Bloomsbury Girls is the first book I've read by Natalie Jenner. This story was labeled as historical and women's fiction; I love historical fiction, but I always avoided books described as women's fiction. Why? For some unknown reason I had it in my mind that any book listed as women's fiction would be boring. What an asinine assumption that turned out to be! I LOVED this book! What other wonderful fiction have I missed out on due to my erroneous belief?!

It's 1950, and London is recovering from World War II. Bloomsbury Books, purveyor of new and rare books, has been in existence for one hundred years, and in that time not much has changed. It's always been run by men, and it still is. The general manager has a list of 51 rules that all employees must adhere to; they are non-negotiable. But things in this new era are beginning to change, especially in publishing, and the three women employed by Bloomsbury Books are about to change the status quo, whether the men who work there like it or not. Beautiful Vivien Lowry, an aspiring writer, lost her fiance in the war. She's angry about a lot of things, most notably Alec McDonough, the Head of Fiction. Secretary Grace Perkins is married and has two sons. She works hard to support her family since her husband had a breakdown after the war. She's unhappy in her marriage, but she has dreams. Evie Stone is the newest Bloomsbury employee. She was in the first class of students at Cambridge who were allowed to earn a degree. She thought she would be offered an academic position, but that job went to a male rival not nearly as qualified as she. So Evie is working at the bookstore as she charts her own future. Will these women make it in a man's world?

This lovely story is truly a love letter to books. I love books; I always have. My love of reading was instilled in me by my father and maternal grandfather. I admit I'm a philistine, though. No classics for me. I haven't read any of the classics mentioned in this book. For me it's popular fiction all the way, with an occasional non-fiction book to stir the pot. But when it comes to reading, it's all good. I loved everything about this book. This was a fascinating time period in publishing and for women. Women writers were not respected like their male counterparts, but that was about to change. I really enjoyed the way the chapters were set up. Each chapter begins with one of the store's rules, then the chapter shows how that particular rule was broken. This book was a marvelous mix of culture, women's equality, friendship, romance, and of course books. The characters were unique and all quite engaging. Vivien was busily writing at work when not dealing with customers. She was disaffected with her position and wanted more. She had a history with Alec McDonough and felt she was in competition with him, always destined to be second due to her gender. Grace had a miserable marriage but loved her boys. She had a friendship with Lord Baskin, owner of Bloomsbury Books, and there was obvious attraction there. Evie (who I believe was in Ms. Jenner's book The Jane Austen Society) was overlooked for a position she was highly qualified for, so she was working at the book store in order to search for a specific rare book. She became friends with Ash Ramaswamy, Head of science and naturalism, who also dealt with discrimination due to his Indian heritage. In addition to these wonderful fictional characters we had real-life personalities Ellen Doubleday (widow of American publisher Nelson Doubleday, Sr.), Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim (American heiress and collector) and author Daphne Du Maurier, among others. Set aside time in your schedule to read this incredible story...you won't want to put it down until you're finished!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

While Bloomsbury Books is not the second in a series if you’ve read Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society, you’ll recognize quite a few of the characters. Evie was one of the six in that society in Chawton, England who found and helped evaluate Jane Austen’s library in her home. Now, after graduating, we see an older, yet still slightly naive Evie navigating a large city filled with different cultures and societal expectations. She was certainly the most shy of the three women yet grew the most throughout the novel. I loved her love story, but also how she started the novel naive and learned a little gamesmanship by the end.

Vivien was opinionated, outrageous, and super talented. She was an aspiring writer, but also saw how changes would make their bookstore grow. The men who managed the store were only interested in maintaining things the way that they’d always been done. Vivien was that strong wind of change and her wind was a hurricane gale force.

Grace, like a lot of women of her time found herself in a marriage that no longer gave her what she needed. She and her husband were on different paths and Grace’s journey throughout the book was a voyage of discovery and bravery. Would she or wouldn’t she take that chance to make a change.

Bloomsbury Girls had a methodical pace that allowed the reader to engage with each of the characters in the story and and feel for their circumstances, even if the time we live in has made some inroads into equality on the job and in the household. I really enjoyed the evolution of these characters and loved the conclusion to this novel. It might just be because I’m a woman but it was so satisfying! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Named by to many to mention a most Anticipated Book of 2022!! 💜🐾
#Bloomsbury Girls by internationally bestselling author # Natalie Jenner. You may remember her last novel # The Jane Austen Society.
Description:
Bloomsbury Books is an old-fashioned new and rare book store. It's been around a hundred years, run by men and fifty-one rules. Three women have plans....
Thank you for the advance copy,
#Netgalley, # Natalie Jenner, and # St. Martin's Publishing

Bloomsbury Girls follows up on the gently paced and delightful The Jane Austen Society, continuing with the story of one of the main players while introducing an all new cast of characters who are brought together at a 1950s era London bookshop. Anticipating more of the same good thing from Natalie Jenner’s pen, I eased into my comfy chair to fall in love with old books and an old bookshop while rooting on three intrepid women who choose not to be satisfied with the status quo or repressed in a man’s world.

The author painted the hundred-year-old bookshop, and the large cast of characters as well as 1950s London and the literary scene so well that I was wholly immersed in it all. I felt right at home inside the old bookshop and with the people there.

Bloomsbury Girls takes a bit to get going because there are a great many primary characters who need to be introduced along with the background and current situation of the bookshop. The narrator’s perspective shifts among several of the characters. Interesting how the battle of the sexes includes a battle over business ideology when it comes to the store. Because of this, the book comes with a ‘big front porch’ as one of my old writing teachers described the large amount of setup before the plot really gets underway.

It was a full book and had a ponderous pace at times, but I wouldn’t want to miss one person and I could see how many of the scenes had to be there for a reason. I liked how each added to the story and had their place.

The relationship dynamics are a sparkling element. All three women come from different backgrounds, but they share a need to be respected for their skills when, time after time, they are not. I enjoyed seeing them find their way. There are romances, but this is not the focus of the book, though yes, it plays a role.

The book is peopled with a rich, colorful, diverse cast and, of course, it is all things book. The exciting part was Evie’s diligent research into locating the first edition of a very rare book by a woman author with male academics hot on her trail and attempting to steal her recognition once again. Along the way, books contemporary and in the past by women authors are given the spotlight as are real life women involved in literature and the arts at the time. This includes a personal favorite, Daphne du Maurier.

In summary, this slow-build story of a bookshop’s survival, the role three vital women played, and the search for a rare book was a satisfying good read. It will likely not be for everyone with the multiple narrators, deep dive into description and characterization, and gentle, thoughtful tension, but I do heartily recommend it as a solid combo of women’s and historical fiction.

Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner is a delightful read set in post WWII London. Evie Stone is introduced in an earlier book entitled The Jane Austen Society, and her story is one of the key components of Bloomsbury Girls. The narrative follows three young women, Evie, Vivian & Grace, of various circumstance who all are employed at Bloomsbury Books, and each has to conform to the "rules" as dictated by the store manager, Mr. Dutton. Almost all the chapters begin with one of the 51 Rules. starting with the very important Rule No. 17 Tea shall be served promptly four times a day," and naturally the women will be solely responsible for tea making.
Evie is an honors graduate of the first female entry class permitted to earn a degree at Cambridge, and yet recently lost out on a research position to a less qualified male candidate. She's a rare book scholar and continues her search at Bloomsbury Books for a special title. Vivian works in the fiction department under the "guidance" of her sometimes beau, Alec, and both have silent hopes of becoming authors. Vivian's fiancé was killed in the war, and she is still distressed by the lowly treatment she received from his aristocratic family. She's vibrant, bold and hopes to convince the manager to celebrate undervalued women authors. The secretary, Grace, is a model of perseverance and loyalty. She is unhappily married, the mother of two sons, and has dreams she wants to chase.
Bloomsbury Books is an old-fashioned century old shop run by men who fiercely resist change, especially if it comes from women. When the opportunity comes for some new ideas to be implemented by the women, the men are pleased with the success, but skeptical and prefer to resume "normal" tried and true operations.
Seeing the women not just surviving but excelling in a man's world is the center of the story. The world of 1950's is one of great changes and Bloomsbury Girls shows the great challenges women, immigrants and gays faced. Every character has dreams. The author's addition of a rollicking cast of true to life literary figures of the time making appearances at the Bookstore was a great touch and lots of fun to read. The strong bonds between the characters were well developed and a mystery or two made for a good read all around.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the novel to read and review.

I adored The Jane Austen Society so I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Bloomsbury Girls. Of course I am a huge fan of a book that features a book shop so prominently. This novel is about so much more than that, though. The whip-smart dialog is my favorite. I admire the way Natalie Jenner tackled the topic of rampant sexism. Bloomsbury Girls offers readers a cozy, delightful reading experience. Highly recommend!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions shared here are my own.

Story of 3 strong women, working at Bloomsbury Books in London in the 1950's. WWII has ended and men are back to take their place in society and their workplaces. The story follows the women fighting for and figuring out their place in society and the work place. They work hard, are very resilient, and earn their places, teaching those around them. A really good read!

I love the 1950s and what book lover doesn’t love books about books? I think some will feel it moved too slow but I enjoyed the slow build.

Prior to requesting this book, I did not realize that many of the characters in Jenner’s previous book, The Jane Austen Society, show up and star, in Bloomsbury Girls. It has been over a year since I read The Jane Austen Society, so I forgot many of the subplots, but Bloomsbury Girls could be read without reading The Jane Austen Society.

I love books that take place in bookshops. Bloomsbury Girls takes place in an old bookstore located in London during the 1950s. Jenner is so descriptive that the bookstore comes to life. You can smell the books. There are many different points of view throughout the novel, but the story revolves, primarily, around Evie, Grace, and Vivien. Each woman has a different reason for working at the bookshop and each woman is struggling to find her place in post-WWII England. Evie is a bit naïve and has learned the hard way that people will use you to get ahead in life. Grace’s husband is dealing with PTSD and she is trying to keep everything together for everyone. Vivien has aspirations to be a writer, yet is told to remember her role as a woman.

While Bloomsbury Girls is generally a light-hearted novel, it explores many serious themes, including racism, misogyny, homophobia, and mental, verbal, and (brief) physical abuse. Jenner does well balancing the seriousness without overwhelming the reader. Many of the characters are trying their best to carve out a fulfilling life, yet are shored up against the constraints of societies expectations. I enjoyed this book immensely. I personally love when famous figures make appearances in books (Daphne du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, and Samuel Beckett, for example). The real, historical, literary figures were so empowering! This book made me want to find nonfiction books on the lives of the incredible women Jenner included. The fictional characters in the book were complex and varied. I appreciate when an author creates superb dislikable characters (Alec), as it makes the story more believable.

My only complaint is that the pacing felt off. It was rather obvious early on what the resolution would be to each woman’s predicament; however, it took a long time to get there. I suppose that makes it more realistic.

If you enjoy historical fiction, books, and a strong feminist cast, do yourself a favor and read Bloomsbury Girls—it was delightful.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC!

“Bloomsbury Girls” by Natalie Jenner
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I feel like this almost 4 stars. It was really well written and I loved the characters, but that punch throughout the book was missing. I really loved the ending though.

Three women work in a century old bookshop in London in the 1950s. While it’s post war most men still rule the industry and the women are under appreciated. When the boss gets sick and the women get more power and help the bookstore turn a profit they are realizing their worth.
This is a story of three women finding themselves and bettering their futures.

This was such a charming book and it reminded me that I was definitely due for a historical fiction book. I loved the three women and how they were able to come together to outsmart the men. I also enjoyed all the great female authors that were brought up in this as well.

Bloomsbury Girls is a wonderful novel! Engaging and well-written, it is certainly worth a read!

This novel is set in post-war London, around 1950. It mainly takes place in a bookstore, and the three main characters, around whom the story develops, are all women chafing under male-dominated dictatorship of their work lives. As if to illustrate the rigidity of the work environment, each chapter begins with one of the written rules set in place by the manager, Herbert Dutton.

As the story develops, the author introduces several real-life literary characters who interact with the fictional characters, giving us a glimpse of the literary scene of the times. There is also the overarching theme of the two world wars, and their effect on the lives of the characters and society.

The characters are well-developed and relatable, the setting is original, and the women’s fight for equal treatment is portrayed in a real and believable fashion. It is quite an eye-opener for any readers who are not familiar with the treatment of women in the workplace in the 1950s.

Mixed in with all of the above are three separate “romances”…. One of forbidden love, one of competitive love, and one of a newly burgeoning love. And women find themselves once again boxed in by society - even in their love-lives.

Beautifully told historical fiction set in 1950s London.
The war is over, there is still austerity, but life has more-or-less resumed as it was before World War II…and that is a problem- this book puts a special lense in regard to this problem on women in the workplace, a bookstore with a famed tradition and in academia.
In addition to being a great story with characters you want to spend time with, this is a great peek into the post-war society in mid-20th-century London. The focus is on the three main characters internal struggles – but by selecting women at different ages and stages from Evie fresh from college to Grace, married with two children - there are lots of glimpses into the wider world and how it impacts their choices.
This book is a heartfelt love letter to bookstores, booksellers and especially to under-appreciated female authors from the past. I loved all the glimpses at the publishing and literary world that were on offer, the book sent me googling to get more background – and of course a couple of pictures for Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell), Samuel Beckett and Peggy Guggenheim…
If you love your historical fiction to meander a little with an engaging hopeful story and vividly drawn layered and complex characters, this book may be for you.
I had both an eArc and an advance audio copy and went back and forth and i have to say the narration by English actress Juliet Stevenson is fantastic, she gives life to every character from the most minor to the three female leads. Her voice adds to the British atmosphere of the book.

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. Add in the bookstore setting of Bloomsbury Girls, and I really expected to love this book so much. It’s not that it wasn’t good, it’s just that it was extremely slow. It took me a lot longer than normal to get through this one, so I’d frequently try to squeeze in a chapter before bed only to fall asleep each time.

Taking place in a bookstore historically owned by an earl’s family, the story brought together an interesting cast of characters including three shop girls (one married with kids, one unmarried whose fiancé died in the war, and a recent graduate/researcher) who predominantly drove the story. There was also Lord Baskin, the earl who owned the bookshop, along with the general manager Mr. Dutton and his partner Frank Allen and the other three men who worked at the store. Setting the story in a bookshop really does allow for so much potential thanks to the vast and varied customer base which included Ellen Doubleday of the famed Doubleday Books.

I really liked the feminist undertones woven into the narrative. Each woman had their own extremely different lifestyle and circumstances, but in essence, they were all trying to find their place and a way to succeed in a man’s world. Vivien (the unmarried one) was an aspiring writer, who despite her hard work and innovative ideas, would never be considered for a management role simply because she’s a woman. Grace (the married one) was earning for her family while her husband was unemployed after the war and struggling to find her voice within the confines of her marriage as was common during that time. And Evie, the researcher, had been passed over time and again in favor of her male counterparts.

While the characters all had so much potential, it was hard to get into the story in great part because I didn’t really know what the story was. Halfway through the book, I still didn’t know the point or where it was going. I was simply just following along their day-to-day lives with no real purpose or goal. Grace was the only one who had a tangible issue where I could root for her in the battle with her husband, but I had no idea what Vivien or Evie were dealing with or looking for out of life.

There was a ton of foreshadowing throughout the novel that helped push me to keep reading hoping the characters would reel me in. One thing I particularly enjoyed was all of the literary connections and symbols. For instance, there was a such an emphasis on the Ides of March – a date that, for some reason, I have never forgotten and frequently reference in everyday conversation. Most people look at me like I’m crazy or have no idea what I am talking about, so I was really amused by the repeated discussion and allusion to the Ides of March.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad story and I did finish with a feel-good vibe, but I wish it had been more captivating.

Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner is a story of post-war London, a century-old bookstore and three women who are determined to find their way in a new, fast-changing world. Bloomsbury Books is an old-fashioned bookstore with new and rare books, run by men and guided by the general manager’s unbreakable fifty-one rules. Vivien Lowry is a single brilliant woman. She has a long list of grievances about how the store is run, many of them well justified. Grace Perkins is a married woman with two sons. She’s been working to support the family after her husband’s breakdown following the war. Evie Stone was one of the first female students to earn a degree from Cambridge. After she was denied an academic position in favor of a less accomplished male rival, she begins working at Bloomsbury Books with a mission. Together they have a plan that will shake up the literary world as they know it.
Bloomsbury Girls is an interesting book as the characters interact with the movers and shakers of the day’s literary world. For example, Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair, the widow of George Orwell, and Peggy Guggenheim. The story started off slow and I wondered where it was going. But once Evie discovers what she is looking for, the action heats up as she realizes she is not the only one looking for this rare treasure. I cheered for the ending and it made the book worth the read and the slow build up. I thoroughly enjoyed how the women outsmarted the men to come out on top. So much for being the lesser sex! I really enjoyed that one of the general manager’s rules starts each chapter and the action of the chapter shows how the rule is implemented or even broken. If you love stories with strong women featuring books and literary giants, I recommend Bloomsbury Girls.

Bloomsbury Girls is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook.

If you’re looking for a historical fiction novel with strong female characters - this is for you!

“Bloomsbury Girls” follows the lives of three women all at different stages of their life. The novel is set in postwar London so PTSD in men is discussed as well as its effect on their families. However, the main plot of the book is the injustices experienced by women of this age. Being turned down in favor of a less accomplished male, having literary work rejected simply because it is by a female, being passed up for promotion simply because “women have never held that position”, Many subplots make the reader feel frustrated at the antiquity of the times, the helpless position that the women are placed in regardless of their strengths.

What I enjoyed most of this novel is the references to historical figures of the time, e.g. Peggy Guggenheim, Daphne du Maurier, Sonia Blair (George Orwell’s widow), and others. Their being brought to life and imagining them in London at a luncheon was exciting and new.

If you read and enjoyed Natalie Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society or if you are a fan of books set in bookstores, find a copy of Bloomsbury Girls. If you have read and loved Helene Hanff’s 88 Charing Cross Road or can watch the film based on the book again and again, you will understand Jenner’s acknowledgment that Hanff inspired the setting of her second novel.

More than a decade has passed since the opening of The Jane Austen Society. It is now 1949, and Evie Stone, the servant girl who single handedly catalogued the Chawton Great House library, the sale of which funded the society’s purchase of the Jane Austen House, is a member of Cambridge University’s first class of female graduates.

A man has beaten out Evie for the Cambridge job she wanted and deserved, and she soon finds herself working at Bloomsbury Books, located in London’s literary and intellectual hub. Having walked in the door on the right day with the right experience back in Chawton, she now begins cataloging and organizing Bloomsbury Book’s chaotic rare books department.

Review posted on Goodreads and Barnes and Noble.

The shop’s other women employees, Grace Perkins and Vivien Lowry, are delighted to have another woman on the staff although they see little of Evie, who immerses herself In the stacks and piles on the third floor. Due to the general manager’s illness and rare books department head’s frequent absences on buying trips, the women for the first time find themselves in positions to initiate change.

Along with Evie Stone, actress Mimi Harrison, and Southeby’s Yardley Sinclair—all familiar to readers of The Jane Austen Society, Jenner peoples her second novel with an assortment of other interesting new characters, primarily the men who own, manage, or work at Bloomsbury Books. As the employees go about their work, members of London’s literary society also play their roles, including Daphne du Maurier, George Orwell’s widow, playwright Samuel Beckett, and others.

As the story progresses, secrets begin to surface, and Evie Stone, who seems to have been forced to take a job far beneath her education and abilities, turns out to have a plan after all.

Jenner cleverly opens each chapter with one of General Manager Herbert Dutton’s many posted rules. Readers quickly see the connections between each rule and the chapter events that follow. Certainly, so many rules are destined to be broken whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Although the plot unwinds slowly, Jenner always kept my interest. Bloomsbury Girls provides an engaging look at London’s literary scene, the empowerment of women writers, and mid-twentieth century women’s experiences in a society still dominated by men.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reader copy of this enjoyable new historical novel.

What is not to like with a novel about an English bookshop, a group of diverse employees and famous writers here and there. Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner is that book. Although this is not listed as a sequel, there is a link to The Jane Austen Society in the person of Evie Stone who is an important character in both books. The time is after World War II. The place is London, which is beautifully described as characters wander there on their days off. Bloomsbury Books has been in business for a hundred years and not much has changed in that time. The management of this establishment are all male. There are three female employees: Vivien, Grace and Evie. Life is not easy to navigate for the women in more ways than one. The relationship between men and women is at the centre of this intricate plot. The rest of the story you must read for yourself. Natalie Jenner has written a thoughtful, honest and fair look at life in a post-war London bookshop and reading Bloomsbury Girls is an absolute pleasure. This is historical fiction at its best. A cup of tea, a comfy corner and this book is all you need for a satisfying read. Highly recommended. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Evie’s plans to work for a Cambridge professor following her graduation from Girton College fail to work out, she accepts a position at Bloomsbury Books. There, she meets a cast of characters, including Grace and Vivian, as well as the mysterious and dashing Ash. While searching for a missing but historically important novel, Evie learns about the employees, famous literary figures of the time, and the 51 rules all employees are expected to abide by. The growing frustration with the constraints of the country, in general, and the store, in particular, and how those constraints seem to always fall harder on the women causes the three to form an important bond and leads to hope of an exit strategy.

Just as in her debut, The Jane Austen Society, Jenner builds a world of interesting, relatable characters that feel currently relevant, even in a book set 70 years ago. This book is cozy and lovely and was just a wonderful comfort read for me. Available today. Thanks to @NetGalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC.

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭!

I loved The Jane Austen Society so I was beyond excited to get this copy, and what a great treat it was. Historical Fiction, a bookshop, strong women, friendship and love, everything I love in a story.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for this gifted copy.

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