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annemariecunningham 's review for:
The Briar Club
by Kate Quinn
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Grace March has a knack for bringing people together and getting her housemates to open up to her. Each woman boarding at The Briar House has a unique past and secrets. The women bond over their dislike of their cheap landlord and a desire for friendship. But as bonds grow, secrets are revealed, until eventually their lives are forever altered.
Quinn kept ‘The Briar Club’ engaging for the reader with the layout - each chapter (they’re LONG chapters, but plenty of breaks in each) tells the backstory of a different boarder. She also gives the house a voice, which was interesting and, I thought, unnecessary. The house didn’t play a large enough role to make an impact. Each character is sufficiently complex. The book felt drawn out a little longer than it needed to be. The reader knew a twist was coming, that Grace wasn’t completely as she seemed. While I guessed what Grace’s backstory would be, Quinn writes well enough that I didn’t feel let down by being able to guess. I appreciate that Quinn does thorough research for each of her novels and bases her characters at least vaguely on real life people.
Was this knock-your-socks-off great? No. Was it enjoyable enough that I’d recommend it to others, especially those into historical fiction? Yes.
Quinn kept ‘The Briar Club’ engaging for the reader with the layout - each chapter (they’re LONG chapters, but plenty of breaks in each) tells the backstory of a different boarder. She also gives the house a voice, which was interesting and, I thought, unnecessary. The house didn’t play a large enough role to make an impact. Each character is sufficiently complex. The book felt drawn out a little longer than it needed to be. The reader knew a twist was coming, that Grace wasn’t completely as she seemed. While I guessed what Grace’s backstory would be, Quinn writes well enough that I didn’t feel let down by being able to guess. I appreciate that Quinn does thorough research for each of her novels and bases her characters at least vaguely on real life people.
Was this knock-your-socks-off great? No. Was it enjoyable enough that I’d recommend it to others, especially those into historical fiction? Yes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Racism, Alcohol