Bloomsbury Girls

Bloomsbury Books is an old-fashioned new and rare book store that has persisted and resisted change for a hundred years, run by men and guided by the general manager's unbreakable fifty-one rules. But in 1950 the world is changing, especially the world of books and publishing, and at Bloomsbury Books the women in the shop must navigate these shifts.

Vivien — Since her aristocratic fiancé was killed in action during World War II, the brilliant and stylish Vivien has a long list of grievances, most of them well justified; the biggest of which is Alec McDonough, the head of fiction.

Grace — Married with two sons, she has been working to support the family following her husband's breakdown in the aftermath of the war. She is torn between duty to her family and dreams of her own.

Evie — In the first class of female students from Cambridge permitted to earn a degree, Evie was denied an academic position in favor of her less accomplished male rival. Now she is working at Bloomsbury Books while she plans to remake her own future.

As they interact with various literary figures of the time — Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell), Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim, and others — these three women, with their complex web of relationships, goals, and dreams, are working to plot out futures that are richer and more rewarding than anything society will allow.

Natalie Jenner, the author of The Jane Austen Society, returns with a compelling and heartwarming story of post-war London, a century-old bookstore, and three women determined to find their way in a fast-changing world.

Endorsements

"Delightful." — People, Pick of the Week

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Katie Couric Media, the CBC, the Globe and Mail, BookBub, POPSUGAR, SheReads, Women.com and more!