Firebrands: Vicky Oliver

Women’s rights and the suffragette movement are at the heart of this novel. The year is 1908, and the setting is Manhattan. Would you protest in the streets and infiltrate male-only domains? Would you go as far as Helena and dress as a man and enter their club, fooling them until she unveils herself?

This is just one of two plots that I’m going to focus on. This book has five parts, and rather than take on all five, I’m dealing with two issues that are related to each one in some respect.

Helena is our star, who will chance danger, as you’ll learn, to uncover the horrific conditions women are facing while working in these factories.

Summer is her sister and is engaged to a dangerous man. He’s part of a dangerous labor party, and his goal is to destroy the women fighting for their survival in these factories.

Each part has its own title, and the events define the titles.

Anarchy is the title of Part One, where we meet Alva. She is the brains behind the Movement in New York. Helena decides to investigate Derrick, and things take off in many directions. Her sister is engaged to him, and money and how he’ll benefit her family lead to marriage and disaster.

In Part Two, the focus is on the two sisters, and in Part Three, Helena discovers information about Derrick from the Pinkerton Detective Agency.

The most horrific part is Part Four, titled The Kiss of Death. Enter the factory and join the women who are truly treated as slaves. Watch as Helena unlocks doors and discover the plot twists on your own. Redmond is Helena’s husband and takes on various roles, but his opinion of Derrick does not match hers at first.

Lies, fears, betrayal, murders, and a family—plus two sisters torn apart because of Derrick.

Just how will this turn out, and will she finally see the light and rid herself of him?

Chapter 34, Ladies Who March, will bring joy and tears to your eyes as you witness these women and a march that attracted 3,000 women and 500 men. Close your eyes and envision it. On page 311, see the marchers and how they looped over the entire Ladies’ Mile.

Part Five takes place three years later. Learn where everyone is, and wait until you discover Helena’s next career move. Read the Author’s Notes to learn more about the time period and the history of the suffragette movement.

Told in the voice of Helena and through the courage she shows, will she strike out on her own? Will the rest of the world catch up? Will she take the chance and go undercover again to fight for women’s equality and rights?

If you watch the news, you realize that women today are oppressed in many countries and treated as slaves and servants to men. This novel brings that to light as many continue to fight for their rights in the present.

A firebrand like Helena is a person who passionately incites trouble, sparks radical and political change, and challenges the status quo.

Fran Lewis