The women who work at the Bloomsbury Bookstore and are totally underappreciated by their three male counterparts. When a young woman arrives for her interview she stumbles upon the manager having a seizure. Fortunately she saves his life. Naturally she gets the job. With the manager forced to take time away from the store, one of the males is promoted to manager and, in an unlikely turn of events, one of the women is promoted to Head of Fiction. The book is filled with famous people who visit the shop: Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell), Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim. All of them add to the impact of the bookstore. This is a thoroughly enjoyable novel by the author of The Jane Austin Society.

Bloomsbury Books is a neighborhood institution, having existed for hundreds of years in England, run by men and a general manager who are resistant to change, but in 1950, things are changing quickly in the world, and the girls who work at the shop have some ideas. Vivien has dreamed of becoming a writer, but the closest she can get currently is working in the shop. But she has been butting heads with the head of the fiction department, Alec, who is also an aspiring writer. Grace is married to a man who has never been the same since he had a breakdown after the war. She is left to work at the shop in order to support her two sons and husband. But she is increasingly getting tired of her situation and just might find the strength to make some changes. Evie is one of the first women who graduated from Cambridge but is still in a world controlled by men who take all of the jobs. She is currently working at Bloomsbury Books while she figures out how she can get what she wants in her life.
The three women in the shop want more from their lives. And they finally start to achieve their dreams when they create a community with each other and several famous women literary figures. Their friendship allows them to finally go for what they want. This is a story about women finding themselves and fighting for what they want. Themes of friendship, strength, ambition, love and perseverance abound in this book. I enjoyed the book, especially the last 25% when the book really started to come together.

I thoroughly enjoyed Bloomsbury Girls, a sort of sequel to the wonderful book The Jane Austen Society. The story takes place in early 1950s London and follows a richly developed group of men and women working in a bookstore in Bloomsbury. The role of the bookstore in their lives is well drawn and we see how important it is to each of their futures. The 1950s were a time of tremendous social change. It was a time where women, once desperately needed to step up and take the jobs done by the men who had gone to war, were once again treated as lesser employees. This book covers many societal changes while being an entertaining read. I have struggled to finish so many books during the pandemic but I flew through this one. It was informative, entertaining and heartfelt.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.
This was a lovely book, I enjoyed it a lot. It's set in post-war London in an old book store run by men with 3 female characters: Evie, Grace and Vivien. All 3 are very different, but have the same goal: throwing off the restraints of the men in their lives who stop them from being the best they can be.
The appearance of so many historic characters was such a treat. The friendship between Vivien and Daphne Du Maurier made me jealous, but reading about Du Maurier was a delight; she lit up my teenage years with her wonderful books.
Of course the happy ending also added to the enjoyment of the read. All in all the book put me in a good mood for several days after tearing through it, so I definitely recommend it!

I haven't read Natalie's first book, and didn't realize this was a sequel until reading other reviews. It could be a stand alone book, it was easy to follow the story - but I'd suggest reading the first book for some of it to make better sense.

Three working women in 1950's London are the main characters - with a host of others, including the men they work with and for and a variety of historical characters that also make appearances. The characters are intriguing, strong women with their own reasons for working and their own secrets.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Bloomsbury Girls is set in London, after WW2. 3 women, Vivian, Grace, and Evie, are employees of a century-old bookstore which has been run by men. Each chapter begins with one of the 51 rules that have been set in place by management - some are good for a laugh! The story explores the plans and dreams of the women to make changes to the bookstore, expand, and learn. They each have their own personal experience and hopes and dreams, and the bookstore is a place where those dreams can be further explored.

The stories intertwine, and snippets about rare books, book auctions, and well-known literary figures make the story quite interesting.

Post war London and men hold all the positions of power But things and changing. The three women employed at Bloomsbury Books are at the forefront of the changes that are coming. It isn't easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is. We owe all the women who stepped out then for our improved times now.

GREAT book. Narrative is wonderfully interesting combined with strong competent female characters. Details are perfect melding into the perfect storm for a page turner.

The eclectic characters gave an authentic feel to their struggles and how each individually dealt with issues presented. The reader will definitely feel the battles women faced post war time period and how perseverance paved the way for the future.

Jenner created another engrossing read. Cannot wait for her next undertaking. Historical fiction at its best with a absolutely hypnotizing female cast. A must read.

I greatly enjoyed The Jane Austen Society and was so pleased when the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel came my way. I adored this book and am so glad to have read it.

Some of the same characters from TJAS make appearances in this story, most notably Evie.
Set in post WWII England, this story focuses on three women who are making their way, for various reasons, in a formerly male-dominated workforce.

I would suggest reading TJAS, if you haven’t yet, before starting this book to fully get some of the characters and their motivations. It’s not a necessity, but I found that I was able to appreciate this story all the more for having done so.

Since I've read a lot of hype about the Jane Austen Society, I jumped at the opportunity to read the advance copy of Natalie Jenner's subsequent book Bloomsbury Girls. Although I believe this is a stand-alone book, I believe that some characters are carry-over from Jane Austen Society (which I had not read).

I know there are a lot of 5 star ratings for Bloomsbury Girls; maybe I'm missing something since I hadn't read Jane Austen Society. I found the first 2/3's of the book kind of slow; the last 1/3 of the book was definitely better than the first part. I just really didn't seem to connect with any of the characters. I'm sorry if I'm a Debbie Downer on this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Natalie Jenner and the publisher St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review the advance read copy of Bloomsbury Girls in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is 17 May 2022.

Super shocked by how much I loved the book. Marketed as a rom-com flighty book is anything but. A great read with delicious gossipy bits, drama, and humor. How does one like us who love books, not like a book about books? Themes of feminism, equality, reading, friendship make it a comforting and thoughtful read. This is a good addition to World War II historical fiction and definitely adds and strengthens the genre. Highly recommend!

I was really hoping that this second book by Jenner would be as delightful as her debut novel, "The Jane Austen Society" and...IT WAS. This book is a wonderful tale that follows Evie Stone, the brilliant little book cataloguer from "...Society" as she is finishing up her education at Cambridge. She is looked over for a position with the University, due to the patriarchal society it is, and ends up working for a historic bookshop called "Bloomsbury Books". And she has an agenda. The motley crew of this bookstore come from varied educations and pasts. It is dominated by the males who head the various departments but the true backbone of this little shop belongs to it's female employees; elegant, whip smart Viv; calm and industrious Grace; and, eventually our little Evie. Jenner keeps the story fluid by weaving in the back stories of all these individuals and deftly introduces key literary figures that will help play a big part in the future of the store. As the kettle brews, relationships forge and the Bloomsbury landscape starts to shift...who will be left to make the tea?

What a wonderful follow-up to The Jane Austen Society! Not really a sequel, it’s more like a spin-off. Evie Stone has an ulterior motive for starting a job at Bloomsbury Books— she is searching for a rare book. During her quest, she has to navigate 51 strict rules and the fragile egos of the male employees. Fortunately, she has some strong female support.

I enjoyed this story of female empowerment. The author does a great job of weaving real people, places and events into her stories, all while building a world that the reader wants to be a part of.

I so enjoyed reading "The Jane Austen Society" and was pleased to discover another book with some of the same characters.

The story revolves around Bloomsbury Books, a shop in London, very much a man's domain with ladies working as support staff. Although the women are all very different in temperament, they all see the need for changes to make the shop more profitable after the war. Obviously they meet with resistance from the male staff.

This is not just a book about the underdog, about equality, social class or even books. It's a book about the human condition, what makes us tick and what we need to do to live our lives to the fullest. A joy to read!

I loved The Jane Austen Society, so I was excited to read Natalie Jenner’s next book Bloomsbury Girls. It didn’t disappoint!

Bloomsbury Girls follows three women who work together at a centuries old bookstore in London after the war. Just like in her previous book, Jenner’s characters were vivid and relatable—you just want to root for them!

First thing's first - Natalie Jenner, BRAVO! Once again, another masterpiece filled with so much love and passion for all things countryside & Jane Austen. My two favorite features wrapped into a novel. I am counting down the days for this to come out via Audible, so I can listen to this magic and relive this all over again. No spoilers here, JUST RUN, don't walk for The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls.

A delightful post-WWII novel set in 1950 London. Three strong willed, independent women from a range of backgrounds and experiences, working together in a somewhat fusty, old fashioned bookstore, populated by an equally intriguing range of male employees. Several characters from the author’s previous title, The Jane Austen Society, are carried over, primarily Evie. I particularly loved how the author included many real life literary and art world characters from that period. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a preview copy.

London - 1950

Evie Stone, one of the first female graduates of Cambridge, has just been turned down for a job as a research assistant for a Senior Fellow. Instead, a male graduate who Evie knows is less skilled than she, is chosen. This leaves Evie in need of a place to live, and an income. But the ever well-organized, single-minded Evie has a back-up plan. As one of the members of the Jane Austen Society, she categorized the books in the library of Chawton Great House. Austen had lived, at one point in Chawton cottage. While doing so, she found one book written many years ago by a young woman that could prove to be worth a fortune. And Evie knows who bought that book at the auction of the library contents.

Bloomsbury Books & Maps in London struggles to exist in the post World War Two era. Managed by two men, Herbert Dutton and Frank Allen, owned by the man who inherited the building and land, Lord Baskin, and whose department heads are all males, Bloomsbury Books has yet to embrace the twentieth century. Grace Perkins is Dutton's secretary, and Vivien Lowry, a bright, under-used employee, works the front of the store. Dutton has fifty-one "unbreakable" rules that all in the store must follow. Grace and Vivien try hard to abide by them, but, Vivien especially, works even harder to circumvent those orders.

Evie Stone's arrival at Bloomsbury Books, presenting a card from Frank Allen that he gave her at the auction, gives Grace and Vivien some interesting ideas. All three women have "friends in high places", it seems. Evie's membership in the Jane Austen Society has had her make close friends with a movie star, Mimi Harrison, and Yardley Sinclair, an auctioneer at Sotheby's. Lord Baskin has taken Grace under his wing (her husband has yet to recover from the war, leaving her the sole income earner), and Vivien, whose love of writing led her to the bookstore, as well as Fiction section manager, Alec, although that relationship continues to fizzle, has been introduced to a list of powerful women: Ellen Doubleday, widow of the American publisher, Sonia Blair, widow of George Orwell, and Peggy Guggenheim, American heiress, not mention getting the attention of playwright Samuel Beckett, and author Daphne du Maurier.

When Dutton has a medical emergency and is side-lined, and with Allen off on one of his buying trips, Alec is left in charge of the store, leaving Vivien to run the fiction department on her own. Her innovative ideas soon begin to bring in more customers, including some of the above powerful women, thus giving Bloomsbury Books a boost in its finances, as well as boosting the morale of the women employees. Still, Evie hasn't revealed exactly why she chose this bookstore, or how she is going to get around the fifty-one rules to achieve her goal.

Post-war Britain has yet to realize that women belong in the work force and, in fact, are a force to be reckoned with. Vivien, Grace, and Evie are determined to escape the prejudices that have kept them from achieving their own goals. Can these three bright, innovative women rise above those fifty-one rules oriented males? BLOOMSBURY GIRLS will have readers smiling, grimacing, teary-eyed, and applauding.

By the author of THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY, BLOOMSBURY GIRLS is an uplifting, occasionally emotional, story that will have readers enthralled. Don't miss this terrific novel.

I loved The Jane Austen Society and love this sequel also. I am fascinated with how these strong minded and willed women manage to accomplish so much in a time when women were undervalued and often overlooked. I respect how these women make long term plans and carry out their goals while lifting each other up. So many issues were addressed and while they were not solved, as they still exist today, they were not negated. I strongly recommend this author and feel better for having read her work!

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 goals and dreams are all working to plot out a future that is richer and more rewarding than anything society will allow

I really enjoyed the author's first book, The Jane Austen Society, so was eager to read her newest book which was just as good. She used some of the same characters from the first book which was a pleasant surprise. I enjoy the way the author develops her characters throughout the book and shows the culture of the times which was predominately male run. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book, and I highly recommend it.