A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller

When I saw the cover of A Mad, Wicked Folly, I immediately added it to my library queue. But when I heard the summary, I knew I was going to like it. Early 1900's London, art, romance, and a girl trying to be on her own. I really enjoyed A Mad, Wicked Folly even though it made me angry at times.

Vicky wants to be an artist. But for a woman of her class (high), Vicky is expected to draw kittens and flowers. In order to be a real artist, she would have to defy her parents. But Vicky is used to the high life-fancy dresses, servants. Could she give all that up to become the artist she dreams of being?

I'm aware of American suffragette history. But I didn't realize that English woman fought for the same right to vote as well. What made me angry was that these women were trying to make clear arguments and men were laughing and jeering at them. Even some of the men in Vicky's life were assholes. Her fiancee told her he'd protect her with one breath and took away things that mattered to her in another. I realize that happened frequently and still happens today but it made me really angry. It made me appreciate the freedoms I have thanks to the women who have fought for those freedoms.

A Mad, Wicked Folly was entertaining and educational. Waller did a lot of research into the time and had a helpful guide in the back of the book to talk more about the history. I enjoyed A Mad, Wicked Folly and look forward to more of Waller's books. Others who shared their thoughts on A Mad, Wicked Folly: Good Books, Good Wine, The Crazy Bookworm, Beauty and The Bookshelf, and The Library Canary.
This was my second read for the 2014 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.