I enjoyed reading The Radcliffe Ladies' Reading Club by Julie Bryan Thomas. This book was set in Massachusetts in the early 1950's where Alice opens up a bookstore. She soon becomes close with four other ladies who are all newly college women. They all have different struggles but when something major occurs to one of the women, they all question themselves. This was a great weekend read.

I know I am about a year late but....

A book about books? It always draws me in. A book about a bookclub for struggling women in a time that they are basically seen as less .....it makes for an interesting read. Written in a time that the ladies are fighting for womens rights (that are still relevant now!), when having others at your back and be there for the serious as well as talking about the book you read that month....it's just a female bookworms book

Tess, Caroline, Evie, and Merritt quickly became a pretty tight-knit group when they arrived in their adjoining rooms at Radcliffe, but they soon discovered there may be more differences than similarities between them, except for their privilege in attending college as women.

When Tess enters Alice Campbell’s bookshop and grabs the flyer for her new fall book club, the new members don’t know how much Alice’s thought-provoking book choices will help the girls discover more about who they are and want to be. Whether the four new friends join to be a part of the group and belong, or to actually enjoy literature they may never have been exposed to at their childhood homes, there are always lessons to be learned from the books and from their relationships with the other girls and Alice.

Christmas break is what really precipitates the changes in the girls; either through going home and getting a reminder of where they’re from and who they were, or through the traumatic event for one of the girls that will soon affect them all. The book became an irresistible page-turner once everything started changing after their holiday break.

This story would be best enjoyed by those who enjoy reading about the evolution of women’s rights and experiences in the 1950s, as well as a classic story about a book store, which is always loved by so many readers. The book earned 3 out of 5 stars and would be a fun and distracting summer read as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this advance copy of The Radcliffe Ladies’ Reading Club by Julia Bryan Thomas.

I have to commend the author, if you’re a fan of historical fiction, you’ll definitely enjoy this one, because it is very well researched, and the small details made me feel like I was back in the bookshop with the women in the 1950s. Alice was a wonderful protagonist, and my favorite part of the book was how these female characters interacted with each other. There were some really important topics discussed in the book, but it’s definitely more of a character-driven story, and at times, I found myself craving more plot, as it had some slow parts for me. It’s not long, and I think it’s the perfect length for the story.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for this honest review!

HOT TAKE: For book-loving fans of Mona Lisa Smile, who wish there had been even more (violent) drama

THE SUMMARY:
Four freshman at Radcliffe in the 1950s decide to join a bookclub at a Cambridge bookstore. meeting once a month, the girls discuss older and “modern classic” books that align with ideals their friendly bookshop owner (a divorced, career-oriented woman) is trying to instill in them. Switching between multiple povs, the readers learn that each of the girls has private struggles, despite what it looks like on the outside. Are these college friendships built to last?

MY THOUGHTS:
This book will delight anyone who loves a book about books. Each of the “parts” aligns thematically with a well-known classic and includes a chapter where the characters have an actual bookclub discussion so you can see how each character would think about the book. i was excited that both Virginia Woolf and Edith Wharton were included, despite both books being only 30 years old or so at the time (not quite "classics."

I also think this book will be great for historical fiction readers. I appreciated that the dialogue did feel believable of the time (no out-of-place slang or turns of phrase) and the college experience seemed believable. One of the characters is from the west coast and took a multi-day train ride to get back home for her winter break!

Unfortunately I would say that the characters lacked depth for me. I did find it distracting how often the POV was swapped between characters. I think it would have been more effective to only show one of the girl’s perspectives and the bookseller to contrast with it, if needed.

I really enjoyed this story. I wasn’t sure if I would, as I haven’t been in the mood, but I’m glad I gave this a shot.

I'm so glad the synopsis and cover caught my eye. The Radcliffe Ladies' Reading Club is well written and kept my attention from start to finish.

This was just ok for me. I love the idea behind it, but it seemed like the ending was a bit rushed. I could see this as a tv series.

A historical novel set in the 1950s, when sadly few women went to college let alone Cambridge- The reading club follows a local book shop - 4 of the Radcliffe college women and the bookshop owner. What is poinant is that they read and discuss books written or concerning women.
Interesting characters and interesting part of the story when one night something terrible happens to one of the women. circumstances that will rock all of their lives.

A really interesting read.

3 stars (forgot to log this book in July of 2023-- apologies to the author and publisher)

I always go into historical fiction kicking and screaming, but then enjoy the story. While I enjoyed the plot overall, I felt the writing structure was not for me. Though I could guess what was happening, I would feel lost at moments because of this.

I enjoyed watching the women develop over time and how reading brought solace during harder times. As a book people, we can all totally relate. Which is probably what drew me to request this book in the first place!

Set in the fifties, this story centres around four young women who meet for the first time when they enter Radcliffe University. Newly independent, it is an interesting time for them. The idea of a woman having a career and a life of her own is still very rare and some of these women are torn between their ambitions and the expectation they will be married by 20.

Weaved in with college life, they meet with Alice, a bookshop owner, once a month for a book club. Alice sets the reading and hopes to empower and challenge the young women on what they can achieve using different novels she has read and poweful female authors such as Jane Austen.

I enjoyed the storyline, I thought it put a spotlight on how friendships can evolve, endure or fall away depending on the challenges life throws at you.

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to review.

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3.5 This story follows 4 young women as they start at Radcliffe in the 1950s they meet at a small bookstore where a newly started book club had just started. We follow these young women try to figure out what they want in life when women were still considered to primarily be wives and mothers. These four women all come from different backgrounds and social status but they bond over the love of books throughout the year as we follow this slice of life story.

I really enjoyed this book I was surprised by some of the topics that they covered in this book but I thought it was done really well. The characters were engaging and really had me invested in what happened next. I really enjoy these slice of life historical fiction stories where you just get to see how it was to live in a different time and the domestic drama kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. This is the first book I have read by this author but really enjoyed the writing and really want to pick up more from this author in the future. I would like to thank net galley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

DNF @ 19%

The characters had the personalities of cardboard and the book club that was promised barely appears. This is not a book about books

This book is absolutely not for me. I didn't connect with the writing style or any of the characters. I found the whole thing incredibly boring.

DNF at 35%

I liked this story and recommended the library put it on the shelf. The story is about a woman who opens her dream bookstore. When she decides to start a book club four young women from the college decide to join. Not only reading the books, they compare their lives and what goes on in them. Life can be heartbreaking, misunderstood, but friends and books can be a wonderful force.

Julia Bryan Thomas’ Radcliffe Ladies Reading Club is a delightful read for lovers of books and historical women’s fiction. Centered around a bookstore book club frequented by 1950s Radcliffe college students,
Thomas’s novel may be a nostalgic look at old favorites for the oldest readers or will tempt at least somewhat younger readers to pick up titles from the past. More importantly, however, Thomas brings a group of Radcliffe students to life as they enjoy literature and the sharing of reading and friendship as they face the lives of young women in an elite college during an era putting a different set of pressures on young women than those more commonly confronting them today.

Although I was much younger in the ‘50s than these students, I could hear my mother’s voice attempting to shape my thinking and expectations.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advance reader copy of this look into the past. Julia Bryan Thomas helps us see how college life has changed over the years but also reminds us of the importance of literature whatever our generation.

Shared on Goodreads and Barnes & Noble.

So many things to like about this novel. A book club, of course, plus a woman owning a bookstore in Cambridge by the Harvard and Radcliff campuses--with an apartment upstairs! I added two books to my TBR list, Gift from the Sea and Bonjour tristesse.

Add in co-eds in the early 50s starting their freshman year of Radcliff from different classes and states. I would have liked to know what classes they *had* to take as freshmen.

Who else went to Radcliff?
Stockard Channing, Magaret Atwood, Ursula Le Guin, Gertrude Stein, Helen Keller and Caroline Kennedy to name a few.

There was a twist listening to book club owner consider books that were new, such as Lolita, Lord of the Flies and The Catcher in the Rye but then going back to the old classics of Jane Eyre and Anna Karenina. Glad I've never been in a book club that read that, over 900 pages!

What college girls wore to dances in 1952:
collegeprom

Just how big were their closets? And were there dry cleaners within walking distance of the dorms?
Did the housemother really teach the girls how to make aprons and cakes during a snow storm when classes were cancelled?

There were two issues I have with the plot, one is that book club was held with only four members--I wish more characters had been introduced. In the same vein I hoped more would be written about Alice, the bookstore owner. Maybe sequels are coming?

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an electronic advanced reader's copy.

This book follows a group of girls at Radcliffe colllege. They join a bookclub and as the year starts out they all all hopeful and fancy free but as the year progresses they face some really hard things and have to learn to become stronger than they thought they could be.

The premise of this book entails a young, single woman, Alice, owning and running a bookshop in Cambridge. She decides to start a book club that becomes a haven for some nearby college students. All women, there’s definitely some strong feminist vibes in this storyline but, this story takes a turn towards darker, serious topics.

I didn’t expect this book to have such strong bones and address such serious issues…and I don’t feel like I can even reveal what they are without giving anything away. Suffice to say, if you enjoy a good historical fiction that grips you and makes you think…pick this one up!

Do you love books about books?
Does your heart go pitter-patter for classic lit?
Do you love historical fiction with campus vibes?

If you answered yes to these, then be sure to add this book to your Autumn TBR.

✨The Radcliffe Ladies’ Reading Club by Julia Bryan Thomas✨
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Grab a cozy blanket and a steaming cuppa and prepare to be transported to Cambridge, Massachusetts circa 1954. Alice Campbell has fled across the country and found herself on a cobblestone street in front of a derelict building. She does what we all probably have dreamt about at some point—opens an enchanting bookshop that she hopes will comfort the broken hearted. Starting a book club, Alice soon befriends four college students, Tess, Caroline, Evie, and Merritt, who are each trying to navigate being newly independent during a time when the world would rather have them don aprons. A truly terrible event happens to one of the women and the threads of their friendship begin to unravel.

What Julia Bryan Thomas does best in her newest novel is weave together classics that have been handpicked by bookshop owner Alice for book club with the narratives of each character in order to remind us of how books can both speak to us independently and also bring us together. I’m only a part-time classic enthusiast, so I did not recognize many of the classics mentioned, but I think it would be a fantastic reading experience to read this and the classics mentioned in tandem. My only other criticism is that a lot of rife between the friends would have been alleviated with talking about all of the things, but I get the feeling that that comes along with this particular time period.

It’s a book about books, friendships, and independence. I recommend checking it out. The audiobook made for a cozy weekend read.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read & review this book.