What follows is nothing short of a travesty of justice, Griffiths is totally cleared of the rape and Lotta is branded a slut. Her devious lawyer Nicholas Linden deliberately mislead the jury so that Griffith was cleared of all charges. Our servers are getting hit pretty hard right now. To continue shopping, enter the characters as they are shown MyHome.ie (Opens in new window) • Top 1000 • The Gloss (Opens in new window) • Recruit Ireland (Opens in new window) • Irish Times Training (Opens in new window)

The Trial of Lotta Rae: The unputdownable historical novel of

The main character, Lotta, is the most wonderful creation and I desperately wanted to change the direction she was moving in but powerless to help I read on knowing what was to come. I could not put this book down so engrossed was I in Lotta and her story. But don’t be put off. Siobhan MacGowan is a poet as well as a novelist, her use of language so lyrical and beautiful that I almost couldn’t bear it at times. And the historical details about World War One and the suffragette movement added to my appreciation of this wonderful, heartfelt read. A true masterpiece. Lotta also doesn’t know initially that Linden was told to lose the case or his failing career would be over. Putting his own family first, he uses his wily ways to get Lotta to trust him, drawing her into his web of deceit. The stress and shame of the court case results in Pap taking the law into his own hands and so a series of tragedies begin.

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Lotta is a happy 19 year old living with her Ma and Pa in Peabody house, Spitalfields she works as a typist at Whitbreads Brewery. Her life was shattered when she attended a works Halloween party with her Pa. During the evening Lotta had a tiff with her colleague and boyfriend Albert and upset she decided to get some fresh air. As she walked outside an older gentleman, Henry Alan Griffiths, who had an interest in Whitbreads Brewery and had previously made lewd remarks to her in the office, followed her outside and walked up to her expressing concern that she was upset, he roughly took her arm and suddenly pushed her against a wall and raped her. This review is written with thanks to Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read and review The Trial Of Lotta Rae. This book begs to be awarded 5 stars simply because one cannot ignore the exceptional writing throughout what is a harrowing but compelling story set in the lates1800s/early 1900s, encompassing WWI, and a society seemingly very different to today's, but in actual fact scarily relevant. This is by no means a lighthearted read. It’s real and it’s raw. It’s haunting, heartbreaking and totally devastating. This is a beautiful, sad, haunting story set in the time of Emily Pankhurst and the Sufragettes in London.

The Trial of Lotta Rae: The unputdownable historical novel of The Trial of Lotta Rae: The unputdownable historical novel of

I thought the trial from the title would be the centre of the book, but actually it was early in the story but a crucial catalyst for the events that came after. Essentially, this book was about men and women, men's power over women in the era before and during suffrage and ultimately a personal tale of that experience. Lotta was such a complex character to unravel. She was abused, bereaved, a fighter, manipulative and a feminist. There were very few good men in her life but Pap and Raff were such amazing advocates for her and women in her situation, I lived for their words and support in this.But the verdict is devastating, the consequences unimaginable. When Lotta discovers she has been betrayed, she vows to deliver her own justice. The Trial Of Lotta Rae is one of those books where everything just seems to work.The storyline, setting, and characters, all come together to create a twisted, fabulous, masterpiece. Some colleagues found her crying and at her request took her home to her Ma. When her Pa returned home he was stunned to hear she had been raped by Griffith and went to the Police Station to report the rape.

The Trial of Lotta Rae by Siobhan MacGowan | Goodreads The Trial of Lotta Rae by Siobhan MacGowan | Goodreads

Siobhan has connections with many of the locations which feature in The Trial of Lotta Rae including Spitalfields, Bishopsgate, Soho and Kings Cross. She lives in County Tipperary. Forgiveness is not about pardoning the other person their wrongdoings….It is not about forgiving but forgoing. Letting go. In that acceptance you are released. You can banish the wrongdoer from your life, for it is not they but your own feelings of hatred and resentment that keeps you bound to them.’ Oh Lotta! How much sadder could your life become? I loved this book, but some mornings I would wake and dread reading the next stave (we read in 10 staves with The Pigeonhole) thinking ‘can things get any worse for her?’ And they did, till by the end I was in floods of tears, but not just for Lotta. Charlotte Ray affectionately known as Lotta is raped by a despicable, wealthy male, Henry Allen Griffiths. Supported by her mam and pap, she makes the decision to press charges against him, believing that her lawyer William Lindon will fight the good fight and do her justice.The book starts in 1906, covering events on the run up to World War 1 as well as the political goings on in the United Kingdom with the suffragette movement which both Lotta and Raff become involved with. After losing the case, Lotta is forced from her usual employment to a Soho brothel. Her father’s reaction to the case finds him on the wrong side of the law, no longer of any help to his family. Lotta’s experiences make her hardened to the world around her and into the arms of the Suffragette movement. The book details the struggles faced by the movement on their way to make a fairer, more equitable world. The Trial of Lotta Rae captured my imagination as right from the start I was on Lotta's side and yet as we discover justice isn't always on the side of the righteous. Bringing the mean moody streets of the East End of London to life we get to experience Lotta's downfall, her naive trust in authority and her search for justice and retribution. The devastation that follows one horrific night for Lotta is truly haunting and I feel like this book will be one I remember for a long time. The novel is beautifully written and is suffused with a sense of class and gender injustice. It also depicts Lotta’s political awakening as she becomes involved in the London suffragette movement.

The Trial of Lotta Rae by Siobhan MacGowan | Waterstones

The Trial of Lotta Rae (Charlotte Rae) is a harrowing insight of the tremendous differences that existed in the early 1900’s between the honest, poor, hardworking people and the elite in society not only in monetary terms but justice and respect. At this time Emmeline Pankhurst and her suffragettes were fighting for the emancipation of women, marching through London in the hope that Prime Minister H H Asquith would sign a Bill giving women the right to vote. Through Lotta’s eyes we experience the hideous cruelty of force‑feeding of women on hunger strike. And we get a sense of the suffragettes’ comradeship and heroism. This book was fascinating from start to finish. I loved the emotions it evoked in me, everything from heartbreak to anger. What surprised me the most about the book was that the trial itself wasn't the book's main focus but rather the aftermath. I really liked that about the story as it was a refreshingly new take on a woman scorned and out for revenge after being taken advantage of by men, especially a man who was supposed to be on her side to help her get justice.

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He is a hypocrite. He aspires to morality and duty, but he sells his principles to advance his legal career and his social status. Just finished this beautifully written book and now sat with a headache from crying and all the thoughts I'm feeling now I'm finished. The Trial of Lotta Rae will make you furious. The way poor Lotta is treated by the judicial system is atrocious – the blame is for what happened is firmly at her door and the advantages of money and privilege work against her. Her happy life is ripped apart and she struggles to survive but makes good friends along the way. Lotta is a heroine you can’t hep but want to get behind. It really brings home the reality of life for a working class woman in the beginning of the twentieth century and the power of a wealthy, influential gentleman. I would also often pass the Old Bailey, enthralled as a child by its grandeur. The court we know today was opened to much fanfare in 1907 and it is in that year the book’s trial is set. During my research I was fascinated to learn that the building’s smooth Portland stone masks what lies beneath: the more sullied stone of the notorious Newgate jail, demolished to make way for the court, but much of its stone serving as the court’s skeleton.