The suffrage movement has been trying to bring about change for years, despite it being the start of a new century, for Hannah Rainforth and her colleges are frustrated, the English parliament are still dragging their heels with giving women from all walks of life the right to vote, open a bank account and be financially independent. Men still think they are smarter and superior to women, and a woman’s place is in the home, and looking after their husbands and children.

So Hannah and her acquaintances take to the streets of London and they assume with so many women banding together they wouldn't be ignored and the men would have to take notice of their demands. A nonviolent way to get their message across and they discover it’s not the case at all, scuffles break out, women are heckled and assaulted and the police do nothing about it. The women are not seen as progressive and ground breakers, but trouble makers and some decide to take things further, going on hunger strikes and vandalism.

As we know in the early 1900’s several major historical events happened, the sinking of the titanic, The Great War and the Spanish Flu epidemic hit. Hannah witnesses these things, some affect her more than others and meanwhile she’s trying to juggle financial problems, returning to teaching, motherhood and raising teenagers, and questioning if she’s being a good mother, sister, friend, person and suffragette.

I received a digital copy of An Undeniable Voice from HarperCollins Australia and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Tania Blanchard likes to write historical fiction inspired by true stories, about women who push the boundaries of the time and she’s done this once again in her latest saga.

You feel like you’re walking alongside Hannah and her fellow suffragettes, while they put their own safety and reputations on the line to bring about much needed social change, reform and get the right to vote. A story about women standing up for what’s just and the personal cost, friendships and romantic relationships, family and raising children, power of words and education, how difficult it was for widows and poor families, The Great War and conscription and the attacks on English soil and I had no idea how many happened and there severity.

Five stars from me, I was totally engrossed by the well written narrative and could easily relate to its themes, I highly recommend reading An Undeniable Voice, and Ms. Blanchard’s previous book A Woman of Courage and I can’t wait for the next instalment in the series to be released.

This is the first book by Tania Blanchard that I have read. As I was unsure of what to expect, I was open minded to see what the story entailed. Well I was certainly surprised and very happy to read it.

Hannah was a happy woman. A business, a husband and 3 children. They were enjoying a family picnic with their dogs. What else would make her happy.

When Hannah has terrible news and needs to deal with something she never knew about and has to split the family up to ensure all will be ok, it hurts her more than she can imagine.

She deals with new problems by standing up as a woman’s suffragette to ensure woman and especially her daughter will be acknowledged by men.

As war erupts, Hannah must let her children go to do what they know is best and trust they will return to her.

The sequel to A Woman of Courage continues the story of the amazing work of Hannah Todd and her fight for the right for women to vote. Whilst you could read this is a stand alone I’d definitely recommend reading the first to meet the family and see how they came to where they are in this story.

Another thoroughly researched historical fiction novel. Tania really paints a picture of what it was like for women at the time. I’m glad I live in today’s time. As well as covering the suffragette movement, events such as the Spanish flu, a mining disaster and World War I were covered. I always appreciate little details such as managing rationing and bullying girl’s football league.

Set again in Ebberfield and then Notting Hill, Hannah’s children grow up and end up in Australia and posted in WWI to places like Egypt, Malta and Salonika. I enjoyed seeing the family grow and change and all their drama. I was really quite invested in them all. It was wonderful to see the laws passed for women to vote. I didn’t realize there was so much politics between different suffragette groups and was surprised how much violence there was in the protests. If all that wasn’t enough there was also a subplot with threatening letters. All the different elements were easy to follow, came together nicely and made for an engaging read. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being in Hannah’s world and learning about the suffragette movement.

Another great read by Tania Blanchard
A story about a difficult time for women who fought hard for all women to come in the future.
Even though her family and livelihood were threatened Hannah never gave up when winning the right for women to vote became a priority.