Old Baggage

By: Lissa Evans

Narrated by: Joanna Scanlan

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Old Baggage written by Lissa Evans, read by Joanna Scanlan.

'The work of a novelist in her prime' Daily Telegraph
'Wise and witty' Sarah Hughes, Observer
'Essential . . . Evans is a brilliant storyteller' Stylist

What do you do next, after you’ve changed the world?

It is 1928. Matilda Simpkin, rooting through a cupboard, comes across a small wooden club – an old possession of hers, unseen for more than a decade.

Mattie is a woman with a thrilling past and a chafingly uneventful present. During the Women’s Suffrage Campaign she was a militant. Jailed five times, she marched, sang, gave speeches, smashed windows and heckled Winston Churchill, and nothing – nothing – since then has had the same depth, the same excitement.

Now in middle age, she is still looking for a fresh mould into which to pour her energies. Giving the wooden club a thoughtful twirl, she is struck by an idea – but what starts as a brilliantly idealistic plan is derailed by a connection with Mattie’s militant past, one which begins to threaten every principle that she stands for.

Old Baggage is a funny and bittersweet portrait of a woman who has never, never given up the fight.

'Utterly wonderful and intelligent' India Knight, Sunday Times Magazine

'A timely, bittersweet comic novel' Guardian

'This beautifully written story teems with atmosphere and perfect period detail but it’s the brave and brilliant Mattie that makes it unforgettable' Sunday Mirror

'A thoughtful, funny, companionable novel, offering an invigoratingly fresh vantage on a well-trodden period' Patricia Nicol, Sunday Times

Critic reviews

Wise and witty (Sarah Hughes)

I loved Old Baggage. Such original characters, and so timely. And it made me weep at the end. (JoJo Moyes)

Utterly wonderful and intelligent (India Knight)

A timely, bittersweet comic novel

Old Baggage gives an inspiring model of womanhood. Moving, warm and wry. It is wonderful! (Marian Keyes)

This beautifully written story teems with atmosphere and perfect period detail but it’s the brave and brilliant Mattie that makes it unforgettable

Essential . . . Evans is a brilliant storyteller

Lissa Evans’s gift for comedy edged with satire and pathos is God-given . . . Mattie’s search for meaning and purpose, which hints at the darker undercurrents of people marginalised by their sex and era, will strike a chord with most. (Elizabeth Buchan)

A thoughtful, funny, companionable novel, offering an invigoratingly fresh vantage on a well-trodden period (Patricia Nicol)

Lissa Evans writes with beguiling wit and vigour. I found myself utterly involved with her heroines, and the history is spot-on. (Jane Robinson, author of HEARTS AND MINDS)

The best book I have read in an age. 10/10 would recommend

Evocative, engaging, original. I was totally immersed in the world of the story from the start. An epic tale of the turning points in everyday lives. I can’t remember the last time I was so enamoured of a story and spellbound by the writing.

Treat yourself.