I loved the emphasis this put on the women and how important book clubs are. They aren’t just to sit around and eat snacks and hangout it’s to discuss the books and ideas and debate and chat and find connection in our shared experiences. Having read the classics as well the discussions were fun to read along with.

The Radcliffe Ladies' Reading Club was an absolutely enthralling read. I went into this story expecting an interesting, if not slow paced read that I could dip in and out of as the mood stuck. Instead, I found a story that I could not out down.

This story is historical women's fiction. Set in 1955, it follows four young women who are away from home for the first time attending Radcliffe College, a prestigious women's institution, throughout their first year of college.

The women are brought together because they are roommates and floor mates in the same dorm, but they all have very different backgrounds. All raised at a time where the expectation is still that they'll go from being under their father's rule to that of a husband. But things are changing, and it leaves our characters questioning what they really want from life.

This story is not a warm and fuzzy story about female relationships, but an incredibly realistic look at how people's backgrounds, upbringing, morals, and beliefs can often be in sharp contrast with others and that it isn't always easy to find common ground. But it also demonstrates the need for compassion and understanding of each other rather than being quick to judge and condemn.

The reading club was an important part of this story, but it was not really the main feature. The author used this reading club to explore themes around womanhood, and it played nicely with our characters' own thoughts and feelings.

Our main characters went off to college excited for their prospects, this was supposed to be the time of their lives, but one horrific incident changed the course of things for our characters, especially one in particular. So, while each characters story didn’t necessarily end as they thought it would, and while there wasn't really a happily ever after, the story ended on a hopeful note made for an entirely appropriate and satisfying ending.

This was a powerful look at what the lives of women, even those of privilege, was like in this era. The weight of expectations, the limited options, and the misogyny are unfortunately still relevant, as is the power of friendship and connection.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the digital arc
In 1954 Alice Campbell has left her old life behind in Chicago and arrives in Cambridge, Massachusetts to fulfill her dream of owning a bookstore. At the same time, the freshman class of Radcliffe College is moving into their dorms and meeting their roommates. Among them are roommates, and soon to be best friends, Caroline, Evie, Tess, and Merit. Our intrepid book store owner, Elizabeth, decides to host a monthly book club and hands a flyer to Tess, who urges the three others to accept the invitation and participate. Alice offers books that she feels will gently open their minds to their future possibilities, other than marriage and children. Over the course of the year, books were discussed and social expectations challenged. Feelings were shared, and important bonds were formed. Themes of identity, women's rights, independence, and friendship filtered through the books, and ultimately impacted on the lives of Tess, Caroline, Evie and Merit. This story brought to life the societal constraints placed upon women before “women's lib”.
Books discussed were 1) Jane Eyre 2)A Room of One's Own 3)The Age of Innocence 4)Anna Karenina 5) Gift from the Sea 6)Emma, and 7) The Great Gatsby which wasn't discussed.

Predictable!!! The author started with a great premise and dumbed it down. So disappointed because I really tried to like it.

I enjoyed reading The Radcliffe Ladies' Reading Club by Julie Bryan Thomas. This book was set in Massachusetts in the early 1950's where Alice opens up a bookstore. She soon becomes close with four other ladies who are all newly college women. They all have different struggles but when something major occurs to one of the women, they all question themselves. This was a great weekend read.

I know I am about a year late but....

A book about books? It always draws me in. A book about a bookclub for struggling women in a time that they are basically seen as less .....it makes for an interesting read. Written in a time that the ladies are fighting for womens rights (that are still relevant now!), when having others at your back and be there for the serious as well as talking about the book you read that month....it's just a female bookworms book

Tess, Caroline, Evie, and Merritt quickly became a pretty tight-knit group when they arrived in their adjoining rooms at Radcliffe, but they soon discovered there may be more differences than similarities between them, except for their privilege in attending college as women.

When Tess enters Alice Campbell’s bookshop and grabs the flyer for her new fall book club, the new members don’t know how much Alice’s thought-provoking book choices will help the girls discover more about who they are and want to be. Whether the four new friends join to be a part of the group and belong, or to actually enjoy literature they may never have been exposed to at their childhood homes, there are always lessons to be learned from the books and from their relationships with the other girls and Alice.

Christmas break is what really precipitates the changes in the girls; either through going home and getting a reminder of where they’re from and who they were, or through the traumatic event for one of the girls that will soon affect them all. The book became an irresistible page-turner once everything started changing after their holiday break.

This story would be best enjoyed by those who enjoy reading about the evolution of women’s rights and experiences in the 1950s, as well as a classic story about a book store, which is always loved by so many readers. The book earned 3 out of 5 stars and would be a fun and distracting summer read as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this advance copy of The Radcliffe Ladies’ Reading Club by Julia Bryan Thomas.

I have to commend the author, if you’re a fan of historical fiction, you’ll definitely enjoy this one, because it is very well researched, and the small details made me feel like I was back in the bookshop with the women in the 1950s. Alice was a wonderful protagonist, and my favorite part of the book was how these female characters interacted with each other. There were some really important topics discussed in the book, but it’s definitely more of a character-driven story, and at times, I found myself craving more plot, as it had some slow parts for me. It’s not long, and I think it’s the perfect length for the story.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for this honest review!

HOT TAKE: For book-loving fans of Mona Lisa Smile, who wish there had been even more (violent) drama

THE SUMMARY:
Four freshman at Radcliffe in the 1950s decide to join a bookclub at a Cambridge bookstore. meeting once a month, the girls discuss older and “modern classic” books that align with ideals their friendly bookshop owner (a divorced, career-oriented woman) is trying to instill in them. Switching between multiple povs, the readers learn that each of the girls has private struggles, despite what it looks like on the outside. Are these college friendships built to last?

MY THOUGHTS:
This book will delight anyone who loves a book about books. Each of the “parts” aligns thematically with a well-known classic and includes a chapter where the characters have an actual bookclub discussion so you can see how each character would think about the book. i was excited that both Virginia Woolf and Edith Wharton were included, despite both books being only 30 years old or so at the time (not quite "classics."

I also think this book will be great for historical fiction readers. I appreciated that the dialogue did feel believable of the time (no out-of-place slang or turns of phrase) and the college experience seemed believable. One of the characters is from the west coast and took a multi-day train ride to get back home for her winter break!

Unfortunately I would say that the characters lacked depth for me. I did find it distracting how often the POV was swapped between characters. I think it would have been more effective to only show one of the girl’s perspectives and the bookseller to contrast with it, if needed.

I really enjoyed this story. I wasn’t sure if I would, as I haven’t been in the mood, but I’m glad I gave this a shot.

I'm so glad the synopsis and cover caught my eye. The Radcliffe Ladies' Reading Club is well written and kept my attention from start to finish.

This was just ok for me. I love the idea behind it, but it seemed like the ending was a bit rushed. I could see this as a tv series.

A historical novel set in the 1950s, when sadly few women went to college let alone Cambridge- The reading club follows a local book shop - 4 of the Radcliffe college women and the bookshop owner. What is poinant is that they read and discuss books written or concerning women.
Interesting characters and interesting part of the story when one night something terrible happens to one of the women. circumstances that will rock all of their lives.

A really interesting read.

3 stars (forgot to log this book in July of 2023-- apologies to the author and publisher)

I always go into historical fiction kicking and screaming, but then enjoy the story. While I enjoyed the plot overall, I felt the writing structure was not for me. Though I could guess what was happening, I would feel lost at moments because of this.

I enjoyed watching the women develop over time and how reading brought solace during harder times. As a book people, we can all totally relate. Which is probably what drew me to request this book in the first place!

Set in the fifties, this story centres around four young women who meet for the first time when they enter Radcliffe University. Newly independent, it is an interesting time for them. The idea of a woman having a career and a life of her own is still very rare and some of these women are torn between their ambitions and the expectation they will be married by 20.

Weaved in with college life, they meet with Alice, a bookshop owner, once a month for a book club. Alice sets the reading and hopes to empower and challenge the young women on what they can achieve using different novels she has read and poweful female authors such as Jane Austen.

I enjoyed the storyline, I thought it put a spotlight on how friendships can evolve, endure or fall away depending on the challenges life throws at you.

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to review.

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3.5 This story follows 4 young women as they start at Radcliffe in the 1950s they meet at a small bookstore where a newly started book club had just started. We follow these young women try to figure out what they want in life when women were still considered to primarily be wives and mothers. These four women all come from different backgrounds and social status but they bond over the love of books throughout the year as we follow this slice of life story.

I really enjoyed this book I was surprised by some of the topics that they covered in this book but I thought it was done really well. The characters were engaging and really had me invested in what happened next. I really enjoy these slice of life historical fiction stories where you just get to see how it was to live in a different time and the domestic drama kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. This is the first book I have read by this author but really enjoyed the writing and really want to pick up more from this author in the future. I would like to thank net galley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

DNF @ 19%

The characters had the personalities of cardboard and the book club that was promised barely appears. This is not a book about books

This book is absolutely not for me. I didn't connect with the writing style or any of the characters. I found the whole thing incredibly boring.

DNF at 35%

I liked this story and recommended the library put it on the shelf. The story is about a woman who opens her dream bookstore. When she decides to start a book club four young women from the college decide to join. Not only reading the books, they compare their lives and what goes on in them. Life can be heartbreaking, misunderstood, but friends and books can be a wonderful force.