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Emmy Nation: Undercover Suffragette (The Suffragette Nation) (Volume 1)
L. Davis Munro, author
Adult; General Fiction (including literary and historical); (Market)
A fascinating glimpse into often-overlooked aspects of women’s history, Emmy Nation: Undercover Suffragette follows a young typewriter girl as she struggles to survive on her own in 1913 London.
Emmy’s wages are far from sufficient to feed and clothe her properly, so when she’s offered a better-paying job with Scotland Yard she doesn’t hesitate to accept—even though it means spying on the seemingly harmless Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). She soon meets Edith, a wealthy suffragette, who promises to show Emmy the ropes.
When a man from her past takes over the Scotland Yard task force and questions her loyalty, Emmy accepts a risky mission from the WSPU to prove her value to both sides, only to wind up endangering herself and Edith and wondering for what or whom she’s actually fighting.
Honest, yet hopeful, about the hardships facing women in the early twentieth century, this story honors the human struggle for equality and serves as an ongoing reminder of the importance of standing up for your beliefs.
Plot/Idea: 7 out of 10
Originality: 8 out of 10
Prose: 4 out of 10
Character/Execution: 6 out of 10
Overall: 6.25 out of 10
Assessment:
After several violent attacks attributed to the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), London's Metropolitan Police turns to its typing pool and recruits Emmy Nation to go undercover with the organization. While the unique concept and heroine are appealing, action seems glossed over in favor of scenes heavy with anachronistic dialogue, which neither moves the plot along nor illuminates character motivations.
Date Submitted: June 12, 2016
