It's 1959 in Switzerland, and the men of the country have to vote on whether to grant women the right to vote. Author Clare O'Dea takes us through the day in the life of four women whose lives are intertwined, and defined by their economic circumstances, misogyny, and differing levels of support each has.

The story is told in four parts, as we follow each of the women as they go about their day and deal with various problems. The women are:
-Vreni: she's a hardworking farmer's wife, who must go for gynecological surgery in Bern
-Margrit: Vreni's beloved daughter who works in Bern, and whose boss is threatening her
-Esther: she works in the hospital in Bern, and is desperate to get her son back. Her son was taken from her when she was out of work and abandoned by her husband. The boy now resides at Vreni's farm and helps around the farm
-Beatrice: A hospital administrator who has campaigned hard for the right to vote.

O'Dea tells a quiet story, showing you how limited the women's lives and choices are because of societal stereotypes and expectations. Gaining the right to vote would be the first step towards equality, but, not surprisingly, the vote doesn't go in the women's favour. (In fact, in real life, women in Switzerland had to wait to 1971.)
And though the story's legal outcome was disappointing, the women's lives actually are changed remarkably thanks to them supporting each other to improve their lives.

This is a short but compelling book.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Fairlight Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought reading about 4 different perspectives from women that circles around the voting day was interesting. I thought the way the narration differed for the each woman was good. Though only one of the characters emphasised on the struggle of wanting to be heard and how much of a diffference the right to vote would bring to the voice of women, all the stories played a strong role in communicating this in their own way. I liked how the author tried to bring all of the stories together by conveying the message that women need to start together to help each other in whatever possible capacity. I would have enjoyed it even if she left it open ended and left it to the reader to imagine how it all panned out for them.

Overall a 4 star for me! Would love to read more from this author and I just love Fairlight Modern editions - they hardly ever disappoint me. Thanks for the review copy net galley!

There’s a lot to enjoy in this short novel, or perhaps novella. It’s a real small gem and another great book in the fantastic Fairlight Modern series. A quick read, but by no means a slight or light-weight one. Many themes and issues are explored and overall there’s much to ponder on here. The premise is simple – how the lives of four very different women intersect on Voting Day, the first of February 1959 when Switzerland held a referendum on women’s suffrage. The motion was rejected, and remarkably Swiss women didn’t finally get the vote until 1971. The women’s lives are explored with empathy and insight, and their background vividly evoked. The book is expertly plotted and the strands cleverly woven together. Such is the author’s narrative skill that she makes us feel we really know the women even though she employs so few pages in describing them – every word is used to good effect. An excellent piece of writing which I very much enjoyed.

There was something very soothing about this novella despite the turbulent undercurrent. It was quite startling to me to see how late Switzerland was in giving its women the vote (given that the East had already had women heads of the country by then!). It is not exactly only about the vote, nor is it about Swiss citizens as a whole. This book is (I felt) predominantly about mothers. There are two kinds of mothers in the story, one who is an established woman of the house and respected for her role and the other a woman who is left helpless due to several circumstances stacking up on over the other. Then there is the middle ground, a woman who is not exactly a mother but has poured her need to care into carving a whole new path for herself. A daughter is the fourth woman in the story and no less important. She is the future her mother envisions, the only female in the family. She is striving to build her life, but life is not as easy as it could have been, but the relationship between the mother and daughter duo provided a very interesting picture of the everyday Swiss life of the time.
For such a short volume, the narrative takes many paths and fulfils the emotional quotient required to convey the depth of each section. I liked the writing and the way the story unfolded. I did not expect to encounter the kind of people I did. Once I met them, I knew how their story arc would go, but it was still a satisfying read.
The author's note at the end added a little something more to the reading experience. I will leave my review with the statement that it is a good book for someone looking for something different to read.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

On February 1, 1959 (male) voters in Switzerland said a clear no to women’s suffrage, perpetrating a situation that would continue till 1971. Voting Day takes place on that epochal day, refracted through the point of view of four women from different social backgrounds: Vreni, a farmer’s wife who is heading to Bern seemingly for hip surgery and looking forward to taking a break from a life of labour; her daughter Margrit, who has managed to find a more desirable occupation as a secretary in the capital but grapples with issues she tries not to let out; Esther, a woman of Yenish/ nomadic roots, who works as a cleaner trying to achieve the financial security that would allow her to regain custody of her son; and Beatrice, an hospital administrator and campaigner for the YES vote who is trying to help Esther.

This is a complex, nuanced novella that shines the light not only on the limited options that were offered to women but also on how it is possible to absorb a male point of view and come to think that after all politics may not be for women. Beside highlighting the position of inferiority women occupy in a society where men make all the decisions, the book reveals the multifarious ways in which women end paying the consequences of men’s misdeeds. It portrays a society wrapped up in conservativism and questions several aspects of Swiss society: from its rigid protestant ethics and notions about respectability, reflected in the harsh attitudes toward those lower on the social ladder and in the way citizens are subjected to forms of moral scrutiny and judgement, to the idyllic view of rural Switzerland, the stereotypes of feminine purity, strength and resilience and the glistening façade of corporate Switzerland.

Voting Day kept me on my toes as it unravelled the secrets of its characters -- something that happens with discretion and delicacy – and the unexpected ways in which their lives intersect. Characters grew on me as I learned about their past and the difficult choices they had to face. Despite being a historical novella, it is also a thought-provoking timely book whose message goes beyond Switzerland and is relevant to the present because, as the Irish-born Swiss-naturalised author says in the final note, we cannot take our rights for granted.
Another gem in the Fairlight Modern series.
4.5 rounded up
I am grateful to Fairlight Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this novella set in Switzerland on voting day, February 1959. The vote was a referendum for womens right to vote, two thirds of the men voted no. Women didn’t get the vote till 1971! The story itself is told from the point of view of four women loosely connected (a chapter each) then a epilogue. Each of the women represents a different aspect of society and it’s done really well. I felt for all the women; Vreni, a country housewife; her daughter, Margrit, who has moved to the city and is being sexually harassed by her boss; then Esther, a poor Yenish woman, whose son has been taken from her and is living with Vreni; and finally Beatrice, an older woman in hospital administration who has been helping Esther. I read this so quickly! I liked the writing, the interconnectedness of the story, it was an interesting look at the lives of these women.

Voting Day is a fascinating and moving series of interlinked stories, set against the backdrop of Switzerland's 1959 referendum concerning whether to allow female citizens the right to vote. However, the book is more about women's lives than women's rights. In any case, it felt like a timely book to be reading in the lead-up to Australia's federal election in mid-May.

Having always thought of Switzerland as a fairly enlightened nation, I was flabbergasted to learn that women didn't in fact get the right to vote there until 1971! Sadly, this is the paradox of the direct democracy, in which those who hold rights and powers can (and often do) vote to exclude others from enjoying those same rights and powers.

All the action in Voting Day takes place on a single day - Sunday, 1 February 1959. The novella is broken up into five parts - one each telling the stories of Vreni, Margrit, Esther and Beatrice, and a short epilogue, set a year later.

Vreni is a farmer's wife in the traditional mould. She's not particularly interested in voting on her own account, but reflects that it's not really fair for the younger generation if her sons can vote, but her (more intelligent and ambitious) daughter can't. In any case, she's preoccupied with her trip into Bern for gynaecological surgery scheduled for the following day, and a much-anticipated day spent in the company of her daughter, Margrit.

Margrit, Vreni's daughter, is a modern woman in her twenties, living and working in Bern. She's not particularly interested in politics, but views the referendum as as important test of ideology - are men and women in it together as citizens, or not? Margrit's also preoccupied, in her case because she's been placed in an invidious position by her sleazy boss. She discovers that her aging and apparently fragile mother possesses a steely resolve she'd never previously given her credit for.

Esther works as a cleaner and lives in-house at the hospital to which Vreni is admitted for her surgery. Overhearing Vreni's name and address opens a floodgate of memories, reflections and anger for her. Esther, a woman of Yenish (traveller) heritage, was deserted by her husband a decade ago and has since suffered the forcible relinquishment of her son into the foster system when she was unable to earn enough through legal means to support them both.

Beatrice is a French-born woman who works as an administrator at the same hospital where Esther works and Vreni is a patient. She's been heavily involved in the "Yes" campaign for the referendum, through her involvement in the feminist network, and is devastated by the result. Meanwhile, she's been assisting Esther, both by encouraging her to establish herself in a secure job and housing, and in trying to set the groundwork for Esther's recovery of her now 10-year-old son, Ruedi.

Voting Day is an engrossing read, telling the stories of four resilient women and the challenges they face in their lives. While their stories are quite distinct, elements of each will resonate with, or at least evoke sympathy from, the reader. The level to which each woman contributes to and is impacted by the prevailing socio-economic conditions highlights the idiocy of excluding an entire half of the adult population from political engagement. Clare O'Dea's direct but nuanced writing style evokes a strong sense of history and place.

Like its predecessors in Fairlight Books's exquisitely-packaged Fairlight Moderns series, Voting Day is a thought-provoking and quietly beautiful read. I'd recommend it to any reader interested in women's lives and mid 20th century settings, and certainly not limited to those with a specific interest in the worldwide suffragist movement.

My thanks to the author, Clare O'Dea, publisher Fairlight Books and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review this stimulating title in the lead-up to its release on 1 April 2022.

Thank you Fairlight Books and Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this book!

In February 1959, Switzerland held a referendum on women’s suffrage. The men voted ‘no’.

This short novella tells the story from four women’s perspectives, following their day-to-day life and seeing the limited choices they have available in their life and the hardships they have to go through.

Since it is a very short story, I don’t really want to give too much away, but I can definitely tell that is a powerful story, with amazing writing and well-rounded characters!

In a Nutshell: A power-packed novella that delivers a lot of thought-provoking content within a few pages.

Story:
1st February 1959. An ordinary Sunday almost everywhere. But for Switzerland, a day where the country’s future could be rewritten. This was the day Swiss men got to vote on whether Swiss women ought to get the right of suffrage. While the men were busy deciding the fate of this historic poll, what were the common Swiss women doing? We see this through the lives of four ordinary Swiss women:
Vreni – A farmer’s hard-working wife who is due for a medical procedure but is worried to leave her work behind;
Margrit – Vreni’s daughter who seems successful as an office worker in Bern but is battling a troublesome issue;
Esther – A hospital cleaner who has singlehandedly faced financial and other troubles since many years and is desperate to reunite with her son; and
Beatrice – The hospital admin who has worked hard for the campaign to get women the right to vote.
The intertwined fate of these four women changes a part of their future on voting day, even if it wasn’t the way they had anticipated.
The story comes to us in the third person perspectives of the four women, turn by turn. Vreni’s story first, followed by Margrit’s, Esther’s and finally Beatrice’s, before a combined finale.

The writing style took me a little time to get into, especially as there were too many characters at the start. But once I got into the groove, the book kept me hooked. Though it is just 113 pages long, it is not a quick read as the content will need you to read with concentration. But it is totally worth it.

What I loved is how the book focussed on common women and provided a glimpse of how their routine lives must have been. Like when one of the characters declares, “It seems like the solution for a better life is to find a man”, you won’t accuse her for such a declaration but understand where she is coming from. The issues these women face seem very relatable, even if some of them have nothing in common with us.

The book covers a whole range of themes, and each is written without being too obvious, thereby making you use your own capacities and thought process rather than being spoon-fed by the author. I loved this approach. Active reading is so much better than passively acceptance of ideas.

The author's note at the end reveals the background of that vote and its aftermath, and her rationale behind writing this story. Don’t skip it.

Definitely recommended.

4,25 stars.

My thanks to Fairlight Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “Voting Day”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

When I saw the title of this novella, my interest was piqued. After I read the synopsis, my desire to read "Voting Day" was strong. Luckily, Fairlight Books and NetGalley kindly allowed me to read an ARC of this powerfully short work of fiction written by Clare O'Dea.

The scene: Switzerland in February of 1959 on the day in which men - yes men - will vote on whether they agree to let Swiss women vote. At first, I thought, "What a shock! 1959???" Yes, 1959. And on that day in February 1959, most men voted no. After my initial surprise wore off, I realized that 1959 is only one year earlier than 1960: the year women of every ethnicity in Canada were granted the right to vote.

Despite the somber overtone, Vreni, Margrit, Esther and Beatrice's stories are compellingly readable and even hopeful. Vreni is a farmer's wife. She is constantly busy working to keep her household running smoothly. As she travels to the city for a medical procedure, she recalls all her choices that have led to this moment. Vreni’s story transitions to her daughter’s when the two meet in Bern for some food before Vreni must admit herself to the hospital. The next woman we are introduced to is Margrit, Vreni's daughter and a career woman working in Bern. Margrit is contending with a failed relationship and a boss with wandering hands.

After we meet Margrit, we learn about Esther’s story of love found and then lost, as her fairytale romance soon fades in the dark and harsh realities of life as a single mother. Her husband, a pitiful excuse of a human being, leaves Esther and their son. Esther struggles to make ends meet and turns to sex work. She loses custody of her son, but with the help of Beatrice, an administrative worker at the hospital that Vreni travels to, Beatrice and Esther work to get Esther back in touch with her son, of whom Vreni is fostering.

Beatrice, an intelligent, strong, and modern female of the time, is fighting tirelessly for women’s rights. Given a substandard title for the work she does, she’s incredibly organized and motivated and fearless. Her story focuses on a dinner she has with her brother in which the two recall their childhood and its ups and downs. Beatrice’s brother is gay and must hide this fact as homosexuality is illegal. He sympathizes with Beatrice and supports her cause. Although he admits that he voted “Yes”, he is the one who communicates the results of the vote to Beatrice. Beatrice’s heartbreak is devasting.

The women—all connected knowingly and unknowingly—struggle in their lives in one way or another. However, they're all women who are all too aware of the ways in which men control them and their right to vote. The men whom these women encounter are, for the most part, unconcerned with the women’s lives. They barely participate in the women’s lives, and this story is a story about women and women’s relationships.

What I found most compelling about this story was the relationships between and among the women and how they drive movement and momentum. The men are almost an afterthought. Considering that this story takes place only about 60 years ago, the lack of portrayals of strong female/male relationships is disappointing, and yet it feels like from these snippets of each of the women’s lives that this was the norm.

This novella packs a punch and has further convinced me that Irish female writers are incredible at capturing a small sliver of time in which women are struggling against the patriarchy in Western Europe—I’m thinking of Claire Keegan’s “Small Things Like These” and Ruth Gilligan’s “The Butcher’s Blessing”—both of which I received as ARCs from NetGalley.

Many thanks to Fairlight Books and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read “Voting Day” in exchange for an honest review, and many thanks to NetGalley for highlighting amazing Irish female writers! “Voting Day” is definitely a book I’ll be recommending to other readers.

What a beautiful book, the history where women were fighting for the vote in Switzerland, it was interesting to see that other countries were similar to the UK with their views about Women. I loved how all the women were connected in the end. I feel that their chapters suddenly just ended though, it would have been nice to see them carry on a bit longer. I really enjoyed this, something different to what I would usually pick. Thank you

This deceptively short book takes us through the lives of several women as they reflect on and fight for the right to vote. What I found fascinating was how the women's own personal struggles are reflected both through the lens of the various political challenges and referenda, and through their own creeping realisation of the sentiments shared around them.

It was a lovely book, and was a great look into what is still a staggering fact- that women in Switzerland had to wait so long to be able to vote.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sharing perspectives of women as they vote to get the vote in Switzerland, this book gives us three women that are incredibly well written and explored within this novella so incredibly well and how injustices and the stereotypes they face make their lives more difficult while in the progress of a campaign that holds them back institutionally, switching focus between the women we learn so much about the their lives and how they handle the society they're in.

The plot is driven by these characters really throughout the book as they go about their lives and how the vote touches on their lives, even if lightly, with a message that doesn't make these characters smaller but definitely highlights just how important it is for women to have autonomy and be able to live their lives.

A great short read that feels particularly pertinent during women's history month.

(Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC for review).

This novella takes place on one day in 1959, where Swiss men were asked to vote on whether women should be allowed the vote. It follows four women whose lives intersect on this day, and while getting the vote is in the background with three of their stories, we see how their lives are affected by their lack of voice, and how their lives are ruled by the men around them. The last story is about Brigit; she has been fighting for the vote. Sadly, it failed and they weren't given the vote until 1971! I had no idea they got it so late in Switzerland.

As always with these types of narrative, some sections were more interesting than others; I particularly enjoyed Magrit's, which had the most satisfying conclusion on this day. There is an epilogue where we get to see how they've all fares in the next year.

I liked the story and thought it was well done, but I didn't feel any particular connection to the characters.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*

The prospect of change being dangled in front of you while remaining slightly out of reach is a hurtful thing, and that is exactly what Voting Day covers - the events of a day in February 1959 when men were given a choice to give women the vote. I know very little about Switzerland, and even less about Switzerland before the 21st century - and I was very pleasantly surprised by this book.
I am frequently hesitant with regard to reading books which cover multiple perspectives - however these four intertwined tales drifted so effortlessly into each other that I found myself a little heartbroken over some of these changeovers. As well as covering multiple people's encounters on the day of the vote, the book often dips into fragments of the past - and does so gracefully.
A lovely read about the strength of women and their relationships with each other that was simultaneously uplifting and poignant.

On 1 February 1959 the men of Switzerland voted on whether or not women should be able to vote. They voted no.

This short novel looks at what four average Swiss women were doing on that day. They are all connected, and each represents the choices Swiss women have made—and how men still control their lives. These men range the gamut from kind to cruel to criminal—but all want and expect the women in their lives to serve them at their whim.

A thoughtful little book, and I had no idea women in Switzerland could not vote until 1971, much later than most of Europe

Set in 1959, on the day when men are voting on women’s suffrage, Voting Day is the story of four women whose lives are affected by the lack of rights for women in Switzerland. As the day progresses, from pre-dawn as farmer’s wife Vreni prepares breakfast before leaving to visit her daughter Margrit and enter the hospital for an operation, the narrative moves takes the reader through the day to the evening meal Beatrice, a successful professional woman, has with her brother and reacts to the results of the vote and ponders how she can really help Esther, a young mother driven to desperate measures who continues to struggle because of poverty.

With glimpses into the past, Clare O’Dea has written a poignant story of a historic day that unfolds with pain, disappointment, desperation, and hope. Ending with an epilogue that brings the four women together, this is a worthwhile read that, through fictional characters, highlights issues women faced in the 1950’s in one of the last Western European countries to pass women’s suffrage.

One of the aspects of this story that I enjoyed the most was the way in which the older and younger generations related to each other, particularly in the support that is given between women. This was my first experience with reading Fairlight Moderns or a book by Clare O’Dea. I find myself eager for more of both. Recommended.

This review refers to a temporary digital galley I voluntarily received and read via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required and these are simply my own honest opinions.

This little novella tells the story of one day through the perspective of four different women. The day in question is 1st February 1959, when the men of Switzerland voted on whether or not to allow women to vote too. For three of the women, Vreni, her daughter Margrit, and Esther, the vote is far less important than their own personal concerns, and I actually enjoyed those parts most, especially the way Vreni and Margrit's story intertwined with Esther's. I liked that we got an epilogue at the end as well, which takes place a year later. I'm being vague on details because I really enjoyed how events unfolded and being surprised. Even though the book is short a lot happens, and we also get the backstory of each woman so I felt like I knew them well at the end. Overall a really good, tightly-plotted story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Many thanks to the publishers, Fairlight Books, and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance review copy, it's much appreciated.

My thanks to Fairlight books and NetGalley for a review copy of the book.

Voting Day tells the stories of four different women in Switzerland whose lives are intertwined in known and unknown ways, and whom we follow on one day, 1 February 1959. This was the day when Switzerland, or rather, its men voted on whether women were to be ‘given’ the vote or not. The vote failed and it was only over a decade later in 1971 that women finally got suffrage.

The four women we follow are Vreni, a farmer’s wife who works tirelessly to look after and cater to her family—husband Peter and three growing sons, helped by a little errand boy Ruedi. Vreni is heading to town to the women’s hospital to undergo surgery, which gives her the first ‘break' she’ll have had in years. In town, before going to hospital, she plans to spend some time with her oldest child, daughter Margrit, who is working in the city having trained as an accountant sponsored by Peter's aunt. Vreni is pleased her daughter has a chance at a different and better life than herself. As our story shifts to Margrit, we see that while she is living a different life from her mother, she too faces restrictions and also an unwelcome situation at work that she doesn’t know how to handle, and from which there seems no escape. At the hospital, we meet Esther who works as a cleaner and learn her story and the various hardships she faced when left a single mother with an infant to care for. And finally, we follow Beatrice, an older lady who works as administrator at the hospital and who also takes an interest in Esther’s welfare. Alongside she has also been campaigning with other suffragists trying to ensure that Swiss women finally get the vote. Then in an epilogue of sorts, we see how all the women are getting on.

In these stories, except perhaps in Beatrice’s story, the decision on women’s right to vote that is to take place that day is only touched on slightly, while our focus remains the four women’s lives. But through them, we are shown the limited choices available to them (and by extension, women in general) in terms of what they can do in and with their lives, the stereotypes they are forced to conform to, the hardships they must endure, all because they are not seen as ‘equal' to their male counterparts. Vreni has worked in the past but has had to settle down to be a farmer’s wife, the only respectable choice that was open to her; Margrit is working but living in a shabby little room and must face harassment and blackmail at work with no visible means of escape because her career can be made or ruined by a man; Esther who is an orphan takes the only path open to her when her husband pretty much abandons her and their infant son, and for that must face the consequences; while Beatrice though from a wealthy background still doesn’t get the chance to fully explore her talents for it is her brother who is given the better education, but she is still able to lead a life without marrying. Her brother incidentally faces troubles of his own relating to other prejudices in society.

The vote might just be about making a tick on a piece of paper but it means far far more—a significant step towards equal treatment, towards new opportunities, perhaps some of those stereotypes and restrictions being eased. But this too has been left to the men to ‘give’ them.

This was a small book but one that showcased well the inequality, lack of opportunity and limitations women faced until so recently, and continue to face in different contexts and to different degrees. But it also shows more positively, how by supporting each other and working within the means one has, change and betterment are still possible.

An excellent read

4.5 stars

Votes for women in Switzerland came unbelievably late in the 20th century, and this novella is set on the voting day in 1959 when women *still* didn't win the vote. Created through the stories of four very different yet linked women, this is a good, thought-provoking quick read. I enjoyed the different stories we saw, seeing the day to day lives these women were leading and the challenges they faced. I also particularly liked the way all the stories were tied together.