I loved this book! Let me just get that out of the way. If you enjoyed The Jane Austen Society, this book will be a must-read. Oh gosh, even if you didn't this book is a must read! I never start a review by gushing but I feel so happy and satisfied with this story that I want everyone to read it.
Historical fiction is best if it encourages you to continue to read and further contemplate the topic. This book is so full of potential topics I dont know where to start.
The book is centered at Bloomsbury Books, a hundred year old bookstore firmly mired in patriarchal traditions. The three young women who work there face a variety of challenges,, struggle with relationships and interact with some of the most well known names in the literary world at the time.
The author weaves together connecting stories that come to such a lovely conclusion.
I want to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's press and the author for this ARC. A very worthy read!

This is an interesting book about a old fashioned bookstore in 1950 London. A woman’s role during this time is highlighted in this male dominated time period. Grace, Vivien and Evie are strong willed women who have their own agendas on how to make their mark in the world. Lots of literary references and visits by well known authors to Bloomsbury Books add depth to the novel. #BoomsburyBooks #NatalieJenner #NetGalley

Thank you for the ARC!
This book was fun and uplifting at times! I think I was in the right headspace for it, needing something positive with strong female relationships to start off the new year. It is also a bit inspiring, showing you what can happen when you take control of your own destiny. It is set in WWII and gives readers a chance to travel back in time to see what life was like for women then. Finally, if you like books and reading about books and bookstores, this one is for you!

Was just "ok-ish" for me. Though I admired the topic tackled, and love the talk of books, I didn't find any of the characters interesting or worth caring about.

Three women, Vivian, Grace, and Evie, are the heroines in this book. All have distinct personalities, problems, and desires. All find themselves working at a bookstore, Bloomsbury Books--the kind of store we can all imagine that we've visited and loved. The men are home from the war and these women all feel, in one way or another, that change is coming, change must come. As their stories unfold, we cheer them on and keep hoping that things will all work out, one way or another. If only the fellows they work with (or went to school with, or are married to, or are in love with) would straighten up and fly right.

This book is both similar to and quite different from Jenner's debut novel, but is definitely a worthy second offering and establishes her as an author I want to keep reading. Similar to, in that Evie Stone was one of those who was involved in the Jane Austen Society (she's still so young and untried, but definitely gets to grow here), and also similar as Evie, Vivian, and Grace stumble onto a few truths that band them together and give them a common goal and foe. Different from in that, it doesn't have anything to do with Jane Austen--except for an exciting spoiler I won't reveal. I'd like to think that something like Bloomsbury Girls could have happened back in the day, and even if not, it is certainly a fun caper to pull so many important female authors and such together. I loved how some modern themes were woven in, yet the book stayed authentic to its time.

Thank you to the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

BLOOMSBURY GIRLS
BY NATALIE JENNER

This review is one of the only ones ever written that I have done much overthinking how to do this must read book called, "Bloomsbury Girls," by the talented and gifted Author Natalie Jenner-the JUSTICE IT DESERVES! This is a fantastic introduction to me of how Great this book was to read and very enchanting and I want to coin a phrase from a dear friend: DON'T SKIP THIS BOOK! I LOVED IT! And so will any reader who is interested in famous Author's in literature. This Author, Natalie Jenner is new to me but I am thrilled beyond what words could express to have discovered her now. It has everything that a reader who loves literary Author's in the past such as Daphne du Maurier, Samuel Beckett to name a couple of Author's who did readings in the Bloomsbury Bookstore. I can't emphasize enough how clever and intriguing the plot is. It is Brilliant! Also the character's are stunning and diverse but ever so unique.

Evelyn Stone is one of the first women allowed to attend Cambridge University and graduate with a First in English Literature. It is the end of 1949 and she has been a servant girl at the Chawton Great House, where for two years she has secretly catalogued the family library. She has spent hours every night going through all 2,375 books page by page. She has long known the value of being underestimated as she grew up on a farm in a small village. She has just been turned down for a job as one of Cambridge research assistant. Utterly dismissed because she is a female and she is more qualified than anybody as she is one of the first female graduates at Cambridge in the eight-hundred year history of the university. This research assistant job would allow Evie to go through over one hundred libraries at the university that is a prospect that is more exciting to her than anything else at this stage of her academic career. Since graduating with a First in English this job should have gone to her but it is given to a male because he is a male. Evie is over qualified having been assisting a Junior Fellow with his years-long annotation of William Makepeace Thackeray's 1848 novel, "Vanity Fair." She is dismissed quite unfairly but in carefully studying Thackeray's documents Evie has stumbled upon a secret weapon. She has unearthed an important discovery of the first Science Fiction novel written by a young woman who wrote a book that nobody else knows the significance of. She knows from working with a mutual contact Yardley Sinclair during the landmark dispersal of the Chawton Great House Library by Sotheby's in the fall of 1946 that Frank Allen of Bloomsbury Books had acquired this obscure and overlooked rare book. So Evie in an attempt to locate this rare book applies for a job at Bloomsbury Books with a hidden agenda.

Herbert Dutton has worked for decades at Bloomsbury Books and he is the General Manager. Framed above his desk is his 51 rules that employees who work at this bookstore must follow. I love how each chapter begins with one of the 51 rules. Frank Allen is Herbert's right hand man who travels around acquiring books from estates, family libraries, auctions etc. He is head of the Rare Books Department. Since he spends most of the time traveling acquiring rare books he has left a chaotic mess which Evie is hired to catalogue them on the third floor.

Vivien Lowry is dissatisfied with the way the Fiction department doesn't incorporate all of the great writer's and she is found often behind the cash register when she is not making tea. She dresses in all black monochrome, usually a black sweater with a black pencil skirt. She was engaged to a man named David who gave her an 18 karat gold diamond watch before he was killed in the war. Vivien is an aspiring writer whose talent comes naturally to her. She can be often seen scribbling furiously into a coiled green notebook when she isn't ringing up a sale at her cash register. Vivien is dripping with confidence and is bold and often breaks the rules. She was hired at the same time Alec McDonough was but it is implied that he is head of the Fiction Department even though the author's he picks are limited. because he is a male. Vivien and Alec are like two feuding twins with a history together not known to the other employees except for Grace.

Grace Perkins's is Herbert Dutton's secretary who takes his letters in shorthand and can type 100 words per minute. Grace is a lovely woman with a cheerful disposition that is secretly discouraged with her husband because he is very negative. He doesn't work because he suffers from nervous exhaustion even though he worked in the propaganda department during the war. Where Vivien is dramatically made up cosmetically Grace is more subdued and natural with a peaches and cream complexion. She has thought of divorce in a fantasy like way because her husband Gordon is really starting to make Grace ponder whether she got married too quickly without getting to know Gordon. She knows it wouldn't be a good idea because in 1950's London divorce is enough to stigmatize a person and cause a scandal. Plus she loves her two young sons more than anything in the world. Somebody has to work to support her family and so she took the initiative to apply for this job and she and Vivien can communicate without words they have grown so close over the last five years. They were the only female employees until recently.

Alec McDonough is the head of the Fiction department and he also is an aspiring writer. He is pretty limited to what famous Author's he is willing to stock. He seems like a nice guy but is not as savvy as Vivien with picking out a variety of great literature. Writing doesn't come as easy to him as it does Vivien and she secretly nicknamed him "the tyrant," to Grace. Grace and Vivien for all of their differences are close friends.

Ashwin Ramaswamy is Head of science and naturalism department and he is more interested in studying entomology at the British Museum of Science or the British Natural History Museum. He came from an upper caste system in India but has found that London is very prejudiced and so he works at Bloomsbury Books. He is a kind and gentle soul just like Lord Baskin the owner of Bloomsbury Books. Lord Baskin is an Earl and the bookstore can barely stay afloat. He is divorced and it seems like he is interested in Grace. He wouldn't cross the line with a married woman. but he often seeks Grace out to share a cup of coffee and they genuinely enjoy each other's company. Lord Baskin is gallant and kind and is sociable. He takes after his mother who was an American Socialite whose dowry saved his fathers assets and Earl owned properties.

Master Mariner Simon Scott is head of the History department on the second floor. Evie has searched all of the bookshelves for that rare and obscure book she has come to Bloomsbury Books with a mission of locating. She needs to find a way to search the History department where she thinks it most likely is. Master Mariner Simon Scott isn't as warm and friendly as the rest of the bookstore. She is waiting for the moment to gain access but it is difficult.

On the day Evie Stone was hired the General Manager Herbert Dutton had a seizure and Evie came to his aid. He is taking time off to recuperate and this means that Alec McDonough, head of Fiction will become acting general manager taking Herbert Dutton's place and Vivien will become Head of Fiction and finally revamp the department to carry a huge assortment of famous Author's that Alec refused to stock. Many a time customer's would come in looking for a famous author only to be told they don't carry it. With Vivien ordering new stock that is all about to change.

One day an American widow named Ellen Doubleday widow of Nelson of Doubleday publishing and she purchased some tasteful art books that Vivien had brought into newly stocked Fiction Department with a huge assortment of 18th and 19th Century famous Authors. Ellen said to Vivien that as an aspiring young writer that she should attend Ellen's first party since mourning her husband. Vivienne accepts and it is at the Dorchester Hotel a really fancy and Gilded establishment. She is soon spending the evening talking to Lady Browning all night and they share a cab and Vivien discovers that Lady Browning is Daphne du Maurier.

Vivien manages to host a luncheon with Daphne du Maurier as the guest Author to speak to the crowded event about her writing process. Daphne du Maurier selflessly agrees to be the guest Author to help Vivien. That was a smashing event that drove up sales profits twenty percent that week. What a clever idea and as a reader I felt that I got to know Daphne du Maurier intimately. She is harangued by the press who imply that "Rebecca," was to a degree autobiographical to which Daphne has an astute reply. She was currently working on her novel called,"My Cousin Rachel," which I loved because it was my first Daphne du Maurier novel that I read. I have read every single one and loved them all and read a biography of Daphne du Maurier and I think Natalie Jenner did an outstanding job in keeping her authentic. It was a joy to behold being a silent witness to one of my favorite Author's come alive on the page. Sonia Brownell Blair, widow to George Orwell was there also. She was his second wife and it is thought that he modeled the character Julia in Nineteen Eighty Four after Sonia.

There are many women behind Vivien's success at her current job as acting head of the Fiction Department. Peggy Guggenheim the American heiress and art collector whose father died in 1912 on the Titanic, becomes a friend of Vivien's through Ellen Doubleday and Daphne du Maurier. Samuel Beckett who was a famous Irish Author and playwright does an event at Bloomsbury Books. It is essentially a story about women banding together in solidarity triumphing over the male dominated London scene of 1950's. London is shown in all its glory and historic landmarks which make this gloriously atmospheric.

I am reiterating and borrowing a friend of mine whose a reviewer in saying again DON'T SKIP THIS! What I had done was write down the numerous Author's birth date and year and date of death day and year. I wrote down what novels who wrote them all naming the titles and what year they were published. Who won the Nobel Prize for Literature for what book and what year. I pondered for days how I could incorporate factual information about all of them in a review. I finally decided it would be too long to notate the details of numerous famous Author's. It elevated my reading experience to a 100 star review with my additional research. No worries. Natalie Jenner supplies the reader with what's important to know. This is going to tie spot on my number one favorite book of 2022. I am going to take a break from my commitments and read this excellent and talented Author's book called "The Jane Austen Society," to treat myself. I fell in love with this book and it is actually about Author's and books taking place for the most part in a bookstore. I haven't disclosed the rare book's name but you will be delighted and dazzled to learn the name and Author. I thought it would be spoiler territory. Don't read other reviews because it has been named. It is one of the main plot themes Evie's hunt to find it. Mostly this is about women rising above adversity by forming a strong support network to triumph above a male dominating 1950 London. ENJOY!

Publication Date: May 17, 2022

Let me say a huge heartfelt Thank you to Net Galley, Natalie Jenner and St. Martin's Press for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#BloomsburyGirls #NatalieJenner #StMartin'sPress #NetGalley

A fun sequel and I loved the setting in an old London bookstore. Grace, Vivian and Evie each find their own way to make a difference in the male centered world of the 1950’s. I enjoyed the love interests as well. I found the sections talking about actual authors and publishers of the time a bit tedious, however.

Natalie Jenner's "Bloomsbury Girls" was catnip to me--the post-WWII London setting, the bookshop milieu, the mix of fictional characters with historical figures such as Daphne du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Peggy Guggenheim and Samuel Beckett, not to mention the fact that it is a follow-up to "The Jane Austen Society," meant I couldn't pass it up. And in the end, I did enjoy "Bloomsbury Girls." Bloomsbury Bookshop's employees Vivian Lowry and Grace Perkins were interesting characters--I liked Vivian's fire and her friendship with the unflappable Grace. Evie, however, while she does provide a throughline to the earlier "Jane Austen Society" book, was a bit annoying here; I found myself wishing that "Bloomsbury Girls" was a stand alone and that Evie wasn't necessary (although I did enjoy the reappearances of Yardley Sinclair and Mimi Harrison). I also thought that the male characters were a little problematic--almost the only objectionable thing about fiction department head Alec McDonough is the fact that he's a man, and Lord Baskin and Ashwin Ramaswamy are lovely individuals but also end up lumped into the (in my view unnecessary) "men against women" conflict, which ends up undermining the romantic storylines a bit. These small quibbles aside, "Bloomsbury Girls" is a fun and engaging standalone read for book and bookstore lovers alike (whether or not you've already read "The Jane Austen Society").

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

Wow!!! This book was a beautifully written historical fiction that will appeal to book lovers and reader everywhere. I loved each of these well written, strong women characters, as well as the portrayals of the authors throughout the book. This is how historical fiction should be written.

Bloomsbury Girls
Set in England in 1950 the world is changing. The “caste” system of the aristocracy and those below it are not quite a thing of the past as more women are now coming into the workforce. Such three women are working at Bloomsbury Books an old-fashioned new and rare book store that has persisted and resisted change for a hundred years, run by men and guided by the general manager's unbreakable fifty-one rules. Here we find Grace, Vivian and Evie. Vivian Lowry whose fiancé was killed in WWII, Grace Perkins, married with two sons, whose husband had a breakdown and is now supporting her family, and Evie Stone with a degree from Cambridge whose talent is in research cataloging. The bookstore of rare books Three strong women who together help change the rules of society and the male dominated workforce. This bookstore of rare and new books (books that have been written mainly by male authors) has been in a wealthy family for 100 years and is now owned by a wealthy earl.
Yet this book is more than just that as it brings us into the society of the 50’s with racism, male domination in the workforce and the fact that women are merely second class citizens. Each character has their own personality that adds so much to the story while thrown into mix you’ll find historical characters, authors such as Daphne de Maurier, Peggy Guggenheim and more. There is tension between the men who feel justified in establishing and keeping their domination and he women who want to break free.
This book written on the heels of “The Jane Austen Society” (which I loved) is an enjoyable novel. Reading along I could close my eyes and see the book store, the customers, the people working there. And while the storyline is one of seriousness, it is told with humor and brings a cozy feeling to the reader. I have found a new author to follow!! Highly recommended!
My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the this ARC in exchange for an honest review. To be added to my blog, and reviewed on Goodreads and Amazon and recommended on Historical Fiction Book Lovers Facebook account..

I love reading books featuring a bookshop; so, this book did not disappoint. I was happy to see that Evie was one of the main characters since I have read this author's The Jane Austen Society. A few others from The Jane Austen Society make their appearances. Several known authors are met throughout the story and added to the enjoyment while reading. Several of the women that work in the bookshop are strong and wishing for something better. Their struggles and disappointments, but a dream for something better was finally achieved. I loved how it came about. The story and characters are believable, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about their time working in the bookshop. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Fans of the Jane Austen Society will adore this sequel by Natalie Jenner. Set in postwar London, there’s romance, history, fascinating characters, and woven throughout are romances in the style of Jane herself. I loved how famous literary figures of the time made appearances — you’ll be surprised! This was an ode to the women who created opportunity for themselves in a bold yet subtle way, despite the patriarchy and stuffiness of most men in power. It was a delightful escape and I highly recommend. Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin’s for the kind opportunity to read this!

Natalie Jenner does it again with this book! Three unlikely women are united in 1950 London to take over the book store they work in which is currently run by men. Each character has her own hurdles to overcome as well.

I received an ARC of this in exchange for honest review, and I couldn't be more excited. I loved The Jane Austen Society and was thrilled to get the sequel. It didn't disappoint, in fact I enjoyed it more then the first book. Even if you didn't read the first, the character development and introduction of new characters makes it a fresh read. I loved the focus on the empowerment of women in a time period where women often were not empowered, and the way the author developed complex and beautiful characters. You need to read this!

Bloomsbury Girls is that particular kind of novel which I love to savor, lots of characters, a little intrigue, a romance that won't quit despite so many obstacles, and a setting which lures me in and urges me to linger over tea, biscuits, and perhaps even take a nap on a nice cushioned sofa.

I found myself falling in love with this book, thinking about it after I should have been asleep, and even imagining it as a movie (can we get Lily James on the phone?)

The time period, the characters' hopes and fears, and the corners of London are all intimately painted. If you love historical fiction and inter/post-war London stories, this should be a must-read for you.

This was a delightful book about the power of female friendship.
Not long after the Second World War, working women didn’t have it too good. Men were mostly stuck in their ways and refused to see women as equals in the workplace. Step forth Evelyn, Grace and Vivien. Three booksellers in a shop where the bosses were all men who couldn’t see or allow the natural business talents of the women to shine. Fortunate,y, these three ladies made some very valuable female friends in some icons of history and together they aimed to take over and create something exceptional for women readers and authors alike.
A great, easy read that left me wanting to reach out to my friends and change the world over a cup of tea!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

What an amazing sequel!!! It was such an anticipated novel on my TBR shelf and I am so happy that I was approved for this copy. Thank you NetGalley!

"She had long known the value of being under-estimated."
A bookstore, too many rules and three defiant women. What could go wrong? In an historical view of women coming to be viewed as equal to men, these women show the determination and smarts necessary to survive in a world that is slow in recognizing their worth.
An absolutely delightful book from Canadian author #NatalieJenner that weaves the story of Evie, Grace and Vivien and what they accomplish in their personal and working lives. A wonderful smattering of literary characters spice up the pages (Samuel Beckett, Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday and others that you will recognize).
The quietly unfolding male characters added some hopeful depth (not all men were blind to the strength of these women) and included some inevitable sweet moments.
I became a fan of Jenner's with her first novel #TheJaneAustinSociety and am already anticipating her next work. Bravo #NatalieJenner, keep writing these books about books!
Thank you to #NetGalley #StMartinsPress for this advance copy which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I, unfortunately, didn’t like this. Honestly, I thought it was very boring. None of the characters were charming or stood out enough to care about. The only thing I liked was the bookshop, the talk of books, and the authors. Otherwise, this book will be very forgettable.

She had long known the value in being underestimated.

Evie Stone, from Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner
Diminutive, quiet, studious and precise, Evie Stone was often overlooked. Vivien stood out with her cats-eye makeup and trendy black sweater and pencil skirt, and she had a sharp tongue and mind. Her upper crust fiancé was killed in the war. Grace was classy and composed, the perfect help-mate at home or at work, her deeper passions hidden under layers of obligation. The men at Bloomsbury Books underestimated these shop girls, learning too late that their male privilege and power had its limits. The women, they discover, and their larger community of female friends from power and wealth, were not to be kept down.

Writing had always been the one safe place where Vivien could think and say whatever she wanted.

Vivian Lowry, from Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner
Natalie Jenner’s debut novel The Jane Austen Society was a favorite 2020 read, a balm during an anxious time. The story of diverse people coming together over a love of Austen, forming a community that achieves the remarkable, was comforting and inspiring.

In Bloomsbury Girls, Jenner continues Evie Stone’s story to London. The one-time servant girl in the Chawton Great House, her research skills honed in the Chawton library, she worked her way to being in the first Cambridge class with women allowed to earn a degree. She needed a stipend to continue her work, but her hope is dashed when she loses a fellowship to a man, forcing her to seek employment.

Evie is hired by the bookstore on the basis of a letter of recommendation and her ability to stay calm under duress–which is tested during her interview. Evie has a secret mission: she has discovered that the bookstore has purchased a rare book that she intends to find, an early sci-fi written in 1827 by a woman. If only she can find it and publish it, her career would be started.

Grace’s ideas for improving the shop seemed to do nothing so much as put him on edge.

Grace Perkins, from Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner
The women have ideas to improve sales, but the men won’t listen. The women want to promote female writers. But the men don’t agree. It’s a battle of the sexes, but most of all, a battle between the way things have always been done and changing with the times.

The bookstore owner, Lord Baskin, has a soft spot for the store, and for Grace, but has been asked to sell the business to the manager Mr. Dutton and acquisitions manager Frank Allen. Even Alec, head of fiction, has his eye on owning the store. What the men don’t know is that the women have plans of their own.

She had always resented how an adherence to rules and hierarchy served mostly to protect and promote the men of the shop.

from Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner
I loved all the characters in the store. There is fussy Mr. Dutton with his list of rules, one of which starts each chapter. There are the women with their dreams and romantic problems. Ash, from India, coping with racism in Britain, unable to find suitable work as a scientist and is sequestered in the bookshop with his entomology slides. We meet all kinds of historical figures, from Daphne du Maurier to Peggy Guggenheim and the Mrs. George Orwell (or, the ‘girl in the fiction department’ in Nineteen Eighty-Four, she notes). Samuel Becket upsets reporters at a reading. The men reminisce, “Remember when Stephen Spender….”

Britain in 1950 is brought to life, the tension between men endeavoring to resurrect the past while the women strive for greater freedom, the sexes in a struggle over the balance of power.

It’s a delightful read, written with humor and love.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.