The Briar Club
By Kate Quinn
- Release Date: 2024-07-09
- Genre: Fiction & Literature
Description
“Quinn evocatively balances the outward cheerfulness of the 1950s with historical observations exploring racism, misogyny, homophobia and political persecution in this sharply drawn, gripping novel.” - People Magazine
The New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye and The Rose Code returns with a haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, DC, boardinghouse during the McCarthy era.
Washington, DC, 1950. Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-the-heels all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation’s capital where secrets hide behind white picket fences. But when the lovely, mysterious widow Grace March moves into the attic room, she draws her oddball collection of neighbors into unlikely friendship: poised English beauty Fliss, whose facade of perfect wife and mother covers gaping inner wounds; policeman’s daughter Nora, who finds herself entangled with a shadowy gangster; frustrated baseball star Beatrice, whose career has come to an end along with the women’s baseball league of WWII; and poisonous, gung-ho Arlene, who has thrown herself into McCarthy’s Red Scare.
Grace’s weekly attic-room dinner parties and window-brewed sun tea become a healing balm on all their lives, but she hides a terrible secret of her own. When a shocking act of violence tears the house apart, the Briar Club women must decide once and for all: who is the true enemy in their midst?
Capturing the paranoia of the McCarthy era and evoking the changing roles for women in postwar America, The Briar Club is an intimate and thrilling novel of secrets and loyalty put to the test.
A beautiful, foil cover, first edition.
Reviews
Twisty and torturous — hits it stride and doesn’t disappoint
5By Paleo SchnauzerTook a while to get rolling bu t pushed throhh some slow spots and was rewarded by a fabulous denouement Don’t quit this book - it’s so worth being patient!A good read
4By BroikidoEnjoyed this sweet storyComfort Book With a Dash of Spice
5By Jimminy crick3tI loved the character development in this book. I wanted to be one of the neighbors folded in to Grace’s apartment and friendship. I couldn’t put this down and read for several hours straight to get to the end. This is my new favorite Kate Quinn book.Loved it
4By Courtt007The characters in this story are so well developed. Although there were one or two moment I felt were a bit predictable, I throughly enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down.1950s Washington DC
5By JudystepIn the 1950s, Washington DC was filled with young ladies trying to make a living or, more to the point, find a husband, by working for the federal government. Boarding houses for young ladies were abundant , and Kate Quinn imagines one such house and its residents. Even these low level government employees are afraid of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee famously chaired by the junior senator from Wisconsin, Joe McCarthy. Some have reason to be. Among the tenants of Briarwood boarding house is Nora who studies, admires, and respects the laws of America while being in love with a man who does not. Reka, the Hungarian immigrant, faces the realities of life in this “Land of Opportunity”, while Fliss questions the blessings of motherhood, and Bea the restraints put on women in the 1950s. The residents of Briarwood and their friends, are brought together each Thursday evening for dinner by Grace, the most thoughtful, kind, but enigmatic of the group. What makes these interconnected stories so readable and suspenseful is the plotting. On Thanksgiving Day,1954 two corpses are found in the parlor of Briarwood. The narrative begins four years earlier, in 1950, with each chapter bringing us a little closer to the truth in this brilliantly executed story that is a murder mystery, period piece, coming of age drama, and morality play of the very best kind.Wonderful
5By Piggle2303Truly enjoying getting to know all these womenLoved this book
5By WendyNamasteLoved all the characters - even the unlovable onesA first!
5By DavidcjrWhat book starts with a house as narrator? It had me from page 1.The BriarClub
5By OwlfunOutstanding!Raves about Briar Club
5By book lover ladyA well told mystery about a historical time in American society. A great woven set of friendships and loyalties.Excellent! How aboard a sequel or a series with these characters.
5By millie ZZIt took a little time for me to get into it, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. Excellent book,excellent character development, great story telling all the way through the end of the book. I didn’t want it to be finished. I want more of these lovely characters .Great story!
5By SJB1974I loved this book so much. So many great and different characters and examples of how as friends we can all pick each other up.A page turner from start to finish!
5By MessyMary2024This book was one I could not put down. What an expertly crafted tale, weaving in the McCarthy Era, Washington politics, and age-old American sins which still permeate our culture. What a read! 5 stars!Excellent book
5By BookLover620The sentient house was annoying, but this book is definitely worth the hype. Well-drawn characters and the pacing is immaculate. Plus, it’s set in DC, and I haven’t found many historical novels that are. Highly recommend.Great historical fiction mystery
5By Mhh317Loved the historical accuracies and charactersMy favorite of 2024
5By PinkiemommaI read many great books this year- but none better than this one.Great Book
5By Ams1126Another great one by Quinn. Some mystery, character development, and emotional upheaval.Great characters!
5By Cookers96This book told stories about all the fascinating women of Briarwood house. Each one had an interesting story to tell. This wasn’t your classic who done it mystery but it all came together at the end.Intertaining
5By NutzaboutcookingA very fun read.
