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.

I absolutely did not want this book to end, I loved it so much. I adored Jenner’s first book, The Jane Austen Society, and I was worried this could be a sophomore slump, but this book far surpassed my expectations, and in my opinion is so much better. Natalie Jenner is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Taking place post WWII in a hundred year old bookshop, named Bloomsbury Books. The general manager, Mr. Dutton, runs the shop with a set a rules that employees must live by or be fired. Dutton, believes that women should not be promoted and they are best on the floor and making tea for the male employees, much to the dismay of the women and some of the men working there. Vivian, who lost her fiancé during the war, is made acting fiction manager when Mr. Dutton, take an extended leave and Alec is made acting General Manager. This action sets in motion things that will forever change the bookstore and the people who work there.

We also have a guest from The Jane Austen Society, Evie Stone who comes to work at the shop, but there might just be other motives for her working there. There are lot’s of appearances from famous authors and women who supported their famous literary husbands that help facilitate the progress of this story and make it all the more charming.

I cannot say enough of this book. It was so much fun to read this story, and I could not help rooting for these Bloomsbury Girls from the very first page. Jenner’s description’s are beautiful of this old book shop and the surrounding area of London. There is, mystery, romance and just about something for every reader out there. This will likely go down as one of my favorite books of this year.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A bookshop, Bloomsbury's Books in London, is the book's setting. It is mostly about the women who were employed there.

Vivien, whose fiance was killed in WWII, is a beautiful woman with many issues with the management and house rules, all 5 1 of them.

Grace, married with two sons had to go to work after her husband was unable to. Suffers from PTSD and is not a very nice man.

Evie Stone, got the job at the bookstore so she could look for an obscure book, the first edition of The Mummy.

Each chapter starts with one of the 51 rules of the bookstore which are broken by the store's women. Because of the rules, the profits are not what they should be. The Earl, Lord Jeremy Baskin feels that with the women, things can change for the better. But how to get them past the stuffy men at the store? With original ideas, the women team up to try to make the store a success. Along with their female friends, such as Ellen Doubleday, widow of the American publisher, Sonia Blair, widow of George Orwell, and Peggy Guggenheim, American heiress, also playwright Samuel Beckett, and author Daphne du Maurier.

I was not expecting to like the story, but as I read on, I was proud of the women for standing up to what they believed in and not backing down to the men in an age where women were to be at home and not working with the public. By the end of the story, I was hoping that the women got what they achieved.

The book is character-driven, historical detail notwithstanding, and tells a believable story of strong women in a man's world and how they overcome that.

I enjoyed this book by the author of The Jane Austen Society. I loved the variety of well-developed characters and all of their different personalities, as well as the various romantic sub-plots. Although it's not based on a true story, many real historical figures from the world of writing and publishing are featured, which I found interesting. While I wouldn't say "I couldn't put it down," it definitely held my interest throughout. It's 4⭐ from me. 🤓