The Accidental Suffragist

by Galia Gichon

It's 1912, and protagonist Helen Fox is a factory worker living in New York's tenements. When tragedy strikes in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Helen is seduced by the Suffragist cause and is soon immersed, working alongside famous activists. As Helen's involvement with the cause deepens, she encounters myriad sources of tension that test her estrangement from her husband, who is blindsided by his wife's sudden activism; ostracization by neighbors; unease at working side by side with wealthier suffragettes; and worry about her children as she leaves them to picket the White House in Washington. The narrative spans World War One and concludes with the triumph of 1919. In a time when the obstacles for women, from any background, were insurmountable, Helen discovers her voice as an independent woman and dreams of equality in a male-dominated society.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Feminism, Womens Fiction

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2021

About the author

Widely quoted in The New York Times and more, Galia Gichon spent nearly ten years writing financial research for top investment banks before launching Down-to-Earth Finance, a top personal financial advising firm in New York.


Galia is the author of My Money Matters, a personal finance book which received notable press from the New York Times, TODAY Show, CNN, Newsweek, Real Simple and more. Galia Gichon consistently leads seminars for Barnard College where she has taught for 13 years, and other organizations. She is an avid angel investor focusing on women-led and impact startups and actively counsels startups through accelerators.

Reviews

[TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Accidental Suffragist is set during the early 1900s in New York. Helen Fox works in a factory and lives in a tenement. A tragic fire hits her factory, and later, Helens becomes entrenched in the Suffragist cause.

Helen becomes more involves in the movement, and her life changes with issues in her marriage. Likewise, those who live around her judge her for her activities and see her as a threat. She also has children to support and care for while she balances her important activist activities.

I’m happy to see the book follows Helen’s story through 1919, when women are finally afforded the right to vote. This time period has always fascinated me because my grandmothers were extremely young at the time, and yet so extremely affected by this (long overdue) change in our country.

Helen is a strong character, and her story is well-written, complex, and inspiring. Thank goodness for the women of the suffragist movement, who risked it all in their personal lives to make this advancement a reality.

Overall, The Accidental Suffragist is a slim book full of heart and inspiration.

I received a gifted copy.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

[Brandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Accidental Suffragist, it’s 1912 and Helen Fox is a mother working in a NYC factory. When tragedy strikes at another factory, it directly impacts Helen’s family and she becomes swayed by the women’s suffragist movement. Helen begins working for the cause with well-known activists, much to her husband Albert’s chagrin – This isn’t what women in their neighborhood do, but Albert reluctantly grants Helen permission to travel and attend the March on Washington.

As Helen becomes more enmeshed in the movement, her domestic and parental responsibilities begin to fall aside a bit. While this is fiction and set just over 100 years ago now, it’s disappointing that certain expectations still remain in some, but not all, cases. The story follows Helen and the movement through 1919, when women were finally granted the right to vote – Along the way, the suffragists face resistance and taunting from both men and women, as well as uncertainty during WWI. The writing in The Accidental Suffragist was a little simple, but it was an easy read and a reminder of all the work demanded of previous generations of women to get where we are today.

It’s hard for me to truly picture a time when women didn’t have the right to vote and it feels unfathomable that women often couldn’t even get their own bank accounts or credit cards until the 1970s! While we are witnessing a terrifying resurgence of the roll back of human rights again, or more appropriately, still, in 2023, I appreciate what so many women have done in the past and continue to do now.

[Bonnie DeMoss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is gritty historical fiction set in a time when women had few rights, and their fight for the right to vote would get dirty and even bloody. The protagonist, Helen, is a poor housewife in New York City who also has to work and eke out a meager existence for her family. She has just lost her daughter in a factory fire and her whole family is hurting. She stumbles into a job with the Suffragettes, who are fighting for the right to vote for women. Her husband’s actions puzzle me throughout the book. He is a piece of work who is supposed to love her deeply, but 21st Century women will probably not see any evidence of that. He stands as a symbol for what the average man thought and did at that time. Helen’s actions show tremendous growth throughout this book, but not as much growth as I would have wished. That being said, I think that this is a very real depiction of what life would have been like for women of that time period, and although I would have liked Helen to stand up to her husband more, that is probably not realistic. Women of that time period were treated like property, and it did not change overnight.

The description of the protest in Washington DC and what happened afterward is as realistic as it is horrifying. The Accidental Suffragist is the very definition of real historical fiction. This is no fairy tale. This book is about the suffering and subjugation of women in American in and prior to the early 20th Century, and the blowback, indignation, and violence that resulted from their fight to rise above it.

[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Accidental Suffragist is set in the tenements of New York circa First World War when women gave of and risk their lives to fight for the insurmountable obstacles against women in a world dominated by men and societal burden against women’s rights. Though the story is set in 1912, the themes and historically accurate and rich details speaks to the modern woman in this perfectly timed read.

Helen Fox is a protagonist that will long stay in my heart as a character that is endearing, inspirational and fascinating to read about. For historical fiction readers and new to the genre this is a must read.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://youtu.be/tOHbwYk-uEg

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love historical fiction and so I did really enjoy the historical aspects of this book as it moved through key moments in the last several years of the suffrage movement and I learned about some events that I was not aware of before.
However, I felt like this story could have been much more fleshed out. I’d call it historical fiction LITE. Almost like a beach read - fast to get through and nothing too deep in it. The characters were flat and the narrative and dialogue was often awkward, but it was still readable. Overall, an average book.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helen Fox was a wife and mother of a struggling family living in a tenement in a poor area of New York. Helen and her husband both worked in factories along with their oldest daughter barely making enough to feed their family and keep a roof over their heads. A family tragedy struck at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory that threatened to tear their family apart. As Helen stood in shock at the factory, leading suffragist Harriot Stanton Blatch swoops in to offer help and sympathies. Through her help and friendship Blatch introduces Helen to the cause of suffrage for women. By joining the cause with other suffragists, Helen's life changes, and not always for the better.

This novel covers the work of leading suffragists through Helen's eyes from 1912 through 1919 and touches on themes of factory work conditions and unionization, World War I, tenement housing, and economic/class disparity.

This appears to be the author's first work of fiction and I thought it was well done. The reader gets invested in Helen's life and family. You want to cheer Helen on when as she becomes a bold suffragist, standing up for herself while balancing a family and husband with traditional values. I thought there were a few awkward grammatical issues here and there, but the storyline is solid. I think I would have liked a little more to the ending as I felt things were hanging a little between Helen and her husband, and some of her family and friends. I also would have liked to have seen more connections to neighbors besides the one friend who helped the family out from time to time. I think there could have been a good sub-story there. Overall though, I thought the book was a good effort for a first novel.

I received this book gratis through the publisher for an honest review.

[Dawnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A historical novel set in 1900's New York about a courageous woman named Helen Fox, who is a factory worker. Helen jumps into the suffrage movement. The more involved she becomes the more problems it gives her with her husband, children and society. Her remarkable ability to balance family, having a son away in the war. She was willing to risk everything. This really had me thinking about that time period. The many things women went through, how society viewed women and the sacrifices the brave women before me made during the turn of the century. A truly remarkable story, richly detailed in history.

Dawnny Ruby
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

We know there were some persistent women in the early 1900s that battled for the rights of women, especially to vote. This novel is a look into that movement and while fiction, some of the events did happen such as the protest in Washington with many suffragettes arrested, jailed, beaten, and abused by those that held them captive. 

Helen may not have ever expected to end up working for a suffragette movement but when her daughter is killed in a factory fire, she happened to be in the right place at the right time to meet some of these women. It was hard to read how many women in that time had to ask permission from their husbands to take a different job, go on a trip, and so much more. I know that was very common at that time, but we have come a long way and I am thankful to these women that fought for my rights as I have them today.

Helen thrives in this new position and while she knows not many women in her neighborhood would stand with these women to march, she knows that she is doing it for them and for her daughters so that they do not have to end up working in a low-end job. It is a hopeful book because we see the results of the efforts of women such as Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her daughter Harriet Stanton Blatch, who fought for our rights and didn't back down. While many of the women were not from poorer families, they still fought for all women to be considered equal. I would like to think I would have been one of the women protesting and marching to make this world a better one.

We also see the relationship with Helen's husband evolve. It isn't always smooth sailing but perhaps that was because he was frustrated in his life and couldn't see the silver lining. He didn't understand what motivated her until he found a cause he could get behind in his own life regarding his job. I think that opened his eyes to what motivated Helen.

Overall this is a fascinating book that might make you appreciate what these women endured to make our lives better. 

We give this book 4 paws up.

[ᒪᗴᗩᕼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3¾⭐

MOODS
➨ Historical Fiction Based in Truth
➨ The fight for Women’s Suffrage
➨ Feminism

This felt more like a history lesson wrapped in a story…when it should have been more of a story wrapped in a history lesson. Despite that…I did enjoy it because the history lesson was a much-needed one, I think. I really didn’t know the depth that these women went through to get us the right to vote. It was enlightening and made me feel a little humbled for any time I skipped exercising my right to vote…which I haven’t done recently but I have done in the past.

➨ Narrated by: 🎙️ Sarah Mollo-Christensen 📣 She was good…but I think I prefer her in a thriller setting.

Total Score 7.29/10 | Opening-8 | Characters-7 | Plot-7 | Atmosphere-7.5 | Writing Style-7 | Ending-7 | Overall Enjoyment- 7.5

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Kelsey at Book Publicity Services for sending me an advance ebook copy of The Accidental Suffragist by Galia Gichon, out on June 1st. I love historical fiction and I love stories about strong women so I knew this was a book for me.

It is compulsively readable, and I couldn’t put it down. Helen Fox is a factory worker who meets suffragist activists after a terrible tragedy. When she is offered the chance to work for them, she is met with opposition, especially from other women in her neighborhood and her husband Albert.

She accepts though, and finds a new confidence in herself, working for a cause she believes in. The author includes some real life women to fight alongside Helen, including Harriet Stanton Blatch, who worked with Susan B. Anthony and started The American Woman Suffrage Association, and Alice Paul, who famously went on a hunger strike to protest her arrest after a peaceful protest.

If you are interested in the history of the women’s movement and the women who fought for DECADES for our right to vote, I think you will enjoy this book. It’s interesting to read this especially now when, 100 years later, we have our first female Vice President.

We still have a long way to go in smashing the patriarchy, but it’s nice sometimes to reflect on how far we have come.

[Bookoholiccafe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is a story about women’s movement history, with strong female characters. Set in New York in 1912, Helen, who is a factory worker, meets a suffragist activist after her daughter was in the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. When she was given the offer to join the women's suffragist movement in New York, she couldn’t refuse it. Albert, her husband is often hesitant, but he believed that things need to change and was always there for Helen.
As we read the story, we get to know about all the suffering these women had to overcome to fight for their rights. I felt like I was suffering alongside Helen when she left her home for the first time to join the Suffragists' march. it was so painful when she got arrested and tortured for days.
I was not at all familiar with suffragists and this was a new topic for me. The strength these women showed was empowering. I found it really interesting that some characters were real-life women fighting alongside Helen. I enjoyed the storyline and strong characters in this book.
I recommend this book to those who enjoy Historical Fiction with powerful female characters.

Many thanks to Suzanne Leopold for having me on this tour.

[Maria Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Accidental Suffragist
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It's 1912, and Helen Fox is a factory worker living in New York's tenements. When tragedy strikes in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Helen is seduced by the Suffragist cause and is soon immersed, working alongside famous activists. As her involvement with the cause deepens, she encounters myriad sources of tension that test her perseverance: estrangement from her husband, who is blindsided by her sudden activism; ostracization by neighbors; unease at working with wealthier suffragettes; and worry about her children as she leaves them to picket the White House.

*thank you @bookpublicityservices for the #gifted copy*

I almost never take review requests via DM to focus on my unread shelf, but when I read the synopsis, I knew I needed it on my shelf. I love historical fiction, and I love reading stories about strong women.

Helen’s character was so well written, but I felt some of the other characters could have been more fleshed out. I wanted to know more about the backstories of women she met and worked with.

I absolutely loved the historical aspect of this book. I learned so much about events that I didn’t to now much about before and it has me wanting to read even more about the movement.

If you’re looking for a good historical fiction novel, this is it. It comes out June 1

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Heather Frimmer and A Novel Bee (FB).

The title was so appropriate. I don't think I've ever read about women suffragists before and the things they went through to get women's right to vote passed years later.

Helen never meant to join and only saw one rally on the streets of New York. She did it for her late daughter Abigail who was killed in the Triangle factory fire at age 12. It starts off just with peaceful rallies and then ends up in Washington, DC where they picket the White House to get President Wilson's approval. They end up getting arrested and sent to prison where horrible things happen that were hard to read. It's unbelievable that her family didn't find out about this until 2 months later when she returned. Didn't their families contact the local police? I know it was the early 1900s and things were different but still.

On another note, this was not an ARC but it had a few errors that should have been caught by editors or whomever was reading it. It was not a deterrent but distracting all the same. Also, they were living in the tenements in New York, and the words they used like Chap and ya were like they were born in a foreign country or living in one.

[rendezvous_with_reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for a gifted copy of this book.

This novel made me appreciate why women were keen to demand a voice in the early 1900s. At a time when many women were helping to support their families by working in factories with low wages, long hours, and terrible conditions; they were feeling oppressed from all sides. Helen Fox longs for a better life, but goes along with the status quo until tragedy strikes. When it does, kindness is shown to Helen by couple suffragists in her hour of need. Their compassion moves them to offer Helen a job that opens her up to the suffrage movement. Though she accepts the job because of a much needed wage increase, she soon finds herself joining in the fight. The author takes Helen from a despondent, grieving woman, to a confident one who finds her voice. Along the way, this transformation also brings change and conflict to her marriage and family life. I enjoyed this realistic, compelling and historically detailed novel about such a fascinating time in women's history. 

[Christine M in Texas (stamperlady50) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Accidental Suffragist
By: Galia Gichon
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
1912- Helen Fox is working in a factory and living in the tenements of New York. Her family is struggling to keep food on the table. Her oldest daughter ends up working to help support her family.
🌆
Helen attends her first suffrage meeting. Entrenched with the cause and a job offer from their leader Harriot Stanton Blatch. Helen has to get her husbands approval to attend the meeting and accept the job. On the brink of change, Helen has to deal with a lot of obstacles leading to the Women’s March in DC.
🌆
Helens role is instrumental and what she and many women had to deal with including a Night of Terror in jail, sparks the nations attention after many years of fighting for women’s rights.
🌆
This novel was very compelling and realistic. #theaccidentalsuffragist, #galiagichon, #bookreview, #bookstagram, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady50

[Samantha Nietzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ I was hooked right from the start. I had read very little of this time period, so this was informative while also being a gripping story. You could immediately tell how much time, care, and research went into this novel. I thought the main character, Helen, was well fleshed out and authentic — I wish we got a bit more of the secondary characters. The story dipped for me slightly in the middle, but overall this was an addictive read. If you’re interested in the women’s movement or kick-ass female protagonists, I really think you will enjoy this one.

Thank you so much to Book Publicity Services and the author for an early copy!

[Daniela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading The Accidental Suffragist! It's a nice change of pace from the typical historical fiction novel as it fully delves into the life of Helen Fox in both her political and personal life. The story is rich with details from the 1920s era, making the story immersive as it travels back to the fight for women's suffrage. I enjoyed how it explored class distinctions and how it impacted the opinions and options for women of that time. While I found the dialogue to be more awkward and stilted, I found The Accidental Suffragist to be an overall enjoyable read with many facts from history I didn't know before.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1911, 30 year old Helen becomes an "accidental suffragist" after accepting a job offer at a local suffragists' office. How will her new job change her life?

After loving other books about suffragists, I was intrigued by the premise. Unfortunately, it was soon evident that I would not be adding this one to my list of beloved reads. The writing wasn't great, the characters lacked depth (except maybe for Helen herself), and the story needed more emotion and details in order to make it a smoother read. Overall, it read more like nonfiction than fiction.

If you're looking for an amazing fiction book about suffragists, then I would highly recommend reading The Women's March: A Novel of the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession (5 stars) by Jennifer Chiaverini instead!

2.5 stars

Location: 1911-1918 NYC

I received a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

[Lauren Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Accidental Suffragist” by Galia Gichon is a historical fiction novel that centers on Helen and her personal journey from a factory worker to member of the women's suffragist movement in New York. You will suffer alongside of her as she faces devastating loss, isolation and ostracization from family and friends, abuse, class struggle and her struggles with self worth. You will also celebrate alongside of her though, as she steps into her power as a member of the suffragists and a pivotal player for the cause as they fight to win the right to vote. I felt this book deeply—as a woman, as a mother of girls and as a feminist. The farther we get away from history, the more important to remember what people went through for us. This book put me right into the picket lines with Helen as she fought for the rights of women—rights we so often take for granted. At times I felt we only skimmed the surface of many of our characters and that’s what held me back from giving it a five star rating. I wanted to go deeper with them and get more development—even in the secondary and minor characters. Overall, it was an emotional, educational and enjoyable read that I hope finds its way into the hands of other readers.

[Heather Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Accidental Suffragist by Galia Gichon is a beautifully crafted story that encapsulates the suffering so many women experienced in the fight for equal rights. As women continue to fight for equality, it’s easy to forget what those who came before us truly had to do in order to make a difference. Many of those in the heat of battle, had life or death choices to make, much like the main heroine of the story, Helen Fox. Gichon gives the common woman a voice and reminds us it wasn’t just the Susan B Anthony’s of the world that made a difference, but every single woman, man and child that supported and fought for change. The novel is inspirational, hopeful and real. Without getting into the gritty minutiae of the time period it paints an articulate picture of the challenges and dreams of women and how far we’ve come. Great book!

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

The historical aspect of this novel pulled me to want to read The Accidental Suffragist. However, the story aspect is what made me skim the last half of this book. The Accidental Suffragist does a really great job retelling events that have taken place in US history pertaining to women suffrage. I enjoyed learning more about this era and the challenges that women went through to get to where we are today. However, the story aspect really lacked for me in this book. I wanted more and needed more to keep me interested in this novel. A lot that happened was just on the surface events without any story development and I felt a lack of emotional connection for the characters.

If you are a history buff you’ll probably enjoy this one ❤️

Thanks to @bookpublicityservices and the author for the copy of this book ☺️

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed this book, I love historical fiction and I love it even more when I’m able to learn about a new era in history. I loved Helen, she had such strength and courage to believe in and join the Suffragist March. The New York setting and details were so richly portrayed I was so immersed in the story. This book was inspirational and Helen is a character that will stay with me for awhile. A must read for historical fiction lovers!!

Thanks to the author and Suzy approved book tours for my gifted copy.

[Selen | talesbysel · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 no emotions stars 🌟

I love historical fiction , this book was historical but not so much fiction. It felt more like reading a memoir. There was not enough character development, the emotions didn’t come strong - so it was just like reading historical events in a chronological order.

Thank you for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Evelina | AvalinahsBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

How I read this: Free ebook copy received from a publicist

This was easily readable and drew me in quite fast. I think the main way this book is valuable is because it highlights the stark difference between the experience of the privileged woman and the poor woman in the fight for women's rights. While well meaning, the privileged Suffragist ladies of the early 1900's are depicted as completely blind to the hardships of the factory woman of the day. The struggles of Helen, the main characters, who is from a poor factory worker background, are contrasted a lot to the ones of the other Suffragists. It's an important theme and one that I think still matters to this day, because to a certain point, feminism still fails to address the problems of the women from less privileged backgrounds. More on that in my blog post:
https://avalinahsbooks.space/accident...

While this book is great in the sense that it does list all the chronological events of Suffrage well, and yet, it really lacks in the emotional and plot departments. This is the primary reason why I’ve given it 3 stars. I didn't get drawn into the characters lives. Every time I thought there would be an emotional climax, the story would fast-forward to the next historical event. The characters seemed rather flat, even despite the tragedies they had to go through. So it made for a kind of clinical reading. More on that in the blog post as well.

However, I still think it's an important read, cause we do take our freedoms for granted, and we do forget that feminism isn't only for privileged folks. This book provokes those thoughts, and they are thoughts worth considering.

However, please keep in mind that this book may be triggering. Triggers are loss of child due to factory fire, arrest for peaceful protest and abuse by police and guards, rape, violence in prison and even a death due to the imprisonment. It's not graphic, but it still may trigger or shock you.

Full review:
https://avalinahsbooks.space/accident...



I thank the publicist and author for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter

[Terri (BooklyMatters) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s shocking to realize how little I knew about women’s fight to earn the vote, and the terrible toll it took on those first few (and incredibly brave) Suffragettes.

The story told in this spell-binding release by Galia Gichon is historically accurate, which makes the emotional whallup it packs all the more devastating. Taking us back to a time beginning in 1911, we follow thirty-something Helen Fox, her husband Albert, and their four children, as they manage to just get by, their lives a constant struggle against poverty and hardship, the factory whistle a constant reminder of the toil required to just get through another day.

As Helen and her family must suddenly face unexpected tragedy, the circumstances leading up to it open a long and necessary path that Helen finds herself unable to avoid. Caught up in a cause that she knows, deep inside, to be absolutely essential and “right” (pun intended!), Helen becomes a crusader for women’s rights, at a time when the movement is only just beginning, and the battle ahead promises to be fierce.

Just how fierce, and how appalling, I had little clue.

The author does a wonderful job managing a difficult and emotional story line, allowing us glimpses into the family life, cultural context, political arena, wartime attitudes and the just plain bleakness life could take in its unfolding in the beginning of the twentieth century. Especially if you had the misfortune to be born a woman, and a poverty-stricken one at that.

Helen’s courageous path, and the related historical journey laid out in this well-written and mind-altering story, comes as a timely and welcome reminder in a time period, a hundred years later, when new atrocities such as those captured by the “Me Too” movement, can still rear their ugly head.

I fear, unfortunately, we are not quite done with this topic, and am grateful to the author for her part in sharing this heart-breaking and inspiring story, - helping us understand, once again, the essential values that we must never take for granted.

A great big thank you to the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

[Dive Into A Good Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you do to invoke change? Would you have the courage and the backbone to stand up for what is right and just? I am deeply moved by The Accidental Suffragist. The struggle, the grit, the tenacity, and determination these women had to fight for the right to vote is astounding. Our rights today, lead back to these inspiring women. Who were willing to go against the grain, planned endless marches, to be put in jail, all to get the word out.

Helen Fox and her family are eking out a living. Both her and her husband have factory jobs, with a family of six they are hardly able to put food on the table and pay their bills. Times are tough and their 12-year-old daughter Abigail begs to help by working at a nearby factory. Tragedy strikes when Abigail's factory goes up in flames and there are no survivors. Helen is destroyed and ends up in the home of a woman who is deeply entrenched in the suffragist movement. She offers Helen a job with them. You are able to witness Helen dig her way out of a dark depression and find her mission in life. To help women get the right to vote, to give meaning to Abigail's death.

Galia Gichon quickly grab your attention from the first page, you are entrenched with these women. Cheering them on and in awe of their inspiring stories. Their willingness to never give up no matter how hard it gets, or the hateful things people say. Gichon also shows the internal struggle that Helen must go through with her own marriage, to fight for this cause. Thank you to Galia Gichon and Book Publicity Services for sending me this insightful, inspirational read!

[Mica's Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Books Forward and Wyatt-McKenzie Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Helen Fox and her family live in a tenement where every penny counted. Her daughter, Abigail, goes to work in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory where she dies in the horrific fire of 1911. After fainting while looking for her daughter, Helen is helped by Harriet Stanton Blatch, a known Suffragist. The innumerable losses of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory have spurred the Suffragists to pursue the right to vote more passionately. Helen eventually begins working for the Suffragist and starts to see how important the movement truly is. Helen suffers through the worst night of the Suffragist movement The Night of Terror - where Suffragists were tortured by male guards at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia.

I had a cursory knowledge of the Suffragist movement that was learned in high school during US History. I had never heard of the Night of Terror and actually had to see if it actually happened. I was appalled at the way the torture was described in the book as it was based on true accounts.

I found myself drawn into the story from the start. Galia Gichon took great care in researching the time period, the people, and the events she included in the story. I immediately cared about Helen and was invested in what would become of her. It should be noted that this is Gichon's first foray into novel writing as she has formerly written money management books. I would be very interested to read any further novels by Galia Gichon as she has truly impressed me.

[Permanently_Booked · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Book Publicity Services for the complimentary audiobook! If I'm being honest, I haven't read much regarding the suffragist movement. I've read plenty for women's rights but nothing that pulls you into the middle of everything so up close and personal.

Helen works in the factories along with her husband. A major tragedy strikes one of the factories upending Helen's world. It's the catalyst that puts her on the path to working alongside well-to-do activists for women's rights.

This audiobook has so much to unpack in a slower build narrative. Living with unimaginable loss and how that affects everyone in the family, both Helen and her husband trying to have lives that mean something, a child off to war and front and foremost fighting for change. It all collides together in such a well researched and narrated audiobook.

The audiobook is read by Sarah Mollo-Christensen artfully. Her voice for the main character, Helen, held the emotion I would've expected from a novel like this. I fell into the way she brought this piece of history to life. I cannot tell you how impressed I am with the amount of accurate history is in this novel.

I have some drawbacks when it came to some of the decisions Helen made as a mother but watching her find her voice overshadowed a good bit of that. If you're a lover of historical fiction accounts than this is one you'll want to add to your TBR asap!

[MTM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve really been enjoying historical fiction lately, and The Accidental Suffragist did not disappoint!

Helen Fox, a factory worker living in New York's tenements, suffers a tragic loss after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911. She becomes involved with the Suffragist cause and works alongside famous activists while facing pushback and criticism from her husband, family, and neighbors.

Helen was a strong and resilient female protagonist, and I was rooting for her the entire time. She suffered loss, isolation, and even physical abuse, yet she persevered in the face of adversity. Her grief over the heartbreaking loss she suffered in the fire was so raw and powerful, and I loved how she turned it into something positive by going to work for the suffragists and fighting for women’s voices to be heard in a society dominated by men. Women were expected to come right home after work, make dinner, and take care of the children and the home. They couldn’t go out or do anything without their husband’s permission. Can you imagine!? This book certainly made me feel grateful to all the women who fought for rights I often take for granted!

This was a truly inspiring and empowering story that really made me reflect on everything the suffragists had to endure, how much they sacrificed, and how long and hard they fought for women’s right to vote.


*I received an eARC to read and review from Book Publicity Services.

[Selena | Beauty's Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of The Accidental Suffragist in exchange for an honest review through Book Publicity Services who help promote indie books and authors. Thank you so much! I really enjoyed this one.

When I was asked if I’d be interested in reading this, I didn’t even hesitate. I saw the title and “historical fiction” and I just knew I wanted to read this one. I didn’t even need to read the synopsis.

Going into this, I knew very little about the women’s suffrage movement. I knew the basics, but none of the details. That didn’t deter me from wanting to read this! And this did not disappoint! I learned much more than I expected too with this one.

This flowed so well! It’s a relatively quick read too! Being only about 240 pages. Yet it’s filled with such a well-written story. I learned so much. And I never felt like I was learning, I was just reading a fictional story. Not to mention, a majority of the events are based on actual events.

I did a quick little search after finishing, and the major events within these pages were true events. I also found some of the women in the book were based on real women and even found some quotes were pulled from what they actually said in real life. Discovering this makes me love this book so much more! I love knowing that this fictional story holds so much truth. I will say the only part I didn’t love was the ending. It felt very abrupt for me. Especially the epilogue, which came across as more of a bullet list of what happened after the story.

I think anyone who’s a fan of historical fiction and especially politic-based fiction will enjoy this one! I enjoyed this so much more than I expected.