4 out of 4 stars
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Mistress Suffragette by Diana Forbes is a historical fiction written in a classical style. It follows the protagonist of the novel Penelope Stanton, during the gilded age in Newport, Rhode Island. The novel begins with the impoverished Stanton's attending a ball where the main objective is for Penelope to find a suitor of good standing. At this Memorial Day Ball is where we meet our antagonist Edgar Daggers. Throughout the story Penelope must maneuver the villainous advances of the daggers, all while on a journey of self discovery and coming of age.
This book was a very fast read for me. The writing style was very fluid, and easy to follow. I was always aware of what setting I was in, and what character was speaking. The sequence of events was easy to follow. I loved Penelope and Verdanda’s relationship; their relationship was so natural and believable I felt like I was reading about actual friends. The same could be said about the world, time, and character building. I felt like this was a true retelling of a historical event. I felt like these could be real events, that happened to real people, and that's always refreshing to read.
The protagonist experienced many relatable obstacles while on her path of self discovery. She had very real human attributes that any woman or even man could relate to. As for the antagonist he was as villainous and Penelope was naive. As the story progressed you might have moments of understanding, but never fear the disgust will soon return.
Despite all the great things about this book there were some things I did not like. One of them being Penelope’s tendency to let people walk all over her. She did grow as a character, but there were many times throughout the book when she just let people run her over, or she let he feelings get the best of all. It was good that these things were added because it makes the story more realistic but it did cause frustration.
I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars. This was an excellent book. The writing was great, and flowed naturally; The Character development was also fluid and natural. The overall writing allowed for an immersive experience while reading and was the main reason for the rating of this book.
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Mistress Suffragette
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