uniquely structured (while some readers might complain that this is a departure from Quinn’s usual style, I always appreciate a creative structure….and I think it comes together well)
well-written (and researched)
engaging and compelling from the first page (in true Kate Quinn style)
holds my interest throughout (unputdownable and page turning)
thoughtful themes
histfic that’s not WWII
memorable characters and content
1950s atmosphere
a side of thriller
a good balance of character-driven and plot-driven (my fav!)
multilayered and complex
substantial and noteworthy author notes (not to be missed)

This was a very engaging mystery set in Washington, D.C. in the 1950s amidst McCarthy's hunt for spies! In boarding house of very diverse women, the women come together to enjoy each other's company and cooking, but one of the women isn't what she seems.

A fascinating murder mystery is the center of this book, but it's heart is the fascinating group of women surrounding it. I got so wrapped up in the women's stories that I sometimes forgot we were trying to solve a murder. But the house's perspective, bringing us back to the current time and the murder, was cheeky, heart-wrenching, and perfect. This is another book to love by Kate Quinn!

I think I either love Kate Quinn's books or I can't read them at all. Most of her books, I"ve loved. However, this one I just could not read. I found it tedious and a bit boring, and did not connect with the characters at all. This is similar to how I felt about The Diamond Eye. My main issues with The Briar House was how disjointed everything felt. I had a hard time caring about the characters or the whys and hows and motivation of the murder. The chapters were long and drawn out, and I failed to see how things related to one another. Yet even though the book was character focused, the characters were not very likable. One interesting thing was how each chapter connected with a certain recipe or food memory... but that was not enough to draw me in. The weird interspersed chapters about the house were bizarre too.. After getting through about half of it, I decided to DNF it - life is too short to read books I don't care about!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was such a wonderful surprise of a book. The composition and setup of it was so integral to the success of the story as a whole, and Kate Quinn absolutely nailed it. She masterfully waits until the reader has made enough judgements about a character, good or bad, and then she pulls the veil off of their story and experiences and true personality. All the while teasing a murder throughout. I honestly don't know which part was more satisfying to read, the interstitials or the character sections. I will be recommending this to everyone I know.

If these walls could talk..from the Briarwood house! Kate Quinn does it again with another historical fiction that I couldn’t put down. Not only do we get a bit of a murder mystery, but also many character point of views in which we get to see how all their stories begin and eventually intertwine with one another.

As someone who lived in Washington, DC for several years, I enjoyed the specific references to key locations (that still exist today) and historical accuracy regarding the political and social climate during the fifties.

I love how Quinn creates strong, female characters that aren’t perfect. They’re human! The group of people that gather on every Thursday night to share a meal together in the Briar club are flawed, interesting, beautiful, and complicated - but their need for genuine human connection and friendship forces their diverse group together to create this unique story.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me with this ARC!

Quinn introduces the story with a murder, but the mystery seems to take a backseat to the characters and their interconnected lives at Briarwood. I loved reading about all the historical events from the 1950s - the aftermath of WWII, the Korean War, McCarthyism, the Lavender Scare, women’s rights (including reproductive health) - and various themes such as race, discrimination, and domesticity. She reminds us that the basic principle of being American is the right to hold unpopular beliefs, but often, our differences are what unite us rather than divide us.

I found the dynamics between the women living at Briarwood to be intriguing. Each chapter delves into a resident’s background, their circumstances for living at Briarwood, and provides interesting historical tidbits about the 1950s. For example, Bea's professional women’s baseball career (reminiscent of "A League of Their Own"), Nora's relationship with a gangster, Fliss's experiences as a trained nurse with a child and husband overseas, and Grace's role as the newest resident who brings the boarders together for a Thursday night supper club AKA the Briar Club with recipes included in the story. Some women I found more interesting than others, but overall, it's a unique found family vibe.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Briar Club's quiet, character-driven experience. Quinn’s impeccable research into the era shines throughout the story. Her author’s note added even more historical context, so don't skip it!!

Another masterpiece by Kate Quinn. She creates immersive historical novels and I could not put this one down! Each character is well developed and the pacing of the novel is perfect. This is one of my favorite books of the year

I didn’t make it very far in this book. At the 12% mark, I was bored out of my mind. I switched to the audiobook, hoping it would be more engaging, but I fell asleep while listening.

Having loved The Alice Network, The Diamond Eye, and The Phoenix Crown, I expected much more from this book. The previous novels captivated me with their rich historical details and compelling characters. Unfortunately, this book didn’t deliver the same level of enjoyment or engagement. The pacing felt slow, and I struggled to connect with the story and its characters.

Overall, it was a disappointing experience, especially given my previous positive experiences with Kate Quinn’s work.

A character-driven work of historical fiction with a mystery propelling the plot forward. Quinn’s character development is exceptional and her characters are well-drawn and authentic. Each had a recipe at that the end of their chapter which represents their personalities. A a murder mystery was interwoven into the entirety with the big reveal at the end. I loved the McCarthy era time period. An excellent option for book clubs. For fans of Fiona Davis and Marie Benedict.

𝘈 𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯, 𝘋𝘊, 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘤𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘺 𝘦𝘳𝘢.

There were approximately 9 billion characters in this book. Each gets her own section but it takes awhile to get going so there was lots of confusion about who they were which resulted in me not really caring who they were. In addition to the characters, the house has a personality, thoughts, and a voice. That was weird and it really didn’t go anywhere. There were recipes included. I’m still not sure what they added to the story. But there were definitely characters I enjoyed and I always love a book about female friendships. I believe this is her first book set entirely in the US and I loved the Washington DC location. I just don’t think the McCarthy era is one I’m super interested in and there were too many storylines that left me feeling bored.

Kate Quinn is the queen of historical fiction and this book is no different. She masterfully crafts a cast of female characters living in a boarding house in Washington D.C. during the McCarthy Era. Each character has their own chapters so we see their own motives, backstories and thoughts as we move through the story. The secrets, the friendships, the twists, it was all so well done!

Kate Quinn’s The Briar Club is a haunting historical mystery set in an all-female boardinghouse in Washington, D.C., during the turbulent McCarthy era. The novel opens in November 1954 with a shocking act of violence at Briarwood House, leaving a dead body and a community in turmoil. As the police arrive and the residents await questioning, the narrative rewinds to explore the years leading up to the tragedy.

In 1950, Briarwood House residents keep to themselves until the mysterious widow Grace March moves into the attic room. Her arrival sparks unlikely friendships among them: Fliss, a harried new mother; Nora, a police officer’s daughter entangled with a gangster; Bea, a former pro baseball star; and Arlene, who works for Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Grace’s illicit Thursday night dinners held when the landlady is away, foster camaraderie, but secrets slowly emerge, leading to a suspenseful climax.

Quinn masterfully brings the 1950s to life, exploring themes of race, class, gender, and the pervasive fear of the unknown. The novel highlights the limitations on women of the era, from being expected to bear children to the societal taboo against mixed-race relationships.

The plot weaves together multiple perspectives, adding depth and suspense as it uncovers the darkness within Briarwood House. Though some may find the pacing slow, the book’s rich historical detail and strong character development make it an interesting read for fans of woman-led historical fiction. 4 stars.

** Thanks to the publisher for a comp of this novel. The opinions are my own.

I've been a fan of Kate Quinn's historical fiction novels for quite some time, but this one takes the cake (the prize-winning cake in the Pillsbury baking competition, that is)! The Briar Club is one of my 2024 top picks for sure. I can't stop thinking about it or recommending it. And if things hadn't been so busy for me around the time I picked it up, I would have read it in one sitting. I didn't mind savoring it though and the mystery aspect definitely kept me guessing.

I loved how each character got a huge storyline and how those all came together in some ways. I also loved the camaraderie between everyone and how they also looked after the landlady's children. I was only expecting to read about some of the characters, based on the synopsis, so it was a nice surprise when more of them were included and each got their own narrative as well. I don't even know which one was my favorite because they were all so interesting. One character was unlikable and her narrative didn't make her any more likable. That was the intention for this character though and I loved seeing how the others reacted to her when it was their turn in the spotlight.

I liked how everything came together when the mystery was finally revealed and I was definitely surprised by the outcome, as I didn't see it coming until it was right in my face. It was fun having the house narrate some parts of the story to show the mystery unfolding. Also, unlike Kate's previous novels, I'm glad this was not about World War II. It was a refreshing change to set it in the 1950s. And I'm definitely partial to anything taking place in Washington DC.

This was such a great novel! Pick up a copy and prepare to devour it (much like Fliss's cookies). There's even a part that fans of A League of Their Own will appreciate. However, all the stories are worth reading!

(Trigger warnings below.)

Movie casting suggestions (I got stuck on Reka though):
Grace: Lily James
Fliss: Angourie Rice
Bea: Liana Liberato
Nora: Alison Oliver
Claire: Zoé De Grand Maison
Arlene: Ayden Mayeri
Xavier: Alan Ritchson
Harland: Glen Powell
Sydney: Christian Serratos
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TW: Violence, domestic abuse, post-partum depression

Kate Quinn is the queen of historical fiction for me and this book just proves why. My previous favorite Kate Quinn book, The Rose Code, featured an incredible story of friendship so I was especially looking forward to picking this one up. I loved spending time with the characters of this story and feeling like I was part of their club. I also really enjoyed Kate tackling a new time period and found myself researching various pieces that she included in the story. I already wish I could reread this one from the beginning!

The way I DEVOURED this. Everything else was put on a back burner while tearing my way through what turned out to be a fairly lengthy historical fiction/murder mystery set in McCarthy's 1950s USA. Who was murdered?! Why does this house have opinions? Who the heck are all these people?

I really loved the look into each of the boarders' lives and things that they were dealing with because even though these women get together once a week for dinner, they actually don't know a ton about each other. Getting a realistic glimpse of life for a woman in the 50s is always so interesting to me, and with the setting being in D.C., that adds an even more intriguing twist.

I'm gonna be talking this one up for a long time! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

Stories about found families are a slam dunk for me. I love disparate people, often as different as could be, who find their way to each other and manage to build something worth having together. Kate Quinn is an excellent relationship builder. Each woman gets her own chapter that moves the story forward chronologically, while the whole narrative is framed by extracts from an eventful Thanksgiving that reveal final secrets and make the women know each other more intimately than ever before. There's nothing that can't be accomplished when women work together, from getting a little girl the eyeglasses she needs to the ultimate protective act.

Seven very different women live at the Washington D.C. Briarwood Boarding House, but it’s not until Grace March rents the tiny top-floor room that they become a community. Told through the perspectives of the seven women – plus Pete, the landlady’s teenage son – readers get a view of early 1950’s, post-WWII McCarthy-era America. Each woman opens up a different perspective on the time period and women’s places in society. From the beginning, hanging over it all is a mystery – who has been murdered in Grace’s room in 1954? And who killed them?

This was just perfect historical fiction – compelling characters, a well rendered time and place, very readable.

A haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, D.C. boardinghouse during the McCarthy era.

Kate Quinn's Briar Club told the story of a boarding house and its occupants and their stories of the span of four years. each occupant had a different story to tell. listening to each was more interesting than the last.