Immense gratitude to #NetGalley for the e-book ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bloomsbury Girls is a character driven novel by Natalie Jenner. I would say that one of Ms. Jenner's strengths in her ability to construct diverse characters who drive a story. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel from cover to cover. Another brilliant novel set after World War II that touches on the whole ranges of human emotions and relationships including being passed over due to gender or culture. This story is about three female characters working in a Bookshop, during a vastly changing world,I highly recommend it.

"Bloomsbury Girls" describes the lives and struggles of three women who work at a London bookstore right after World War II. While each of them deals with her own personal doubts and crises, they come together during a time when women were not empowered to make decisions, in a male-dominated world.

This is a character-driven novel that follows up on "The Jane Austen Society" story and includes some of the characters from that novel. The bookstore setting drew me in immediately, and gave me a flavor of the details of working in a bookstore. The character sketches of the women and the ways in which their lives intersected carried the story forward. Readers who enjoy detailed descriptions and strong female protagonists will find this to their liking.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I absolutely adored The Jane Austen Society and was excited to see Natalie Jenner's latest on NetGalley. In Bloomsbury Girls, Jenner delivers another historical fiction masterpiece. Her characters a vividly drawn and relatable, and her sense of place is immersive and detailed. The struggles of these three distinctly different, yet presciently similar, women are elevated above the ordinary tropes of sexism and limiting cultural and social norms. A vividly drawn portrait of post-war London's literary zeitgeist, Bloomsbury Girls feels at once serious and studious, yet is well-paced and perfect for a summer book club read.

I received a digital galley of this book in exchange for an honest review, and loved this one so much that I purchased a hardcover for my permanent collection.

What a witty and wise story about books, friendship and finding your voice! I wish the pace had been a bit more brisk - there were times when not a lot happened - but I loved the characters (and that Evie from The Jane Austen Society made an appearance!) and the sisterhood they forge. If you love books and bookstores, give this one a read!

3.5 stars

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the copy to review.

https://mauriceonbooks.wordpress.com/2022/06/29/bloomsbury-girls-by-natalie-jenner/

Three strong women, One century old bookshop. London. Rare and new books. Complicated relationships. Settle in and enjoy the ride .

Jenner follows upon the success of her hugely popular Jane Austen Society (2020) with the 1950s London-based story, Bloomsbury Girls, about three shopgirls, a century-old bookshop, and much feuding between the male staff and the female staff to take ownership of the shop.

My Full Review: http://keirasoleore.blogspot.com/2022/06/review-bloomsbury-girls-by-natalie.html

This historical fiction novel, set in 1950's London, is a follow-up to The Jane Austen Society, by Natalie Jenner. It concentrates on three women who have had to return to their old lives when the men return home after the war. The characters are intriguing and the reader is pulled into their stories. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for sharing an ARC ebook with me in exchange for my honest review.

This charming narrative evokes both the post-WWII era as well as the present times. Its themes of defiant love, romance, changing times in Europe are evocative of contemporary issues. The characters are well drawn. The intrigue of what goes on "behind the shelves" in this bookstore captured my attention from page one.

This book was a charming glimpse into life for women mid century, following WW2. I didn’t realize when I started this book that it continued the story of Evie that was started in The Jane Austen Society, Jenner’s first book. I had read the first one, and the details came back to me quickly. All three of the main female characters in the book were well fleshed out and you were able to see their faults as well as their positive attributes. It was a bit discouraging to see the realistic portrayal of how much of a “man’s world” it was at the time.

It’s post-war London and three women of varying backgrounds and ages find themselves working together at Bloomsbury Books. Vivien, an outspoken aspiring writer is behind the cash counter; Grace, a mother and discontented wife to a man scarred by the war is Secretary to the General Manager; and Evie Stone, a young female graduate of Cambridge who was recently passed over for a research assistant position in favor of a less qualified male, is hired at Bloomsbury Books to catalogue the rare books on the third floor. These three intelligent, abundantly capable women are desirous of more meaningful positions in the shop, but their fresh, innovative ideas are often hastily dismissed; their ambitions and creativity stifled by the men in charge even though their combined efforts create a beneficial symmetry that cannot be denied. This is especially true of the General Manager whose fifty-one rules govern Bloomsbury Books and must be abided by—rules that have deprived the shop of profit to the dismay of its owner, the Earl, Lord Jeremy Baskin. Lord Baskin is confident in the womens’ abilities to effect positive change in the shop, however, he’s reluctant to usurp any authority he has entrusted to his male management team. But when a bad decision on the part of one of his trusted male employees causes a chain of events that will change the trajectory of all of their lives, the women prove to be more shrewd than anyone expected.

I loved this book! While it’s not a sequel to The Jane Austen Society (one of my favorite *Top Pick* books of 2021, also by Natalie Jenner), characters from the book are present in Bloomsbury Girls, including one of the main characters, Evie Stone. While it can most definitely be read and thoroughly enjoyed as a stand-alone I highly recommend reading The Jane Austen Society preceding it.

There’s so many great elements comprising this book. Each chapter heading begins with one of the fifty-one rules from the shop and then proceeds with how that particular rule is broken by mostly the female staff at Bloomsbury Books. 😂 I thought this was a clever way to formulate the narrative. I enjoyed the womens’ tenacity in shaping their professional and personal lives and their determination to change the impressions of a woman’s worth. My heart leapt at the mention of famous female authors who attended the literary luncheons the ladies orchestrated, along with discussions of their published books, some of which I’ve read and enjoyed during my lifetime. The name dropping of famous authors, bookstores, classic books and well known publishers excited me. 😃
The women of the shop triumph with their intuitive ideas on how to bring recognition and popularity to the status quo Bloomsbury Books. I was rooting for them in life and in love. I recommend this book wholeheartedly.

In this follow up to her incredible debut THE JANE AUSTEN SOCIETY, Natalie Jenner delivers a heartfelt story about the importance of friendship, the strength of love and the impact of the written word.

There is so much warmth and comfort in Jenner’s writing. Her characters are written with such depth, I found myself swept into their lives with ease. Vivien, Grace and Evie have all led very different lives, but when they come together as colleagues at the primarily male-dominated Bloomsbury Books, they find that working together is the best way to ensure their voices (and their ideas) are not only heard, but taken seriously.

BLOOMSBURY GIRLS is set in post-WW2 London and the city is as much a character as the people. The description of the settings are so vivid and detailed, readers really feel transported to another time and place. I also really loved the cameos from some of the greatest female writers of that time.

While this isn’t exactly a sequel, I would definitely recommend that you read Jenner’s first novel before diving into this one. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advance reading copy.

I requested this book not realizing that it was the second-ish in a series.

Because this is a sequel, a lot of the characters were new to me. It started off a bit difficult to understand all the relationships. However, I enjoyed reading, but I definitely would recommend picking up the first book prior to this one so there isn't that initial learning curve!

Though this one was very well written and it caught my attention very early on, it didn’t hold it. I put this one down a few times before finally finishing it. I saw it featured so often on Bookstagram and was really excited about it, but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of Bloomsbury Girls.

Bloomsbury Girls had a lot of things I usually love in books -- a book about books, an old bookstore. London and a few amazing women, but this one missed the mark for me. I was bored reading it and I just couldn't keep my attention.

A story both powerful and enchanting. Rich in historical detail.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is an enjoyable read centering around a London bookstore in the 1950's which will delight those readers who search for a feel-good story with no violence, no tears and no explicit sex scenes. At a time when male dominance in the workforce was common, three unique female employees join together to outfox them all and realize the dream they share as well as conquering love on their own.

Delighted to include this title in ‘Lives Lived,’ my latest round-up for Zoomer magazine’s Books section highlighting new and noteworthy historical novels (see mini-review at link)

I must admit, in theory, Bloomsbury Girls should not be for me. However, this is one of the most well-written and heart-warming books that I’ve read in I don’t know how many years, and I ended being incredibly invested in Evie, Vivien, and Gracie, more so than any characters I can remember. Evie in particular reminds me of myself and this book has made me reconsider the way I look at my own future. (No small feat!) And to “meet” so many incredible authors from the past? So well done!

Reading this book has been such a lovely reading experience. This isn’t a racing storyline, what-happens-next novel, but rather one that develops in its own way and time. And that warmth and cosiness makes for the best kind of reading. A lot of authors who attempt this type of novel end up drifting into boring territory, but I couldn’t stop reading. Jenner has brought this bookshop to life, and all of the women and men who spend their time there.

Read if you like: books about books, The Jane Austen Society
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I absolutely loved the Jane Austen Society and this book was just as delightful. While not necessarily a sequel, it takes place after the book and it would be helpful to read The Jane Austen Society before if you want to understand some things better.
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The book follows three female employees of Bloomsbury Books-Evie, Vivien, and Grace. I loved all three characters and their love for books, as well as their kindness towards each other. I also loved reading about the real people connected to the literary world, especially Daphne du Maurier.
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The book looks at women in publishing, the literary world, and the post-war workforce and how hard women had to work to be taken seriously.
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CW: sexism, misogyny, racism, homophobia, sexual content, domestic abuse, xenophobia.

As the world adjusts to post WWII, London is slowly coming back to life. The women held it together and many men have heartbreakingly not returned. Centered around a charming century old shop called Bloomsbury Books, three lovely women struggle to find their place in this strange new world. Vivien is a beautiful, talented writer whose wealthy fiancé went missing along with her future plans. Grace is married with two feisty boys and a husband that has become an unmanageable angry shell of his former self. She would rather be at the bookshop than at home. Evie, one of the first females to graduate Cambridge is a shy brilliant young woman who discovers first love and a literary mystery that can change their lives. As they live and work amongst the men of the shop the women realize they want more than fetching tea and standing at the register. These women want to rock the literary establishment by changing the way books are sold. This small, witty cast of characters revolve their lives around books, publishing and the literary salons of the time. As they meet and befriend some famous figures the women gather the confidence they need to carry on. Not exactly historical fiction but felt like it. This novel has quite a lot of characters and is literally all about books. I loved it.