Reading the synopsis of this book, I was instantly intrigued how the story would progress. The idea that Bloomsbury Books was run by men and didn't change at all for over a hundred years, with the girls taking interest and wanting to change it. I loved the introduction of the authors of the time and how all three main characters were trying to evolve, even in a society that was doing their level best to keep them at bay.

This is set in 1950s London. The characters are so believable and I really cared about what happened to them. The ending is very good. All the ends are tied up.

A brilliant read! Bloomsbury publishing and the women working for it. I loved the factual elements in this

Set in a multi-level, century old London bookstore, the charming Bloomsbury Girls features three women, new employee Evelyn Stone (who appeared in The Jane Austen Society), saleswoman Vivien Lowry, and secretary Grace Perkins.

For Evie, a former servant girl and one of the first women to earn a degree from Cambridge, securing a position at Bloomsbury Books is a necessary first step in supporting herself, the second is finding an obscure but valuable title she is sure is languishing somewhere among the stock.

Vivien, still mourning the death of her fiancé in the war, is tired of the manager’s fifty-one rules which dictate how the store is run. and keeps her perpetually subservient to her male colleague, Alec McDonough. An aspiring author, she wants to modernise the store’s rather stale fiction department stock and host regular literary events.

Grace, a mother of two trapped in an unhappy marriage, is supportive of Vivien’s ideas for change, especially as she knows Bloomsbury Books is struggling financially, and she relies on her position to support her family.

There is a strong theme of feminine empowerment through the novel as these three women fight to realise their hopes and ambitions. Chafing at numerous experiences of discrimination and unjust restrictions placed on them simply for being female, they are determined to change things. Vivien is the boldest of the three, sharp and impassioned she openly objects to society’s misogyny. Evie feels just as strongly about being treated unfairly as Vivien, but her rebellion is quieter and more calculated. Grace’s priorities are quite different to those of her single colleagues, but her action to reclaim her agency is arguably the bravest, given the conventions of the time. Each women experiences character growth as the story unfolds and I found all three to be appealing

Despite its strong feminist aspect, romance also has a place in the novel. Evie forms an attachment to Ash Ramaswamy, who manages the store’s science and naturalism floor, which is both awkward and sweet. The relationship that develops between Grace and Bloomsbury Books owner, Jeremy Baskin (the 11th Earl Baskin), is unconventional given the circumstances but also lovely, while Vivien and Alec’s love/hate relationship is quite entertaining.

Jenner touches on other forms of discrimination with incidents relating to class, race, and homosexuality. Ash, for example, is regularly the target of racism which has also affected his career, and the store manager feels the need to hide his long term relationship with the third floor rare book buyer. The author also notes the changing in English society in the wake of WWII.

With Jenner’s descriptive writing, I could easily envision the old-fashioned elegance of Bloomsbury Books. I liked that the chapter headings were drawn from Mr Dutton’s fifty-one store rules. The pace of the novel is quite sedate but the resolution is very satisfying.

I found Bloomsbury Girls to be an engaging historical read, and the cameo’s from noted literary figures such as Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Peggy Guggenheim, and Noel Coward, are a delightful bonus for booklovers.

I have to admit I struggled with this book somewhat. I think I would read it again if I read The Jane Austin Society first.

This novel is great fun. The three main women characters rise to the challenge to succeed in taking centre stage and eventually overcoming old-fashioned and unworkable rules laid down by the manager of the Bloomsbury Book Shop. The concept is superb, the writing carefully and sensitively composed and makes excellent reading. The references to a number of non-fictional authors and novels adds flavour and credibility to the novel. It shows the determination of these three women to succeed in what was formally a man’s world In book writing. Loved it.

My grateful thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Allison and Busby for this advance copy.

I really enjoyed this book. Set in 1950 in a bookshop in Bloomsbury, this story really highlights the Britain of the 50s. The men are in charge and women are expected to be grateful . Bloomsbury Books is run by men and is slowly becoming less and less viable. Evie, Grace and Vivien are employees, frustrated by the world of men which seeks to hold them back. I loved the themes of sisterhood and womens rights which are subtly sprinkled through the story, and the author does not shrink from describing the darker incipient racism experienced by Ash and Evie - unfortunately typical of this period. The inclusion of famous authors and influencers adds to the overall enjoyment of the book. A great read!

I liked Natalie Jenner´s debut novel The Jane Austen Society, and this one doesn´t disappoint either. Set in post-war London it´s about a bookshop run by men whose main co-workers are women who bring their own characteristics and possibilities into the shop. One of them is Evie Stone, a character from Jenner´s first novel, but there are also others who have smaller roles. The story especially takes up towards the end and includes feminist touches though they´re somehow spoilt by different love stories. I was no fan of the name dropping either, but otherwise I liked the book.
Thanks to Allison & Busby and Netgalley for an arc ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner. Set in post war London, the story centres around three main female characters- Vivien, Grace and Evie who work in Bloomsbury Books, It is an inspiring read with strong female led characters along with real female writers of that time appearing in the book.
A wonderful historical read that I recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Allison & Busby for the E=ARC.

Bloomsbury Books is an old fashioned and rare book store in 1950 that has been in existence in Englad for over a hundred years. It is run by men but the real back bone of the store are the women. This shop has fifty one rules and all the employees know them and know when an employee is not following them. It is after world war two and things are changing now in publishing and the world in general despite the men not welcoming these changes.
The book is rich with literary figures and details. I really would have loved to visit this book store, so much going on here. Full of nostalgia . Delves into women's rights and sexism.

Published May 17th 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

A charming and delightful story but not very realistic. I liked the setting and location of the bookshop which is what attracted me to the book but I was expecting something a little more literary in style, more in the vein of some of the women writers it championed. There was a strong feminist slant that was undermined slightly by the romantic tendencies of the girls. I felt a bit sorry for Alec who was a bit used and abused by Vivien. I liked the idea of interweaving notable names of the period into the story but the wealth and notoriety surrounding them served to smooth the path for the girls making things a little bit too easy. I enjoyed the discovery of The Mummy! and was interested to find the text online and learn more about the author.The fairy tale ending was predictable but I wasn't keen on the way that it was achieved which spoilt the overall feeling of success. I do like a story to be believable and this didn't do it for me.

Thank you to the publisher Allison & Busby for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Please can this be optioned for tv/film stat?

Warm, full-fleshed out and female focused, Bloomsbury Girls captures the frustration of young women working under the heel of patriarchy, post-World War II. It has such depth, incorporates diversity without tokenism and really highlights the strength and innovation of women with few options. The primary cast are not simply two dimensional: the Bloomsbury Girls are not just strong and determined, they each have their own rich lives explored in turn. The secondary cast fictionalizing famous authors, combined with a delightful independent book shop will make this a literature lovers delight.

Heartwarming, easily read in one session, strongly recommend for any one that's a fan of fiction!

I loved the Jane Austern Society, a riveting and compelling book, and I loved Bloomsbury Girls which is another brilliant piece of historical fiction.
There's a lot to love in this book: the strong willed and clever women, their friendship, the mix of fictional and historical characters, the realistic depiction of women position after WWII
Even if it deals with issues like misoginy the tone is always light and pleasant.
It was a great read, one of the best of 2022 so far.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

There’s nothing nicer than reading a beautiful book that pays homage to literature, and when it does so with such empathy and style, then it’s even more special. I loved this novel, just as I loved this author’s first one, The Jane Austen Society. In Bloomsbury Girls, we see a couple of familiar characters from the first novel pop up, in particular Evie Stone, who is a main character in both, but be assured that the two novels are merely connected loosely and by no means a part of any series.

This is a novel for book lovers who enjoy wandering through bookstores and readers of classic literature, or at least, readers who are familiar with classic literature. I wholly enjoyed the focus on women writers (a particular area of interest of mine as regular readers here will know) and I loved the literary connections that were forged throughout the novel. The concept of a bookstore being owned and run by women, promoting women’s writing, and publishing the works of forgotten women writers is one I wish I could visit. Everything about this novel was a delight: the setting, the characters, and the story. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.

Books about books and bookshops are always going to be good and this was a very interesting read. Taught me a lot about women and their role at the time, the world of publishing and so much more. recommended!

Evelyn Stone is a graduating member of the first class of women admitted to Cambridge University, she’s overlooked for a job as a research assistant and the position is given to a male colleague.

Evie needs to work, she has a glowing reference from her friend Mr. Yardley Sinclair, he holds a prominent position at Sotheby’s auction house, she approaches Bloomsbury Books, she wants to work in the rare book section and she has an ulterior motif.

Situated at 40 Lambs Conduit Street in London, Bloomsbury Books is owned by Lord Jeremy Baskin and it’s been in business for almost a hundred years. It’s managed by Mr. Herbert Dutton, he enforces the fifty one workplace rules and he’s very set in his old fashioned ways!

This frustrates Miss. Vivien Lowdry and Mrs. Grace Perkins, both women work at the book shop, Vivien is a cashier and Grace is a secretary. In the early 1950's, England is coming out of the war years, people have extra money to spend and Bloomsbury’s aren’t taking advantage of this. Both women have ideas of how to improve the shop’s takings, by stocking and displaying a different range of books, holding events and promoting female authors. When Mr. Dutton falls ill, Evie, Grace and Vivien manage to convince the temporary manager to try some of their ideas, then everything reverts to how it was and they have to come up with another plan!

A story about discovering forgotten, ignored and missed female authors and their books. Evie, Grace and Vivien band together and outsmart the men and with a cast of famous women backing them all the way.

I received a copy of Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner from NetGalley and Allison & Busby in exchange for an honest review. I loved how the author included characters from her previous book The Jane Austen Society, a perfect story for those who have an interest in drama, bookshops, reading and women in powering other women in following their dreams, finding their voice and gaining financial independence and five stars from me.

This was a very pleasant and relaxing read. It has books, a bookstore, women, some famous writers and some irritating men who think they know everything better, but really they don't. There is something comforting in reading about women who take their lives into their own hands, something which in those days wasn't so normal yet. This is not really historical fiction, just a women's story to which the recent past gives its own particular flair. If you are a fan of that sort of thing or if you just need cheering up, you will enjoy this book, because it's well written and positive with a nice ending.

This was such a good book. I love historical fiction, especially when it is about eras/ situations that I previously knew nothing about and this was definitely one of those books. It was so well researched and so compelling in its narrative that not only did I love reading it but I felt that I learned too. A really enjoyable read and perfect for any fans of historical fiction. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Set in a small bookshop in Bloomsbury, this is the tale of three young women (women not ‘girls’) and their male colleagues. It continues to follow the fate of Evie Stone, who we first met as a precocious and industrious house maid in Natalie Jenner’s debut novel ‘The Jane Austen Society’. It’s now the 1950s and Evie has graduated with first class honours from Girton College, in the first class of women admitted to degrees at Cambridge. She had hoped for a job in academia, but is overlooked for a research assistant’s position in favour of her less talented male colleague, so with no other source of funds she is forced to look for alternative work. With a referral from the director of museum services at Sotheby’s, her degree and experience in cataloguing libraries, she approaches Bloomsbury Books for a position in their Rare Book section.

Bloomsbury Books in Lambs Conduit, London is about to celebrate a century of selling new and rare books. Owned by Lord Baskin, it is managed by the conservative Herbert Dutton, who likes to keep women in traditional roles and has a list of 51 rules for employees. The various sections within the shop are managed by men with the women relegated to secretarial duties, making the tea (four times per day at exact times) and working at the cashier’s desk despite their obvious capabilities. Grace, unhappily married with two small children and Vivien, whose aristocratic fiancé was killed during the war, have plenty ideas of how the shop could be more profitable but since the male managers won’t listen to them, they just have to grit their teeth and carry on. However, when Herbert Dutton becomes ill and Vivien is made temporary manager of fiction wheels are set in motion, which will bring about change to Bloomsbury Books, with the help of Evie Stone and several influential women working together.

In many ways this is a feminist novel, showing the power women can have when working together for a common goal, but although there are some notable (and well known) female characters, it is not just a novel about women and the way they were treated in the 1950s. The men in the novel, including a young man from India, are also required to re-assess themselves and what they most want from life. A very enjoyable read, especially for those who enjoy books about books and bookshops.

This is a timely and beautiful ode to ambition, friendship, bookshops, and the written word. This book was wonderfully intriguing; but it was the emotion in the story and the quality of the writing that sang out to me.