What a delightful read! If you loved The Jane Austen society, you will love this one as well. A few familiar characters return in this wonderful tale of a book store in London after WWII. I appreciated how this historical novel dealt with some really current issues. I also love a good rabbit trail and this books sends you down some wonderful ones. Well-researched, well-written and quite fun. The characters are a great cast and I hope we get to see more of them in future works.

I confess I'm in the minority of avid historical fiction readers who have not read Jenner's break out debut The Jane Austen Society. Although one of the characters in that novel -Evie - is at the center of Bloomsbury Girls, it didn't impact my interest or enjoyment of this story and its characters. Women in 1950 faced innumerable obstacles to forge their own path - unless they were the beneficiaries of wealthy husbands, families or gifted with a rare talent, oftentimes in art or literature. J enner does a wonderful job with character development of the three women at the core of this novel - Evie, Grace and Vivien - who all work at Bloomsbury Books, a 100+ year old bookstore in London owned by an Earl whose family won it as part of a gambling debt. The age old tale of men in charge while women make the coffee (or in London, the tea) within the confines of this aging bookstore takes many colorful turns as famous names like Daphne Du Maurier and Peggy Guggenheim become intertwined with the fictional women employees, serving as almost a de facto Greek chorus to change their futures from what destiny seems to have set out for them. The characters in this story all have counter balancing strengths and flaws- even the old school men in charge - and make us root for each of them to face their demons and push forward towards a more fulfilling path that only each can set for her or himself. Many characters, descriptions and subplots to savor in this wonderful read. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a delightful literary based book. The Bloomsbury Girls is a combination of strong women breaking barriers, fiscal education, and romance. Peppering real women from history throughout, the story unwraps the frustrations of yesteryear (?!) and delivers a gift of well-deserved satisfaction.

4.5 stars

I received a complimentary Kindle book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Natalie Jenner, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This book is the second in a series - the first was THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY. The first book was based on a society fueled by their love of Jane Austen. To be completely honest, I have read nothing by Jane Austen! However, it didn't stop me from loving the first book and now this book.

I would recommend reading the first book first, but it isn't ABSOLUTELY necessary. It would be a more enjoyable experience to read the second book after the first.

Additionally, there is a LARGE cast of characters in this book! Do not let this be off-putting. It is not hard to follow and they are needed to create this beautiful book.

This is exactly the type of book that I so have needed during "the times of COVID". It is a lovely, well-written, and obviously well-researched book. Read it!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND - read THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY first!!

First, I need to admit that I selected this title from NetGalley because I recently completed my first overseas trip to London. En route to to the British Library from the British Museum, my daughter and I stopped for Afternoon Tea in The Library at the Morton House, inspired by Charleston House, the country home of the Bloomsbury Group. So the title (Bloomsbury Girls) combined with the description "post-war London century old bookstore" completely captured me.

And I was not disappointed!

Bloomsbury Books comes to life under the careful crafting of author Natalie Jenner. A warm and inviting place staffed with interesting characters, who were at times a bit predicitable but not too much.

“One bookshop. Fifty-one rules. Three women who break them all.”

The book forcuses on the dreams and ambition of the booshop's three female employees - Evie, Grace, and Vivian. The male employees are not so much antagonists as simply set in their traditional ways. We get inside their heads -or backstory - just enough to recognize they are also struggling to find their place within the post-WWII evolution of what's right and proper. Throw in a handful of confident well-known authors, add a bit of angsty attraction and romance, and stir it all up for a perfectly satisfying ending,

I requested to read “Bloomsbury Girls” as I was in the mood for historical fiction and was not familiar with the author, Natalie Jenner. I did not know the novel was a sequel to her debut, “The Jane Austen Society” but the fact that I had not read the earlier book did not keep me from enjoying this one. (Though I do not like when I am late to the party in finding out about a delightfully new author).

As the story opens, Evie and her friends, Grace and Vivian, work at Bloomsbury Books and Maps that is located in post WWII London.They all love books, which is their common thread, even though these women are very different. Like true of the era the novel takes place, women kept the country on its feet during the war and men’s response when they returned from battle was to show those women the door. Yet, these three women are not going to sit back and let the men ruin the store that they love. And with strength in numbers (and the assistance of a few literary greats), this trio manages to fight back.

To say this novel is well-researched is an understatement. Jenner manages to thrust her reader into the time period without burdening her with unnecessary detail. I read a lot of WWII fiction, many of it set in the U.K., so it was nice to read a novel about London putting itself back together. Whether you have read the previous novel or are new to the author (like me), you will enjoy the tale of perseverance and tenacity.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to give this an early read.

I really enjoyed this book. I was excited to discover that it is a sort-of sequel to The Jane Austen Society. I feel like that aspect should maybe be publicized more, but on the other hand it does work as a stand-alone, so ended up being just a pleasant surprise. This book, I think, was a bit more cohesive than Jenner's first book, as there is more of a central plotline, but each character's story branches off of it nicely and each of those stories are interesting and engaging. I feel as though the resolution came rather quickly, which made the plot feel a little lopsided, but it was still a wonderfully cozy read. I enjoyed the emphasis it placed on the experiences of people of color and LGBTQ+ people in post-war Britain and explored how social class played into the different ways those issues were perceived and 'dealt with', but also how attitudes were beginning to change around those issues, too, and how people were responding to those changes. Overall, this book was perfectly pleasant and made me want to patronize every independent bookstore I can.

The war is over in London and the delightful Evie Stone is back. Having completed her studies at Cambridge she is hoping to get a position at the school. However, in typical fashion, the position goes to a man.

Using one of her contacts from The Jane Austen Society as a reference, she applies for a job at Bloomsbury Books. Selling new and rare books and resisting change in any form for a hundred years. Run by men and the fifty-one rules. Yes, 51.

But it’s 1950 and things are about to be shaken up like a snow globe with Evie’s arrival.

The women who work here, Vivien and Grace are tired of all of the men treating them as less than. Vivien’s fiance died in action in the war and Vivien is angry about a lot of things. Being passed over for a job she is very qualified for as well as her mortal enemy Alec, Head of Fiction. Vivien wants to write. She is constantly writing. Alec wants to write but never can.

Grace, the married one in the group is a glorified secretary who is just trying to support her family after her husband came back from the war a different man. A mean man who she wishes she could leave.

And then there is Evie. One of the first class of female students allowed to graduate and earn a degree at Cambridge. But Evie isn’t there to just work out a system for the messy rare book section, she has a purpose and is looking for something. Something she found at the great house in Chawton.

A chance meeting with Daphne Du Maurier has lit a fire under these women. Why can’t they follow their dreams? When other women join their cause, such as Peggy Guggenheim, Sonia Blair, Ellen Doubleday, and others, things are getting done. Have the women outplayed the men here? Oh, yes. And it is delicious.

I am so happy to see Evie! I so wanted to hear how she was getting on. And in this tale, she may even find love!

Very Well Done once again!

NetGalley/May 17th, 2022 by St. Martin’s Press

www.piratepatty.com

If you are a fan of historical fiction and love books about books - highly recommend this one as well as her debut, The Jane Austen Society! This is a fantastic story about three women (including one from The Jane Austen Society) who work in a bookstore post WWII in London, as well as the owner, management, and staff that work there. The women have their own challenges as well as obstacles to overcome stigmas based on their gender. I went on a deep dive following this book of The Mummy! and am so impressed with the details in this story and the original work that inspired this. I also loved the real historical figures this book featured including Ellen Doubleday, Peggy Guggenheim, and Daphne Du Maurier which had me on another rabbit hole to look up more of their biographies!

I read and fell hard for Natalie Jenner's debut, The Jane Austen Society, so I was eager to get my hand out her follow-up BLOOMSBURY GIRLS. Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the early copy (PUB 5.17.22)

Bloomsbury GIrls follows 3 ambitious women (including Evie, a character from The Jane Austen Society) who work in a bookstore in post WWII London. Each woman has a distinct, unique voice and is facing their own challenges. Yet they also share common obstacles and circumstances when it comes to overcoming stigmas based on their gender. Jenner does a wonderful job weaving their stories together to create solidarity. I love strong female characters so it was easy for me to both sympathize with and root for Evie, Vivien and Grace.

Fabulous writing, unforgettable characters and a complex engaging story= happiness! It hit all the right marks for me. The tone and cadence of this book gave me the same feelings I had when I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Chilbury Ladies' Choir and Dear Mrs. Bird.

Plus- there are several real historical figures (Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair, Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim) that sent me to Google more than once having to know how much was true vs. fiction.

This is a quick fun read…sent to me by Netgalley for review…the protagonist is a quirky character going through some difficult, to say the least, times on her life…she rebounds and gets on…although the story moves slowly at times, it comes to a satisfying conclusion…

Strong women! Told from multiple voices, this is a story of women asserting themselves and showing how the world was evolving in the early 1960’s much to the chagrin of some who wanted to live in the past. In a male dominated workplace, three women work at a new and rare book shop in Bloomsbury guided by the “51 rules” laid down by the general manager to keep the store as is. Vivien, who lost her fiancé in the war is a brilliant and fashionable woman but passed over for advancement in favor of her nemeses, Alec, known as the golden boy by management. Grace, unhappily married with two boys is a warm woman in need of love and appreciation. Evie Stone, a brilliant woman, knowledgeable in rare books, and a student of Cambridge finds herself working at the book store after having lost a prestigious and well-deserved position at the University to a male rival. Together, they have dreams and work to change their future with the help of some famous literary women - Ellen Doubleday, Daphne Du Maurier, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell), Peggy Guggenheim. Add to the mix is Lord Baskin and Ash, as kind and thoughtful men of quality who were supportive of the success of Grace, Evie, and Vivien as individual human beings.

Initially, it took some time trying to keep the story straight but as it unfolded it became clearer as their stories connected and intertwined. With characters that were complex and strong, I appreciated their different perspectives on their challenges as women in post-war England based on their varying ages in life. Having not read The Jane Austen Society, I now find myself eagerly waiting to read that. The setting of London was beautifully described. I loved the inclusion of the various literary women and what a bond they forged together. Well written and interesting, I found that I could not put this down. I give this a 4.5 /5 stars.

Many thanks to #netgalley #st.martinspress #bloomsburygirls #nataliejenner for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Bloomsbury Books is a bookshop in postwar London run by mostly men. When the general manager falls ill, the women of the shop step up and slowly, things begin to change. I loved the large cast of characters, especially the female authors who who were strong and stubborn and sassy! This was a delight to read.

“Being understood, appreciated, and not judged: these, surely, were the cornerstones of real love. The love that helps us move forth in life, no matter what it throws at us, no matter what we lose. That love, at least, is always there, even if we can't do anything about it.”

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the Advanced Digital Galley.

This weekend’s advanced reader pick is Natalie Jenner’s new book Bloomsbury Girls and I’m enjoying it immensely. If you liked her debut novel The Jane Austen Society you will love her new one! We get to once again hang out with Evie Stone but this time she’s in 1950’s London amidst the dusty, rare books section of Bloomsbury Books. She’s joined with Vivian and Grace. Together they will have to band together to make their mark in a male dominated industry

Having enjoyed The Jane Austen Society a few years ago, I was excited to pick up this newest book, a sort of sequel returning to focus on a few characters from the first one along with some new ones in a totally different setting.

Vivien, Grace and Evie all work at Bloomsbury Books, a store completely run by men. All have aspirations - to write, to discover unknown authors, to escape an unhappy marriage and do something more rewarding than drudgery. All find this difficult because of the men controlling their progress but decide to go up against them and persevere towards their goals. Famous authors and society figures - Daphne Du Maurier and Peggy Guggenheim - play various roles in their stories.

What worked for me: the cover, the post-World War II setting, a story about bookstores, learning tidbits about the famous authors and society figures, the atmosphere of 1950 London, and strong female characters.

What did not work for me:
- the writing: there's just an awful lot of telling and it gets tedious after a while.
- it's slow and sort of lacked the punch I would expect from a book about female empowerment.
- the romances lack chemistry. This also goes back to all the telling. It's not enough to tell me what people are feeling towards each other. There need to be some actual sparks.

If you are a fan of escapist historical fiction with strong central female characters, you may enjoy this, especially if you are a diehard fan of The Jane Austen Society.

It’s the beginning of 1950. Vivien, Grace, and Evie are working in a bookstore in London. All three are working well below their capacity and being paid like it. The manager of the store, while not a bad guy, has good reason to keep the status quo. It keeps him in control and his world in equilibrium. The three women all have reached their breaking points and have to decide to either continue to comply with society’s standards or to demand more for themselves.

I liked this book! I always enjoy books from this time period. The characters are of the same generation as my grandparents and even though we aren’t British it’s a little glimpse into the way the world was then. I like how all the women in the book band together to support each other and the progress that comes from unity. I also appreciated how well the author lays out what happens when good people, in this case the male colleagues at the bookstore, standby and don’t do the right thing in relation to treating the women as equals. It shows clearly how oppression benefits those in power under the guise of morality and how hard it is to break out of that cycle. Of course, those lessons are still applicable today.

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an advanced copy of this book. It will be released on 5/17/22.

This is an amazing book! If you loved Natalie Jenner's debut, "The Jane Austen Society," then you will welcome the next adventures of Evie Stone, now a Cambridge graduate. In 1950 London, Evie takes a job at Bloomsbury Books and again her world is populated by an eclectic mix of interesting people, and centered around the worlds of books and authors, reading and writing. And, if you didn't think that a bookstore could be the setting for intrigue you are in for a surprise. Jenner has structured this book so that each chapter is introduced by one of the 51 rules established by the bookstore manager, but not always followed by the employees, and this format works exceptionally well to capture the spirit of the store, and the challenges it faces. The focus of the story is Evie's search for a book she once catalogued in the library of the Chawton Great House and later sold to Bloomsbury Books, but the larger picture involves Evie's maturation, her relationships with her co-workers (and theirs with each other as well), and the evolving role of women in post-war England. The fictional characters mix with historical figures, and the result is a tale of book-loving people that will be read--I have no doubt--by legions of other book-loving people.

I adored every word of this utterly engaging and charming book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Three talented, over-qualified, intelligent women are employed by Bloomsbury Books and Maps. Even though their work and work ethic are stellar, they are overlooked for all promotions since they are women. They will all need to find the courage it takes to forge their own paths to success. Each woman has something different to offer the book world and they’ll need to work together to succeed in earning their rightful place at the bookstore.

Throughout the storyline are mentions of some famous authors such as Daphne du Maurier and Samuel Beckett and I found it fascinating how seamlessly this is done. So very, very interesting to have a chance to Google these names and learn about them, which I would not have done without reading this book and jogging my memory of these people.

You don’t have to be a book lover to love this book. It’ll just sweep you away to another time until you realize that maybe you are a book lover after all.

I loved this book and want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

I honestly did not know if I would enjoy Bloomsbury Girls as much as I did The Jane Austen Society because my love of Austen is what brought me to the former novel. What made me stay, though, is the quality of Jenner's writing that is so heartfelt and moving that it stirs up emotions I do typically associate with reading Austen. I'm so happy to say that I enjoyed Bloomsbury as much as The Jane Austen Society, if not more so. I've always been receptive to historical fiction, and this is historical fiction at its finest, with perfectly captured characters and a plot that truly makes you stop to consider the past and its effect on the present. Overall, I can't wait for others to read this book because it truly was a treat.

The Jane Austen Society was one of my favorite books, and I was eagerly awaiting Jenner's next novel.

Bloomsbury Girls is a beautifully crafted historical fiction about Bloomsbury Books, a new and rare used-books shop that has lasted under the heavy hand of its male staff. But World War II ushers in a new world, and Bloomsbury Books is about to change. With strong female leads Vivian, Grace, and Evie (so happy to see her return from The Jane Austen Society!), Bloomsbury Books is about to get a more feminine touch, and will help usher in a more vibrant future through their interactions from the big literary names of the day.

Bloomsbury Girls absolutely lived up to my expectations. This is a quiet book for book lovers, and Jenner's lyrical writing flows with grace and love of her subject. It's the perfect book for a lazy summer afternoon, a cup of tea by your side. I highly recommend this one.

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press for making this ARC available to read in exchange for a review on NetGalley.