I really enjoyed this historical novel set in 1950s Washington, D.C. following a group of women who don't have much in common except living at the same boarding house. At least they don't at first, until Grace moves in and pulls them all together into an unlikely friendship.

I'm not going to tell you much about these women because I think it's best to discover who they each are through reading the book. The one thing I will tell you is that I found all their different perspectives very interesting, and I ended up loving (almost) all of them.

The structure of the book devotes only one chapter to each of them, and the chapters are all pretty long (there's only 9 chapters in a 400-page book). And in between chapters are little interludes from the POV of the boarding house. Sentient houses are something you'd usually only expect in fantasy books, but somehow it worked here, without taking anything away from the realism of the story.

The story was well-paced and kept me turning the pages. The only part of the book I was skimming were the recipes - there's one or two recipes in each chapter of the things the characters eat or drink for their weekly dinners together. Other than that I was completely captivated.

The book really brought the McCarthy era to life and I enjoyed being transported to this setting. (I did notice an unfortunate reference to the Berlin Wall, which in the 1950s should've been a reference to the inner German border instead, since the Berlin Wall hadn't been built yet. But as someone who isn't a history buff and most of the time wouldn't notice mistakes like that in historical fiction, I don't have a problem forgiving such mistakes when I do notice them. As long as I'm getting a good story, I don't care if a book gets every single fact in every throwaway line right.)

My favorite character, if I absolutely had to pick one, was probably Nora... or Grace..., but I really enjoyed the little Easter egg that Fliss was related to Beth from The Rose Code, which is my favorite Kate Quinn book yet.

Thank you HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

If I could give this 10 stars I would. I love Kate Quinn's novels and yet again she has knocked it out of the park., with a whole house full of strong women.

When I started this book i thought it was very different from her usual style, not set during a war and in suburban America. But as the tale unfolded of course all was not as it seemed.

I loved Grace, the central character, but also enjoyed the stories of the other women and men forming the Briar Club. Sometimes family isn't blood related and you genuinely felt close to all the residents and their friends.

It covers true history. I always love reading the author's notes to see where fiction meets fact. It was so well researched and I couldnt put it down. Just a joy to read. Thank you Kate, you've done it again!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"The Briar Club" is a wonderfully dense and evocative novel about a little known (certainly by non-US citizens) period of American history. Even the idea of a boarding house for single ladies is something we are no longer familiar with.

The residents of Briarwood House, Washington DC in the early 1950's were certainly a mixed bunch. However, it only took one of these determined women to bring them all together and create a family of sorts. At this time World War 2 was a recent memory, things were kicking off in Korea and Senator McCarthy was chasing communists on home turf.

This book is really engrossing and a joy to read. Thanks to Kate Quinn for writing it and to Net Galley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read and review it.

A Kate Quinn novel is always something to look forward to. They are never the same, always picking a different era of history and written in a style which suits that particular timespan.
Her description of Washington in the 1950’s was excellent and the different characters all burst into life..
briarwood House offers rooms to ladies and as the story progresses we discover more about the residents and the landlady and her son Pete.
Sometimes it feels as though this is a series of short interlinked stories, linking people to events in history, but this gives the author a wealth of material to work with.
Maybe not my favourite by Kate, but very enjoyable.

I breezed through the book in 2 days. The story is fast paced and characters, interesting. The story takes place in a boarding house for women and each woman has a backstory. Kate Quinn captured the current affairs of the 50s and weaved them jn the story so very well. I loved how the women came together through Grace's nudging. Grace being the FMC had a really interesting role. The male characters felt very one-dimensional. But I have no grudges about that. Female characters have been treated that way in way too many books.
All in all a great read!

There aren’t enough words to describe how fantastic this book is. I loved the different tenants within Briarwood House, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about each of the women and their back stories. I was hooked on the story, especially as it’s told in dual timelines. Quinn certainly knows how to build up the mystery and suspense. I felt I was a part of the house and the drama what went on there. I keep recommending this book to anyone I speak to. An easy 5 star for me.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this eCopy to review

I really enjoyed the Briar Club, it's ending was fantastic and one I didn't see coming. It was different giving the house it's own chapters, I liked how the children and guests all grew and started to become a family once Grace moves in and starts her supper club. Full of great characters and great stories plus it has recipes and music suggestions which is something I always love in a book as you can recreate them at home.

The sharing of their secrets, hopes and dreams was beautiful to read about and gives you hope and the courage to go out and achieve yours. The fear of communism was palpable and gave some interesting history on a period I don't know much about

One of my favourite books of the year!
A boarding house in 1950s Washington DC with a body in the attic. As we learn the stories of the inhabitants that live there we uncover a bit more of the night in question.

A great novel, a disparate group of boarders who are united by newcomer Grace. As the boarders become friends the house unfurls and secrets are uncovered.

I love Kate Quinn’s books and this one didn’t disappoint!

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the copy to review.

Set in 1950s. The author takes us in the life of each character. If you like character driven books with food recipes in it, read it. There are five women and their stories will deeply touch you. Each of them is harbouring a secret. While when dead bodies are found in the Briarwood House. The investigation unveils secrets and mystery. The book is about female friendships and secrets.

Thanks to the publisher and Author.

For my money, this is the best book of 2024, and boy, what a film this would make! Set in the 1950’s, the era of McCarthyism, Briarwood house is an all female boarding house in Washington DC.
Written during the COVID Pandemic, you can feel the desperate need for company and gossip, the loneliness of enforced isolation and the yearning for normality, which is skilfully portrayed in this novel. Each chapter relates to a different woman. We learn of her life story, her secrets, her unfulfilled dreams and desires. As each woman becomes familiar, we start to care about them, the way they come together for their Thursday Night supper party, and each woman gives us a favourite recipe, but I haven’t tried any of them yet!
The narrator is uniquely placed to observe the comings and goings of these women, Briarwood house doesn’t miss a trick, and whereas before, the house felt cold and neglected, it also begins to relax with the company of these women and grows more warmer and protective of their well being.
When two dead bodies are found within Briarwood House, the house is fascinated, it’s the most excitement it has experienced since being built, and it wonders how the guilty party is going to get out of that scrape!
The crime was full of red herrings and many surprises. Set in a political era, but it wasn’t too heavy on the political details as such, but showed more social details, the misogyny towards females, the lack of rights in matters of employment, money and a voice in family matters.
I was pleased to read about the work regarding the contraceptive pill, and the freedom that brought to being able to space out children and to be able to enjoy sex!
I found this to be a very lively and engaging story. It was heart warming, full of loyalty to friend and it also showed a willingness to break the rules to protect those who we are close to.
My thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK, the publishers for my advanced copy, freely given in return for my honest review. A five star read, I just wish I was allowed to give more!
I will leave a review to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

A fabulously enjoyable tale!

Briarwood House is an all-female boarding house in the heart of Washington D.C., run by a deserted wife as a means of keeping her family together. The residents keep themselves to themselves until, that is, Grace March moves into the attic room and takes an interest in everyone living there. Before long, her weekly supper clubs have brought them all together and they become almost a family. As everyone else's secrets come out into the open, Grace affects them all with a sort of healing balm; but what about her secrets? Who can soothe Grace?

Set during the McCarthy era, this is a wonderfully told story about women from every walk of life living together, each with very different kinds of life. It's fair to say I was completely enthralled throughout, enjoying a peek into the lives of so many in a time before I was born. A thrilling and very, very enjoyable read and one I most definitely recommend. 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

This book brings 1950s USA to life during the Red Scare and McCarthyism. It follows women living in Mrs Nilson’s guest house and opens with a dead body and a murder.

The book is character driven, a change I feel from previous Kate Quinn books and each long chapter focuses on the lives and backstory of each of the women. They are all brought together every week through a supper club - The Briar Club and here we see the women forming friendships and caring for Mrs Nilsons two children.
As we learn the backstories of these women you get a strong feeling of these characters motivations and decisions. Sprinkled through the book are recipes which add an extra something.
This is a book about women, friendships and secrets set in a time when America found itself fearful of Communism and I enjoyed this slow character driven story.

A new book from Kate Quinn is always something to look forward to and this one didn’t disappoint. Full of interesting characters with believable stories it was a real treat of a book. More soon please.

What an interesting story! Kate Quinn always writes clever and compelling books and “The Briar Club” is no exception.
It tells the stories of a number of women living in a boarding house in 1950s Washington DC at the time of McCarthy and depicts the nation’s fear of finding “reds under the bed”
Each woman has a fabulous back story which is gradually revealed during the course of the novel. Although seemingly ordinary these woman have a lot to hide and a lot to be proud of! Grace March moves in to the building and she manages to bring the women together by instigating a Thursday evening supper club where each person brings a recipe and cooks.
This starts out as a plan to help Pete and Lina, the landlady’s children who have a terrible life, nagged and neglected by their awful mother, but progresses to turn the disparate women into a family of sorts.
There is also a double murder which is revealed early on and the majority of the book is a flashback explaining how it came to happen, with an amazing twist before the end. I certainly didn’t see it coming!
This is a brilliant read, a book full of some really strong female characters. It examines life in 1950s America, the fear of the Cold War, the gangster families present in Washington at the time, the discrimination against immigrants and black people- Fliss an English boarder has not seen such strong and extremely prejudiced feelings in the UK as she sees in DC. Reka, the artist who escaped from Germany and lost her possessions to an unscrupulous sponsor was also an interesting character and served to show how awful some people could be despite purporting to be helpful to refugees.
The author even looks at the Korean War, a forgotten conflict which affected many, particularly doctors and their families. Medics were drafted to run the MASH units and barely saw their families who were left to bring up children alone. This was touched upon in the TV series and film MASH which I loved as a teenager growing up in the UK.
This book gave me so much to think about and I loved all the characters, particularly Grace who pulled them together and cared so much.
I even liked the hapless FBI agent, Harland, who was pining after Bea the injured baseball player. I just knew he would turn out ok in the end despite his tendencies to the contrary!
Even the house itself plays a major role in the plot, watching and assessing the tenants.
This was an enjoyable and entertaining read that also contained a few surprises and many serious themes that left me thinking long after I’d finished.
I definitely recommend The Briar Club as a five star read and would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

Wow, this is not what I expected, this book exceeded my expectations by a mile!
A boarding house in the fifties has eyes and ears and is witnessing how random women (initially strangers to each other) live their lives and then form a relationship that transforms into friendship. These women initially seem to be just ordinary ladies, but none of them are ordinary. Every single one has a vivid, vibrant personality that won't leave readers indifferent. Their life experiences are interesting, engaging, and relatable.
This story is simply beautiful, it touches you and forces you to stop for a moment and ponder. Just make sure you have plenty of time to read in a quiet place, so you can immerse yourself in this great story.

This is the first book by Kate that I have read and it most certainly will not be my last. I loved reading about this period of history and the way that the ladies were subjected to living together in a ladies only rooming establishment. The book is full of romance , the bad side of life during the early 1950s, recipes, women caring for each other in different ways all tied up with pre historical data and the current life and how it affected the ladies.
The characters were so diverse and well described and it was easy to relate to them all. The historical information was so well slotted in to the story and the recipes for each of the ladies were so fitting with the period.
Having read the book I would tell anyone that you have to read the authors notes after the book has finished as it brings all the facts that were introduced throughout the story into perspective, describing where Kate found the information and the characters from to put into this story. And in fascinating readable way.

I have read and enjoyed other novels by Kate Quinn and was delighted to receive an arc of the Briar Club. Set in a Washington DC boarding house at a time when the Cold War was at its height and fear of communism prevalent. A wonderful cast of characters and several elements woven seamlessly into the story. The research of the period is impeccable and I love reading and learning about a historical period from a woman's persepective. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I have read every single one of Kate Quinn’s books and she has been very consistent, & the same goes for Briar Club. The story hooked me and kept me reading from start to finish, Quinn is a master at penning characters that we become attached to and grow to love, & this was exactly what happened with Briar Club. I kept reading for the characters and the relationships.

One thing I will say tho, and this is what kept it from being a 5 star book for me, was that the storyline felt a bit convoluted with all the various timelines & storylines intersecting. I sometimes lost track of what was going on where & how the stories connected at what point in time. I recommend reading this rather than listening to it for that reason. There were also some characters whose stories i preferred following than others, but that’s often how it goes with multi-POV stories.

All in all, Kate Quinn consistently delivers a solid, perfectly paced plot with layered, endearing characters & she remains one of my favorite authors that’s writing today.

The Briar girls of Briarwood House unite against a stroppy landlady. Grace joins a household of women living in a dingy tenement in a 1950s New York suburb. She never talks about her past but loves the weekly dinners the friends share, taking it in turns to cook. The recipes appear after each chapter, each of which is narrated by a different character. Love that the old house itself has a voice. We hear its thoughts and fears for the future as it witnesses everything from romance to murder. There's a climatic Thanksgiving ending, where Grace's secret is finally revealed. Another great read by Kate Quinn.

I’ve read and enjoyed a few books by Kate Quinn. The Briar Club is a bit of a departure from her other spy fiction, but I found it absolutely engrossing. It’s not really action packed, but it’s a clever and careful character study of a handful of individuals during a strange time in American history. McCarthyism was rife and even small things could lead to suspicion of communist sympathies. This tale starts with a murder mystery which turns out to be secondary; it’s the lives of each of the ladies resident in the boarding house that drives the narrative. The real heart of the story is an exploration of deep cover activity; a long standing Soviet espionage programme where Russians were trained to infiltrate American society and pass information back to their handler. Not all Soviet moles stayed true to their mission; some found the American way of life far more appealing and during the early years of the Cold War, disappeared in America.

Deftly woven into this narrative are other compelling themes; gay persecution, racism, war games, the Korean War annd even a few recipes. It’s an eclectic mix and I was hooked right from the start. Thoughtful, entertaining and an interesting glimpse into very recent history, all from a very female dominated perspective which makes a welcome change. I found the author’s notes giving the characters and times specific context really helpful and added to the story. This is a real winner.