An Undeniable Voice

An Undeniable Voice is the sequel to A Woman of Courage. It continues the story of Hannah Todd now Hannah Rainforth and her involvement with the suffragette movement, the right of women to have the vote and to have a voice for the powerless women in society .
I really enjoyed A Woman of Courage so looked forward to continuing Hannah’s story.
It is the 1900s and Hannah is now married to Roger and they run the Oxley and Plough, Hannah’s family pub, which is a community haven in Ebberfield. They have three children and Hannah is deeply involved in the Ebberfield Community, the suffragette movement and is keen to see social change for women.
There has been extensive research undertaken that takes the reader on a journey of the suffragette movement and the war years through Hannah’s life and that of her family’s ups and downs. There is drama, loss of the pub, threatening letters, family bonds, friendships, loyalty and much more that make this another wonderful historical fiction book by Tania Blanchard.

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.