Susan the Librarian

BLOOMSBURY GIRLS by Natalie Jenner

Posted on May 27, 2022 Updated on May 23, 2022

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I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from the publicist as part of the “Virtual Book Tour.”

Evie Stone was without question the most qualified candidate for the research assistantship at Jesus College, Cambridge. A member of the first class of women allowed to graduate from the College, she achieved higher honors than her male colleagues, and the most recent paper she collaborated on was ground-breaking. And yet, it is not at all surprising when one of her less-qualified male colleagues lands the position, and she winds up as a shop assistant in a bookstore. Now that the men are back from the war, it is a common enough story for women like her.

But Evie–as always–has a plan. With her demure exterior and her knowledge of rare books hidden underneath, she is certain she won’t have any trouble enacting that plan under the very noses of the misogynist male hierarchy at the shop. As she begins to form friendships with the other two women at the shop–an aspiring author who should really be running the fiction department and a mathematically minded mother of two, trapped in a toxic marriage–she wonders if she could trust them to become allies in her plan and if their little supportive sisterhood might empower them to pursue some dreams of their own.

Studded with literary giants like Daphne du Maurier and Samuel Beckett, BLOOMSBURY GIRLS explores the tensions between women’s ambitions and the social mores that sought to subdue them in post-WWII Britain. With a gradual start and several protagonists, this story is ideal for readers who enjoy settling into an immersive environment and befriending the characters who live there. The ending delivers a triumphant and joyful “down-with-the-patriarchy” climax that will have literature enthusiasts cheering. This title is an excellent pick for fans of women’s fiction and for book clubs!

A Special Message from the Author:

Dear readers,

I am immensely grateful for the outpouring of affection that so many of you have expressed for my debut novel The Jane Austen Society and its eight main characters. When I wrote its epilogue (in one go and without ever changing a word), I wanted to give each of Adam, Mimi, Dr. Gray, Adeline, Yardley, Frances, Evie and Andrew the happy Austenesque ending they each deserved. But I could not let go of servant girl Evie Stone, the youngest and only character inspired by real life (my mother, who had to leave school at age fourteen, and my daughter, who does eighteenth-century research for a university professor and his team). Bloomsbury Girls continues Evie’s adventures into a 1950s London bookshop where there is a battle of the sexes raging between the male managers and the female staff, who decide to pull together their smarts, connections, and limited resources to take over the shop and make it their own. There are dozens of new characters in Bloomsbury Girls from several different countries, and audiobook narration was going to require a female voice of the highest training and caliber. When I learned that British stage and screen actress Juliet Stevenson, CBE, had agreed to narrate, I knew that my story could not be in better hands, and I so hope you enjoy reading or listening to it.

Warmest regards,

Natalie