switzerland, this book gives us three women that are incredibly well written and explored within this novella so incredibly well and how injustices and the stereotypes they face make their lives more difficult while in the progress of a campaign that holds them back institutionally, switching focus between the women we learn so much about the their lives and how they handle the society they're in.
The plot is driven by these characters really throughout the book as they go about their lives and how the vote touches on their lives, even if lightly, with a message that doesn't make these characters smaller but definitely highlights just how important it is for women to have autonomy and be able to live their lives.
A great short read that feels particularly pertinent during women's history month.
(Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC for review).
Sharing perspectives of women as they vote to get the vote in Switzerland, this book gives us three women that are incredibly well written and explored within this novella so incredibly well and how injustices and the stereotypes they face make their lives more difficult while in the progress of a campaign that holds them back institutionally, switching focus between the women we learn so much about the their lives and how they handle the society they're in.
The plot is driven by these characters really throughout the book as they go about their lives and how the vote touches on their lives, even if lightly, with a message that doesn't make these characters smaller but definitely highlights just how important it is for women to have autonomy and be able to live their lives.
A great short read that feels particularly pertinent during women's history month.
(Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC for review).
katyoctober's review against another edition
5.0
My only complaint is that it’s too short :) I loved Claire O’Dea’s writing! Will certainly be looking for more of her.
bobthebookerer's review
4.0
This deceptively short book takes us through the lives of several women as they reflect on and fight for the right to vote. What I found fascinating was how the women's own personal struggles are reflected both through the lens of the various political challenges and referenda, and through their own creeping realisation of the sentiments shared around them.
It was a lovely book, and was a great look into what is still a staggering fact- that women in Switzerland had to wait so long to be able to vote.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It was a lovely book, and was a great look into what is still a staggering fact- that women in Switzerland had to wait so long to be able to vote.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
cheetahmom's review
5.0
"Voting Day" is an insightful and authentic historical novel, and I appreciated the attention the author gives to the subtle details of Swiss life. It's a quick and impactful read, and will be especially meaningful if you live/have lived in Switzerland. It's an important look into the not-so-distant past (Swiss women were not granted the right to vote or stand for election at the federal level until 1971).
veronika1235's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ruthie_the_librarian's review against another edition
3.0
Votes for women in Switzerland came unbelievably late in the 20th century, and this novella is set on the voting day in 1959 when women *still* didn't win the vote. Created through the stories of four very different yet linked women, this is a good, thought-provoking quick read. I enjoyed the different stories we saw, seeing the day to day lives these women were leading and the challenges they faced. I also particularly liked the way all the stories were tied together.
With thanks to NetGalley for my copy.
With thanks to NetGalley for my copy.
lory_enterenchanted's review against another edition
I was unsure during the first segment about a disgruntled farm wife, but once this set of linked stories moved on to the next segment I was hooked. Four Swiss women with four points of view (the outer two third-person, the inner two first-person), each of whom observes and comments on the others ... their stories deftly linked into a little chain that becomes a circle at the end, rounded out by their mutual concern with another character who at first seems to be only a minor distraction. It's a microcosm of a particular place and time in history that opens up a window into many human concerns that vex us to this day.
I don't want to give away more about the plot or characters because much of the pleasure of this slim narrative is observing how O'Dea builds it up, step by step, out of the lived experience of women's lives. On this historically significant day, these women are denied by male Swiss voters their right to participate politically in society, yet they retain the right to choose - to choose life, agency, empathy, and creativity over passivity, stasis and despair. Yes, all people deserve the right to cast a ballot, but it's our will to "vote" with our hearts that will ultimately determine our future.
I don't want to give away more about the plot or characters because much of the pleasure of this slim narrative is observing how O'Dea builds it up, step by step, out of the lived experience of women's lives. On this historically significant day, these women are denied by male Swiss voters their right to participate politically in society, yet they retain the right to choose - to choose life, agency, empathy, and creativity over passivity, stasis and despair. Yes, all people deserve the right to cast a ballot, but it's our will to "vote" with our hearts that will ultimately determine our future.
acullen's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0