That was lovely to watch; two completely different characters, who don’t entirely understand each other but who realise they can help each other and instinctively do just that. It worked so well because those two characters were flawed and so very, very believable, and because Lissa Evans wrote of them with wit, with empathy and without a hint of sentimentality. Together, they cook up a scheme. Crisscrossing the bombed suburbs of London, Vee starts to make a profit and Noel begins to regain his interest in life. But there are plenty of other people making money out of the war—and some of them are dangerous. Noel may have been moved to safety, but he isn’t actually safe at all. There’s plenty of emotional ‘old baggage’ in the book too. The legacy of past actions from their campaigning days in the suffragette movement looms large in the lives of some of Mattie’s and Florrie’s comrades. The government’s response to their protests – imprisonment, force-feeding – has wrought physical and psychological damage in some cases. In addition, Mattie discovers an unexpected legacy of those years much closer to home – ‘a hand from the past, reaching out to grasp hers’. In trying to set right what she sees as the mistakes of the past, she acts in a way that is completely out-of-character and that will have unforeseen consequences. Unfortunately, what Mattie doesn’t realise is that she’s not the only one with emotional ‘old baggage’. But Mattie has never given up the fight, and ten years later she is still on the lecture circuit, attempting to enlist a new generation of women into the cause. She’s failing, and her lectures are increasingly poorly attended. The paragraph above was the first paragraph of my review of British author Lissa Evans’s novel, “Crooked Hearts”. The book was a wonderful picture of 1939 England, right after war had been declared on September 3rd. The government, frightened by predicted bombings by the Germans, made arrangements to send the children of London to safety elsewhere in England. The children, usually sent in school groups, were “adopted” by people living in small towns or suburbs, who were paid by the British government to look after the children. “Paid by the government”, is the important fact here.

Old Baggage gives an inspiring model of womanhood. Moving, warm and wry. It is wonderful!" - Marian Keyes The central characters from Crooked Heart, relocated to London, are at the heart of this novel, but Evans brings in a broader cast of characters: a female air raid warden whose husband is a prisoner of war, her self-obsessed twin sister, and a cast of characters that populate the boarding house run by Vee (now living under an alias), who also serve as tutors to the perspicacious Noel. The novel starts slowly, giving readers familiar with Crooked Heart a chance to reconnect with Vee and Noel and giving time for them to gradually come to know the new characters. The real action begins at the halfway point and speeds up from there to a swift denoument that feels utterly natural. Mattie is very human, makes mistakes (one in particular resonates). Florrie is the calming influence and her relationship with Mattie is central to the book. There is a great deal of humour in the novel: Mattie Simpkin does a lot of damage. But she is truly, genuinely sorry for it, says so, and accepts the consequences. Her sadness comes from the times that her energy led her to thoughtless action and devastating damage that can't be forgiven. She is sad a lot.Evans has created such tangible characters in Vee and Noel. My opinion of Vee changed as the book progressed - from dismissing her as a hustler, to getting to know her, to empathizing with her losses, and finally to cheering her on, hoping against hope that the ending I want would materialize. We get to know Noel slowly as he assesses his current situation and adapts as need be. I was immediately taken by him. Other supporting characters are just as interesting - I especially enjoyed the myriad letters that Vee's mute mother pens. Mattie makes only a brief appearance, but her presence is large in Noel's life and memories and we come to love her as much as he does. The wartime setting is also a character in Crooked Heart. The rationing, the attitudes, the bombings and more all shape, direct and change the course of Vee and Noel. Wartime London vividly depicted. The difficulties and challenges along with the undeniable danger all halting. Very affecting allowing the reader to comprehend the lengths taken for basic survival. Perfectly timed for the centenary of the women’s vote in 2018, Old Baggage takes a unique approach to the lives of the women who fought so hard to win us the vote. And we have 50 copies to give away as part of our July book club. Old Baggage is a funny and bittersweet portrait of a woman who has never given up the fight and the young women who are just discovering it. Noel, a ten year old boy, has been raised by his eccentric, ex-suffragette godmother Mattie. In addition to his normal schooling, Mattie always took the time to give what she referred to as “proper schooling” which included discussions on the obscure and essay topics that gave you more reasons to think such as “What Is Freedom?” and “All Things are Difficult Before They Are Easy”. Mattie imbued in him her particular understanding of the world causing him to develop the most intriguing personality making him an immediate addition to my favorite quirky children in literature shelf. In addition to the impending war causing the residents of London and its outskirts to be constantly on their toes, Noel is attempting to handle the seriousness of Mattie’s decline into senile dementia. Instead of evacuating London with the rest of the children, he opts to stay with Mattie to take care of her knowing that soon she’s not going to be able to take care of him much longer let alone herself. The introduction of Noel and Mattie is fantastically succinct and encompasses the Prologue alone. It set an amazing tone and heightened expectations for the rest of the story. I’m so very pleased to say that it never disappointed and only continued to impress me.

London 1944. In a large house in Hemstead Heath, Vee Sedge is just about scraping by. She takes in lodges so that she can feed, clothe and educate her young charge, Noel. She witnesses a road accident and finds herself in court. But this could be potentially disastrous for Vee and Noel as neither of them are who they say they are.Overall I thought this was a beautifully written, absorbing book which held my attention the whole way through. It isn’t a fast paced book but this gives the reader plenty of opportunities to savour the interesting plot and to get to know the characters. It’s a lovely story which accurately portrays what life was like during the war, with some quite dark humour at times as people try to deal with an impossible situation. I can’t wait to read more from this series. It's 1928. Matilda Simpkin, rooting through a cupboard, comes across an old wooden club - an old possession of hers, unseen for more than a decade. It’s been a few years since I read Lissa Evans’ excellent novel “Crooked Heart”, but I remember loving her vivid characters and witty writing style. So when I heard that her new novel is a prequel to this earlier book I become intensely curious. “Crooked Heart” opened with a poignant description of Mattie, an aging intellectual who was very active in the Suffragette movement, before describing the journey her ward Noel takes out of London to escape the The Blitz in 1940. “Old Baggage” tells Mattie’s story prior to when the boy Noel came to live with her and depicts Britain at an interesting stage of its political history. Some women listened, some didn’t and to those that didn’t you just had to offer clear and simple advice and repeat it when needed. The other sort, though, presented a type of chink, which with gentle persistence you could widen into a doorway. Old Baggage by Lissa Evans In short, this a poignant as well as witty historical fiction where the author has successfully as well as brilliantly depicted the dark side of the war in London, where survival meant the only thing.