I really liked Bloomsbury Girls. The story setting is in 1950 England and features three very different woman. Evie is great and smart, love her. Vivien is amazing, strong and vivacious. Grace is a determined and a hard worker. They all work at Bloomsbury Books. They know or meet very famous people. I enjoyed the story and the outcome was amazing, what these three ladies accomplished, with a little help from their friends made for an exciting ending.
#BloomsburyGirls #NetGalley

I give Bloomsbury Girls 4 stars for its Literary good read.
I would recommend this book to Historical Fiction fans.

Bloomsbury Girls is a historical novel set in post-war London. Bloomsbury Books is a wonderful, old fashioned bookstore that needs just a bit of change. That change may come in the form of three female employees: Vivien Lowry, an ambitious and forward thinking young woman whose fiance was killed in World War II; Grace Perkins, a young mother who is working to support her family; and Evie Stone, a bright, very young woman who didn't find her place in academia.

I wanted to read this book because I love historical fiction, especially books centering on this time period. I worked in bookstores for years, sell vintage books, and found the bookstore setting immensely appealing.

This is such a lovely, engrossing book! I can't believe I haven't read The Jane Austen Society, which evidently is linked to this story, but now I clearly have to.

The author does a wonderful job at setting the time and place. She has three distinctly different protagonists, but they are all fully realized characters, appealing and interesting in their own way. I found Vivien's story particularly compelling and especially enjoyed her storyline - which included meeting literary figures like Daphne Du Maurier.

I like the framework of the novel, with chapters that begin with a rule from the bookstore, i.e. "Rule No. 27 Fraternizing with customers outside the shop is strictly prohibited" (eBook location 1311). Of course, the following chapter relates to each rule.

I have already started telling friends about Bloomsbury Girls, which I enthusiastically recommend for fans of historical fiction, especially for anyone who loves bookstores and a bookish setting.

This is my first book by Natalie Jenner, and now I need to read the Jane Austen Society after it being mentioned in this book.

In this book, set just after the end of WWII at Bloomsbury Books, which is a seller of new and rare books. Through the course of the book we get to know Evie Stone, Vivian Lowry, and Grace Perkins, All three women have secrets and their own reasons for working at Bloomsbury Books.

Evie was among the first group of females to graduate from Cambridge University. After being turned down for a research position with a professor, she finds herself at Bloomsbury Books. Her reason for being there, if her hunch is right, could change her life.

Vivian Lowry lost her fiance in WWII and is just trying to survive. She has aspirations of being a writer and is determined to outdo her male coworker, Alec.

Grace Perkins didn't plan to work at Bloomsbury Books. She has two small children and a husband with his own problems. A chance walk past the shop and the advertisement in the window led to her applying and being hired.

Getting to know these women and their stories made for such a good read. The sprinkling of well-known literary figures throughout was a treat. I also loved how each chapter started with a rule that governed the operations of the shop.

As the novel progresses and the ladies bond, we see them pull together to accomplish something virtually unheard of at the time.

I enjoyed this novel and the characters. I cannot wait to read the next book written by the author.

I voluntarily received a copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. All views are simply my honest opinion.

Wow--What a fascinating book of a London bookshop and the women who work in a man's world of books, publishing and literary events.

I adored all the characters and I was invested so early on. The fact that multiple literary moguls like Daphne du Maurier and George Orwell's wife are included in the story. Such determined characters were the best part of this novel.

I love Natalie Jenner's books and this one doesn't disappoint either. Thank you so much to Netgalley for my advanced readers copy.

Natalie Jenner is quickly becoming an auto-buy historical fiction author for me. I really enjoyed The Jane Austen Society, and I was excited to read this book because it features a few characters from Jenner's first book.

I really enjoyed this one. Jenner's writing is engaging and focuses on women's stories. Specifically, her books focus on stories about women breaking out of the confines of their time. This book touched on many issues I found compelling -- shell shock, learning to be open to love, first love, trying to make a name for yourself in a male-dominated field, etc.

I recommend this book to readers who like Kristin Hannah's historical fiction, Kristin Harmel, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society-esque books.

L Bloomsbury Girls is a spin-off of the author's first novel The Jane Austen Society since it continues the story of Evie Stone from where she left off in the first book. There are enough references and explanations that I did not have to read the first book to enjoy Bloomsbury Girls. However, fans of the first book will certainly love this one too.

This book starts slowly, building its characters and its momentum like a train. It then picks up speed and comes to a very satisfying end. So many themes run through this book: post-war effects on men and women and their roles in society, friendships, feminism, racism, gender equality, love of literature, books, and bookstores.

All three women who work at the bookstore, Vivien, Grace, and Evie, have dreams of their own thwarted by circumstance and the very fact that they are women pushing for change after their country has survived WWII. I thought Vivien was confident, self-assured, and stuck; Grace was stoic, wise, and long-suffering, while Evie was brilliant, motivated, and awkward. Together, they discover their strengths and the real possibility of accomplishing their dreams.

I thoroughly enjoyed their stories, their individuality, and their tenacity. Post-war London was a great setting. The bookstore, too, was almost a character in itself, undergoing change along with the arc of the characters. I couldn't help but root for these women, whose talents were undermined and overlooked simply because they were women.

Fans of women's fiction who love stories that take place in bookstores, and post-war London will have much to love about this one. Well researched and including real historical figures, this novel is entertaining and a testament to the power of female friendships.

Pub date: 5/17/22
Genre: historical fiction
In one sentence: Bloomsbury Books is an old-fashioned rare bookstore in postwar London - until the women on staff decide to start making changes.

I love books about bookstores, and Bloomsbury Books was the perfect setting for this novel. The women on staff inspired me - I especially connected to Vivien and Evie. It's easy to forget how male dominated publishing and bookselling have been over the years, and this story reminded me of that fact. In this novel, the women succeed because they work together (with a little help from real life luminaries Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell), Samuel Beckett, and Peggy Guggenheim). This ended up being a 3.5 star read for me because it was a little long, but I look forward to reading more from Natalie Jenner.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a delightful story full of books, historical figures, and strong women when times were changing. It was wonderful to experience this time period through this author’s great writing.

Thank you St. Martin Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC to review. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise. ~

Thank you to Natalie Jenner, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for the chance to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Bloomsbury Girls was published on May 17, 2022.

Bloomsbury Books is a bookstore in central London managed by Mr. Dutton, an older gentleman who believes the best way to run the business is through a long list of rules that are not to be argued with. In his employ, are two women, Grace Perkins and Vivien Lowry. Their recent hire, Evie Stone, has taken the position with one goal: to find a book that she undersold at auction while helping The Jane Austen Club back home.

The day-to-day functions of the business are suddenly put in jeopardy when Mr. Dutton collapses and is put on leave. When the employees are put in charge of the store, many changes take place. There is a bevy of well-known authors who make appearances and the store turns an actual profit for the first time in a long time. When Evie is fired for following the rules after an important customer complains that she wouldn't help him, it sets off a storm in the women of the shop and no one is prepared for what happens next.

I loved this book and found the characters endearing. I enjoyed the characters from Jenner's first novel, The Jane Austen Club. The characters were well-developed and interacted perfectly. Each went through their own traumas and learned how to rely on the others for help. I enjoy it so much when an author is capable of creating characters I could see myself being friends with. I cannot wait to see what Natalie Jenner comes out with next.

Thank you to Netgalley, Natalie Jenner, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book and provide my honest review. The subject matter of this book being a bookstore in England, women's roles in society, and famous female authors and figures from the 1950's, it sounded right up my alley. I am a big Brit Lit nerd, so it was fun reading especially about Lady Browning aka Daphne DuMaurier, I have read and enjoyed many of her books. I also loved that we got to see some of the continuing stories of characters from Jenner's first book The Jane Austen Society. I loved hearing about the female authors who had a massive impact on fiction and writing and publishing. Yet, I feel like I should have liked this book more than I did, and that was a similar feeling I had when reading The Jane Austen Society. This book was not one that I found myself compelled to pick up and read and continue on. The plot felt like it all moved along slow and steady, but the most exciting parts did not come until the end, and they ended up being what I wanted fleshed out more, then some of the things that occurred in the beginning. In the end it was historical fiction that I liked, but didn't love.

I am obsessed with this book! I loved reading about post-World War II London and feel is often a time that is not explored nearly as often as it should be. The women in Bloomsbury Girls are incredible. Well done!

The trio of main characters in Natalie Jenner’s Bloomsbury Girls aren’t girls at all; they are women, each of them competent and accomplished. In post-World War II England, however, Vivien, Grace and Evie do not enjoy the same opportunities granted to men. In the world of Bloomsbury Books, the shop they all work in, they must abide by the prominently-displayed list of 51 rules set by stodgy general manager Herbert Dutton (sample: “Rule No. 21: Staff shall not peruse other departments without permission”), who is definitely the kind of man who would think of his female employees as girls.

Evie, a brilliant young woman with a degree from Cambridge, figured her academic future was set, until she missed out on a position that went to a less-competent male rival. Vivien’s fiancé was killed in the war, while Grace is married, but unhappily so. Constrained by Dutton and his right-hand man, Alec McDonough, the women must operate in a world where “new opportunities for women were still being rationed along with the food.” Together, they dream of a future where they call the shots.

Bloomsbury Girls features cameos by real-life figures of the period, like Daphne Du Maurier and Peggy Guggenheim, adding some historical spice to the story. (Would Samuel Beckett really have propositioned one of the bookstore employees? He was known to have love affairs, so perhaps.)

I really enjoy reading novels set in this era, a sort of transitional time when the war was over but Britain was still very much dealing with the aftermath. Despite the horrors of the war, many women had experienced a sense of freedom and possibility as they were allowed to hold non-traditional jobs while the men were away, but not everybody wanted to step right into a domestic role once the fighting stopped. Each of the three female employees of Bloomsbury Books has to deal with being dismissed and belittled by men, and it’s satisfying to watch them team up and discover the power of sisterhood. However, the male characters in Bloomsbury Girls are anything but cartoon villains; the reader gradually comes to realize that the constraints of the era affect them as well.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a charming historical fiction set in 1950s London and is a follow up to the Jane Austen Society book, but can be read as a stand-alone. The story is set in Bloomsbury Books, a new and rare book store that has been running for a hundred years. It is run by men that are set in their ways. The general manager created 51 unbreakable rules that all employees must abide by, and they especially chafe the women working at the store.

The story concerns three women who are all dealing with their own problems - stifling creativity, a bad marriage, and mysogeny stunting an academic career path. The women interact with various literary figures of their time as they work together to achieve their goals.

I really enjoyed this book. It provides great insight into the time period and it was fun to imagine what the literary figures would have been like as they interact with the workers at the book store. The author did a great job of creating the main characters and it was wonderful to see how they worked out their problems and came up with creative solutions. The minor characters provided good foils for the women, and it was nice that the author didn't make the men into one-dimensional bad guys. They were clearly a product of the times and the author did a great job of depicting why they thought and acted like they did.

This is a heartwarming story that will give you all the good feels. If you're looking for a book that will give you a good hug, this is the one for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. All opinions are my own.

I am so excited that Natalie Jenner’s newest historical fiction will be hitting the shelves this week! I fell in love with her writing ini her last novel, The Jane Austen Society so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to dive into Bloomsbury Girls!

This story is full of wonderful characters, exquisite details and some protagonists that you can’t help but love! Plus, it’s set in a bookstore. What more could you ask for?

I liked the idea of this book better than I liked the book itself. It’s set in 1950’s London, in a fictional shop called Bloomsbury Books. It centers around three women: Grace, who’s in an abusive marriage; Vivien, who longs to write and to manage the bookstore rather than merely stand at the cash register; and Evie, who recently graduated from Cambridge and feels she was unfairly denied a position working for one of the professors.

Two things made this book stand out for me. One is the setting of post-war London, where everyone is impacted in some way by recent events. Some of the men have come back traumatized, while others escaped the action or were not able to fight. Women were elevated in jobs and in higher education, and are now dealing with a society they thought would allow them to grow, but instead wants to put them back in their place. One characters is an immigrant from India, who’s come to advance his career and seek new opportunities, but instead experiences constant and overt racism.

The second thing that made this book stand out is the use of real life literary and publishing figures, such as Daphne DuMaurier, Sonia Brownell (wife of George Orwell), Peggy Guggenheim, Samuel Beckett, and Ellen Doubleday, wife of the American publisher. The real-life characters were what made this book particularly interesting to me, although I was disappointed by the lack of an explanation by the author of what was true and what was fictional (though we do learn that Sunwise Turn was an actual bookstore).

I enjoyed Tanner’s depiction of the three main characters, and the struggles they undergo. Grace feels she has to accept her life as it is, even though she feels like she’s imprisoned by her husband. Vivien goes through life challenging everything, which makes her an impressive figure to the other woman, but just being angry isn’t a way to find fulfillment and happiness. And Evie is brilliant but follows the rules too much, which I identified with, and doesn’t always see people for who they are.

I appreciated these three strong female characters and the ways that sexism and racism, both overt and subtle, holds the characters back. In a way, some of the most thoughtful moments in this book are seen through the eyes of the male characters, as they struggle to redefine their relationships with the women they care about.

This book is not billed as a sequel to Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society, but maybe it should have been. Evie and friends Mimi and Yardley come from that book, and her story in this book is very much a continuation of the events in the first book. I found myself frustrated by the frequent references to the book, because if I’d known this was basically a sequel I would have read the other book first.

If you read Jane Austen Society and loved it, I expect you’ll love this book as well. For me, it was fine but not momentous. I enjoyed reading about the literary figures and the reading and publishing world in 1950’s England. But Jenner’s writing style was a bit repetitive and had a bit too much “telling” for my taste. While there are some insightful moments, for the most part this story rolls out exactly as expected. This is a book where the characters lead complicated lives, which I appreciated, but ultimately the story is wrapped up too neatly, too easily.

This was an entertaining read, and I certainly loved its bookstore setting. It’s a book that other readers on Goodreads describe as “charming” and “sweet” — which I suppose is why it ultimately didn’t work as well for me.

Note: I received an advanced review copy of this book from NetGalley and publisher St. Martin’s Press. The book published May 17, 2022.

If you read and loved Jane Austen Society by the same author, you’ll love this one too. I think I may even like this one better. We hear the continuation of Evie’s story, with a whole new cast of characters, and a few cameos from the previous story. The story centers around three women working in a bookshop in London, all fighting to find their place in a male-dominated world. I loved the themes of friendship, hard work, and perseverance. I loved that each woman took control of their lives and fought for what they deserved. The ensemble of characters was fun and compelling, and I could easily envision this as a BBC style show. I loved the writing style of the book- it feels as is the narrator knows all the secrets of each character, and is letting you in on them bit by bit. Plus- a book about a bookstore? Can’t pass that up! Highly recommend! (If you haven’t read the first book, you could easily pick this one up and have enough info to make sense of this one.) Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the copy in exchange for an honest review!

This is a great followup to Natalie Jenner's The Jane Austen Society, even focusing on one of the main characters as well as several cameos from others! It starts off several years after The Jane Austen Society and tells about three women working at Bloomsbury Books. Evie, Vivien, and Grace are in different stages of their lives and are working at the bookstore for different reasons. But they start to tire of the 51 rules of the bookstore and the men who run it. This book does a fabulous job of illustrating English society after WWII, where women start questioning their "place" and want to "buck" the system. I also appreciated how she weaved in the appearances of other well-known literary women of that time. I loved Natalie Jenner's writing in her sophomore novel and will continue to seek out her books.

This was an absolutely wonderful historical fiction book! The characters were fantastic. Natalie Jenner's writing was delightful. Overall, I would definitely recommend to any historical fiction readers!

I received a ARC from the publisher and blog tour company.

Wonderful historical fiction.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher. This is my honest and personal review.

Title: Bloomsbury Girls
Author: Natalie Jenner
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Bloomsbury Books is 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. But in 1950, the world is changing, especially the world of books and publishing, and at Bloomsbury Books, the girls in the shop have plans:

Vivien Lowry: Single since her aristocratic fiance was killed in action during World War II, the brilliant and stylish Vivien has a long list of grievances - most of them well justified and the biggest of which is Alec McDonough, the Head of Fiction.

Grace Perkins: Married with two sons, she's been working to support the family following her husband's breakdown in the aftermath of the war. Torn between duty to her family and dreams of her own.

Evie Stone: In the first class of female students from Cambridge permitted to earn a degree, Evie was denied an academic position in favor of her less accomplished male rival. Now she's working at Bloomsbury Books while she plans to remake her own future.

As they interact with various literary figures of the time - Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell), Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim, and others - these three women with their complex web of relationships, goals and dreams are all working to plot out a future that is richer and more rewarding than anything society will allow.

I think this got off to a little bit of a slow start, but it ended up being very good. I loved The Jane Austen Society, and it was so much fun seeing some of those characters again. I loved all three of the main female characters, and I was fully invested in their stories. It was lovely to see famous literary characters come to life, as well as the secondary characters in the bookstore itself.

Natalie Jenner is a bestselling author. The Bloomsbury Girls is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)