Kate Quinn has set the bar high for Women's Historical Fiction. The Briar Club is an entertaining, thoughtful book that had me hooked from the beginning and just wouldn't let go. This latest Quinn offering takes place during the 50's and deals with the issues of the period through the many differing perspectives of the women of Briarwood House, a rooming house located in Washington D C. The book kicks off with a murder and delivers many surprises in the voices of a thoroughly engaging collection of women from a wide variety of circumstances. The storytelling is superb, and the keen look at the social and political struggles of the times gives this book an added depth that made it almost impossible to put down. I flat out loved it and appreciate having the opportunity to give it an early read. Thanks so much!

I love Kate Quinn novels. This one does not disappoint. It has a different format from her previous books. Instead of back and forth between two narratives, the story is told through several women living in boarding house amid post WWII and the McCarthy era DC. The women settle in for a weekly dinner party to share recipes and tell their stories. The fifties was a difficult time in our nation due to The Red scare, as orchestrated McCarthy witch hunts, the Korean war, the Cold War, refugees from Europe, to name a few. It was an interesting way to relate the state of our nation during this time. This could have been "preachy" about the issues of the day, esp the McCarthy trials, but because it was told through the different lens of various women of the time it comes off as serious reflection on government and society, and a cautionary tale we would do well to heed today.

Thanks Net Galley for this ARC opportunity!

I’ve read a lot of books so far this year but this title is the best yet. It was an interesting device to use a house as a character and to devote each chapter to one of inhabitants of a boarding house. The characters were interesting (except for one). There were so many red herrings that I didn’t know were red herrings until the very end. A number of very clever literary techniques. The story was very engaging. And I think many people NEED to read it to learn about the politics of the 1950s to understand why vindictiveness has no place in democracy. My only quibble is I saw no need to include recipes from each character at the end of each chapter.

A group of women living at Briarwood boarding home during the early 1950s whose lives revolve around a Thursday night dinner that brings them together. Each woman has a story. The story starts with a murder in the home and each woman's story brings something new to the table which helps in solving the murder.