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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Historical fiction, strong women. I do feel like I was missing a little something by not getting to know the one character in the book she had appeared in previously. I loved the sprinkle of famous authors though, the story itself. Overall, glad I tried the author.
I adored this book. It was so cozy and reminded me of my favorite British period dramas. Juliet Stevenson was the perfect narrator.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Women’s rights, post war London
I really LOVED The Jane Austen Society and this newest book by Canadian author Natalie Jenner has been one of my most anticipated books of 2022! I am happy to report it did not disappoint! Set in post-WWII London and following the lives of three women who work at Bloomsbury Books, a very old-school, male-dominated sphere.
Each of the women find an escape working at the bookstore and a freedom to follow their own dreams. I enjoyed so much that Evie from The Jane Austen Society features so prominently in this story. There are several references to her work and the people from that book. It was also fun to see cameos from famous authors of the day like Daphne Du Maurier and George Orwell's widow.
Great on audio narrated by Juliet Stevenson. This was a thoroughly enjoyable historical fiction book featuring strong women fighting for their place in a changing world. Highly recommended, especially for fans of The Paris bookseller or The Mayfair bookshop. Much thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advance review copies!
Each of the women find an escape working at the bookstore and a freedom to follow their own dreams. I enjoyed so much that Evie from The Jane Austen Society features so prominently in this story. There are several references to her work and the people from that book. It was also fun to see cameos from famous authors of the day like Daphne Du Maurier and George Orwell's widow.
Great on audio narrated by Juliet Stevenson. This was a thoroughly enjoyable historical fiction book featuring strong women fighting for their place in a changing world. Highly recommended, especially for fans of The Paris bookseller or The Mayfair bookshop. Much thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advance review copies!
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A nice book with a pleasant story, but not a must-read. Often felt like emotions were over-explained instead of shown.
Lovely continuation on the first book. This did take awhile for me to really get in to but hold out for the ending.
London must be having a real effect on her; she seemed to have taken to heart how the randomness of urban life forced people to create connections in a way that naturally existed in village life.
Alec sighed, "I only ever wanted to be a writer, but it's hard for me, in a way that few things are. It's not just a skill you can train yourself into. There has to be some imaginative spark, some awareness of feeling." Pg 327
She wiped her eyes with the handkerchief he now held out to her. "But what about what I want? What I'm willing to fight for?" It was only starting to dawn on Ash that in making this decision for them both, he was nonetheless depriving her of some say in the matter. He thought of Grace and Vivien, whom he had always quietly admired, and how they, too, seemed kept by men from the kind of love and happiness that they deserved. So often something happened to women--really, to many people--along the way, that kept them on a path not wholly of their own making, and never the path to true prosperity as a result."
Alec sighed, "I only ever wanted to be a writer, but it's hard for me, in a way that few things are. It's not just a skill you can train yourself into. There has to be some imaginative spark, some awareness of feeling." Pg 327
She wiped her eyes with the handkerchief he now held out to her. "But what about what I want? What I'm willing to fight for?" It was only starting to dawn on Ash that in making this decision for them both, he was nonetheless depriving her of some say in the matter. He thought of Grace and Vivien, whom he had always quietly admired, and how they, too, seemed kept by men from the kind of love and happiness that they deserved. So often something happened to women--really, to many people--along the way, that kept them on a path not wholly of their own making, and never the path to true prosperity as a result."