sections:
The suffragettes outraged Victorian society, yet behind the protests, arrests and hunger strikes, the personal lives of Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters were just as dramatic. Martin Pugh reveals the full story of this unique family: Emmeline, the domineering mother; Christabel, the favourite daughter who became an Adventist and admirer of Mussolini; Sylvia, the 'scarlet woman'; and Adela, banished to Australia after a bitter rift. It is an astonishing account of the triumphs and tragedies of four extraordinary women.
book reviews
- Sunday Times
‘This is a cracking story of family,feminist,national and even international politics … It takes a brave biographer to tackle this family, and feminist historians have so far quailed at the task… Martin Pugh, however, is an expert in the party-political and social history of this period including women’s suffrage. His research is stupendous … He is judicious and sympathetic about the passions of the women involved and their tangled relationships. The result is an unrivalled history of the Women’s Social and Political Union … One fascinating aspect of Pugh’s study is his picture of the family as the crucible of politics ... Pugh has written a family saga like no other, superbly researched and profoundly stirring.' - Sunday Telegraph
‘ His scholarship is immaculate’ - New Statesman
‘this steely, detailed analysis … this book is monumental’ - Independent on Sunday
‘ But what makes his book so masterly is the apparent ease with which he manages to juggle personal stories with details of the inner workings of the suffragette movement … This is a major contribution to our understanding of the suffragette movement, but it is also a marvellously gripping narrative with twists and turns of shock and poignancy that are worthy of a three-decker Victorian novel… One of Pugh’s triumphs is to expose the full extent of the dysfunctional family that lay just beneath the surface of the Pankhursts’ public image.’
subscribe to agency's newsletter
Andrew Lownie writes a monthly newsletter, which includes details of the Agency's latest news as well as advice for authors. If you would like to receive this free newsletter, please enter your email address in the box below.