"Bloomsburg Girls" is a novel set in London during the 1950s, just after WWII. During the war, many women went to work, filling jobs that men typically would hold. After the war, women were expected to return home to their domestic duties. But times were changing, and women wanted their independence. They did not want to be pushed out and under-valued.

Evelyn Stone (Evie), who some of us first met in Natalie Jenner’s "The Jane Austen Society", continues in this story. But don’t worry, "Bloomsbury Girls" is a stand-alone! You won’t have any trouble jumping into this one!

Evie, Vivien Lowry, and Grace Perkins all work at Bloomsbury Books. Each woman has their own reason for working there, and they soon learn they need each other to get ahead in this world.

There are quite a variety of characters in the story. I enjoy getting to know each of them and seeing a couple of cameos from characters from "The Jane Austen Society." Although, for me, a slow reader, it seemed to take forever to get to the heart of the story. There were so many characters to introduce!

I loved the store illustration in the front of the book, mapping each department!

"Bloomsburg Girls" is a charming story! And a powerful story about women uniting for a common goal! #WomenStrong

FTC Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher.

My Thoughts:

Bloomsbury Girls is my kind of story. It features characters who work in a bookstore, and of course talk about books and authors.

What I love about Bloomsbury Girls:

1. Evie Stone, a founding member of The Jane Austen Society, is an important character in this book. I love her most of all. She is a breath of fresh air. She is not described as a perfect and hard to identify with person. She is intelligent, hard-working, capable, independent, quirky, and very much an individual. I love her patience and planning of how to achieve goals. I love how she looks past the outward appearance of a person and seeks to know the real person. I love how she thinks. She ponders in her mind about people and life in general. And I love how the story shows her full personality. I became invested in the story because of her.

2. Other notable characters in the book each have substories. I enjoyed reading and learning about all of them. But as it is often the case, I want the characters to develop big. I want more of their stories. I don’t want snippets or small portions. Bloomsbury Girls has several characters who each have interesting substories that could become larger stories. Is it possible than one of them will have a future role as a main character in a book?

3. I love having a character who is not of white English descent. He is a person of another culture and society. He is a person who does not look like the rest. I love this. I love understanding a bit about his life in living in a predominantly white society. I see how difficult prejudice impacts him and his friends. I see how something simple like eating in a restaurant shows people’s prejudice. I am also glad Jenner allows the story to show his story and not tell me about his life.

4. Bloomsbury Books has a lengthy list of rules for the employees. I love the unique approach of showcasing each of the rules individually in the beginning chapters.

5. The story begins shortly after World War II. I knew almost nothing about the post-World War II years, especially in regard to rationing and looking back on the experiences of civilian life during the war.

6. The author adds her thoughts about characters. Not only do I read the thoughts and words of the characters, but I also read them from the author. This is the only thing I did not like about the story. I prefer the story speak for itself.

7. Dialogue is heavy in the book both in words spoken out loud and in thoughts.

8. The pace of the story is fine.

9. It is a character driven story.

Themes in the story: romance, compassion, kindness, marriage and family, spousal abuse, ambition, injustice, conformity, wisdom, dreams, grief, and hope.


Format: E-book from NetGalley.
Source: I received a complimentary e-book copy from NetGalley, AustenprosePR, and St. Martin’s Press. I am not required to write a positive review.
Audience: Readers of women’s fiction/literature.
Rating: Very good.

A book set in a bookstore for new and rare books in 1950 sounded good even before I opened it and saw a list of the books’ characters with a brief description. That amped up my anticipation as it took me back to classics I read in my youth with their lists of people I would be meeting in the pages before the story started. Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner, just out from St. Martin’s Press, lived up to my expectations.

Each chapter begins with one of the general manager’s fifty-one unbreakable rules that foreshadows the content of the chapter. Bloomsbury Books bookstore with a masculine guiding force in each of its departments seems about to miss out on the creativity and intelligence of the women who are kept in subservient roles. There is Grace Perkins, secretary to the general manager, with a husband who thinks she should be taking care of things at home. Staff member Vivien Lowry, has lost her fiancé to the war, and sees injustices. Grace and Vivien are best friends who tell each other everything, well, almost everything. Evie Stone, the new girl, graduated from Cambridge, but was passed over for an academic position in favor of a less-qualified male. Could the rare book that was Evie’s motivation in applying for this job hold an answer to the ambitions of the three women in a masculine world?

All three women have dreams and goals as they live among the literary figures who show up at the store - Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell), Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim, and others. Then there is Evie’s good friend, the movie star Mimi Harrison. The setting of the bookstore and the interaction of the people who frequent it drive the plot.

This is a book for anyone who like an English novel that does nothing more than take one away for an afternoon to a fascinating time and place.

"She would not be going backwards; she would not be looking back."

Once again endearing historical fiction writer Natalie Jenner has given a gift to book lovers with her post WWII women empowerment novel The Bloomsbury Girls.

Three very different women work at the over 100 year book store Bloomsbury Books but they know they are united in being under appreciated and under valued.

Vivien, who lost her aristocratic fiance to the war, cannot hide her disdain for the beleaguered manager who dismisses her ideas or Alec, the Head of Fiction, who has too many double standards. She is done being "man" handled by those less equipped than herself.

Grace, tired mother of two, who runs the store more efficiently than her boss, keeps silent but waits her time as her emotionally abusive husband doesn't deal with his PTSD.

Then there is the ever resilient brilliant Evie, who we first met in the surprisingly clever author's debut novel, The Jane Austen Society. A graduate of the first female graduating class of Cambridge, Evie is working at the store looking for a rare book that may just solve these three women's discriminating treatment.

Narrator Juliet Stevenson brings a sense of British properness to the telling of this clever literary fiction that has a sense of witticism and an awesome gotcha moment.

With a few real historical literary figures like Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday and the formidable Peggy Guggenheim we are brought into a time when the world was on the cusp of cultural and civil rights change and these women have a most satisfying end game to play.

I received a free copy of this audiobook and novel for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The challenges encountered working in a bookshop in 1950s London are well portrayed in this intelligent book by the author of The Jane Austen Society. The characters interact with their male colleagues in an entertaining manner, including Evie Stone in the aforementioned book. Well written and worth the read.

In the wake of WWII, three women take on the patriarchy in the prestigious bookshop where they work and seek to promote female authors and their own big dreams.

Studded with literary giants like Daphne du Maurier and Samuel Beckett, BLOOMSBURY GIRLS explores the tensions between women's ambitions and the social mores that sought to subdue them in post-WWII Britain. With a gradual start and several protagonists, this story is ideal for readers who enjoy settling into an immersive environment and befriending the characters who live there. The ending delivers a triumphant and joyful "down-with-the-patriarchy" climax that will have literature enthusiasts cheering. This title is an excellent pick for fans of women's fiction and for book clubs!

I loved this book - really loved it- everything about it. Three interesting women - pushed to the margins of the 1950’s Men’s Club world. Powerless, barely scraping by, but oh so intelligent, so capable and managing that Men’s Club without their members ever having a clue. Added to the pluses the story revolves around a bookstore. The men in control, who are far less interesting than their counterparts, are definite irritants to the women, but these men serve as perfect foils. Told through the 50 plus rules articulated by the Manager of the Bookstore, it becomes abundantly clear that the mundane and hierarchical order prevails.

This book is replete with history, and especially the stories of those incredible women who inhabited the arts and publishing world in the decades leading up to 1950, each with their own story, all interconnected and tied to our three heroines. While there are various references to Jenner’s previous book, Bloomsbury Girls can be read as a stand alone.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing for a copy.

I absolutely adored this book! It gave us a glimpse of how women can overcome anything if they have a sense of understanding and their will to fight exceeds giving up. I loved how the author brought in strong female historical figures into this book.

What an absolute stunner! I finished this gem up around midnight and it was SO good!! Special thanks to the author, St Martins Press and NetGalley for the review copy. I did purchase the hardback from Book of the Month because I knew I’d want this one in my collection!

After Natalie’s The Jane Austen Society, I didn’t know how she could come up with something to top that read. I thoroughly enjoyed that one so after reading a little of Bloomsbury Girls, I was shocked! She has done it again AND incorporated characters from The Jane Austen Society! It was absolutely brilliant, it was rich in culture and facts and the stories interwoven into the main story were touching.

Evie Stone comes to Bloomsbury Books after a cataloguing job that she counted on is stolen from her. But, is that really the truth? Or was Evie’s goal actually Bloomsbury Books? With only 3 women working for Bloomsbury, the idea forms to bond together. In a male dominated world, that isn’t as easy as it seems.

I absolutely loved this, I loved that the women worked together for a greater purpose. The men did not want women in charge but, they soon realized it was out of their hands. I loved the fashion references, the classic pencil skirts and red lipstick. Women were just so put together back then, classically beautiful. I loved that I could picture these interactions in my head and see the emotions.

I loved this read and for that I’m giving it five stars. I’m also recommending you grab it, especially if you love historical fiction, Jane Austen or just a good women kicking butt type of read.

Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner

St. Martin’s Press Pub Date: May 17

In post-war London, three resilient women are about change everything in a week known bookshop

Still reeling from the ravages of World War Bloomsbury Books is still standing and has been operating for 100 years. It’s still bound by tradition, but just as society is starting to changing, the historic bookstore still clings to its all male dominating business codes and rules. Three women are about to change all that.

Told in multiple POV’s we follow Vivian, Grace,and Evie as the navigate working in the well known bookshop Bloomsbury Books. Each of them have their own individual story to tell, with struggles and emotions. Natalie Jenner does a wonderful job in in her creating in a detailed working book store. The strong, independent female characters are witty and well developed. There is a strong comradeship between the main characters that build over time. An enjoyable light romance, that doesn’t take away from the storyline, it enhances it. Readers will enjoy famous literary figures of the past that make appearances in the book.

This such an engaging book, one that once I started reading I couldn’t stop!

Pure reading joy! 📕

I liked that this book focused on a bookstore post-WWII. Most WWII books I have read have focused on the the war and the concentration camps. I have read so many that I burned myself out on those books. The book deals with the unequal pay and women being passed up for promotions, too. If you like reading about any of those topics, this book is for you.

This is the perfect novel to enjoy sipping a cup of tea and cozied up in your favorite chair! There is just something charming about a bookstore, but beyond the charming setting of this novel comes three strong-willed, vibrant, determined, resourceful women who each use their intelligence to make the bookstore hum. The characters are engaging and believable; I think Evie is my personal favorite! I would say the strong women take center stage in this novel and the history is definitely not detailed, but I think enjoying this novel as women’s fiction allows readers to dig deep into fascinating characters and admire the three women. I liked the tie in of the rules at the beginning of each chapter and found that very creative! I think you can get more background information by reading The Jane Austen Society first, but this novel stands well on its own. I am eager to read more by this author and recommend this latest release!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Set in 1950, Bloomsbury Girls is the story of a bookshop in London - Bloomsbury Books - and the people who work there. While the novel focuses on the shop's three female employees, Evie, Grace, and Vivien, from time to time the reader glimpses the story from a male employee's point of view.

Bloomsbury Books is managed by Mr. Dutton, an old-fashioned man (though not without his scandalous secrets) who set a list of rules to be followed at all times. Each of the short chapters in the novel is headed by one of those rules, and I loved seeing how the rules fit into the larger story.

Relationships, both good and bad, are the focus of the novel. Some long-standing and fraught with misunderstanding, others new and tentative - all have a profound impact on the characters. Each woman also gets a taste of romance, and I found Evie's and Grace's love stories to be so sweet.

Also, I have to point out that there is a character list at the beginning, which always helps me immensely when I'm beginning a new book. (And the way Vivien is referenced made me chuckle.) 4 stars.

In Natalie Jenner's second fiction novel, Bloomsbury Girls, you will be swallowed alive (in a good way) into the bookish world that is Bloomsbury Books. Set in post WWII London, this tale follows the journeys of three strong and willful women as they try to find their ways personally and eventually, together in a world where women aren't valued in 1950s book society or other aspects of life to some.

Evie (from The Jane Austen Society which I now really want to read), Vivien and Grace couldn't be more different but as they find their individual ways, they come together in a heartwarming story of overcoming adversity and assumptions, proving to the world that with great friends and a burst of determination, you can be and do anything that your heart desires.

A dash of romance is thrown in, in this cozy read that will put you smack in the middle of this charming bookstore. I really felt like I was there and honestly, didn't want to leave.

This novel not only touches on aspects of sexist but also racism and same sex relationships. Though these issues were portrayed in a historical sense, they added an important touch to the novel in acceptance and forward thinking. Bookstores are a universal setting where all different people, genders, cultures and relationships are welcome and Natalie did a beautiful job knitting together how everyone belongs.

I loved how each chapter started with one of the 51 book shop rules and how that chapter would proceed on to usually break the rule. It was a comical, warm way to divide up the book and I thought it was very clever. I would have liked to see a little bit more of the romance developed in the novel, maybe with added length to the book but maybe that is what a third book will entail! I hope so.

Recommended to anyone that loves historical fiction novels with a little romance but also those that enjoy a strong coming of age story.

Thank you @netgalley & @stmartinspress for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I normally love books that are set in a book shop or library setting, This one just wasn’t quite right for me. I found it rather lengthy and very descriptive with several characters and very in-depth descriptions of their activities of daily life that made it very confusing and hard to follow at times also just an overwhelming amount of information.

Oh. My. Gosh.
This was absolutely delightful. I thought I loved The Jane Austen Society, but this one was even better than that one was. I loved every single thing about this book [even the parts that frustrated me - men are so...MEN sometimes] and did not want it to end. Evie, Vivian, and Grace are amazing characters and they are people I'd love to be friends with and I admire their grit and tenacity and capacity to love and show grace in the face of adversity.

What else is great about this book is that not all the men are bad - misguided maybe, but not intrinsically bad and you end up rooting for them too and their relationships, especially when they want to learn and grow and stretch. And the author takes several difficult subjects and writes them with a deft hand, never over-dramatic, always with kindness and caring and that was lovely as well.

Such a great read that I now have massive book hangover and that is the best compliment I can give.

I was also privileged to receive an audiobook ARC of this book and I have to say this was the best audiobook I have listened to in a quite some time. I have had the privilege of listening to Juliet Stevenson before and just about jumped for joy when I saw she was narrating this because I knew she would do the story justice and I was not wrong. WHAT an absolute delight! She made the story come alive and really added to the whole book experience. I am so glad I was able to listen to this book. So well done!

Thank you to NetGalley, Natalie Jenner, Juliet Stevenson - Narrator, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for providing both the ARC and the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Evie, a founder of the Jane Austen Society, and recent graduate of Cambridge is thwarted in obtaining her dream job and goes to London where she is employed at The Bloomsbury Books cataloging rare books.

A bookstore, famous literary characters, intrigue, tortured romances, the atmosphere of 1950 Bloomsbury and London…..it’s all here.Oh, yes, also misogyny and racism.

By the author of The Jane Austen Society, this is a well written, charming, engrossing read.

Bloomsbury Books is a 100 year old bookshop owned by Lord Jeremy Baskin. The story is set in the 1950s, so although there are women working at the shop, it is run by men. The general manager, Mr. Herbert Dutton, who enforces his fifty one workplace rules. He is very old fashioned, and although Miss. Vivien Lowdry, a cashier and Mrs. Grace Perkins, a secretary, both have great ideas to get more business into the store, he won't hear of it. Enter Evelyn Stone, Evie, who recently graduated from Cambridge University, but is overlooked for a job as a research assistant and the position is given to a male colleague. She is hired to work in the rare books collection at Bloomsbury. When Mr. Dutton takes time off for a health issue, the women finally get the opportunity to implement some of their ideas. Highlighting female authors, doing book luncheons and rediscovering forgotten works written by females bring in many new patrons. When Dutton returns things go back to normal until the three women put one over on him. I really enjoyed hearing about all the authors, spouses, and literary legends that were mentioned or that visited the store.

Bloomsbury Girls is a follow up to The Jane Austen Society, which I enjoyed. This is a post WWII story that once again showcases the inequality between men and women. Although women worked and held down the fort during the war, they were still considered to be not as smart or able to run a business or have ideas put into practice. This was especially true with female authors. As we meet all the characters in the story, the book did bog down a bit for me, but it does pick up shortly after that. Evie is one of the characters we met in The Jane Austen Society and she is shy and unassuming, but has an ulterior motive in working at Bloomsbury Books. Grace is a married mother of two boys whose husband has PTSD and she is supporting the family. Vivien is a struggling and frustrated author, whose fiance was killed in the early part of the war. All three of these women are smart and have dreams. They work together, with some support to achieve those dreams as a team of women. Overall this is a book about books, authors, bookish people, women supporting women, and trying to be published when you are a female, friendship, and taking risks to follow your dreams. I enjoyed this historical fiction story very much and learned a bit about some famous female authors and their work along the way. I recommend this one.

Bloomsbury Girls begins in the 1950s Post WWII England, as societal roles between men and women shifted. With this new novel, Natalie Jenner features three ambitious women, Vivien, Eve, and Grace, who want to shape their own destinies. These ladies, like many women during the war, were allowed to take jobs previously held by men allowing them to work outside of their homes. After the war, It was assumed that women would go back to a subservient role and that men would hold ownership and most managerial positions in business. Our three lead ladies refused to accept the limitations placed upon them as working females in the Bloomsbury Bookstore. Having been given inferior jobs, these three intelligent ladies outsmart the men and purchase the bookstore where they were previously employed. It was not only a coup for women business owners but also for women writers who were underserved in the publishing industry back in the 1950s. This book is a follow-up to The Jane Austen Society, which I also enjoyed. #girlsrule #historicalfiction #woman #bloomsburygirls #historicalfiction #England #bookstore #highereducation #bookshops #books #NatalieJenner #BloomsburyGirls #St.MartinsPress #historicalfiction
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I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book. Pub Date: May 17, 2022.

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Bloomsbury Girls is about three women making their way through post-WWII, when the world has changed but the patriarchy has not.

Each woman is working at a century old bookstore - all for various reasons and they are each from different backgrounds. What will their futures look like? What is it like to be much more qualified than the men who get jobs while you do not?

These and so many other questions guide the narrative as the past, present and future are examined. The lives of the three women are entwined and this provides a terrific read.