Bloomsbury Girls
Rating: 3 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

Bloomsbury Girls was a slow paced story about three women who work at a bookshop post WWII in London.
The story has several POVs but theirs are the ones that speaks to the reader because we see these three women of different ages come together to fight for what they want.
It had a very slow start for me because it has too many characters and it took a while for the story to finally take off. I almost DNF'd it, but I kept reading and it does get interesting towards the end.
We also see some of the characters from the author's previous story "The Jane Austen Society", which I have read but I don't really remember much of it. (Sorry. Therefore, there were times that I thought "Who are these people?")

Much like the gorgeous cover, Bloomsbury Girls envelopes you in post-war London nostalgia.

Bloomsbury Girls is a story of an old fashioned bookstore dictated by rules and the three women bound to break them.

Vivien, Grace, and Evie. Three ambitious women struggling through societal expectations and the multitude of obstacles bound to hold them back. Each character is distinct, with a fresh voice. Yet the struggles each face are nothing unique. As the women learn to lean on one another, they also see possibilities for a brighter future.

I enjoyed how the Jenner blended the fictional cast with real, trailblazing women (Daphne de Maurier, Peggy Guggenheim, and Ellen Doubelday). I found myself googling these historic women and allured by the idea that their combined efforts could’ve spearheaded such momentum.

The pace of this book is very similar to how I like to meander through my favorite bookstore… slow and steady. While not a riveting page turner, the cozy and leisurely vibe felt apropos.

I found myself primarily turning to the audiobook narration, expertly read by Juliet Stevenson.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and MacMillan Audio for the #gifted copies of this book.

Please see my feedback on the audio book. I inadvertently requested print and audio and thoroughly enjoyed but do not need to reread Bloomsbury Girls. Thank you for letting me read this lovely book. Again, you have my full review of the audio book.

Bloomsbury Girls continues the story of Evie Stone from The Jane Austen Society. While this could be read as a stand alone book, I highly recommend reading The Jane Austen Society prior to this book as it will enhance your enjoyment if you know about Evie's life prior to moving to London so she could attend Cambridge where she was in the first graduating class of women. This story centers on Bloomsbury Books and the women who work there; Evie being the newest hire. This book is a testament to the strength of women when they stand up for themselves. I loved the time period and seeing the change in the characters as they take charge of their lives even though they are met with resistance by men at every turn. You'll laugh, cry, and cheer as the story comes to a satisfying conclusion. I highly recommend. Thank you netgalley for this advanced reader's copy.

Very good book it was interesting especially the title because that wasn't in the twenties they had a Bloomsbury club where they would all write. The bookstore was really interesting as well because it was run by a very wealthy family and everybody had different ties to it. Mr. Dalton was the one who ran the bookstore and he had different ideas and stuff like that. The hired girl called Evie stones Who had a very interesting past you will find out later in the book. I like how she was reading old stuff and I'm working with the researching old books Based on wome The book she was really looking f W**** was called the mummy. While she was at Oxford she worked on calibrating this house and they were selling it at salesby. Somehow she didn't get this job because she was well qualified but somebody else took it so she left the University and came to this bookstore. She meets a woman called GRI VE and Vinnie. They had an interesting pass too.. Vinian I'm supposed to marry a very famous Lord but he died in the war and you'll find out why she was very skinnish around people GRI VE lived in a bad marriage but she was worried about her 2 children. Lord Byron really liked her. Vineyan had problems with the guy called Allen who worked in the store too not another interesting connection. It's part mystery and part fiction it's quite good. Eva finds herself and falling in love with the Indian guy who worked there as well. There's a lot of plots and twists and turns in this and you have to really pay attention but it's worth reading

Evie, Vivien, and Gracie are the Bloomsbury Girls, a not-quite sequel to Natalie Jenner's "The Jane Austen Society," although Evie appears in both novels.

It's 1950s London. There's still austerity, but life has more-or-less resumed as it was before World War II...and that's the problem. Women are in the workforce in increased numbers, to the consternation, and sometimes hostility of their male coworkers and some customers.

Each woman is trying to make her place in Bloomsbury Books, which has stood for over 100 years and has over 50 unbreakable rules. In the changing society of the 50s, though, rule-breaking is almost inevitable, and each of the "girls" must decide whether to go with the status quo or fight to carve out the place she deserves among the shelves and aisles.

In addition to being a great story with characters you want to spend time with, this is a great peek into the post-war working-class society in mid-20th-century London. It does focus more on the internal struggles for each woman, but there are glimpses into the wider world and how it impacts their choices.

You don't have to have read "The Jane Austen Society" before reading this, but you will want to, if only to learn more about Evie Stone.

I received an advance copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Fans of NBC’s television show NCIS just might be familiar with Gibbs’ rules. Gibbs has dozens of rules, and sometimes there were additional rules assigned to the same number. The people that work with him now and those who worked with him in the past will never forget any of them. While Gibbs and others clearly broke specific rules from time to time, that is not the case in Bloomsbury Girls, by Natalie Jenner. The bookshop rules have been set in place by the shop’s general manager Mr. Dutton. There are 51 rules. These shop rules were to be abided by all employees. No one was expected to forget them, thus everything at the bookshop will go flawlessly.

This book follows Jenners' previous book, The Jane Austen Society, This delightful read was like sitting down to a cup of tea with the employees and authors who were made famous at that time. The society was formed by people from different walks of life. They connected and were bonded by their love of books in Jane Austin. Does the Bloomsbury Bookshop bring the same sense of camaraderie?

There are three women featured in this book that work at the bookshop who struggle to respect the shop's rules, all while bringing about change in the rare book store that has been around for over one hundred years. The world they live in is changing, and it is high time that the bookshop changes as well. We have Vivien Lowry, Grace Perkins and Evie Stone, who are all as different as can be, yet share the same dreams and goals for the bookshop. They work well together, while also rubbing shoulders with powerful literary figures, including Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday and others. The store has a wonderful environment, with the love of the written word being the glue that binds all involved.

What a remarkable book by Natalie Jenner. While reading this book I felt like I was transported back in time and working alongside those women who demanded change while showing that women were not meant to simply marry and bear children. Each of our protagonists had different circumstance and goals, all while dealing with difficult perceptions and circumstances. It was lovely to see these women defying convention, even while working with a few men in this story.

Even though I was quite drawn to Ms. Jenner's previous book, The Jane Austen Society, it is not needed to enjoy this story, but I will still highly recommend it nonetheless. Having this book as an audiobook gave me a deeper experience, although I often referred to the print ARC while listening to the excellent narration. Tough subjects are explored while the special place that makes the bookshop will be with me for a long time.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Bloomsbury Girls is an intimate look inside a London bookstore. The daily comings and goings of famous authors, American customers, and elite society. Three women are set to make their mark in the workplace of the 50’s, typically dominate by men. They must overcome prejudice, rude interactions and insinuations of crime. One has lost her fiance to war,another is unable to gain a prestigious position in the academic world, and another is a wife and mother. When their general manager Mr. Dutton suffers an epileptic seizure, the bookstore employees are shuffled into new positions.

Historical fiction set in postwar England for lovers of all things bookish! Thanks to Netgalley and Austenprose PR for the complimentary book for review!

I loved Natalie Jenner's, The Jane Austen Society, and Bloomsbury Girls was just as enjoyable. Although there are some fun cross-over characters from JAS characters, this is clearly a stand alone book. The characters were interesting, flawed, and progress on their own terms. The insertion of notable celebrities in the literary and socialite world of their time was fun and gave a "realistic" historical flair to the storyline. Jenner's writing style works for me; it easily flows, but is also immersive. I also listened to the audiobook; Juliet Stevenson is a fabulous narrator.
Thank you Macmillan Publishers and #NetGalley for the ARC ecopy and audiobook.

Bloomsbury Girls follows three women who end up working at the male-dominated Bloomsbury Books bookstore in post-war London. At the store they must adhere to the set rules of their male manager.

This is a total girl power story and I loved how the women supported each other! I did find it somewhat slow at times but overall an interesting story. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the egalley in exchange for my honest review.

Bloomsbury Girls
By: Natalie Jenner

I feel really terribly that I am the outlier here. I didn’t love this one. I was lucky to receive an ARC and then because I knew I would love it, ordered it from BOTM as well. However, I just didn’t connect with this story or it’s characters. It felt like the kind of book I could skim through and not miss anything. It was very hum-drum for me. It’s a bummer because many others loved it and I see very few who didn’t enjoy it. I would still encourage you to pick this one up if you like Historical Fiction!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the story it told and the characters. The writing was really well done.

Women and Literature

Bloomsbury books is a well established bookstore in London. It has remained the same for years and dominated by the men that own it and run it. Women are delegated to desk work , cataloging and helping customers.

The three women that work at Bloomsbury Books are not happy with the bookstore , and the management. They want women authors who are never promoted and never asked to speak at the bookstore events to have more promotions
.
Vivian is single since her fiancee was killed in the war and has worked the longest at Bloomsbury. She has a long grievance with Alec the head of the fiction department. He never listens to any new ideas and he does not buy books by women author's.

Grace is married with two sons. She is working at Bloomsbury Books to support her family since her husband's breakdown from his time in the war. She is torn between her duty to her family and her ambitions of her own.

Evie is the newest employee. She is one of the first women allowed to graduate from Cambridge University. An academic position was lost to her to a male student with less experience and she is angry over that but must move on. She has a specific agenda for taking a job a Bloomsbury Books in the rare books section.

These three women along with some prominent women in society and some women authors work together to make a future for themselves and to transform Bloomsbury Books.

This is a story of women working for the rights to be seen as much as professionals as men. The fight to be recognized for their work and their abilities. It also has a bit of a romantic flavor to it and descriptions of unique places in London.

I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Natalie Jenner for writing another great book, to St. Martin's Press for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me to read and review. All opinions in my review are my own.

The female employees of the long standing and prominent Bloomsbury Books of London have long been underestimated. Kept in check by the proprietor's long list of rules and kept busy by the different male department heads, Grace, Vivien and new employee, Evie have worked not so silently in the background. Grace took the job at Bloomsbury books to escape her husband's failing mental health after the war. Vivien's fiancé was killed during the war, and she is looking to move on and also publish her own works. Evie is on her own rare book finding mission after graduating from Cambridge. When the women team up to bring in a female author for an event, they realize their strength together and when Evie finally tracks down the rare book she's been chasing, they discover they have leverage to create their own path.

Bloomsbury Girls is set in 1950 London, a time where women who realized their independence and worth during World War II are now being regulated to back to their original roles by the returning men. The writing brought me into the world of Bloomsbury Books, and I could imagine the shop and each department fully. The women of Bloomsbury Books caught my attention from the beginning with their spunk and tenacity. Evie's single-minded quest for finding a rare book by a young female author is extraordinary. I enjoyed watching Evie grow, branch out in the world, find connections with others and become a mastermind planner for using the book as a steppingstone to improve her life. I loved Vivian's small acts of defiance and her friendships that she found with Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair, and Peggy Guggenheim. It was wonderful to see these strong women prospering. Grace is fighting more of a personal battle at home, Bloomsbury Books gave her the strength to get out of an abusive situation. I loved that a book was able to bring Grace, Vivien and Evie together and aid them in finding a path to independence and creating equal footing in a man's world. Bloomsbury Girls is a heartfelt, exciting and character driven historical fiction read.


This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Natalie Jenner dazzels yet again in Bloomsbury Girls.
Bloomsbury Books is an old-fashioned new and rare book store that has persisted and
resisted change for a hundred years, run by men and guided by the general manager’s
unbreakable fifty-one rules. But in 1950, the world is changing, especially the world of
books and publishing, and at Bloomsbury Books, the girls in the shop have plans:
Vivien Lowry: Single since her aristocratic fiance was killed in action during World
War II, the brilliant and stylish Vivien has a long list of grievances--most of them well
justified and the biggest of which is Alec McDonough, the Head of Fiction.
Grace Perkins: Married with two sons, she’s been working to support the family
following her husband’s breakdown in the aftermath of the war. Torn between duty to
her family and dreams of her own.
Evie Stone: In the first class of female students from Cambridge permitted to earn a
degree, Evie was denied an academic position in favor of her less accomplished male
rival. Now she’s working at Bloomsbury Books while she plans to remake her own
future.
As they interact with various literary figures of the time--Daphne Du Maurier,
Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell), Samuel Beckett, Peggy
Guggenheim, and others--these three women with their complex web of relationships,
goals and dreams are all working to plot out a future that is richer and more
rewarding than anything society will allow.

Riveting and hopeful, 5 enthusiastic stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4700683253

et shortly after the wide-angle lens of World War II, this novel focuses in narrowly on one bookshop and its staff. Character development is primary, a rarity in contemporary novels I've encountered. While several may represent types, the main characters are so deeply revealed that the result is refreshing rather than retrodden.

A bit of awkward writing does interrupt the period tone and flow. Several chapters end with cliff-hanger foreshadowing a bit too over-promised for this gentle, pleasantly old fashioned tale. A thriller this is not.

More successful is the weaving in of historical figures including Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim, and Daphne Du Maurier. The author states in the afterword that these characters are "products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously." Still I imagine she captured the essence of their personalities--chuckle along with the wink and nod of it.

I also appreciated the genre-flipping of the romance trope: the men mooning over love, while the women pined about their careers. Of course, it all comes right in the end. So grab a mug of your favorite hot tea and curl up with this cozy, bookish story, with its a breezy nod to the past.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advance reader copy.

Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner

5 Stars

I first heard about this book on the podcast 3 Book Girls. Books that take place in libraries and bookstores are an especial favorite of mine so I immediately added it to my TBR and decided to pick up Jenner’s first book The Jane Austen Society while I waited for its release. I absolutely adored the Jane Austen Society and felt like I won the lottery when I received an ARC for Bloomsbury Girls from St. Martin’s Press/NetGalley. That lottery win doubled when I realized that a beloved character from The Jane Austen Society returns (with a few cameos from some other friends) in Bloomsbury Girls.

Bloomsbury Books has been limping along since then end of World War II, following its general manager’s 51 rules, day after day. Everyone at Bloomsbury Books is stuck, especially the women. Vivien has no hope of advancement, her ideas are rejected, and she is constantly at odds with fiction manager, Alec. Grace follows the same routine every day, typing the manager’s correspondences and making tea, trying to hide the unhappiness in her marriage from her colleagues. Evie, passed over for a research position in favor of a less qualified male candidate, spends hours cataloging the long-neglected rare books collection, looking for her ticket back into academia. When the general manager is forced to take leave for an illness, Bloomsbury Books is forced to make some changes. What follows is a story of new and old friendships, alliances, and romances that force all the employees of the bookshop to reevaluate their lives and choose whether or not to stick to the status quo, or demand change. With the help of some famous authors and wealthy patrons, Evie, Vivien, and Grace come together to change the course of Bloomsbury Books and their own lives.

As with The Jane Austen Society, Jenner has written a cast of characters who are all unique, from different backgrounds and life experiences, who find themselves connected by a common cause. The desire to make a space for women in literature leads to each character realizing that she too deserves to make a space for herself. This book is beautifully written, heartwarming and inspiring. Jenner has superb pacing in her writing, I enjoyed every single page and I feel like I’ve learned something along with the characters. I will certainly be purchasing a hard copy, as this is a book I will happily be passing on to others in my life. Bloomsbury Girls should be a staple on any historical fiction list.

I simply loved this story. It's a sweet, gentle story about women in the post-WWII era who are learning to take control of their stories. In an era where women were confined to specific job roles, three women stretch their lives beyond societal expectations. They quietly question and explore bookish possibilities with delightful cameos from authors of the era, like Daphne du Maurier. I found myself googling the author references to learn more about the era. If you liked "The Jane Austen Society," you'll enjoy this one. I think I liked this more!

An enjoyable story spotlighting the power of sisterhood! Natalie Jenner’s sophomore outing is a pleasurable read featuring Evie Stone from Jenner’s beloved debut, The Jane Austen Society. Threaded throughout this somewhat complex tale are the themes of prejudices toward, and empowerment of, women and minorities during the years following World War II in London, mostly set in a traditional bookshop governed by numerous rigid rules. Not surprisingly, books and a love a reading and writing also take center stage in this novel. Additional themes include coming of age and second chances at love. Cleverly, Jenner begins each chapter with one of the many bookshop rules.

I found it a bit difficult to get into this story for the first 100 pages or so and the tale does tend to meander and be relatively slow-paced throughout. For me, Bloomsbury Girls lacks the charm of The Jane Austen Society and its deliciously quirky characters, despite Evie’s presence. The book’s message of egalitarianism is an important one, however, and, overall, I found this to be an interesting tale. Three and a half stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Natalie Jenner is now on my “must read” author lists! I really liked her first book, so I was eager to read “Bloomsbury Girls” which has a few characters that appear in both books.

This time we are in post-war London, which can still be a depressing place. Most of the action takes place at a bookstore (Bloomsbury Books) with three strong female characters. Of course, none of the women are top leadership at the bookstore, but they make everything work behind the scenes.

First up is Vivien, she’s a bright and beautiful young woman. Her wealthy fiancée died in the war before they could marry. She has a strong personality, and she often clashes with another employee, Alec.

Grace is a devoted mother and is the main supporter for her family since her husband is suffering from effects of serving in the war. She assists the manager, who has countless rules for running the bookstore.

And then we have Evie, she was in the last book where she worked hard to preserve Jane Austen’s home and she cataloged the huge library. She studied at Cambridge, but things didn’t work out for a research position for her post-Cambridge. Now she’s working at the bookshop cataloging the rare books.

This one started a little slowly, but I was drawn into the politics of working at the shop as well as the romantic pairings. It was also great to have real names pulled into the story – one of my all-time favorite authors, Daphne Du Maurier for example. There are also cameos for Ellen Doubleday, Samuel Beckett, and Peggy Guggenheim. It was inspiring to see the women take charge to upend the traditional male-dominated leadership at the bookshop.

I had a smile on my face as I finished this book and I hope we see many of these characters in the next book from Natalie Jenner.