Bloomsbury Girls: three women set out to make their way in post-war London

Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner is a story of post-war London, a century-old bookstore and three women who are determined to find their way in a new, fast-changing world. Bloomsbury Books is an old-fashioned bookstore with new and rare books, run by men and guided by the general manager’s unbreakable fifty-one rules. Vivien Lowry is a single brilliant woman. She has a long list of grievances about how the store is run, many of them well justified. Grace Perkins is a married woman with two sons. She’s been working to support the family after her husband’s breakdown following the war. Evie Stone was one of the first female students to earn a degree from Cambridge. After she was denied an academic position in favor of a less accomplished male rival, she begins working at Bloomsbury Books with a mission. Together they have a plan that will shake up the literary world as they know it. 

Bloomsbury Girls is an interesting book as the characters interact with the movers and shakers of the day’s literary world. For example, Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair, the widow of George Orwell, and Peggy Guggenheim. The story started off slow and I wondered where it was going. But once Evie discovers what she is looking for, the action heats up as she realizes she is not the only one looking for this rare treasure. I cheered for the ending and it made the book worth the read and the slow build up. I thoroughly enjoyed how the women outsmarted the men to come out on top. So much for being the lesser sex! I really enjoyed that one of the general manager’s rules starts each chapter and the action of the chapter shows how the rule is implemented or even broken. If you love stories with strong women featuring books and literary giants, I recommend Bloomsbury Girls. 

Bloomsbury Girls is available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook.