I want to thank Net Galley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read Bloomsbury Girls as an ARC. This is a book that combines some of my favorite themes, Historical Fiction ( post WW2), female empowerment, combining fictional character with real life ones and books! They had me at Hello! Natalie Jenner has written a previous book, The Jane Austen Society, using some of the characters in Bloomsbury Girls. Bloomsbury Girls is not a sequel, and you do not have to read Jane Austen first. I have not read the first book and feel that this is a standalone. The title comes from the name of the bookstore that the characters staff- Bloomsbury Books.There are 5 men and 3 women. The women's story is the main theme, but all of the characters are well developed and well written. Vivien lost her fiancee in the war, and works at the store, while wanting to be a writer. Grace's husband came back from the war, but is not able to work, due to what we would now call PTSD. Grace works to support her husband and children, but wonders if there is more for her. Evie was studying at Cambridge, and is interested in old books. She needs to make a fresh start after she loses her research position to a fellow ( male) student because he is male.She joins the team at Bloomsbury books and is the catalyst for change. The male characters are also well written and all have their own storyline arcs. Ash is from India and is working at book store because prejudice is keeping him from his chosen field . Alec wants to write but continues to stay in the safe confines of the store. The plot revolves around a missing book that could be in the store and could be worth a lot of money. It also points out prejudice against race, women and sexual choice. It is very deep and thought provoking , while being and enjoyable fun read. There are numerous real life characters from the literary world( Samuel Beckett, Daphne Du Maurier for example) and they fit seamlessly with the fictional ones.I thoroughly enjoyed the book, from the beginning through the epilogue that ties everything up. Thanks again for this book, now I am going to find The Jane Austen Society and read that as well.

I had a really hard time getting into this book which is weird because I loved the topic. So it just must be me. I'll try again later.

Bloomsbury Books is a bookstore that sells both new and rare books. Things haven’t changed in 100 years, and the current manager has no plans to “mess with success.”
Enter Vivien Lowry, whose fiancé was killed in the war; Grace Perkins, who has been struggling to support her husband and two boys since her husband’s breakdown after the war; and Evie Stone, a member of the first class of female students from Cambridge allowed to earn a degree, she is working at the store while she makes future plans.
As a bonus, the three interact with such literary lights as Daphne du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Samuel Beckett and more.
A wonderful read.

Bloomsbury Girls is one of my most anticipated new releases this year and it did not disappoint!

The short chapters made this book very consumable and I flew through it in a couple of days. I absolutely loved the reverence to female authors in this book and how the author weaved in some of the most prolific female authors of that time (like Rebecca du Maurier) into this story. All three main female characters were wonderful in their own right and the ending was a wonderful tribute to their hard work and perseverance.

This book also weaved in the characters and some of the stories from The Jane Austen Society. Although this is definitely its own stand alone book there could be some confusion if you haven't read The Jane Austen Society.

The Jane Austen Society & historical fiction fans, this should absolutely be on your TBR list this year!

This is such a delightful read. Great and strong female characters, it was really well written. It’s not a fast paced book but you will enjoy it anyways. If you love historical fiction, this one is for you.

This is a love letter to female writers and female friendship.The post-war ear is an interesting and fast moving one.

These women go through so much.Reeling from losses,underappreciated and resented in a man's world they forge their own path.

This is slow at times but overall an enjoyable read.



3 1/2 stars

Thanks to St. Martin's Publishing Group & NetGalley for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

I loved this book! The writing, the characters, the plot, the themes, the twists and turns! This was cleverly written, with dashes of humor, plenty of wit, and authentic observations of the time period. In a nutshell, it’s a lovely historical novel of three women who work in a bookstore in 1950s London, still feeling the repercussions of the war but straining for independence and freedom.

Author Natalie Jenner eloquently writes: “Grace and Vivien had joined the shop just as the world was emerging from the ashes of war. Life back then had seemed full of possibility and freedom, especially for the women who had taken charge while the men were off fighting….but the past had a way of slipping back through even the thinnest of cracks in a fractured world. Women such as Vivien and Grace had hoped for a fresh beginning for everyone…those in power would always hold on to any excess supply, even to the bitter end.”

So this is one of the themes, women’s growing independence from men’s support, to be successful and confident in their own power. The theme of women’s friendship is also portrayed in the book, and skillfully woven into the plot in a clever way that reminded me of Paul Newman and Robert Redford’s 1973 movie The Sting.

Early on the novel introduces the various relationships of those who work in the bookshop. There are infatuations, a romance, a love/hate attraction. But this isn’t really a love story. With the themes of men vs. women, power vs. influence, and wealth vs. scarcity, Jenner depicts longstanding sexism, the changing attitudes of women, and the first hints of post-war feminism.

This is Jenner’s second novel, with some of the same characters from her debut The Jane Austen Society. I loved that novel as well, and highly recommend it, but you can easily read this one first. I guarantee you’ll be looking for the other one the minute you finish Bloomsbury Girls – it’s that good! I couldn’t put down this novel and thoroughly enjoyed the interactions of the characters and the way so many connections perfectly fell into place, creating a heartwarming, satisfying read.

I also admired the skillful way Jenner inserts many real people into the novel: Samuel Beckett, Daphne du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday. And I enjoyed the entertaining device of beginning each chapter with one of the bookstore manager’s 51 rules – each one somehow flouted in that chapter.

The third woman working in the bookstore, scholar Evie Stone, believes that her study of the past was worthwhile, but wanted what she discovered there to echo forward as well. She knew “that the past, present, and future were all connected, even if she was not able to discern how. Evie hoped to share the words and ideas of women long gone from this earth, women who could no longer speak but, in their determination to not stay silent, could still have an effect, even now.”

This is an uplifting, entertaining story of the world being given a second chance after the war, of women working together to support and empower each other, with the goal of promoting female authors, especially rediscovering women writers who’ve been overlooked – forgotten, ignored, dismissed. I highly recommend this feel-good 5+ star book!

I found this story incredibly delightful despite not having yet read Jenner’s first novel, Jane Austen Society. I was happy to discover this did not hinder my experience of reading this book despite several characters from her first novel making appearances.

The character development for every character I found quite strong. I really enjoyed Jenner’s writing style and providing anecdotes for each characters’ backstory throughout the novel. The reader got a sense of how they all ended up in the bookshop and the rationale behind their behavior. The three leading female characters are truly a force to be reckoned with. The story really showcased what women were up against post war with the men who survived and were returning back into the workforce and society.

As a lover of classic literature, there were several titles and authors woven into this book that elevated the experience for me. I absolutely adored the integration of famous authors (Samuel Becket, Daphne DuMauier) and other well-known pop culture figures pertaining to the era woven into befriending the characters.

I enjoyed this follow up to the authors book The Jane Austen Society. The author carries over the character of Evie from her first book. Evie, who was a servant in the first book, has now become one of the first woman to be allowed to obtain a degree from Cambridge. I like the arc that the author has given her and it felt special to see how far she traveled from the start of the first book, until the end of this one.

Bloomsbury girls is a delightful book that revolves around a bookstore and the staff who work there. Set in the 1950’s, the women are undervalued by the men and it is this thread that pulls the story forward. Each of the women who work in the store are quite different, but I enjoyed how together they are able to accomplish so much, bringing about a change at the store and in the lives of all of the employees. In addition to Evie, there is Grace who has two children and a husband who is unemployed and abusive.. Vivien, whose fiancé died in the war and is frustrated by the mishandling of the shop she clearly sees. This story has quite a few characters but we are given plenty of descriptions and explanations of their motivations. Additionally, there are quite a few well known women who pop up in the book such as Peggy Guggenheim of the Guggenheim museum and
Sonic Blair, George Orwell Widow.

This is lovely book explores the power of women working together.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Great story set in the 1950s after WWII in a London bookstore. Three women all work at the bookstore which is managed by men. They become frustrated by their roles being defined by men. They band together to achieve their goals.
It is always great to read a story with the main characters being strong women. It was easy to read and is well written however, this book did drag and slow down in the middle.

I enjoyed the transport to London in 50s. The 3 main characters were interesting to get to know . A lot of the book did feel slow and overdrawn.

Bloomsbury Girls follows three women in the 1950's who are employed in a bookstore after the war. Each there own in voice and challenges as they navigate a world where women are trying to find there way in a place where men differ on their role in society.

Jenner again has masterfully brought three lives together to build a stronger foundation for each to stand. The portrayal of strong female characters is win in my books. The famous names mentioned throughout the story will send you down a rabbit hole googling for more information about them. Doubleday, Guggenheim to name a few.

This novel was incredibly slow with not a lot happening even after more than 50% of the way through the story. I thought it would be a little more exciting than it was.

Thank you, St. Martins Press for the complimentary e-book and MacMillan Audio for the advance listener copy.

Following three women who work at a new and rare book store, Bloomsbury girl is a historical fiction that looks into the life of this book store in the 1950s. It is a depiction of post-war life through the eyes of Vivien, a single woman who lost her fiancé in the war and wants to be a writer; Grace, a married woman looking for freedom but bound by her widely duties; and Evie, a Cambridge graduate looking to find her path after being looked over for an academic position. The prose is beautiful and the characters are original and interesting, but I don’t feel like a lot happens and it took a little bit for me to get into it. And while this isn’t a sequel, there was a lot of mention of the author’s previous book that I wish I had read that first for the context. I did like the look into such unique characters. Their journeys are so individual, but it felt like it took a while for the storylines to really come together. Grace was my favorite character—she wants so much and I adored watching her come to her own. I liked the bits of romance throughout for these three women, and I liked their determination. This book took on the hardship of being a woman in a time where they were treated as less than a man. It was interesting reading about this post-war life and having this look at it through this bookstore. It is a smart read, and I loved how these women who were in such different positions of life came together. It is a beautifully written historical romance with characters that are easy to root for and a story that is satisfying and enjoyable.

I loved this book set in a bookstore! Taking place just after WWII, the women of Bloomsbury Books are struggling to make their own way in the changing world.

We get to see alternating narrators, one of which was in Jenner’s first book, The Jane Austen Society. Each of the 3 females in the story are striving for their dreams and interacting with some of the most famous literary figures of their day!

I squealed with delight when Daphne Du Maurier appeared on the page, but you’ll see Peggy Guggenheim, Ellen Doubleday, and more scattered throughout this charming tale.

This book so one of the best I’ve recently read. The story was captivating. 3 women in 1950’s post-war London, an ancient bookshop, and the kindling desire to be more than society accepted at that time. The cast of characters has some familiar historical names and you feel like you get to know them as well. You will want to cheer on Grace, Vivian and Evie. I enjoyed this book so much that I need to read Ms. Jenner’s forst book ‘The Jane Austen Society’, which is also mentioned in Bloomsbury Girls.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an early release copy.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley, St. Martin's Press (thank you!)

There was so much to like about this and I did enjoy it. I'm basically a ready-made audience for this book, interested in 19th - mid 20th century British Lit, a rare book librarian, and worked in London in a library that felt very reminiscent to this bookshop. And all of those elements worked really well for me. My booky senses do enjoy descriptions of catalogues, book ladders, the tactile reaction to a physical book and people who enjoy talking and thinking about writing. I have not read the author's previous book The Jane Austen Society - so this was my introduction to her writing. Bloomsbury Girls is a companion quasi-sequel to JAS as it focuses on one of the characters, Evie Stone and a few other characters appear. It is stand-alone and I felt I wasn't missing too much by not reading JAS.

The story centers around Bloomsbury Books, a venerable bookshop in London that has existed for 100 years. It has been managed and staffed predominately by men for most of that history, but in 1950 the business has 3 "girls" (and I do wince a bit by this description) on staff: Evelyn Stone - graduate from the first class of female students at Cambridge permitted to earn a degree, a character from JAS; Vivian Lowry - a "shopgirl" who works in the Fiction department and has aspirations for a managerial role in addition to becoming a writer; and Grace Perkins - assistant to the general manager, who is unhappily married with two sons. The focus of the book are the 3 women and their independent and overlapping aspirations and frustrations with the lack of opportunities and limitations they face in the bookshop - and in the world. A medical emergency for the general manager creates a staffing upheaval in the bookshop and opportunities for the women to assert themselves. (imagine the 1980s film 9-5 but in a bookshop, in London, after WW2 - not remotely similar but kind of?) The secondary characters are predominately the male staff from the bookshop with whom they have complicated working and sometimes personal relationships.

There are a lot of references to and fictionalized appearances of 1950s literary figures in this book - and this did feel heavy handed at times, and a bit implausible. I mean, I do want to hang out at a party with Noel Coward, Daphne Du Maurier, and Somerset Maugham - but I don't want to feel like I'm playing literary bingo in a book.

The conclusion is a bit predictable and the pacing races a bit at the end after spending quite a bit of time developing all the various plots and subplots, but I enjoyed the character development for the 3 women and the community and strength they built with each other. The secondary characters suffer a bit from an attempt to provide development for everyone. The book explores themes of sexism, privilege, racism, domestic abuse, and homophobia in post-war London and handles these elements fairly well.

Overall this was a very readable book that I enjoyed spending time in and finding SO MANY author leads to follow up on. A book that provides opportunities for additional readings is my love language.

If you ever saw the movie version of 84, Charing Cross Road (Helene Hanff), you have the picture of what I was seeing as I enjoyed Bloomsbury Girls. I loved this book and all its imperfect characters, especially the women. Each represents a different way the world is changing for women and, as each pursues her own future, their stories interact and show us women working together. This is something that isn’t always represented well, and it is a beautiful plot to watch unfold. Their friendship and ambition create a wonderful, engaging tale that makes me hope there is a sequel planned. I really want to follow their stories into the future. This book has a lot more meat to it than Hanff’s, but her bookstore remained in my head throughout my reading.
It took me a while to remember Evie from Jenner’s earlier book, The Jane Austen Society, which I listened to as an excellent audiobook. I enjoy those British narrators and I’m sure this will be a great audio book also. She, Grace, and Vivien’s stories move the action along with minimal repetition. The men, while not portrayed in as much detail as the ladies, are multidimensional characters and there is no obvious stereotyping or villainizing of them even as the world of 1950 is still 100% theirs. I actually felt some empathy for each of them as they adjusted to this world.
Post war Britain for women was an interesting place. I think most readers love a book set in a bookstore, but this is so much more. I learned a lot about this period and really enjoyed the inclusion of historical women and men writers as they appeared. I loved the advice they gave to the aspiring writer, Vivien, and the recalling of advice they had received from their past mentors. 1950s London is so vividly portrayed as the characters walk back and forth and dine or drink in various locations.
If you like to read about books and writers, you’ll love this book. It kind of reminded me of Lily King’s Writers and Lovers.
Thanks for the review copy, St Martin’s Press and Net Galley. This author is going places!

I absolutely loved this book. It was so well written and you are swept away into the time period of the book, not all authors can do that. Bravo.

This book was absolutely delightful!! Interesting characters (I loved all three of the women leads), a fascinating and timely plot, and a intimate familiar setting (who hasn't visited or dreamed of a cozy bookstore). The other characters that wandered in and out gave the story authenticity (I found myself googling Bloomsbury Press) and insight into some of the big players in literature and art. Not to be a spoiler, but to say that the excitement at the end of the book is just as good as watching Indiana Jones and wrapping up the package as J.K. Rowling did with Harry Potter made this book a great read!! Thank you Ms. Jenner for this wonderful read on a icky cloudy day!!

Bloomsbury Girls picks up where author Natalie Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society left off. It’s now 1950 and we are lucky enough to have some of the same wonderful characters from that book with us again. There have been a lot of changes in post-WWII London, but for Vivien Lowry, Grace Perkins, and Evie Stone, employees at Bloomsbury Books, change is coming much too slowly. In fact, with their general manager’s unbreakable fifty-one rules it may as well be 1850 instead of 1950. All employees must adhere to the rules, but the “girls” have their place and they are expected to stay in it.

Bloomsbury Girls is fascinating, fabulous – and frustrating. The characters are well-developed and multi-layered; sometimes you can’t decide whether you want to hug them or strangle them. The three women who work in the shop are very different from each other, but they are all conscientious, ambitious, and unsatisfied with what life has given them so far. The men are also very different from each other except for their devotion to convention and old-fashioned societal mores and their desire to keep those women where they belong -- taking orders, keeping quiet, and pretty much out of sight. In that they are united.

The team spirit in play against the competitiveness and dissatisfaction makes for a very interesting story. Add to that glimpses into the worlds of art, fashion, literature and politics and famous people populating those worlds and you have a book you can’t put down.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance copy of Bloomsbury Girls via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it without hesitation. All opinions are my own.