Kate Charlesworth

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Following up from the Talbots' brilliant biography of Lucia Joyce, this excellent graphic story takes a close look at the suffragette movement, through the person of Sally Heathcote, a red-haired Northern girl who moves to London and becomes a core activist, imprisoned and force-fed through a hunger srike, growing up quickly in brutal political circumstances. Dangerfield brings in the suffragettes as just one of the destabilising factors for the show more Asquith government in The Strange Death of Liberal England; I hadn't realised just how strong the commitment to political violence was from an early stage, much more so than the Irish activists of either side at that particular time; nor was I aware of the full brutality of the British state's reaction to those who only wanted an equal say in its governance. Talbot tells a compelling story, but is also transparent about where she has egged the pudding; I knew so little about the period that I turned to the endnotes with some excitement to find out if Sally Heathcote was a real historical figure or not. (And I usually hate endnotes with a deep deep loathing.) The last line, delivered to a dying Sally in 1969 by her granddaughter, is a real emotional kicker. Strongly recommended. show less

I spotted a copy of 'Sensible Footwear: A Girl's Guide' in the library and recalled reading a recommendation of it somewhere on the internet, so onto the card it went. It is a lovely graphic novel that combines personal memoir with queer history. Charlesworth recounts her experiences of lesbian life and chronicles changes in legal and social acceptance of LGBTQ people in the UK since the 1950s. I really like her art style, which includes delightful pastiches of kids comics and beautiful show more montages. Although the personal memoir parts were moving and compelling, I was most interested in the broader social and cultural history. The bright, eye-catching collages on particular famous people, events, and periods of time were delightful. I also learned a lot; I hadn't realised that Dusty Springfield was a gay icon, for instance. The focus on Scotland and scenes from Edinburgh's first pride march were particularly appealing, as it turns out that Chalesworth lives in Edinburgh and it's always nice to discover local authors. The only parts I found a little hard to keep track of were all the people in her Manchester social circle. Finally, given the title part of me hoped for a montage of sensible yet cool shoes, which sadly did not materialise! A vivid visual history that is full of fun and solidarity, yet doesn't neglect the impact of homophobia and transphobia over the decades. show less

I’ll admit that at the beginning of this graphic novel, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be blown away. However, by the time I reached the end I could not stop thinking about it! Being a graphic novel, I was able to finish this in one sitting and in such a short time I’m still haunted by the last few pages and the story that unfolded about women’s suffrage in England at the turn of the twentieth century. Sally Heathcote Suffragette accounts actual events and the majority of the show more characters were real people so it read more like a historical account than a historical fiction. I highly recommend this graphic novel to anyone interested in history and women’s rights, especially if you are a young lady who has recently become of voting age.

Personally, this graphic novel made me so appreciative that I live in a time where I don’t have to worry about having rights and representation. Without question, I am lucky enough to live in a country where I have not felt disadvantaged or oppressed as a woman, and I owe it all to women like the ones we find in this graphic novel. They fought for us, were imprisoned for us, and died for us so we could have the right to vote and the right to be recognized as human beings equal to our male counterparts. I have this novel to thank for allowing me to appreciate how extreme the struggle truly was for women at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The reason I knocked off half a teacup is because, as I said at the beginning of this review, it didn’t grab me right away. The art style is interesting, but I found that a lot of the characters looked the same and there were a lot that I got mixed up. It was also a little jumpy in places so it was a tiny bit hard to follow for me at the beginning. It was definitely one of those reads that I didn’t realize I loved until I read the last line and closed the book. THAT LAST LINE. It hit me so hard I tossed and turned all night thinking about it. It will definitely stay with me for a long time.

As far as graphic novels go, this one is certainly a gem, particularly if you like historical or biographical graphic novels, or if you are passionate about women’s rights. All women should remember the work that our ancestors have done for us to give us the privileged lives we live today, and should realize that women had it much worse than some could imagine. We now have the vote, we now have a voice, and we have rights, all thanks to our ladies of yesterday. And you can read all about these courageous women in this wonderful graphic novel! show less

97/2021. Sally Heathcote: Suffragette, by Mary M. Talbot, Kate Charlesworth, and Bryan Talbot, is history presented as historical fiction in comics form. The history is extremely accurate as expected from Mary M. Talbot, who has managed to adopt an even-handed position on the internal struggles of the Women's Social and Political Union while focussing mostly on activities surrounding women based at the main headquarters. There are also twenty pages of notes on historical sources at the end, show more although reading these is a bonus and not necessary to understand the story.

The novel revolves around a fictional working class Manchester girl who becomes involved with members of the WSPU in 1898, and then works for the WSPU itself after a move to London. The story continues until 1916 but there is a brief framing story taking us as far as 1969. The plot doesn't sacrifice either the protagonist's personal story or the surrounding history and both are fleshed out. The youth of the fictional heroine suggests this might have been partly aimed at a YA audience.

There is a relatively large supporting cast and, due partly to the restrictive fashions of the day in hairstyles and hats, the minor players weren't always well differentiated in the art (although I had a similar problem with the other Kate Charlesworth book I read recently, possibly because she has previously specialised more in cartoons than graphic novels). The visuals are otherwise good, and there are a few nice background touches. I especially appreciated our fictional heroine's prison ID being G45, which I presume is a nod to the imprisoned women being maltreated by G4S to this day.

Another comic worth reading from Mary M. Talbot and team. show less