this was a fun historical fiction. I really enjoyed the first part but the middle really dragged. I dont think we needed so many characters it detracted from the story.

Thank you for this ARC!

Always a huge fan of anything Kate Quinn writes! Very fun setting, and loved the twist at the end. Some of the POVs more compelling than others, but overall a fun, cosy read!

Kate Quinn at her storytelling best!

Thanks NetGalley & William Morrow for the ARC! This is surely going to be one of my top reads of 2024!

Synopsis-

Grace March is the newest tenant of the Briarwood house - a decrepit boarding-house that is in some desperate need of sprucing up – both the building and its indifferent residents. It’s the year 1950, with Red scare tensions rising high in the capital city of Washington D.C. Grace attracts her neighbors Fliss, Reka, Bea, Claire, Nora and Arlene like a magnet as they all readily spill about their lives and struggles during their Thursday Supper nights, drinking copious amounts of Grace's infamous sun tea. But Grace herself is a closed shell – revealing nothing, but observing everything. What are her secrets? What is she hiding in plain sight?


Review-

The magic of this book lies both in its characters and its setting – the time period of the 50s in the suburbs of the US Capital.

Kate Quinn has simply outdone herself in invoking the spirit of this era and its backdrop of Senator McCarthy’s tyranny, the widespread venomous hatred against communists, socialists, the LGBTQ+ community, the Foggy Bottom rackets run by the Warring brother gangsters & even the racial segregation during this time.

The main focus is of course on Briarwood house and its residents. Starting with the POV of young Pete, the son of the landlady Mrs Nilsson, we get the narratives of all the other ladies – Nora, Reka, Fliss, Bea, Claire and finally the much awaited Grace and Arlene, beginning in the 50s, interjected with a POV of a certain someone(something?) occurring on the eventful day of Thanksgiving in 1954 - this was a stroke of genius!

The story is purely character driven and Quinn’s casting is flawless. Every single protagonist is sure to get a piece of your heart forever. Grace being the centripetal force with her panache for feeding and fixing people, all the ladies lead us through a gamut of human experiences – love, laughter, tears, heartache, longing, ambition, freedom and nurture.

I loved how the ladies form the most unlikeliest yet delightful friendships as they become “The Briar Club” - eating together, bonding and huddling into a team as they encourage the endearing teenager Pete and his little Lina, the baking star. My most favorite of them all is - The Briarwood house itself with its quirks, creaks and curtain flutterings - a character in its own right!

The author’s note was so enlightening as we learn about how the ideas sparked for this book, what inspired the characters and especially why this setting. Quinn exquisitely weaves a few true events and real people from this period into the folds of her unlimited imagination.

The ending is an unravelling, awe-inspiring spectacle befitting Grace's enigma - neat, classy entertainment!

A must read for historical fiction fans!

Kate Quinn has written another fantastic historical fiction book, this time set in 1950s Washington, DC. The story broke my heart then put it back together, several times over. I loved the Author's Note at the end where she explained how her characters came to be (but it has spoilers, so read it after finishing the book). As usual, Quinn's setting and characters jump off the page, though the pacing is sometimes a bit slow. The book takes place over four years, and is broken down into long chapters/short stories from various characters' POVs. There's a fantasy element to the book that I didn't think was necessary (this is revealed at the beginning, so not a spoiler: the house they live in is kind of alive, and can interact with the characters, though they don't know this). There's also an almost cozy mystery vibe, and I love a good cozy. As with any Quinn book, there are some twists along the way. I suspected the big twist from the beginning, but some of the others surprised me. Overall, I loved spending time getting to know these characters and life in DC in the 1950s; it's only halfway through 2024, but I have a feeling this will be one of my favorite reads of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with an ARC.

Kate Quinn has done it again! This time she delves into the Washington, DC during the McCarthy era. She introduces us to 6 women from different backgrounds and each hiding secrets of their own rent rooms in a boarding house, known as Briarwood. They keep to themselves, until mysterious widow Grace moves in and creates the Thursday night supper club drawing her odd neighbors together. Though they may not all become friends they do develop a comradery with one another and when the secrets start to come out can the rally together. It made me think of a grown-up Facts of Life.

Kate Quinn writes fantastic historical fiction books! I really like her books. I always feel sucked into a different time. The Briar Club was a great read!

Thank you to #NetGalley and William Morrow-- for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This publishes July 9.

What to expect in this book:

-1950s setting
-Multiple POV
-Women's boardinghouse
-Mystery and historical fiction
-Alternating timelines

Thoughts

Kate Quinn is a master storyteller of all things historical fiction and her newest, The Briar Club, invites readers into the Briarwood Boarding House in Washington D.C. in the 1950s. While this house might feel like any other, it is the women who live there that bring it to life. Each chapter tells the story of the women living there, each with their own secrets and dreams. Pete, whose mother owns Briarwood, Nora, Bea, Grace, Arlene, Fliss, Claire -- with each having their own chapter, this felt like a series of novellas that all came together in the end to connect their very different lives to a very powerful secret.

Set among the scare of socialism and communism in the 1950s, this story traverses just about every culturally relevant topic of the time including emigration, post WWII repair, segregation and racism, McCarthyism and politics in DC, fertility and birth control, sports and other pop culture, and of course friendships and the American family. I loved the diversity of the characters from their personal backgrounds to their reasons for seeking the boarding house. A fun element was the Briar Club itself--the dinner club the women created together where they shared recipes and fellowship with each other. If you are a foodie or loving reading about food, you will really enjoy this one!

Also at the heart of all of it is a mystery. There is a police investigation throughout for a death within the home and each of the Briar Club women's stories plays a role into the outcome. I loved the role that house itself played within the murder mystery parts of the story. The house itself became a main character. Ultimately, this is a story of found family among uncertainty. This is a story of female friendships and connections against all odds. Lastly, the author's note is a MUST but definitely needs to be read at the end. I applaud the author for her valiant work in making sure this piece of fiction is as close to historically accurate as possible.

Synopsis: Secrets are uncovered and friendships are formed over the course of the early 1950s at Briarwood House, a female boardinghouse in Washington, D.C.

Thoughts: I really loved this book! While very different than Kate Quinn’s previous novels, The Briar Club is still an engrossing, transportive work of historical fiction. I would classify this one as a character-driven slow-burn historical mystery. The backdrop of 1950s Washington, D.C. is so well done with Kate’s usual thorough research and attention to detail. The book is broken up into (long) flashback chapters following each of the tenants of Briar House who all come from vastly different backgrounds and offer unique perspectives. Their stories are interspersed with the current timeline perspective of the house as a murder is being investigated on Thanksgiving 1954. I know it sounds weird to have the house as a character, but it really does work and even made me tear up a couple times. I loved learning about each woman’s life, and I especially enjoyed seeing their relationships form as they became an unlikely family. There were recipes included throughout that added such a charming aspect to the story as well. This was the kind of well-paced story that I didn’t want to end, although the shocking ending was very satisfying. I highly recommend this one, it will probably be one of my favorites this year!

Read this if you like:
🌹 strong female main characters
🌹 multiple POV
🌹 dual timelines
🌹 McCarthy era Washington, D.C.
🌹 found family

The Rose Code was my favorite book from last year so I was beyond excited to read the author's newest. The Briar Club was unlike other books I've read by her but I enjoyed it just as much. I was unsure how to rate it as some of the "parts" were slower and not as interesting to me, but as a whole I loved it and it had a banger of an ending.

The story is set at a women's boarding house in 1950s Washington D.C.. The story of each tenant (plus the landlady's son) is told in parts, which are essentially long chapters. In between, through the perspective of the sentient Briarwood House, we are given small parts of the present day story/mystery - a murder has been committed and it's not until the end that we find out the full story of all the tenants and what happened that fateful evening.

This was largely a character driven story with all of them being unique and endearing in their own way. I loved Thursday night Briarwood supper club night and the way all the ladies formed a close friendship. There's a lot of 1950s pop culture and world news references (I Love Lucy, Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest, McCarthyism, the Korean War, and much more) and in the author's Historical Note at the end, she explains the accuracy and/or if the timeline matched for a lot of what's included in the book.

This comes out this Tuesday the 9th! Definitely add it to your TBR if you like stories of female friendships and historical fiction with a sprinkle of murder mystery.

Tenants in a boarding house befriend one another during the McCarthy Era in Washington D.C. This novel details events that unfold in an ALL female boarding house run by a single mom with teenage children. Broken into parts, we learn of two murders and the events leading-up to the deaths in the house. The Briar Club provides perspective into life in the 50's and threat of communism in the US.

This character driven story is a slow-burn, culminating to an epic conclusion where tenants lives intersect and secrets are revealed. The level of research is impeccable, the character growth into a found family was heartwarming. Briarwood house empowers these women to stand-up for themselves, trust in others and to find their place in the world.

Thank you, William Morrow

Thank you for the chance to read this book early!

I used to count Kate Quinn as one of my favourite historical fiction authors, but I have only really loved 2 of her books, and since then they have been going downhill for me, This time period/concept didn't intrigue me as much as some of her other settings, but I decided to give it a try and just never got invested.

The way this was written with little vignettes about a murder and in between a long section following each individual character made it really hard to get invested or enjoy the reading experience. I just never got into the story and don't think this was her best book.

Briar House is a boardinghouse for women in 1950s Washington DC during the McCarthy era. The eight women residents portray the varying attitudes and mores of the time. The house itself intermittently “speaks.” Each of the eight chapters (yes, only eight long chapters) is devoted to each woman. The reader experiences the narrative through the eight vastly different viewpoints including all the discrimination of the time. The book opens with the knowledge that there is a dead body in the house. Someone has been murdered. That person is not identified until very nearly the end. The house’s “voice” is atmospheric and adds a layer. Kate Quinn has, as usual, given us historical fiction that we’ll want to talk about, even if the pace is a bit slower than usual. I was totally drawn in and look forward to suggesting this a s a book club read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge fan of Kate Quinn's work. I have read all of her more recent novels, with The Alice Network being one of my top five favorite books of all time. The was so delighted to read The Briar Club and it definitely did not disappoint.

This story takes place in the 1950's amidst the height of McCarthyism and follows each of the residents of the Briarwood Boarding House for Women. Each chapter focuses on a different tenant and tells their story while also being interconnected to the other tenants. This book reads very differently than her previous books and is considerably more low stakes (something which the author even acknowledges in her Authors Note). I love this storytelling departure and found The Briar Club to be more engrossing at a character development level. I truly feel as if I know every member of that boarding house and will be thinking about them for years to come. This book even has elements of mystery and twists, all while being true to Kate Quinn's signature writing style and voice.

This was... slightly boring. It takes a loooong time to start picking up. You'll have to slog through a ton of thirteen year old Pete's teenage fantasies and views on women before you get to the actual whodunit murder.

I was super intrigued by the mini chapters where the focus is on Briarwood House. It's a third person limited narration with the actual house as the star. I thought this was a neat, fresh concept and was a point of view I've never encountered before. It gave the book a spooky ominous vibe.

Overall, this was meh for me. Kind of boring, but since it's Kate Quinn it's automatically worth reading. Her writing is pretty yet concise, and she really takes you into characters' minds, even a house.

I always enjoy Quinn's attention to women at periods in history when they were not likely to be take overly seriously. I will say that I think I was able to figure out our main diva's role and secret fairly early in the book. She was written in a way that the reader could only be like "okay, there's been specialized training there". I also particularly liked the interstitial narrations from the house itself, and the diversity of the characters.

Thank you @williammorrowbooks #partner for making my dreams come true and sending me an early advanced reader copy.

Kate is one of my top all time favorite candidates-do-no-wrong authors that I will automatically buy no matter what. She is the queen of finding such amazing women and ideas to write about and this book just solidifies once again why I will forever read her books. This book is so rich with such wonderful people and ended up being one of my favorite tropes, found family. 🫶 I actually thought this book felt a bit different from her others that I have read over the years but different in a good way. Within the first few pages of this book I was completely absorbed and captivated by the womens boarding house called Briarwood. Each character has their own story and although there are a lot of characters in this novel, Kate flawlessly writes them so uniquely it was easy to keep everyone straight. I loved how everyone came from different backgrounds and places yet each found their place in this story! I also enjoyed how the book started out with a murder and then then slowly led up to what actually happened in between the rest of the story. Like I said, this book was perfectly executed, an easy 5 star and will keep me coming back for more. Do not miss the authors note in this one! It makes the story that much more interesting to think about!

Thank you so much to William Morrow for the gifted book!

This book started off SO WELL! It's basically a murder mystery from the first page and I was SO excited for how instantly drawn in I was. When a body is found in a women's boarding home in 1954, you know it's' going to be a crazy story!

The book starts out during Thanksgiving of 1954 and then is told mostly in flashbacks. Each flashback chapter is centered around one of the characters in the home and all of those chapters are LONG! To give you an idea how long, the book is 430 pages and there are only 9 chapters! There are very short chapters in-between each long chapter called "interstitials". Those chapters were definitely my favorite part because they dealt with the murdered woman in the house.

Of all the character's chapters, I really only felt connected to Nora and Fliss. Nora's chapter was incredibly well-written and I was CAPTIVATED the entire time. Since that was only chapter 2, I had extremely high hopes for the rest of the book. If that chapter was a stand-a-lone book (which it almost could be), I would rate it 5+ stars!

Unfortunately, all the other character's chapters dragged for me and I didn't need 50ish pages on each one of them, especially when it didn't always directly relate to the story I was most concerned with: the murder on Thanksgiving in 1954. I hate to complain about the length of a book since that's something that is easily known going into reading a book, but in this case so much of the character's background was just not necessary and could have been easily enjoyed had it been cut down to a 3oo page book.

This is the lowest I've ever rated a Kate Quinn book, but it just didn't work for me like I hoped it would! I'm still going to read what she puts out next!

A departure from a typical Kate Quinn book, but a good read, nonetheless.

In a cheap boarding house in 1950s Washington D.C., an eclectic group of women form friendships, keep secrets, and live their lives until one violent night changes everything.

Having read some of Kate Quinn's historical fiction books, I was expecting something along those lines. The Briar Club is very different. The book is more character driven than plot driven.

The book opens with a body being found in one of the rooms, but we do not learn who it is. Each subsequent chapter is told through the POV of a different character. The ladies who live in Briarwood House are an eclectic group of women, each with her own story and secret.

There were definitely some characters I liked better than others, meaning that I enjoyed some chapters more than others. The chapters were very long, as a character's story was told in each one, and each chapter also contained a recipe, which was interesting.

The setting in 1950s Washington D.C. made a good backdrop for the story. There are lots of historical references, with the main one being McCarthy's Red Scare.

If you like character driven books with a twist, I'd recommend this one.

A delectable novel set in a fascinating time in history. I love a good ensemble cast, and Kate Quinn knocks it out of the park with this one. Each section narrated by a different character, each one building on and enlightening the ones before and after it. So cleverly crafted, bringing us to a nail-biting climactic reveal. But what really sets this novel apart is the depth of character, the way their interactions change and uplift them, and the ultimate takeaway that community and friendship are what we really have in this world--no matter how divisive politics and the media can be. I loved it.

It’s 1950’s Washington, D.C. and Grace March has just moved into the tiny attic of the Briarwood women’s boarding house where the landlord is nosy and the rules are strict. Grace brings the hodgepodge group of tenants together for Thursday night suppers (when the landlord is at her bridge club) and the Briar Club is born. Each chapter, narrated by a different tenant, reveals more clues about the people and mystery at hand. Recommended for historical fiction fans who want a storyline they haven’t read before.