Having enjoyed The Rose Code I was looking forward to this latest offering from Kate Quinn. Experience has shown, however, that one sometimes needs to prepare for disappointment when anticipating reading a subsequent novel, having enjoyed an earlier book by the same author.
Reader, do not despair! No such disappointment awaits. A clever plot device draws the reader into the inner workings of the story, whilst the stories set around the characters as time passes allows the reader to get a sense of the times in which the novel is set. A bonus, too, is the writing style that makes reading the book a pleasure.

Strongly recommended.

Thank you for allowing me to review this latest book from Kate Quinn. I am a fan of her historical fiction books. This is another great read, although slightly different format to others I gave read. Set in America in the early 1950's at a small boarding house, Briarwood House. Grace March moves into the house and finds that all the women occupying the rooms never interact with each other. This changes when she invites them to her room on a Thursday to share good and drink. Gradually, the atmosphere improves and we learn all about the backgrounds to each individual. The mystery of who is murdered in the house, which opens the story, is not revealed until the very end. It definitely kept my interest as the characters and the history of the time was well written. The story is different from many historical stories. I can recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction.

Welcome to Briarwood boarding house in Washington DC in the early 1950s at the time of the McCarthy witch hunts. The opening chapter is a bit slow but the novel soon engages by leaping forward a few years to reveal that a murder has taken place at the house. The novel’s structure moves back and forth in time to show the lives of the women who lodge at Briarwood and keeps you wondering who has been killed and how the women fit in with the murder.

Each woman has a back story which makes for interesting reading. Quinn skilfully brings all the threads of these stories together in a fascinating dėnouement. The novel portrays so many facets of life in the USA at this time, including poverty ,politics, jazz, cookery and art. Its richness in colourful characters and great storyline make it a thoughtful and enjoyable read.
Highly recommended. Thank you yo the publishers for the ARC.

I have read most of Kate Quinn’s books and really enjoyed them all. This one was much more difficult to get into and did not have the fast pace of the other.s. The characters were well described as was the boarding house, however I found the book lacking in the excitement I expected and did not find it a page turner. I am therefore a little disappointed.

Kate Quinn truly never misses, and THE BRIAR CLUB might be my favorite of hers yet - all of her trademark pace and character, but I particularly loved the setting here - perfect enthralling holiday reading!

I have read a few novels by the author so had high expectations for this one too. Its is slightly different from what I was expecting. However, the descriptions and the storyline was brilliant. Quinn is the Queen of historical fiction and on my must by authors. Like with all her novels she bring the pages to life with an interesting story.

Kate Quinn’s new novel, The Briar Club, begins with a murder in a Washington, D.C. boarding house on Thanksgiving, 1954. We don’t know who the victim is – that will be revealed later on – but it does seem that the killer is likely to be one of the seventeen people gathered in the kitchen waiting to be interviewed by the police. To get answers, we have to go back to the day four years earlier when Grace March arrives at Briarwood House and agrees to take the tiny apartment in the attic…

Grace is just one of several women living in the house, all of whom are hiding secrets and in some cases are not quite what they seem. There’s Nora, who works at the National Archives and is in love with a gangster; Bea, a former baseball player forced to give up her dreams; Claire, who is desperately trying to save to buy her own home; Fliss, an Englishwoman with a baby and an absent husband; unhappy, spiteful Arlene whom nobody likes; and Reka, an elderly Hungarian refugee. The novel unfolds through a series of interlinked short stories each focusing on one of these women, interspersed with chapters describing the aftermath of the Thanksgiving murder. The latter are narrated by Briarwood House itself, because the house knows better than anyone else what has been going on within its walls!

I enjoyed The Briar Club, but found some of the women’s stories much more engaging than others. Nora’s story came first and was completely gripping, which maybe raised my expectations too high for the rest of the book. By the time I reached Bea’s section in the middle, I was starting to get bored, although things did pick up again later on. Despite the brief chapters about the murder that are scattered throughout the book, I think anyone who starts to read this expecting a mystery novel or a thriller will be disappointed – but if you like character-driven novels with a slower pace it will probably be more to your taste. Speaking of taste, food and drink play a big part in the story, with each character sharing some of their recipes with us! So if you want to know how to make Bea’s ragù, Arlene’s candle salad or Claire’s potato pancakes, the instructions are all in the book (and even if you’re not a cook, I recommend skipping to the end of each recipe where you’ll find a suggestion for a suitable song to accompany the meal).

Although each woman in the house has her own individual story to tell, they all get together for weekly social gatherings in Grace’s attic room (the ‘Briar Club’ of the title) and over the years most of the women begin to form close bonds. A very different kind of relationship that also develops is between the women of the Briar Club and the two children of their landlady, Mrs Nilsson. Pete Nilsson gets a chapter of his own, but I particularly loved seeing how his younger sister, Lina, grows in confidence (and improves her baking skills) due to the friendship and support of the Briar Club. The novel also provides us with a snapshot of life in America in the early 1950s, with a focus on McCarthy and the fear of communism.

The Briar Club was an enjoyable read overall, but I would have preferred some of the women’s stories to be cut short or left out altogether. So far, The Rose Code is still my favourite of the three Kate Quinn books I’ve read (the other is The Diamond Eye).

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

I am a big fan of Kate Quinn having read her entire published backlist and have introduced countless people to her writing. This new book is very different to her previous, in that it is stationary. It focuses on one place, a boarding house in Washington DC and the lives of the people who live inside it. In that way it's more quiet, and rather than our characters influencing the world around them, the opposite happens here. The house even offers a POV which is something I really love in books - when inanimate objects or animals have something to say.

Although different in style, Quinn proves again that she is the queen of historical fiction and I highly recommend this book for people who enjoy found families, intrigue, history, and of course drama.

Kate Quinn is an autobuy historical author for me which means my expectations are always super high - and The Briar Club did not disappoint. A 1950s boarding house in Washington DC, home to a skinflint landlady and her two neglected and overworked children and the women who rent rooms from her. The boarders are unalike in every way: Nora, a local Irish girl determined to better herself and escape her family, Fliss, an English mother waiting for her husband to return from medical service overseas, Reka, elderly, poverty stricken Hungarian refugee, bitter with how her life has turned out, Bea, resentfully teaching unable to accept that her once glittering sports career is at an end, Claire who refuses to let her tragic childhood define who she is and will stop at nothing to achieve security and Arlene, who just wants a ring on her finger. They have little in common until Grace March shows up and rents the smallest of the rooms and somehow brings this disparate group of women and children together.

We start the book in the future, knowing there is a dead body in the house, the police have been called and the women are all under suspicion and then head back in time to the day Grace rents her room, each section of the book propelling us towards the murder and one by one unveiling the secrets each woman keeps. Through each story Quinn examines life for women in the 1950s exploring poverty, racism and segregation, abuse, sexuality, birth control, immigration, sexism, careers, criminality and motherhood. But although Grace is adept at finding out secrets, her own life remains off limits, her origins as much a mystery as the day she first turned up.

McCarthyism underlies every chapter as the US gets red fever and being suspected of communist sympathies can lead to ruin, and this theme is deftly woven through every chapter as Quinn creates both a compelling thriller and a fascinating historical read. Unputtdownable and highly recommended.

This story was not what I have come to expect from author Kate Quinn. As she outlines in her author’s note at the end there is not the same action as in some of her previous stories.

This story is told at a much slower pace and it caused me to read it at a much slower pace. Taking place at a women’s boarding house in Washington in the 1950s each character tells their story and what led them to being at the boarding house.

Each character’s story was interesting and detailed. Sometimes with multiple character pov’s you lose the ability to really get to know and relate to the characters but this wasn’t true for this book. I felt I could understand where all of them had come from and the actions that they took in the book.

It is not my favourite Kate Quinn story but I still enjoyed it. I think I like the thrill and the action stories better and a slightly faster pace. As always, Kate Quinn outlines the people and times that her characters are based on and that is always an enjoyable ending to her books

What a story! The setting, a 1950s boarding house for women where the landlady is a real martinet with two young children. The story evolves through the lives of the different characters lodging together under the Briar House roof, brought together for a Thursday Supper Club by one of the lodgers, Grace........... and what incredible lives they live! I loved the way the author manages to capture so much of 1950s America through the experiences of these characters including gangsters, Jewish immigrants, McCarthyism and the 'Reds under the Beds' scaremongering, women's baseball, the Rosenberg trial, the Lavender persecution and the general day to day lives of everyday American women of the 50s. The authors in-depth research shines through in the writing, which I really valued as I love a book where I can also learn a little about the true history of the period. The characters are engaging and I found myself willing them on to win through the trials facing them. I loved that each character had their own gripping storyline that kept me learning and reading late into the night!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this wonderful novel and recommend it highly! A fabulous read!

Another masterpiece of writing from Kate Quinn. We know immediately that a death has occurred but how and who is it? Briarwood boarding house in a suburb of Washington DC is run by a strict, moody woman who has two unfortunate children dragged down by her own selfishness. The story goes back to a few years before the death, soon after the war in a time of great hope but also deep suspicion when Grace March arrives in a breath of fresh air looking for a room. She is shown a tiny attic room with few facilities and told the strict rules, she agrees to take it and promptly disregards all instructions. Wondering why a house full of women keep themselves to themselves she sets about getting to know each one and very gradually brings them together as friends. Well, most anyway. As the years roll by we get to know each lady and their secrets. A diverse group who only have their address in common are brought together through a Thursday evening meeting in Grace’s room, the Briar Club. They enjoy a meal cooked by someone different each week, usually a recipe from their past or childhood. The characters with their interesting pasts and shocking secrets are woven seemlessly into the story. The imagery of early 1950’s America is vividly described with the style of clothing and homes, the smell and tastes of the food but also the difficult way of life with what we would now deem as hardship is beautifully portrayed in speech and actions. With prejudices and sexism that would not be tolerated now, it was an accepted normality. As the story reaches its conclusion several years later, many lives have changed along the way and Grace March was the instigator in helping these women and children to believe in themselves. A beautifully crafted story that has many shocks and a huge twist but ultimately is a lesson in humanity. Another huge success for Kate Quinn.

This was a book of two halves for me, the first two-thirds which was an intriguing insight into the backgrounds of the residents of the house, and the final third where the pace and tension picked up as we finally caught up on Grace’s back story.
Having read The Rose Code and loved it, while this wasn’t quite in the same league for me personally, it’s still another great piece of meticulously researched historical fiction from Kate Quinn, with a lovely little Rose Code Easter egg!
I loved the characters and the insight into post-war America, which Quinn weaves artfully into a plot that gathers momentum as the story progresses. I read the first two thirds over the course of several days, and the final 40% in one sitting.
Five stars from me, with thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.
The Briar Club is out now.

After having read “The Alice Network” I definitely wanted to read more of Kate Quinn, and I loved this new novel for sure! It’s a remarkable story of a number of women with completely different backgrounds who live in a boarding house in Washington D.C. in the 1950’s. They get to know each other during their weekly Thursday evening dinners hosted by the mysterious Grace, of whom they know very little. A shocking event makes clear what Grace’s background is and forces the group of friends to decide who their true enemies are and who are considered a friend.

Definitely read the author’s note at the end. The background of the story is very interesting and some events I was sure were fictional because they seemed so ridiculous appeared to be true! The story begins with a murder which gets you intrigued right away, and bit by bit you’ll see it’s all not what you expected…

The book also deals with important issues like the development of birth control and how secretive this was at the start because of religious ideas, the male dominance in certain areas and discrimination. I partly listened to the audiobook which is narrated very well!

Really enjoyed this detailed and character driven historical fiction written by a wonderful author. I love the way. She entwined the characters ‘ lives with the Thursday night supper club. It also bit had a bit of a “who done it “in it, which made it even more compelling.

I’m not going to lie, I absolutely adored this book from beginning to end. The characters, the writing and the house. This book has so much heart and soul to accompany this brilliant historical novel.

So, so good!

A boarding house full of lady boarders, (each gets their own chapter so we get to know them more) - and the Briar Club is their Thursday night supper club.

The stories behind each individual are fascinating, and the way they all thread together simply brilliant. I loved The Rose Code from Kate Quinn previously, but I think I love this even more!

Once again Kate Quinn weaves a compelling story with great characters. The 400+ pages slip by easily as we try to solve the mystery in the opening pages of the dead body at Briarwood House. Each resident and the wider cast has their flaws and redeeming qualities (apart from one or two). The Easter egg linked to The Rose Code was very much appreciated by a fan of that book. The novel moves seamlessly to a satisfying conclusion. I loved it.

The Briar Club is another fabulous read by Kate Quinn. Set in 1950s America, in Washington DC, new boarder Grace March sets out about bringing the residents together. Landlady Mrs "Doilies" Nilsson has so many rules and badly neglects her children, so when the residents come together and form the Thursday supper club, Pete and Lina find themselves with a family who cares for the first time since their dad left. We get to know the stories and lives of the boarders apart from Grace who is adept at getting others to talk about themselves but herself stays quiet. The book begins with a massacre in the house in 1954. We have no idea who is dead and who is the killer until the very end. We see the build up over four years and rejoice in the building of friendships, love and family ties. So many lives entwined, so much real history involved. A great read and I encourage you to read the author's notes at the end which clarify what are real events and what parts are fiction. #netgalley #TheBriarClub

A slow burning story demonstrating the possible intensity of female friendship when individuals are cocooned together in a shared house. A catalyst emerges to bring some unity but not always harmony. Set against the backdrop of 1950s America with its trials and tribulations. Two dead bodies are found in the house and the police need to unravel find out who and why. Told through the stories of the individuals and working towards its ultimate climax. Expertly researched bringing characters to life through their experiences