Another incredible, moving and entrancing read from the inimitable Kate Quinn! I swear this woman can do no wrong, she is one of the all-time greats of historical fiction and I will always love how she shines a spotlight on the women behind the scenes in history. The Briar Club delivered in spades, I loved every moment of it and hungrily devoured it in just a few days. Ten out of ten, would recommend!!

I loved this book! It had everything I wanted in a great historical fiction crossed with a thriller.

This was like nothing I had read before. Told through multiple perspectives of the housemates, with the house making small appearances throughout, we get an idea of what it was like living at that time.

There was also a lot that I wasn’t aware of from the 50’s, especially around the Red Scare and the Russian threat.

The story was fast paced and just when you think you’ve figured everything out and you know who’s in trouble, Quinn throws an extra twist our way.

This is probably one of my favourite books by Kate Quinn and if you’re a fan of fun historical fiction with a twist, I’d definitely recommend picking this one up!

As a huge fan of Kate Hewitts historical fiction novels, I couldn’t wait to read her latest release. The Briar Club although started a little slow, it fast became an interesting and page turning read. Each chapter tells a story from the character’s perspective, from living in the women’s boarding house and trying to find a place in the world after WW2. Along with a stimulating perspective from the house it touches on domestic violence, discrimination, poverty and homosexuality. 4 star.
I would like to thank HarperCollins Publishers Australia, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this complimentary copy for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

As a lover of books written by Kate Quinn I always look forward to what she writes next, so when this one was up for reading and reviewing I couldn't resist. I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this book as it is yet another fantastic book from a very accomplished writer.

This is a story of women, Not just one or two but many women, they all live in Briarwood Boarding House and they all come from different backgrounds. This is their story and what a story it is. These women come together and become friends in the most unusual circumstances. But the best thing about this book and story is the fact that we really get to know these women and some of the people they are involved with.

I love the way Kate Quinn writes about each main character and tells there story, as if each section/chapter is in a way it's own story. I was intrigued the whole way through, I never knew where it was going but I did know something big was going to happen. I won't give anything away but I will say I did love this book and enjoyed reading it. My only gripe is that at times it did seem a bit of a long read. Highly recommend this one. 4 1/2 stars from me.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the third book of Kate’s I’ve read and I can say that it’s just as good as her previous ones.
The Briar Club are the residents of Briarwood house which is a boarding house situated in Washington D.C during 1950s. Unlikely friendships begin to form when the Briar Club is formed by one of the women who live in the house, Grace. The weekly dinners become the characters lifeline and balm to their worries and troubles. When a murder occurs, they residents have to decide who is their true enemy.
Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the women who are boarding in the house. This adds a really nice layer to the story as they interact and we get the backstories of the women. I really enjoyed stories Iike this one.
If you enjoy historical fiction with a murder or two thrown in, then you’ll enjoy this book.

Another very moreish offering from Kate Quinn, this time set in 1950s Washington DC and thus heavily featuring McCarthyism, horrid treatment of women, and whatever Americans were passing off as actual, edible food at the time (I don’t exactly ~regret~ googling “Candle Salad” because I did absolutely need proof that that shit wasn’t made up, but also that’s a thing I can never unsee now).

The setting is Briarwood House, a boarding house for women, and as the story unspools, we learn more about each of the boarders who slowly grow closer through a weekly dinner club (scene of the above-mentioned culinary crimes) organised by new arrival Grace. The whole thing is tied together by a murder (always a good time) but the real glue are the complex relationships between the seven women and their extended orbit.

The character-centric chapters made for some lovely, poignant character studies – they initially felt more like loosely connected short stories than part of a novel, but the overall arc did end up coming together really nicely. There’s a strong focus on friendship and found family (one of my favourite things), and despite the murder framing device and the dreadful political and social climate of the time, the vibes are warm and cosy. I suspected the big twist early on, but it was still a fun and engaging read.

As usual, Kate Quinn tries to shake things up a bit with narrative structure and timelines, which worked pretty well. There were a few things, like the sentient house and the recipes, that I thought were kind of unnecessary flourishes and a bit too twee (also, the recipes were incomplete in this ARC but I assume that’ll have been fixed for the final version), but on the whole, I enjoyed this a lot.

PS: Oh, and Beth from The Rose Code is mentioned, which was a neat surprise!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Quinn never disappoints! I adored The Briar Club from the quirkiness of the perspective of the house itself to the unique stories of each of its inhabitants. The evolution of female friendships and importance of connection are strong themes, subtly yet powerfully weaved. Five stars. Thank you for the early copy!

This was a fast-paced, very American novel. It was enjoyable like all of Kate Quinn’s novels but I found it annoying at times.

Briar House is watching the aftermath of two murders at the beginning of the book. Now a contented old boarding-house improved by its inhabitants in spite of its wretched landlady, it doesn’t want to be sold! As it watches and waits, we go back to the past four years, seen through the eyes of Grace, Nora, Reka, Bea and Claire.

Secretive pretty Grace cheers everyone up with her painted flowers and dinner-parties but what is her real story? Irish-Catholic Nora faces conflict because of her love of the law and her work when she falls in love with a nightclub owner on the shady side of the law. Reka, an old lady now, holds terrible bitterness in her heart concerning her escape from the Nazis. Bea used to be a star baseball-player, but she needs another purpose in life. Tough red-haired Claire has to hide a secret love-affair. Fliss thinks that she is a bad mother while everyone hates snarky Arlene.

This is a well-structured novel with all of these character’s stories set in the Cold War and the suspense of the murders. I found it a bit glib and dogmatic, unfortunately, but it’s a very engaging novel.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The Briar Club is Kate Quinn’s latest historical fiction novel and it was an absolute delight to read. The story follows the boarders at the house, their lives and the connections they build between each other. It begins with a death on Thanksgiving, then jumps back in time a few years to develop the context. It was really cleverly written and I found I had an appreciation for each of the residents in their chapters. Can’t wait to read Quinn’s next novel!

I’ve never read Kate Quinn before, but after reading this one I can see why she’s popular. Set in the fifties in Foggy Bottom Washington DC, it follows the lives of the residents of a boarding house for ladies. It starts off on Thanksgiving 1954 with the mystery of a dead body and a police investigation, then it goes back 4 years and each chapter focuses on one of the residents and the story moves closer to the opening, between each chapter the house itself comments on what’s happening on that day in 1954. I really enjoyed the structure and the writing, the characters and the different storylines. She covers a lot of issues including McCarthyism, the Korean War, domestic violence, women’s baseball, sexuality, racism, class and lots more. A great read.

Very rarely does a Kate Quinn book fall short of 5 stars for me. I adore the absolutely tremendous amount of research that goes into every book, setting, character and trends of the day. I love the Easter Eggs that are sprinkled throughout her books and her writing in style of Forrest Gump, where the character meets real life events or is named from a real life persona. My personal favourite was the parts that I had heard of, The All American Girls Professional Baseball League!...'There's no crying in baseball!'

The Briar club was so jam packed full of character, heart and truth. Kate Quinn describes how the little segments of her book came to be at the end and I'm amazed how those seemingly obscure things got wrapped together and tied into this awesome book. The way that each character got to tell their story in their own chapter and the ending was the climax of so many stories at once. The recipes full of wit and humour along with oozes of tastiness and a sprinkling or ire. It broke up the parts with ease. I also thoroughly loved how the house was a character, bringing together the snippets of the ending before reverting back in time to cover the character's lives.

There isn't much that I didn't love about this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is up for some history, challenged viewpoints, and hearing from women from completely different walks of life.
Thanks to Netgalley, Kate Quinn and HarperCollins Publishers Australia, for allowing me a chance to read this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Kate Quinn delivers again with her new book, 'The Briar Club'.

Set against the backdrop of post-war America, and the paranoia of the McCarthy era, 'The Briar Club' offers a glimpse into the lives of the inhabitants of Briarwood House, a boarding house during the 1950s. Quinn's beautiful narrative skillfully weaves together the personal journeys, and secrets of its diverse protagonists, each grappling with the societal expectations and personal aspirations of the era.

This novel is character driven, and each protagonists view point is richly developed. I felt invested in the storylines of each of character, their struggles and triumphs resonating with authenticity. The boarding house setting serves as a microcosm of the broader societal changes of the time, offering a compelling lens through which to explore issues of gender, class, sexuality and identity.

Quinn's meticulous attention to historical detail further enhances the vibrancy of this book. I felt she accurately depicted the challenges of single motherhood and post-partum depression, the complexities of life as an Eastern European Immigrant in 1950s America, the stigma around the choice to have children, and the perils of being a "Lavender Lady" just to note a few!

The pacing of the novel was spot on, and the overall narrative arc is so engaging, driven by the compelling dynamics between each of the inhabitants of Briarwood Housr. The prose is evocative and accessible, capturing both the nostalgia and the complexities of a transformative decade in American history.

Fans of historical fiction will find much to appreciate in Kate Quinn's 'The Briar Club', it's hard not to immerse yourself in this tale of friendship, found family, ambition, secrets, and the enduring quest for personal fulfillment. I highly recommend it to all!

Thanks NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for the ARC in exchange for this review!

After being captivated by the stirring narrative in her recent collaboration with Janie Chang, The Phoenix Crown, I was ready to dive into whatever novel Kate Quinn published next. And, like the former title, The Briar Club centres on a fascinatingly diverse and strong-willed female ensemble cast in a particularly evocative time period in US history.

The residents of the Briarwood boarding house and their guests come and go over the 5-year story timespan, so this is not a locked-room mystery. However, Quinn very successfully evokes a similar feeling of mystery, mistrust and dread within this microcosm by starting with a shocking crime scene, and then moving back in time to judiciously reveal the myriad influences that led up to that day.

The Briar Club‘s time-jumping narrative featuring different character perspectives may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I enjoyed the puzzling mental stimulation. Quinn employs this structure well to develop characters with depth, authentic baggage and emotions while gradually ramping up the tension and suspense.

My favourite element, and a surprise for me, was how the Briarwood house itself is a sentient, all-seeing character with a perspective of its own, which we are introduced to in the prologue. This quirkiness captured me from page 1 and this character perspective dropping in throughout the novel acted as a wonderful counterpoint to the many heavy societal topics explored, such as women’s rights, racism, war and the Red Scare.

Kate Quinn’s The Briar Club is a compelling slow-burn suspense thriller that shines a spotlight on the resilience and revolutionary acts of many day-to-day women in the not-so-distant past, paving the way to a better society. 4.25 Stars

Another great read from Kate Quinn, The Briar Club is the second book I’ve read from Kate Quinn, the first book being The Phoenix Crown which was co-authored with Janie Chang and I thoroughly enjoyed it so I had to read The Briar Club and it did not disappoint.
The story was intriguing, mysterious and as someone who has never heard about the McCarthy era, I found learning about the history was interesting.
The book is written from the perspective of each character who lived at the Briarwood House, a women’s boarding house in Washington D.C. Each characters life stories had me invested and I found myself not wanting to put the book down, I especially loved the POV of the house which I thought was really clever and funny.
There is nothing I didn’t like about this book, I loved it from start to finish.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Australia for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

In the early 1950s, Briarwood House is a ladies boarding house, home to Nora, Reka, Claire, Fliss, Bea and Arlene - women from diverse backgrounds and difficult pasts. When Grace March moves in, she soon becomes the hub and heart of the house, hosting supper clubs in her tiny room and unearthing secrets.

But they stand to lose everything when Grace's own secret comes to light.

**

The book opens on a murder scene in the house in 1954, then flashes back to the previous years as each woman's story unfolds, peeling back the layers on a mystery that that had me guessing until the very end.

This was a fascinating tale of women in postwar America, against the paranoid background of McCarthyism and with the threat of Russia looming ever present. The book casts a harsh light on the treatment of women, POC and LGBTQIA+ people in an oft-romanticised era: domestic abuse, sexual harassment, assault, racism, sexism, riots, organised crime and poverty are all unashamedly addressed. (And flagging these topics as content warnings for readers)

And yet this book is full of heart and warmth and ambition and survival amid the grim backdrop.

This was a period of time that I knew little about, and Kate Quinn has woven real events and people in this page-turner. Well researched and beautifully written, this is a fantastic read .

~Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ~

When Kate Quinn has a new book out, you drop everything to read it! You are guaranteed not only a great story (her writing is out of this world) but a brilliant lesson in history as well (her research is second to none). Kate is one of my favourite writers and her latest, The Briar Club is a fascinating look at American society during the McCarthy era of the 1950s.

‘… living in a world where a push of a button could end things in one big mushroom cloud. Hard not to wonder if we took a wrong turn somewhere along the line. If we could have done better.’

This book reads somewhat differently to Kate’s previous ones - and I like it! This is very much a character based story with a murder … or two! The Briar Club is the name given to the female tenants of Briarwood House who come together on Thursday nights to share a meal and so much more. Each woman living at the house is given her own chapter and, being such a diverse group, the insight into being a woman in America at this time is eye opening. It is most definitely a slow burn with even the house being a character and providing its own voice to events.

‘You couldn't find a more different batch of women than the Briar Club … but after so many suppers together they had somehow acquired a shared funny bone, a way of setting each other off that made the laughter contagious when the right joke caught fire.’

When readers draw near to the end and the women’s lives become enmeshed and the pace really starts to increase. Everything you’ve learned about them as individuals comes crashing together and it is here that one really appreciates Kate’s mastery as an author. Seeing how the women bonded and, individually and together, became a formidable unit. The Briar Club was Kate’s post-pandemic book and as she details in her endnotes it “erupted out of a desperate need for light, for connection, for friendship. A need (like Grace's) to gather round the table, to feed, and to fix.”

‘This is the land of second chances … She might have lost her childhood faith that it was the land of opportunity, but second chances? Yes. Opportunities were things that fell in your lap, but second chances had to be fought for - and you could always reinvent yourself in this country.’

The Briar Club is an exploration of female friendships with the burden of secrets set against the backdrop of the McCarthy era USA. The social pressures faced, particularly by women, are brought vividly to life. A slow burn tale that, under Kate’s deft authorship, comes to a thrilling climax.








This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

4.2 stars
One Liner: A long book but enjoyable

1950, Washington D.C
The Briarwood House is a boarding house for women and holds many secrets. When a widow, Grace March, moves into the attic, it leads to new friendships with diverse people. Soon, Grace is hosting weekly dinners and finding solace in her new life. However, the secrets of her past continue to haunt her. When a murder occurs in the boarding house, it’s time for the women to make some tough decisions. Lives will change forever. What will happen to Grace and her friends?
The story comes in the third-person POV of Pete, Nora, Reka, Fliss, Bea, Grace, Arlene, and a special character).

My Thoughts:
This is my first book by the author. I’ve seen many friends praise her works and know she writes lengthy yet well-crafted historical novels (turns out this is not like her previous works). The Briar Club is 444 pages (my NG copy) and feels like a 500-page book.
However, soon I was immersed in the setting and the characters. The prologue is set in 1954 (crime scene). The story begins in 1950 when Grace enters Briarwood House. The narrative comes from different characters who share their backstory as well as carry the plot forward. This serves a dual purpose to make us understand the people who live in the boarding house while minimizing repetition.
Each woman is different and clearly defined. The main male characters are also given enough depth (depending on their purpose in the plot).
Since food plays one of the major roles in the book, we get recipes between chapters. However, these are not your standard recipes and act only as small interludes in those never-ending chapters. Why each POV had to be a single chapter beats me, but each one is 50-70 pages long (I think). Only one POV is short (thankfully).
The narrative is slow and steady. You cannot increase the speed. But that’s okay since things happen, and we don’t want to miss any of it. I was also ticking the characters to see if I could guess who was killed.
I like that the first POV belongs to the young Pete (some reviews hated this) as it gives us an overview of the main characters and establishes the plot.
There is a lot of talk about politics, the US welcoming every immigrant, communists vs. republicans, and blah blah. As you can guess, it gets boring after a while, though some of it is necessary for the plot. Considering the events that occurred when I was reading this one, let’s say, the big brother needs to stop bothering about democracy in other countries and focus on its own mess. Glass houses and all that (IYKYK).
While the mystery is dangled as a carrot, this should not be read as a mystery book. It is a character-driven historical fiction that can also be read as a series of interconnected stories). The epilogue ends the story with the right blend of HEA and reality.
My favorite is, of course, the detailed Author’s Note where she talks about the idea, how it grew, and what influenced the arcs of each main character. Wonderful! Don’t skip this even if you are not into the habit of reading author notes.

To summarize, The Briar Club is an interesting read dealing with many themes and subplots. I enjoyed it, despite the few issues, and can see why the author is popular though readers say this is not her usual style. It worked for me, and that’s all I need!
Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
****
More links will be updated later.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Summed Up: The Brilliant Briar Club

- - -
Ever picked up a book with zero expectations, only to find it’s the unexpected brilliant gem you never knew you needed? That was The Briar Club for me 💎

I started this book in the same way I do with all of my books. I avoided blurbs, spoilers and reviews. All I knew was the title.

From page one, I got concerned… It was historical fiction (not my jam).

But my initial worries were very quickly turned around and by page two I was hooked and could not put this book down 😅

This book reminded me just how magical Kate Quinn’s storytelling is. The characters are so real and likeable and their different viewpoints and storylines masterfully weaved together each characters past, present and future and connections. Even the house had its own voice. 🏡 Yes, you read that right - the house has a POV and it was glorious.

The early 1950s era was captured perfectly. I was completely immersed in the time and places and felt like a Briar Club member myself enjoying Thursday night dinners with the other characters.

This book was long but I also wanted it to keep going. It started with a bang, had a rollercoaster of emotions, action and suspense throughout and a satisfying ending. The perfect recipe for a satisfying and memorable book (and yep, some recipes are even included too! 🍝 )

Huge thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the sneak peek.

Wow, what a book - this one has it all, and I couldn’t put it down! This is one of my favourite books of 2024! Great characters, great plot with many twists and turns, and the historical references throughout offer a great snapshot of life at the time (America, early 1950s).

Briarwood House is a women-only boardinghouse in Washington DC. All residents of Briarwood kept to themselves. That is, until new resident Grace Marsh moves into the attic. She manages to develop relationships with each resident, getting to know their stories without giving away any of her own secrets. Over time, the ladies find themselves sharing food and comfort in Grace’s room, and so the Briar Club is born. Each of the characters has a story to tell, having experienced a variety of life-altering events. Through these, the author paints a picture of what life was like at the time and the kinds of issues people were dealing with. There are so many stories within this story. There’s romance, friendship, murder, grief, secrets, betrayal, politics, and so much more.

There are so many historical facts woven into the story and it is all expertly tied together through multiple POVs, with even the house having a POV - brilliant! The characters are well-developed and you feel like you’re a part of the story. The author's notes explain how this story all came together. I honestly cannot recommend this book highly enough!

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers Australia, and Kate Quinn for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

There is a line in this book that I absolutely loved, and it’s actually the perfect description for the book as a whole. This is where the members of the Briar club are described as a
“lunatic grab-bag of friends”, which fits them perfectly. The book has everything that I want in a story including characters with authentic back stories; a murder mystery or two to solve; light romance and intrigue; and, even a house that lets you know what it thinks! These are characters that you get to know well and you start to develop strong emotional responses towards whether that’s to join in with despising the landlady or smiling at Lina and her multiple attempts at learning to bake. Grace stands out as the backbone of the story, but every character is so well formed that they start feeling like neighbours or friends. Set in the 1950’s at a time of communist suspicion, gangsters and the McCarthy era and with a backdrop of a female boarding house in Washington D.C. where boarding house residents become friends over a weekly shared dinner, this book was an adventure that captured my heart and mind. For years people have been telling me to read books by Kate Quinn. I actually own at least four among the books waiting to be read, and they’ve just jumped to the top of the physical reading pile, because wow this was good! Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for letting me read an advanced copy in exchange for my review, and to Kate for this wonderful book and creating a new fan.