Book Review of
Bloomsbury Girls
Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner was published in 2022.
Bloomsbury Books is an old-fashioned bookstore for new and rare books. It has persisted and resisted change for a hundred years, run by men and guided by the general manager’s unbreakable rules. In 1950, though the world was changing, especially in the book and publishing world. At Bloomsbury Books, the girls in the shop have plans to change things.
Vivien Lowry has been single since her aristocratic fiance was killed in action during World War II. She is brilliant and stylish and has a long list of grievances–most of them well justified, and the biggest of which is Alec McDonough, the Head of Fiction at the store.
Grace Perkins is married with two sons. She’s been working to support the family following her husband’s breakdown after the war. She is torn between duty to her family and dreams of her own.
Evie Stone is in the first class of female students from Cambridge permitted to earn a degree. She was denied an academic position in favor of her less accomplished male rival. She is now working at Bloomsbury Books while she plans to remake her own future.
These three women with their relationships, goals, and dreams are all working to plot out a future that is richer and more rewarding than anything society will allow.
Lynn's Review
Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner is a book about books, bookstores, friends, relationships, and more. It is set in England in the 1950s. If you enjoyed Natalie Jenner’s book The Jane Austen Society you will probably enjoy this one as well.
Bloomsbury Girls is a stand alone book, but some of the characters from The Jane Austen Society make an appearance in the book. In fact, one of the main characters in The Jane Austen Society, Evie Stone, is also one of the main characters in Bloomsbury Girls.
Bloomsbury Girls is set in a bookstore in England that is struggling to keep up with the changes that are happening around them. There is also a bookish mystery and of course some love and relationships as well.
The writing is good with great character development.
I liked this book, but I liked The Jane Austen Society more. Bloomsbury Girls was a fun read, but I felt like it tried too hard in some parts. It fit a lot of modern American issues and topics all into a book that was set in 1950s England and it just seemed off because of that.
It is also PG-13 in a few parts. Which did not surprise me, but I know some readers like that warning so they know what to expect.
About Natalie Jenner
Natalie Jenner is a former lawyer and best selling author of multiple historical fiction books. She was born in England but now lives in Canada.