Lovely, charming, witty—Natalie Jenner’s new novel Bloomsbury Girls is sure to delight readers who relish a bookish adventure filled with distinctive, relatable characters who must navigate a changing post-war London while confronting their own journeys of self discovery. Young Evie Stone (who readers will remember from The Jane Austen Society) must forge a new path after leaving Cambridge as one of its first female graduates and losing a research position to a male colleague. Hot-tempered Vivian Lowry, an aspiring writer bristles under the patronizing control of her male colleagues. Grace Perkins appears unflappable during work hours but hides a painful secret at home. These women gradually come together finding power in unity against the discrimination they face in a man’s world. Although often the source of irritation for the women, the men in the story deal with their own demons, their own secrets, which they also must face.

In addition to the vibrant main characters, Jenner surprises us with glimpses of well-known literary figures of the 1950s like Daphne Du Maurier, Sophia Blair, and others (don’t want to spoil the fun.) Chapters are introduced by one of the numerous rules the shop’s manager, Mr. Dutton, has created, each of which are promptly and delightfully broken by one of the employees.

The audio book, read by Juliet Stevenson, is absolutely stunning. Stevenson has already won an Audiophile Earphones Award for her narration, effortlessly giving us just the right accents and tones for each of the many characters.

Book lovers and lovers of bookstores alike will relish Jenner’s new novel. I highly recommend to readers who enjoy The Jane Austen Society, Austen’s books themselves, British mid-century fiction, or The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Thank you to Net Galley and MacMillan audio for allowing me to preview this lovely novel. ( )

If you’re looking for a book about books that’s also about women working together in support of each other, your search is over. This takes place in a London bookstore during the early fifties as England rebuilds after WWII. The men have come home and the women are expected to step back from the workplace and return to their traditional roles. What's more, even though Cambridge is finally permitting women to earn a degree, the old boy’s network is keeping careers in academia all to themselves. This also has a touch of romance in it and a few noteworthy authors of the period make appearances, which I thought made the story feel more realistic.

Bloomsbury Girls is the second entry in the Jane Austen Society series but it’s more of a spin‑off than a sequel. The setting, the time period, and most of the characters are different and the slight connection to the previous book is sufficiently explained. I’d enjoyed reading the first Jane Austen Society book a few years ago and was lucky enough to win the third one in a Goodreads Giveaway. Now I feel lucky twice over because winning gave me the push to pick this one up from my TBR list. ( )

1950’s London and young women are starting to rattle the gates of establishment. They like the level of independence they earned during the war years and want to keep it! Bloomsbury Books has been a book store for over a hundred years and it’s a thing of beauty, original wood-panelling, three floors of books and a refined, old world ambience. There are rumblings afoot among the female staff however and the senior males don’t like having their rules flaunted or their feathers ruffled! The shop hasn’t been making money for some time and between them, Grace, Vivien and Evie are about to turn the place on its head. I liked each of these young women, they’re full of grit and a determination to get out from under the thumb of rules and tradition. To add a fun bit of interest to the story, wives and ex-lovers of some famous literary figures start to appear towards the end. These older women have, through their marriages and relationships acquired much wealth and many connections. So, with their help, just when you think our three shop girls are never going to change anything, each one manages to turn her life about! Bookshops, 1950’s fashion, old traditions versus emerging woman’s rights, an unknown first edition that appears in a mystery bubble all its own….if you like books about books, I think you’ll enjoy this. ( )

Well, this is a fun book. Must admit I picked it up because my dream life involves working at/ owning a bookstore, particularly with women friends.
The Bloomsbury Girls are a group of three women who work in the bookstore. The author creates the world well- I’ve lived in London and it filled my head with thoughts of that complex, endlessly fascinating city.
The women are entrapped in the rebalancing of the workplace after the end of WW2. While the men were gone to the war, it was fine to have women DO things, but afterwards they were all told to go home, re-tie those apron strings, squash any thoughts of other success. Evie is bumped from an academic position; Vivien is endlessly denied promotion; Grace is stuck with a brutal husband.
The book swirls along various crises and triumphs. It is, frankly, unbelievable. Major female leaders of the time all become involved with the trio and are so impressed with them they send money and endless support. Vivien, a writer ho scrawls endlessly in a wire-bound book, but who can’t plot to save her life, ends up being taken under the wing of Samuel Beckett! Daphne Du Maurier and Peggy Guggenheim are major benefactors.
The characters are caricatures. Evie, the academic, is quiet, endlessly referred to as “poor Evie” and small, but awesomely competent at her job. Vivien is loud and loose and over the top. Always angry, she can’t seem to have a conversation without causing a fight, and yet, is awesomely competent at her job. Her anger is never fully explained. And Grace is, of course, graceful and patient and loving and kind, conflicted at the thought of leaving her husband, avoiding conflict wherever she goes, and yet awesomely competent at her job.
It’s a tiny bit annoying, all these perfect women. We aren’t given enough roundness to really care about any of these folks.
Still, the book is an enjoyable read, not stressful, cheering as the women work their way through various smallish problems. The stakes never feel urgent, especially when all the heavy-hitting characters come in to support the women. (Because, sure, I’ve worked in retail and had people come in and offer to take my career to new heights. Yup. Happens all the time)
So, a light, stress less read, with the requisite amount of romance tucked in. There’s an attempt at being edgy, with a gay couple and an interracial one, but these are all ultimately perfectly happy (again, quite unrealistic given the time). It’s all happiness and light. And sometimes we need that kind of read. ( )

Well written book about three women who outsmart misogynistic men into selling their bookshop to them. I was so impressed how they pulled it off in the difficult time when men thought women were useless. ( )