The Good Daughters

A Novel

Brigitte Dale

A moving and vivid story of three suffragettes in London and the battle for equality that tests the strength of their will and the bonds of their friendship.

In 1912, three young women from wildly different backgrounds are bound together by their desire to have a say in their future.

Charlotte, disappointed to discover that college isn’t the key to the freedom she longed for, shocks her family when she moves to London and joins a group of suffragettes willing to upend social norms for the vote. Aristocratic Beatrice, with a law degree she legally can’t put into practice and a fiancé she’s not particularly excited to marry, escapes to London to spend her last months of unmarried life with the suffragettes, and falls deeply—and dangerously—into forbidden love. Emily, the daughter of the warden of the infamous Holloway Jail, grieves her mother and saves her wages for a better life outside the prison’s walls. Her best chance at escaping the drudgery of her life is to stay out of trouble, but when the suffragettes land in her father’s cells, she must consider risking not only her family’s livelihood, but her own future.

With the dangerous stakes of the suffrage campaign becoming a fight for the women’s bodies and lives, they enter a treacherous world where the laws and justice system are stacked against them. They face violent protests, hunger strikes, and brutal forced feedings, and the women must decide how much they are willing to risk for their freedom and for each other.

Brigitte Dale earned her master’s degree in women’s history at Yale and has written about suffragettes and feminist history in the anthology Women’s Suffrage in Word, Image, Music, Stage, and Screen (Routledge); Electric Literature; Medium; and other publications. She is an assistant editor at St. Martin’s Press and her bookstagram, Brigitte’s Bookshelf, has over 7,500 followers.

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Endorsements & Reviews

“Dale’s beautifully written novel drew me right in—it was almost as if I were marching right along with her vibrant cast of characters in their fight for suffrage. The depth and nuance of the storytelling, the vivid portrayal of the injustices suffered, and the power of women determined to bring about change build to a crescendo that feels fiercely relevant today. I loved it.” Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen and The Lions of Fifth Avenue

"The Good Daughters is a powerful novel inspired by the real women who risked everything to fight for women’s voting rights. With vivid insight to the dangers, the persecution, the judgement, and terror these women faced, the story reflects just how steep the stakes could be. Dale’s immense research and atmospheric writing shines in this must-read debut." Madeline Marting, New York Times bestselling author of The Booklover's Library

"Countless suffragettes fought for the right for women to vote, a time in history that Brigitte Dale expertly brings to life in The Good Daughters through Charlotte, Emily, Beatrice, and Sadie, four women with very different backgrounds but a shared mission. I appreciate how the novel fully embraces being the change you want to see in the world, and is made even better by raw, compelling, and beautiful storytelling that showcases the suffragette movement like never been seen before." Jennie L. Walsh, USA Today bestselling author of Unsinkable

"A bold, vivid, and gripping story with beautifully crafted characters awaits you in Brigitte Dale’s The Good Daughters. Centered around a topic that is very near and dear to my heart, the women’s suffrage movement, Brigitte has created a world full of complexity and heightened emotions befitting of a movement rife with distinctive and complicated intricacies that often brought out the best and the worst of humanity. You are…left on the edge of your seat as you devour page after page and fall more in love with these women, whom you root for at every turn. Every victory lifts you and holds you aloft, while every defeat slams into your gut, rooting you to the scars of this movement that can still be felt today. May we all be emboldened by this story." Ally Bonino, Lucy Burns in the original Broadway cast of the Tony Award-winning Suffs: The Musical

“I read this book with my heart in my throat. The Good Daughters is a poignant reminder of the tremendous sacrifices suffragettes of all social classes endured to earn women the right to vote, putting their bodies and lives on the line to speak truth to power. Elegantly written and expertly researched, Brigitte Dale's debut is the perfect read for the world we're living in now.” Caroline Woods, author of The Mesmerist and The Lunar Housewife

"The struggle for women’s suffrage comes to life in this high-stakes and compelling historical novel. Duty or revolution? Submission or independence? Silence or power? These are just some of the ethical and deeply emotional questions that shape the lives of four young suffragettes in Brigitte Dale’s The Good Daughters. The novel shocks with its revelations of protest and power, violence and perseverance, and inspires with its story of heroic women sacrificing nearly everything to make their voices heard." Henriette Lazaridis, author of Terra Nova and The Clover House

“The Good Daughters is a poignant and utterly captivating debut inspired by the British suffragette movement. With elegant, lyrical prose, Brigitte Dale transports the reader to early twentieth-century England to tell the story of Charlotte, Emily, Bea, and Sadie— four young women from vastly different backgrounds who unite in purpose to fight for a common cause. A feminist tale of strength and sacrifice, The Good Daughters is at times heart-breaking, but Dale balances those moments with ones of tenderness, hope, and victory. Brava, Brigitte Dale, for writing this timely novel, a rousing debut that will motivate others for many years to come.” Adriana Allegri, author of The Sunflower House

"The Good Daughters brings fresh energy to the plight of the Suffragettes and fight for women's right to vote. This retelling of the battle for women's votes sheds light on another side of the Suffragette movement. It contrasts the pressures each of the characters face to conform, and be so-called 'good daughters,' with the need to stand up for oneself and their collective rights. The narrative also alludes to the gritty reality that the Suffragettes faced at the hands of the police…Together, they achieve more than they ever thought they could." Jessica Mills, author of The English Chemist