Title: The Scandalous Suffragette Author: Eliza Redgold
Published: March 1, 2019
Genre(s): Romance: Historical
Page Count: 288
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Votes for women!
Can she fight for freedom and for love?
When chocolate heiress Violet Coombes is caught hanging her suffragette banner in a most shocking place, Adam Beaufort, Esquire, proposes a marriage of convenience! His good name will avert scandal for her family, and her money will save the estate Adam’s father gambled away. Violet accepts, but she’s determined nothing will distract her from the Cause—including her oh-so-tempting husband!
Me: *sees suffragette romance*
Me: *requests that shit from the library ASAP*
Also me, halfway into the book: …what white nonsense IS this???
Look. The political climate in the world isn’t promising for women, people of color, LGBT folk, disabled folk, or any other marginalized group. (Not to say that the political climate generally is promising for us, but you know what I mean.) Additionally, the creation of art is a political act. Books are art—yes, even romance novels, for those haters in the back; I see you.
A romance novel about the fight for women’s suffrage during the early 20th century is just blatantly political. There’s no way around this.
And so when I open a romance novel about marginalized people fighting for equality and recognition of their humanity, I expect certain things. What I do not expect, however, is to find that the love interest is spouting the same MAGA-hat-wearing bullshit that virtually every Trump-voting white person says. That’s a huge fucking no from me, dawg. And before you @ me saying that the book takes place in England and the author isn’t American…stop. There are oppressive white men in other countries, too. In fact, The Scandalous Suffragette is supposedly about challenging these selfsame oppressive white men as they existed in Edwardian England.
So why is the effing love interest here being an oppressive white man? Why would you do this.
Okay, so let’s back up. Heroine Violet is a suffragette who plans on dedicating her life to the Cause. She is somehow forced into marrying Hero Adam, an impoverished gentleman. The deal they strike regarding their marriage-of-convenience is this: Adam gets all the money, Violet is allowed freedom to pursue her political agenda. This sounds fine and dandy. Except:
At an annual garden party hosted at Adam’s country home, Violet makes the opening speech to the gathered guests, including a particular MP who represents their area of Kent. Obviously, this speech is an inspiring clarion call for women’s equality; also obviously, the MP is enraged by the speech. Said MP then approaches Violet, lays hands on her, and verbally abuses her. Adam then steps in and the MP is sent home. Violet is unharmed, it seems like all will be well. Except:
Violet asks Adam, her husband, who is supposed to support her and be her ally, one question: why did you vote for that MP?
Adam’s response: “I don’t support him personally. I support our party.”
So let’s back up. Violet has just been physically assaulted by a powerful political figure for voicing an opinion that this figure does not share. Violet reasonably wants to know how her husband, a supposed ally, supports this man. Adam indicates that he does not like or respect this man or otherwise think he’s a good leader, but he supports the party! The goddam fucking party.
You all know where I’m headed with this. How many regretful white people voted for Donald Trump, even though they didn’t “support him,” just because they supported the Republican Party. My white female coworker looked me in the face, and said she hated the president but felt she had to vote for him because of the Supreme Court nominations. (Basically, she voted for Trump, a rapist, so that she could have Kavanaugh, another rapist. Brilliant.) Kids, I’m not going to go on, but Eliza Redgold is astonishingly tone-deaf if she thinks readers are willing to root for a hero who votes for oppressive, psychotic white men just for reasons of party loyalty. Especially because this book is supposed to be about empowering women.
How is any of this acceptable? “Sorry, honey, I know that terrible man just assaulted you, but I’m still going to vote for him!” Fuck off, Adam.
At what point does seeing real people in pain as a result of a politician’s nightmare regime sink in? When do you stop and consider that theoretical party philosophies do not compare to actual, daily harm being perpetrated upon minorities? When is enough enough? Where is the line?
I love historical romance more than anything, but this genre is so, so toxic.
