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The Briar Club
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Historical Fiction (2024)A haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, D.C. boardinghouse during the McCarthy era.
Washington, D.C., 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, 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; police officer’s daughter Nora, who is entangled with a shadowy gangster; frustrated baseball star Bea, whose career has ended 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 apart the house, 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.
Washington, D.C., 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, 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; police officer’s daughter Nora, who is entangled with a shadowy gangster; frustrated baseball star Bea, whose career has ended 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 apart the house, 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.
Audio CD
First published July 9, 2024
About the author
Kate Quinn
32 books46.2k followers--I use Goodreads to track and rate my current reading. Most of my reads are 4 stars, meaning I enjoyed it hugely and would absolutely recommend. 5 stars is blew-my-socks-off; reserved for rare reads. 3 stars is "enjoyed it, but something fell a bit short." I very rarely rate lower because I DNF books I'm not enjoying, and don't rate books I don't finish.--
Kate Quinn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. A native of southern California, she attended Boston University where she earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Classical Voice. She has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga, and two books in the Italian Renaissance, before turning to the 20th century with “The Alice Network”, “The Huntress,” "The Rose Code," "The Diamond Eye," and "The Briar Club." She is also a co-author in several collaborative novels including "The Phoenix Crown" with Janie Chang and "Ribbons of Scarlet" with Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, Eliza Knight, Sophie Perinot, and Heather Webb. "The Astral Library," releasing in 2026, is her first foray into magical realism. Kate and her husband now live in Maryland with their two rescue dogs.
Kate Quinn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. A native of southern California, she attended Boston University where she earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Classical Voice. She has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga, and two books in the Italian Renaissance, before turning to the 20th century with “The Alice Network”, “The Huntress,” "The Rose Code," "The Diamond Eye," and "The Briar Club." She is also a co-author in several collaborative novels including "The Phoenix Crown" with Janie Chang and "Ribbons of Scarlet" with Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, Eliza Knight, Sophie Perinot, and Heather Webb. "The Astral Library," releasing in 2026, is her first foray into magical realism. Kate and her husband now live in Maryland with their two rescue dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30,469 reviews
April 23, 2024
As a devoted fan of Kate Quinn’s historical fiction novels, I happily delve into them without concern for their length. Once I immerse myself in one of her works, I find myself captivated by her stories and deeply engaged with her characters, just as I did with her latest offering.
The opening was intriguing: the story begins in 1954, in Washington D.C., at a woman’s boarding house called Briarwood House on Thanksgiving Day, where a brutal murder occurs. One of the boarders may be the culprit, but the identity of the victim remains unknown, although we learn that the murder took place in the room of a boarder named Grace March.
We then quickly jump back four years earlier to follow thirteen-year-old Pete, who shoulders more responsibilities at a young age to help his mother as a handyman at the boarding house. He takes care of his sister, who suffers from lazy eye and a learning disorder. Through his perspective, we are introduced to the boarders, including Grace March, who moves into the attic's shoebox room. Grace is a mysterious widow, tight-lipped about her past, who easily befriends the other boarders: the beautiful young mother Fliss, whose doctor husband works in San Diego as the approaching Korean War affects the political climate; Nora, the youngest of them at only twenty, who works for the National Archives and is having a love affair with a gangster despite being the daughter of a police officer; Beatrice, an ex-baseball player whose career was cut short by WWII and her injuries; Reka, an elderly Hungarian immigrant; and Arlene, a secretary for HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) who becomes a devoted supporter of McCarthy’s Red Scare.
These women, each from different backgrounds and dealing with their own demons and regrets, gather around Grace’s attic room to heal their emotional scars with the sweet taste of Grace’s special sun tea, sharing their love, hate, and miseries under the tight bond of friendship. But Grace’s secrets threaten the sacred bond they've built, and unexpected violent tragedies may tear their lives apart. In the end, each of them must make a choice to differentiate between who is their real friend and who is the enemy hiding among them.
Overall, the characterization in this book is remarkable. You can easily connect with each of the women, embracing them with their flaws and mistakes without judgment. Though it may seem like a long journey, you never want it to end because the pacing is incredibly balanced, including the heart-throbbing action parts. Nothing feels rushed or overly repetitive or dragging. The trajectory of events is executed perfectly, and the conclusion is also very satisfying.
This is definitely one of my favorite historical fiction reads of the year, and I highly recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with this remarkable book's digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts
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The opening was intriguing: the story begins in 1954, in Washington D.C., at a woman’s boarding house called Briarwood House on Thanksgiving Day, where a brutal murder occurs. One of the boarders may be the culprit, but the identity of the victim remains unknown, although we learn that the murder took place in the room of a boarder named Grace March.
We then quickly jump back four years earlier to follow thirteen-year-old Pete, who shoulders more responsibilities at a young age to help his mother as a handyman at the boarding house. He takes care of his sister, who suffers from lazy eye and a learning disorder. Through his perspective, we are introduced to the boarders, including Grace March, who moves into the attic's shoebox room. Grace is a mysterious widow, tight-lipped about her past, who easily befriends the other boarders: the beautiful young mother Fliss, whose doctor husband works in San Diego as the approaching Korean War affects the political climate; Nora, the youngest of them at only twenty, who works for the National Archives and is having a love affair with a gangster despite being the daughter of a police officer; Beatrice, an ex-baseball player whose career was cut short by WWII and her injuries; Reka, an elderly Hungarian immigrant; and Arlene, a secretary for HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) who becomes a devoted supporter of McCarthy’s Red Scare.
These women, each from different backgrounds and dealing with their own demons and regrets, gather around Grace’s attic room to heal their emotional scars with the sweet taste of Grace’s special sun tea, sharing their love, hate, and miseries under the tight bond of friendship. But Grace’s secrets threaten the sacred bond they've built, and unexpected violent tragedies may tear their lives apart. In the end, each of them must make a choice to differentiate between who is their real friend and who is the enemy hiding among them.
Overall, the characterization in this book is remarkable. You can easily connect with each of the women, embracing them with their flaws and mistakes without judgment. Though it may seem like a long journey, you never want it to end because the pacing is incredibly balanced, including the heart-throbbing action parts. Nothing feels rushed or overly repetitive or dragging. The trajectory of events is executed perfectly, and the conclusion is also very satisfying.
This is definitely one of my favorite historical fiction reads of the year, and I highly recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with this remarkable book's digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts
medium blog
August 16, 2024
The Briar Club opens with a death. Or two. A whodunnit.
The Briar Club is a home, in the 1950’s, whose rooms are rented out to women. They meet every Thursday for a meal in an attic room. Both young and old. All struggling with emotional battles of their past. But Grace, the latest tenant, brings these women together: To celebrate food and life; To recognize we all need community to survive rather than being isolated and alone; to lift each other up, at their lowest point.
She does tackle some tough themes: domestic violence, poverty, homosexuality, discrimination, and abandonment. Too much for one story IMO.
What I could have done without: the multiple POV’s with the house being one; the recipes; the baking contest.
Not my favourite but an ok one 3.75⭐️
The Briar Club is a home, in the 1950’s, whose rooms are rented out to women. They meet every Thursday for a meal in an attic room. Both young and old. All struggling with emotional battles of their past. But Grace, the latest tenant, brings these women together: To celebrate food and life; To recognize we all need community to survive rather than being isolated and alone; to lift each other up, at their lowest point.
She does tackle some tough themes: domestic violence, poverty, homosexuality, discrimination, and abandonment. Too much for one story IMO.
What I could have done without: the multiple POV’s with the house being one; the recipes; the baking contest.
Not my favourite but an ok one 3.75⭐️
August 5, 2024
‘If these walls could talk. Well, they may not be talking, but they are certainly listening. And watching.’
Kate Quinn’s The Briar Club is a fascinating dive into the 1950s, wrapped up in a cozy murder mystery. If you love historical fiction with a touch of suspense and strong female leads, this book is a must read.
Set in Washington, D.C., the story kicks off with a shocking murder at Briarwood House, a slightly run down boardinghouse exclusively for women. Grace March, the new tenant in the attic, is at the heart of the story. She quickly becomes the glue that holds together an eclectic group of boarders: an elegant Englishwoman, a police officer’s daughter mixed up with a gangster, a former baseball star, and a die hard McCarthy supporter.
What makes this book a delight is how it captures the era’s societal changes, particularly the evolving roles of women. Grace's weekly dinner parties in her attic room become a symbol of camaraderie and healing, even as she harbors her own dark secret.
Quinn excels at creating strong, relatable women who each face their own struggles and secrets. The dynamics between them are both heartwarming and tense, adding layers of depth to the story. Plus, the inclusion of recipes from Grace’s supper club adds a charming, personal touch. The characters are well drawn and relatable, and the plot keeps you guessing until the end. Plus, the chapters from the house’s perspective are a quirky and fun addition.
One of the standout aspects of this book is how it captures the era’s atmosphere, suspicion, the Korean War, and the early days of the birth control pill are all woven into the plot. Quinn’s attention to historical detail is impeccable, making you feel like you’ve been transported back in time.
If you’re a fan of historical fiction, strong female leads, and a good mystery, you’ll likely find ‘The Briar Club’ a rewarding read. Just be prepared for a slower pace, as this one dives deep into character development and setting the scene.
The Briar Club is a rich, immersive novel that offers a fresh take on the historical mystery genre. It’s perfect for a cozy weekend read and would make a fantastic book club pick.
I Highly Recommend.
Thank you HarperCollins Australia for gifting me a copy of The Briar Club for review.
Kate Quinn’s The Briar Club is a fascinating dive into the 1950s, wrapped up in a cozy murder mystery. If you love historical fiction with a touch of suspense and strong female leads, this book is a must read.
Set in Washington, D.C., the story kicks off with a shocking murder at Briarwood House, a slightly run down boardinghouse exclusively for women. Grace March, the new tenant in the attic, is at the heart of the story. She quickly becomes the glue that holds together an eclectic group of boarders: an elegant Englishwoman, a police officer’s daughter mixed up with a gangster, a former baseball star, and a die hard McCarthy supporter.
What makes this book a delight is how it captures the era’s societal changes, particularly the evolving roles of women. Grace's weekly dinner parties in her attic room become a symbol of camaraderie and healing, even as she harbors her own dark secret.
Quinn excels at creating strong, relatable women who each face their own struggles and secrets. The dynamics between them are both heartwarming and tense, adding layers of depth to the story. Plus, the inclusion of recipes from Grace’s supper club adds a charming, personal touch. The characters are well drawn and relatable, and the plot keeps you guessing until the end. Plus, the chapters from the house’s perspective are a quirky and fun addition.
One of the standout aspects of this book is how it captures the era’s atmosphere, suspicion, the Korean War, and the early days of the birth control pill are all woven into the plot. Quinn’s attention to historical detail is impeccable, making you feel like you’ve been transported back in time.
If you’re a fan of historical fiction, strong female leads, and a good mystery, you’ll likely find ‘The Briar Club’ a rewarding read. Just be prepared for a slower pace, as this one dives deep into character development and setting the scene.
The Briar Club is a rich, immersive novel that offers a fresh take on the historical mystery genre. It’s perfect for a cozy weekend read and would make a fantastic book club pick.
I Highly Recommend.
Thank you HarperCollins Australia for gifting me a copy of The Briar Club for review.
January 7, 2025
In a Nutshell: A character-driven historical fiction set in the oft-ignored 1950s. Excellent character sketches, great plotline, excellent research, good suspense. Goes a bit overboard on the jingoism, but this might not be an issue for everyone. Definitely recommended.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
I have read only one Kate Quinn work prior to this – a short story called ‘Signal Moon’, but that little glimpse had been enough to know the talent of this author. I am glad that my first experience of her full-length work went as well as I had expected.
Bookish Yays:
💐 Briar House the location as well as Briar House the narrator - Loved the house’s perspective and observations. A wonderful writing choice!
💐 The 1954 Thanksgiving timeline that comes from Briar House’s perspective – full of suspense and intrigue and enough red herrings to keep us hooked.
💐 The various characters in the plot and their individual backstories, distinct enough to keep me hooked. I loved how their complex personalities didn’t make it easy to compartmentalise them into predefined slots. None of the adults is goody-goody. The overall character development is outstanding.
💐 Not often do we find well-sketched male characters in a female-dominated story, but the men in this book hold their own, even in relatively smaller roles.
💐 Loved the significance of the titular “briar club” and how it came into being. The found family trope is nicely used.
💐 Excellent research of places and history, covering topics not often seen in historical fiction. The Korean war and McCarthyism both were covered well, but what I liked the most was the focus on Communism. I appreciate how the author even highlighted the other side of the story rather than colouring all communist believers with the same villainous brush.
💐 The clever use of the four-year timeline from 1950 to 1954, taking the story ahead fluidly without making it feel rushed or dragged.
💐 Though most of the characters have untold secrets, the plot doesn't rely on the secrets to move ahead. The reveals come out naturally in the course of the story. Thriller writers need to tear a page from Ms Quinn’s writing approach.
💐 Each of the characters’ stories also covers a theme and does so without making it sound like an agenda. The topics so include the usual lot (gender discrimination, racial discrimination, sexual discrimination,…) but they don’t stop at this. Some of the topics are unusual. While it did seem like a lot was being covered within a single book, I didn’t find it overpowering the narrative.
💐 The setting of Washington and its political and social environment, combined with the boarding house and its vibe – a fabulous immersive atmosphere where I felt like I was right there with the characters.
💐 Recipes in between the chapters. While I am usually not a fan of recipes in novels, I love how these were integrated into the storyline at an apt point and even came with a tongue-in-cheek suggestion of how and when to consume the dish.
💐 The historical note by the author – Wowza! Actual historical references and detailed notes for every character and information about the socio-political situation of the era. Hands down, one of the best and most impressive author's notes I've read!
Bookish Yays-For-Me-Might-Be-Nays-For-Others:
🌺 Though there are many characters, the proceedings never became confusing for me. Each of the humans in the book is clearly defined from names to looks to personality. But those who don’t like a book’s having too many characters might be annoyed by this.
🌺 The story is presented as lengthy vignettes with a distinct character for each section. This approach is sometimes seen in lit fic but not so much in hist fic. So if you don’t like investing into a character’s back story and then switching over to a completely new character in the next section, you might not like this. However, I have a fondness for such narratives when handled well – only a great writer can create an impact through a detailed character-oriented journey. In this book, I especially love the decision of beginning the proceedings with thirteen-year-old Pete’s perspective, though there are so many strong women characters. His innocence adds a mystery to Grace’s arrival at the house. I also appreciate the segue into the next character’s POV once the earlier one ends – the switch is always smooth.
🌺 Because of the above, most of the individual chapters are quite lengthy. This is not a negative for me as chapter lengths rarely affect my reading experience. It is only tricky to decide where to stop.
🌺 Though there is a mystery in the book, the plot is focussed more on the characters than on the suspense. I did not read this as a mystery anyway, so this didn’t bother me. But those who pick it up as a historical mystery might need to stay patient.
Bookish Mixed Bags:
🌵 The repetitive sentiments about the USA and its greatness – This extreme patriotism is better suited to OTT Hollywood action-thrillers. (And honestly, it is even more annoying to read in the MAGA era.) Initially, I thought that the portrayal was realistically balanced. But in the second half, the “America is the greatest of all” theme became heavy-handed. The cliched portrayal of some other countries (Ukraine – good, Russia – bad,…) didn’t help matters. That said, there are a couple of mentions about America also having flaws, and of certain Americans misusing the system. A small saving grace.
All in all, I enjoyed this story almost entirely. Character-driven books appeal to me when the people are well-rounded humans than caricature-ish. This one has one of the best-crafted character sets I have read in a long time. The impeccable atmosphere and historical details only added to the appeal.
With this book, Kate Quinn enters my list of must-read authors. I can’t wait to catch up on her back catalogue! I had been told that Kate Quinn writes as well as Kristin Hannah, another established American author in the historical fiction genre. Having read one book each by both of them, here is my initial estimation: Kate Quinn doesn't write as well as Kristin Hannah. Quinn writes a hundred times better. Time will tell if my opinion changes.
Definitely recommended to readers who enjoy character-oriented historical stories with somewhat flawed but strong women characters.
4.5 stars. (I am rounding up despite my dissatisfaction with the “America the Great” trope. After all, it is written for American readers and I did love everything else, so there...)
My thanks to HarperCollins Publishers Australia for providing the DRC of “The Briar Club” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
1950, Washington D.C. Briar House is an all-female boarding-house run by the stingy Mrs. Nelson who wants the money but not the work. Her children, teen Pete and tween Lena, bear the brunt of her behaviour. The boarders also mostly stay to themselves. This changes when widowed Grace March moves into the attic room. With her friendliness and care, she draws all the neighbours into a tightly knit group, even though she herself stays an enigma.
The weekly dinner parties, conducted when Mrs. Nelson is out on her weekly bridge night, soon become a highlight for all the residents and the two Nelson children. But one day, a shocking incident occurs during the get-together, putting into jeopardy not just the friendship but also the people in the house.
The story comes to us in the third-person perspectives of various characters over a four-year period, with some interludes from the “contemporary” time of 1954 by the special character, Briar House itself.
I have read only one Kate Quinn work prior to this – a short story called ‘Signal Moon’, but that little glimpse had been enough to know the talent of this author. I am glad that my first experience of her full-length work went as well as I had expected.
Bookish Yays:
💐 Briar House the location as well as Briar House the narrator - Loved the house’s perspective and observations. A wonderful writing choice!
💐 The 1954 Thanksgiving timeline that comes from Briar House’s perspective – full of suspense and intrigue and enough red herrings to keep us hooked.
💐 The various characters in the plot and their individual backstories, distinct enough to keep me hooked. I loved how their complex personalities didn’t make it easy to compartmentalise them into predefined slots. None of the adults is goody-goody. The overall character development is outstanding.
💐 Not often do we find well-sketched male characters in a female-dominated story, but the men in this book hold their own, even in relatively smaller roles.
💐 Loved the significance of the titular “briar club” and how it came into being. The found family trope is nicely used.
💐 Excellent research of places and history, covering topics not often seen in historical fiction. The Korean war and McCarthyism both were covered well, but what I liked the most was the focus on Communism. I appreciate how the author even highlighted the other side of the story rather than colouring all communist believers with the same villainous brush.
💐 The clever use of the four-year timeline from 1950 to 1954, taking the story ahead fluidly without making it feel rushed or dragged.
💐 Though most of the characters have untold secrets, the plot doesn't rely on the secrets to move ahead. The reveals come out naturally in the course of the story. Thriller writers need to tear a page from Ms Quinn’s writing approach.
💐 Each of the characters’ stories also covers a theme and does so without making it sound like an agenda. The topics so include the usual lot (gender discrimination, racial discrimination, sexual discrimination,…) but they don’t stop at this. Some of the topics are unusual. While it did seem like a lot was being covered within a single book, I didn’t find it overpowering the narrative.
💐 The setting of Washington and its political and social environment, combined with the boarding house and its vibe – a fabulous immersive atmosphere where I felt like I was right there with the characters.
💐 Recipes in between the chapters. While I am usually not a fan of recipes in novels, I love how these were integrated into the storyline at an apt point and even came with a tongue-in-cheek suggestion of how and when to consume the dish.
💐 The historical note by the author – Wowza! Actual historical references and detailed notes for every character and information about the socio-political situation of the era. Hands down, one of the best and most impressive author's notes I've read!
Bookish Yays-For-Me-Might-Be-Nays-For-Others:
🌺 Though there are many characters, the proceedings never became confusing for me. Each of the humans in the book is clearly defined from names to looks to personality. But those who don’t like a book’s having too many characters might be annoyed by this.
🌺 The story is presented as lengthy vignettes with a distinct character for each section. This approach is sometimes seen in lit fic but not so much in hist fic. So if you don’t like investing into a character’s back story and then switching over to a completely new character in the next section, you might not like this. However, I have a fondness for such narratives when handled well – only a great writer can create an impact through a detailed character-oriented journey. In this book, I especially love the decision of beginning the proceedings with thirteen-year-old Pete’s perspective, though there are so many strong women characters. His innocence adds a mystery to Grace’s arrival at the house. I also appreciate the segue into the next character’s POV once the earlier one ends – the switch is always smooth.
🌺 Because of the above, most of the individual chapters are quite lengthy. This is not a negative for me as chapter lengths rarely affect my reading experience. It is only tricky to decide where to stop.
🌺 Though there is a mystery in the book, the plot is focussed more on the characters than on the suspense. I did not read this as a mystery anyway, so this didn’t bother me. But those who pick it up as a historical mystery might need to stay patient.
Bookish Mixed Bags:
🌵 The repetitive sentiments about the USA and its greatness – This extreme patriotism is better suited to OTT Hollywood action-thrillers. (And honestly, it is even more annoying to read in the MAGA era.) Initially, I thought that the portrayal was realistically balanced. But in the second half, the “America is the greatest of all” theme became heavy-handed. The cliched portrayal of some other countries (Ukraine – good, Russia – bad,…) didn’t help matters. That said, there are a couple of mentions about America also having flaws, and of certain Americans misusing the system. A small saving grace.
All in all, I enjoyed this story almost entirely. Character-driven books appeal to me when the people are well-rounded humans than caricature-ish. This one has one of the best-crafted character sets I have read in a long time. The impeccable atmosphere and historical details only added to the appeal.
With this book, Kate Quinn enters my list of must-read authors. I can’t wait to catch up on her back catalogue! I had been told that Kate Quinn writes as well as Kristin Hannah, another established American author in the historical fiction genre. Having read one book each by both of them, here is my initial estimation: Kate Quinn doesn't write as well as Kristin Hannah. Quinn writes a hundred times better. Time will tell if my opinion changes.
Definitely recommended to readers who enjoy character-oriented historical stories with somewhat flawed but strong women characters.
4.5 stars. (I am rounding up despite my dissatisfaction with the “America the Great” trope. After all, it is written for American readers and I did love everything else, so there...)
My thanks to HarperCollins Publishers Australia for providing the DRC of “The Briar Club” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
June 13, 2024
Not sure how to review this one.
First off, it’s not your typical Kate Quinn book. If you’re picking this up expecting a deep historical fiction story it is not going to be that. Instead, it reads more like a collection of short stories, since each chapter is from a different character’s point of view without any repeats (well one does but it’s short).
I guess it’s best to break it down by chapters for ⭐️ rating:
Peter: 1.5
Nora: 4
Reka: 2.5-3
Fliss: 3
Bea: 2.5-3
Clair: 4
Arlene: 3.5
Author’s Note: Actually the best part of the book!
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲?
This is a very slow character driven story. Most of the chapters feel like they become repetitive within their own character’s story and it made it hard to really get into and enjoy for some of the chapters.
Thank you, WilliamMorrow for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest opinions.
First off, it’s not your typical Kate Quinn book. If you’re picking this up expecting a deep historical fiction story it is not going to be that. Instead, it reads more like a collection of short stories, since each chapter is from a different character’s point of view without any repeats (well one does but it’s short).
I guess it’s best to break it down by chapters for ⭐️ rating:
Peter: 1.5
Nora: 4
Reka: 2.5-3
Fliss: 3
Bea: 2.5-3
Clair: 4
Arlene: 3.5
Author’s Note: Actually the best part of the book!
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲?
This is a very slow character driven story. Most of the chapters feel like they become repetitive within their own character’s story and it made it hard to really get into and enjoy for some of the chapters.
Thank you, WilliamMorrow for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest opinions.
July 28, 2024
Felt like a bunch of random setups used to tell generic romance stories about flat characters. I was never invested in anyone. And my god, the number of times this book slammed on the brakes to randomly shove a recipe into the story. Tedious and absolutely distracting. I took off an entire star for that nonsense.
July 24, 2024
Imagine curling up with a book that feels like a warm hug—this one is it! Quinn has done it again with her latest historical gem. Grace, our wonderful heroine, effortlessly brings the residents of Briarwood House together. You'll find a charming mix of old and new, young and old, all coming to life in such a delightful way.
But wait, there's more! A sprinkle of romance and a "not-so-gangster" fling add just the right amount of spice. This story will hold your attention and transport you to a different time.
While it might not be my absolute favorite from Quinn, it's still a lovely, steady read that leaves you feeling cozy and content.
But wait, there's more! A sprinkle of romance and a "not-so-gangster" fling add just the right amount of spice. This story will hold your attention and transport you to a different time.
While it might not be my absolute favorite from Quinn, it's still a lovely, steady read that leaves you feeling cozy and content.
June 23, 2024
EXCERPT: Thanksgiving 1954 - Washington DC
If these walls could talk. Well, they may not be talking, but they are certainly listening. And watching.
Briarwood House is as old as the century. The house has presided - brick fronted, four-storied, slightly dilapidated - over the square below for fifty-four years. It's seen three wars, ten presidents, and countless tenants . . . but until tonight, never a murder. Now its walls smell of turkey, pumpkin pie and blood, and the house is shocked down into its foundations.
Also, just a little bit thrilled. This is the most excitement Briarwood House has had in decades.
ABOUT 'THE BRIAR CLUB': Washington, D.C., 1950
Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, an all-female boarding house in the heart of the US capital, where secrets hide behind respectable facades.
But when the mysterious Grace March moves into the attic room, she draws her oddball collection of neighbours – a poised English beauty, a policeman’s daughter, a frustrated female baseball star, and a rabidly pro-McCarthy typist – into an unlikely friendship.
Grace’s weekly attic-room dinner parties and window-brewed sun tea become a healing balm on all their troubled lives, but she hides a terrible secret of her own. And when a shocking act of violence tears the house apart, the Briar Club must decide once and for all: who is the true enemy in their midst?
MY THOUGHTS: Kate Quinn's The Briar Club is enchanting and compelling. When I wasn't reading, I was thinking - What is Grace's story? Whose are the bodies? Who killed them? And why?
This is not Kate Quinn's usual fare - yes, it is historical fiction (or should that be faction?), but it is the characters who carry this story, including Briarwood House, a character in its own right. Spanning the years from 1950 when new tenant Grace March arrives at Briarwood House to 1954 when the murders occur, The Briar Club is an intriguing story of friendship set against a backdrop of political and social change encompassing the atomic bomb, McCarthyism, the Korean war, racial discrimination and the Cold War.
I loved getting to know these characters. Grace Marsh is the mysterious woman in the tiny attic room who draws all the other characters together. Nora, the daughter and sister of Irish policeman who, although she is estranged from her family, is still expected to support them. Bea is a woman frustrated by the curveball life has thrown her. Arlene is an unhappy husband-hunting woman who doesn't understand why no one likes her. Rekha is an older Hungarian woman, a professor and artist before she escaped to America who now earns a living shelving books at the library. Fliss is English and bringing up a baby with no family support, her doctor husband having been sent overseas to treat those injured in the war. Claire is focused only on getting out of the boarding house, her dream being a small house in the suburbs with a white picket fence. She will do whatever it takes to attain her dream. In addition to these characters there is the Nilson family - Mrs Nilson, a penny-pinching harridan who treats her children like slaves; Pete Nilson her teenage son; and Lina, Pete's slightly younger sister. There is also a gangster, a jazz musician or two, a G-Man, a politician's wife and a Russian spy.
Don't expect a fast-paced intense story. The Briar Club is very much a slow burn, character focused read. And one I loved. The storyline is intricate and richly layered with historical detail that I reveled in. I loved the characters' dramas, their relationships, and their stories which Grace seamlessly extracted from them. I really didn't want this book to end, as satisfying as that ending is. The Briar Club elicited all the emotions from me - it is sad, funny, touching, appalling and entertaining. A perfect mix.
Don't finish this read without reading Kate Quinn's explanation of how this book and its characters came about. It is worth five stars on its own.
There is also the bonus of recipes for Grace's Sun Tea, and the various other dishes served at the Thursday evening supper club and a musical recommendation to accompany the food. I had tears of laughter running down my face at Arlene's Candle Salad.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#TheBriarClub #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: A native of southern California, Kate and her husband now live in San Diego with three rescue dogs.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers Australia via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Briar Club by Kate Quinn for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
The Briar Club is due for publication 18 July 2024.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
If these walls could talk. Well, they may not be talking, but they are certainly listening. And watching.
Briarwood House is as old as the century. The house has presided - brick fronted, four-storied, slightly dilapidated - over the square below for fifty-four years. It's seen three wars, ten presidents, and countless tenants . . . but until tonight, never a murder. Now its walls smell of turkey, pumpkin pie and blood, and the house is shocked down into its foundations.
Also, just a little bit thrilled. This is the most excitement Briarwood House has had in decades.
ABOUT 'THE BRIAR CLUB': Washington, D.C., 1950
Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, an all-female boarding house in the heart of the US capital, where secrets hide behind respectable facades.
But when the mysterious Grace March moves into the attic room, she draws her oddball collection of neighbours – a poised English beauty, a policeman’s daughter, a frustrated female baseball star, and a rabidly pro-McCarthy typist – into an unlikely friendship.
Grace’s weekly attic-room dinner parties and window-brewed sun tea become a healing balm on all their troubled lives, but she hides a terrible secret of her own. And when a shocking act of violence tears the house apart, the Briar Club must decide once and for all: who is the true enemy in their midst?
MY THOUGHTS: Kate Quinn's The Briar Club is enchanting and compelling. When I wasn't reading, I was thinking - What is Grace's story? Whose are the bodies? Who killed them? And why?
This is not Kate Quinn's usual fare - yes, it is historical fiction (or should that be faction?), but it is the characters who carry this story, including Briarwood House, a character in its own right. Spanning the years from 1950 when new tenant Grace March arrives at Briarwood House to 1954 when the murders occur, The Briar Club is an intriguing story of friendship set against a backdrop of political and social change encompassing the atomic bomb, McCarthyism, the Korean war, racial discrimination and the Cold War.
I loved getting to know these characters. Grace Marsh is the mysterious woman in the tiny attic room who draws all the other characters together. Nora, the daughter and sister of Irish policeman who, although she is estranged from her family, is still expected to support them. Bea is a woman frustrated by the curveball life has thrown her. Arlene is an unhappy husband-hunting woman who doesn't understand why no one likes her. Rekha is an older Hungarian woman, a professor and artist before she escaped to America who now earns a living shelving books at the library. Fliss is English and bringing up a baby with no family support, her doctor husband having been sent overseas to treat those injured in the war. Claire is focused only on getting out of the boarding house, her dream being a small house in the suburbs with a white picket fence. She will do whatever it takes to attain her dream. In addition to these characters there is the Nilson family - Mrs Nilson, a penny-pinching harridan who treats her children like slaves; Pete Nilson her teenage son; and Lina, Pete's slightly younger sister. There is also a gangster, a jazz musician or two, a G-Man, a politician's wife and a Russian spy.
Don't expect a fast-paced intense story. The Briar Club is very much a slow burn, character focused read. And one I loved. The storyline is intricate and richly layered with historical detail that I reveled in. I loved the characters' dramas, their relationships, and their stories which Grace seamlessly extracted from them. I really didn't want this book to end, as satisfying as that ending is. The Briar Club elicited all the emotions from me - it is sad, funny, touching, appalling and entertaining. A perfect mix.
Don't finish this read without reading Kate Quinn's explanation of how this book and its characters came about. It is worth five stars on its own.
There is also the bonus of recipes for Grace's Sun Tea, and the various other dishes served at the Thursday evening supper club and a musical recommendation to accompany the food. I had tears of laughter running down my face at Arlene's Candle Salad.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#TheBriarClub #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: A native of southern California, Kate and her husband now live in San Diego with three rescue dogs.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers Australia via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Briar Club by Kate Quinn for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
The Briar Club is due for publication 18 July 2024.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
July 30, 2024
where are my historical fiction + Kate Quinn fans at?! THE BRIAR CLUB is her latest release and it was such an enjoyable read 💛 i highly reco the audiobook!
🎧 narrated by @saskiaaudio—10/10!
read if you like: multiple POVs, HF not centered around war, murder mysteries
i’m such a huge fan of Kate Quinn’s work (THE ROSE CODE is a top 10 fave book of mine) so i was sooo happy to dive into THE BRIAR CLUB. as someone whose read all her work, this story was really different for her and i applaud the uniqueness! it’s not centered around a war (instead: the 1950’s Red Scare era) and is told in 9 chapters with 9 different POVs—all by women who live in the Briar House boardinghouse.
i really enjoyed the various POVs and how each one felt like a piece to the puzzle, both with the murder mystery as well as the timeframe. all the women had secrets and struggles of their own and it was refreshing to read so many stories that women went through at this time, all leading to unexpected friendship 🫶🏼 Reka and Nora were my personal faves! Saskia’s narration was flawless and really kept me invested.
THE BRIAR CLUB follows the women that live in a boardinghouse in DC in the 1950’s. there’s a murder in the house on Thanksgiving of 1954 and the story covers the events—and secrets—leading up to it. is someone who lives in the house a murderer?
my main complaint was that with the 9 POVs and long chapters for each one, it felt almost like 9 mini stories in one book. sometimes i was JUST getting into one character’s story and the POV would end and we wouldn’t hear from them again the entire book—so i missed them 🥹 there were also some POVs i enjoyed more than others, so i found myself wishing to get one back or move on quicker.
TLDR—i enjoyed the ending and the overall story, but it’s hard to beat THE ROSE CODE! its always refreshing to read a historical fiction not centered around a war, especially with timeframe i don’t know a ton about!
🎧 narrated by @saskiaaudio—10/10!
read if you like: multiple POVs, HF not centered around war, murder mysteries
i’m such a huge fan of Kate Quinn’s work (THE ROSE CODE is a top 10 fave book of mine) so i was sooo happy to dive into THE BRIAR CLUB. as someone whose read all her work, this story was really different for her and i applaud the uniqueness! it’s not centered around a war (instead: the 1950’s Red Scare era) and is told in 9 chapters with 9 different POVs—all by women who live in the Briar House boardinghouse.
i really enjoyed the various POVs and how each one felt like a piece to the puzzle, both with the murder mystery as well as the timeframe. all the women had secrets and struggles of their own and it was refreshing to read so many stories that women went through at this time, all leading to unexpected friendship 🫶🏼 Reka and Nora were my personal faves! Saskia’s narration was flawless and really kept me invested.
THE BRIAR CLUB follows the women that live in a boardinghouse in DC in the 1950’s. there’s a murder in the house on Thanksgiving of 1954 and the story covers the events—and secrets—leading up to it. is someone who lives in the house a murderer?
my main complaint was that with the 9 POVs and long chapters for each one, it felt almost like 9 mini stories in one book. sometimes i was JUST getting into one character’s story and the POV would end and we wouldn’t hear from them again the entire book—so i missed them 🥹 there were also some POVs i enjoyed more than others, so i found myself wishing to get one back or move on quicker.
TLDR—i enjoyed the ending and the overall story, but it’s hard to beat THE ROSE CODE! its always refreshing to read a historical fiction not centered around a war, especially with timeframe i don’t know a ton about!
August 18, 2024
Sadly I’m going to DNF this one 🙈
The chapters are so incredibly long! I’m sorry, but no chapter needs to be 60 PAGES long! I tried to pick this up so many times I kept trudging thru, I tried tandem reading. I could not stay interested. I made it about 50% thru and I just do not care about this story. It’s frankly, boring. And the charecters are not interesting to me. This is very charecter driven. Each chapter follows a different charecter, and I just didn’t have anything that was keeping my interest to want to force myself to read these extremely long chapters.
I’m disappointed cause I had super high hopes for it.
The chapters are so incredibly long! I’m sorry, but no chapter needs to be 60 PAGES long! I tried to pick this up so many times I kept trudging thru, I tried tandem reading. I could not stay interested. I made it about 50% thru and I just do not care about this story. It’s frankly, boring. And the charecters are not interesting to me. This is very charecter driven. Each chapter follows a different charecter, and I just didn’t have anything that was keeping my interest to want to force myself to read these extremely long chapters.
I’m disappointed cause I had super high hopes for it.
July 21, 2024
The Briar Club represents a change from Kate Quinn’s prior books, which were truly historical fiction. My definition of historical fiction is a story that teaches me something about a prior time period or the people who lived then. This is more fiction that happens to take place in the past. Yes, there’s a lot about McCarthy and the Red Scare, but it's more background noise for the majority of the book. It’s billed as a mystery, but that’s also more of a misnomer, although there are dead bodies, whose identities aren’t made known until the fabulous ending.
The story revolves around a group of eight women who are all renters in a rundown house in 1950’s Washington, DC. One of the boarders begins to bring them together weekly for dinners which finally brings a sense of friendship to the place despite the nasty landlady.
The chapters alternate between each of the residents’ backgrounds and current lives along with chapters told from the perspective of the house itself. Those chapters really didn’t work for me, but I make no secret of my dislike of the supernatural. Quinn could just as easily have moved the murder chapters along with a plain old third person omniscient narrative. The women’s stories also aren’t uniformly interesting, but more were than weren’t. Quinn does an excellent job of moving the story across the 4 years as each woman takes up the storyline.
It’s important to go into this with the right expectations. This is a character driven story and those expecting much in the way of action or murder will be disappointed. Although the ending does a great job of dispensing justice. Those looking for true historical fiction will also be disappointed. Those looking for a lovely women’s lit will be pleased. Once I adjusted my expectations, I ended up really enjoying this.
Make sure to read/listen to the Author’s Notes. I was surprised at how the book came into being and how each of the tenants has their basis in a real person.
I listened to this and Saskia Maarleveld does her normal superb job.
The story revolves around a group of eight women who are all renters in a rundown house in 1950’s Washington, DC. One of the boarders begins to bring them together weekly for dinners which finally brings a sense of friendship to the place despite the nasty landlady.
The chapters alternate between each of the residents’ backgrounds and current lives along with chapters told from the perspective of the house itself. Those chapters really didn’t work for me, but I make no secret of my dislike of the supernatural. Quinn could just as easily have moved the murder chapters along with a plain old third person omniscient narrative. The women’s stories also aren’t uniformly interesting, but more were than weren’t. Quinn does an excellent job of moving the story across the 4 years as each woman takes up the storyline.
It’s important to go into this with the right expectations. This is a character driven story and those expecting much in the way of action or murder will be disappointed. Although the ending does a great job of dispensing justice. Those looking for true historical fiction will also be disappointed. Those looking for a lovely women’s lit will be pleased. Once I adjusted my expectations, I ended up really enjoying this.
Make sure to read/listen to the Author’s Notes. I was surprised at how the book came into being and how each of the tenants has their basis in a real person.
I listened to this and Saskia Maarleveld does her normal superb job.
Read
January 23, 2026Can't believe I haven't read a Kate Quinn before now. Lots of people told me this one was a slow start but I was sucked in SO fast!
May 10, 2026
I'll be honest, this isn't my typical read, but I really enjoyed it! The character work is fantastic and there a lot of great dynamics that pull you in. The plot is intriguing and there are some solid reveals that will leave you reeling. I was spoiled for one of the big reveals and still left feeling shook!
August 15, 2026
this book is an intriguing mix of murder mystery and women’s historical fiction.
what to expect:
• multiple POV chapters from each woman living in a boardinghouse
• Washington DC setting in the 1950s
• LONG chapters
• murder mystery
• a bit of scandal, grief, friendship, healing, and a lot of secrets
this was a really fun and clever historical fiction novel that started with a bang but slowly fizzled out for me by the end. i became a little fatigued by how dang long the chapters were. (i’m talking like 60+ page chapters by the way…)
i’m still really glad i read this and i didn’t guess some parts of the plot twists and murder mystery towards the end. the mystery itself was enough to carry me through to the end, though i wish i were more invested by the time i got to that point in the book.
some POVs were certainly more engaging for me than others, but they did all contribute nicely in their own ways. there wasn’t much action and we mostly focused on each character’s background and story.
i hadn’t read a historical fiction novel in a while but this ultimately did the job even if it wasn’t a 5-star read.
i love badass women in my books & i always will.
available on kindle unlimited
what to expect:
• multiple POV chapters from each woman living in a boardinghouse
• Washington DC setting in the 1950s
• LONG chapters
• murder mystery
• a bit of scandal, grief, friendship, healing, and a lot of secrets
this was a really fun and clever historical fiction novel that started with a bang but slowly fizzled out for me by the end. i became a little fatigued by how dang long the chapters were. (i’m talking like 60+ page chapters by the way…)
i’m still really glad i read this and i didn’t guess some parts of the plot twists and murder mystery towards the end. the mystery itself was enough to carry me through to the end, though i wish i were more invested by the time i got to that point in the book.
some POVs were certainly more engaging for me than others, but they did all contribute nicely in their own ways. there wasn’t much action and we mostly focused on each character’s background and story.
i hadn’t read a historical fiction novel in a while but this ultimately did the job even if it wasn’t a 5-star read.
i love badass women in my books & i always will.
available on kindle unlimited
July 3, 2024
Briarwood (Boarding) House, Washington DC, Thanksgiving 1954. Turkey, pumpkin pie and murder. Which of the characters present on this catastrophic night will end up clapped in handcuffs? The house knows…..
Backtrack to June 1950, maybe the answers lie there when widowed Mrs Grace March arrives seeking a room, that’s when the house wakes up that’s for sure. Why so? Maybe its because Grace draws all the ‘motley’ collection of boarders into the unlikely friendship of The Briar Club. There’s English Fliss and her young daughter Angela, who’s trying to be a perfect mother while her husband is in Korea, Nora holding a gangster at bay, injured former baseball star Bea, Arlene an ardent supporter of McCarthy, Hungarian born artist Reka Takacs to say nothing of Peter and Lina, the lovely put upon children of the less than lovely owner of Briarwood, Mrs. Nilsson. All of them from very different backgrounds, but in November of 1954 all having a huge decision to make- will their friendship hold good?
Fantastic, quite simply fantastic. I love the way that Kate Quinn writes, she pulls you into her well researched sagas immediately and keeps you utterly riveted. The characterisation is outstanding as I find myself caught up in each of their lives. There are quite a lot of characters, but as each has their own distinctive voice, it’s not in the least hard to keep track of them. Their backstories are fascinating and you need to brace yourself with one or two as the odd surprise or even a bombshell is dotted along the way! They’re all fantastic characters but for me Grace, Pete and Bea stand out in differing ways.
The early 1950s are captured to perfection, this author is known for her extensive research and ability to convey a strong sense of time and place. Here we have an America deep in the reds under the beds with the paranoia of McCarthyism, a time of deep suspicion. Mind you, Mrs. Nilsson is suspicious of everything, just ask the house. There’s the Korean War in the background, gangs, crooks, corruption, prejudice, and judgement to name but a few of the themes and of course, close friendship.
This is a terrific slow burner intense novel with the author cleverly keeping you in suspense on the number of things. It builds to a very good ending with a few sharp intakes of breath.
Overall, I find this a cracking read. I love the use of actual characters such as Senator Margaret Chase Smith and little inclusions like JFK proposing to Jackie in the Martin Tavern on Wisconsin Street. June 1953 FYI! It’s also worth reading all the authors notes at the end. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Harper Collins for the much appreciated in return for an honest review.
Backtrack to June 1950, maybe the answers lie there when widowed Mrs Grace March arrives seeking a room, that’s when the house wakes up that’s for sure. Why so? Maybe its because Grace draws all the ‘motley’ collection of boarders into the unlikely friendship of The Briar Club. There’s English Fliss and her young daughter Angela, who’s trying to be a perfect mother while her husband is in Korea, Nora holding a gangster at bay, injured former baseball star Bea, Arlene an ardent supporter of McCarthy, Hungarian born artist Reka Takacs to say nothing of Peter and Lina, the lovely put upon children of the less than lovely owner of Briarwood, Mrs. Nilsson. All of them from very different backgrounds, but in November of 1954 all having a huge decision to make- will their friendship hold good?
Fantastic, quite simply fantastic. I love the way that Kate Quinn writes, she pulls you into her well researched sagas immediately and keeps you utterly riveted. The characterisation is outstanding as I find myself caught up in each of their lives. There are quite a lot of characters, but as each has their own distinctive voice, it’s not in the least hard to keep track of them. Their backstories are fascinating and you need to brace yourself with one or two as the odd surprise or even a bombshell is dotted along the way! They’re all fantastic characters but for me Grace, Pete and Bea stand out in differing ways.
The early 1950s are captured to perfection, this author is known for her extensive research and ability to convey a strong sense of time and place. Here we have an America deep in the reds under the beds with the paranoia of McCarthyism, a time of deep suspicion. Mind you, Mrs. Nilsson is suspicious of everything, just ask the house. There’s the Korean War in the background, gangs, crooks, corruption, prejudice, and judgement to name but a few of the themes and of course, close friendship.
This is a terrific slow burner intense novel with the author cleverly keeping you in suspense on the number of things. It builds to a very good ending with a few sharp intakes of breath.
Overall, I find this a cracking read. I love the use of actual characters such as Senator Margaret Chase Smith and little inclusions like JFK proposing to Jackie in the Martin Tavern on Wisconsin Street. June 1953 FYI! It’s also worth reading all the authors notes at the end. Highly recommended.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Harper Collins for the much appreciated in return for an honest review.
December 7, 2024
Wonderful, I really loved the characters and their stories
July 11, 2024
Finished reading: July 11th 2024
"It's seen three wars, ten presidents, and countless tenants... but until tonight, never a murder. Now its walls smell of turkey, pumpkin pie, and blood, and the house is shocked down to its foundations."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
REVIEW
WARNING: it's another unscheduled stop of the unpopular opinion train!!
July 18, 2024
This book is trying to be too many things.
December 31, 2024
Kate Quinn, please!!! Please give me 700 pages of Nora and Xavier where they live happily ever after and Duke lives forever, PLEASE!! I’m begging youuuuuuu
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2024
THE BRIAR CLUB has an intriguing premise, with its focus on female friendships and secrets set against the tense backdrop of McCarthy-era Washington, D.C. The atmosphere is haunting, and the setting—an all-female boardinghouse—has a lot of potential. However, despite these strong foundations, I found the story to be a slow burn that didn’t quite deliver.
The pacing felt sluggish, and there was a lack of real action to propel the narrative forward. While the characters were certainly unique, with each having their own mysteries and struggles, I found myself losing interest by the end. The tension and drama that I had hoped would build to a gripping climax never quite materialized. Instead, it felt like the story meandered, and I struggled to stay engaged.
While the relationships between the women were interesting, and the mystery surrounding Grace was compelling at times, the lack of momentum ultimately left me feeling disconnected from the story. For those who enjoy slow-paced, character-driven novels, this might still be worth picking up, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
The pacing felt sluggish, and there was a lack of real action to propel the narrative forward. While the characters were certainly unique, with each having their own mysteries and struggles, I found myself losing interest by the end. The tension and drama that I had hoped would build to a gripping climax never quite materialized. Instead, it felt like the story meandered, and I struggled to stay engaged.
While the relationships between the women were interesting, and the mystery surrounding Grace was compelling at times, the lack of momentum ultimately left me feeling disconnected from the story. For those who enjoy slow-paced, character-driven novels, this might still be worth picking up, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
December 11, 2025
★★★★★ (5 stars)
“In classic Quinn fashion, the identity of the victim remains hidden until the final chapter.”
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn was a recent book club pick, and it was a hit — every member thoroughly enjoyed it. Quinn consistently writes strong, resilient female characters who are forced to navigate the constraints of male-dominated societies, and she brings the same trademark strengths to this novel. Her commitment to research is well known, and her historical and author notes are always fascinating. She lays out the “bones” of her story — what comes directly from history — while transparently showing where she allows herself imaginative freedom.
This novel is set during the fevered McCarthy era, spanning the early to mid-1950s in Washington, D.C. — ground zero for the political paranoia of the time. The women at the heart of the story live in a women’s boarding house, a common and respectable option for single working women. At that time, an unmarried woman could not simply rent her own apartment; she either lived with her parents or found a room in a supervised house like Briarwood.
Quinn structures the novel as a character-driven story, giving each woman her own chapter told in a limited third-person point of view. With every shift in perspective, the reader gains insight into that character’s past, her secrets, and the desires she carries into her life at Briarwood.
Cleverly, the house itself becomes a character. The Briarwood house offers commentary in short interludes between chapters — and even opens the novel by announcing that there has been a murder on the top floor. Through the house’s perspective, the reader receives key details about the mystery woven through the story. True to Quinn’s style, the identity of the victim remains unknown until the final chapter.
One of the most charming elements of the book is Quinn’s use of recipes. Each woman contributes a recipe that reflects her history, personality, and emotional world. In her Historical Notes, Quinn explains that the book originated from her curiosity about whether she could write a novel structured around relevant recipes — a thought that began during COVID lockdown and evolved into this inventive structure. The weekly dinners shared by the boarders deepen their bonds, and the recipes become small windows into their inner lives.
Kate Quinn remains a reliably excellent historical fiction author. If she writes a novel, I will read it. Highly recommended.
Who Should Read This
Fans of character-driven historical
June 29, 2024
Briarwood House is a run-down boarding house in Washington, D.C. for ladies, and each of its occupants has a past and is keeping secrets. A mysterious widow Grace March moves into the smallest room in the attic, for her the green walls and window are perfect.
The boarding house is owned by a frugal Mrs. Doilies Nilsson, her teenage son Pete and she has a younger daughter Lina. The borders are: English rose Fliss and her baby Angela, Nora who works for the National Archives, Bea a high school physical education teacher, Arlene the snippy girl from Texas, Claire who likes to be left alone and Reka an elderly lady. Thursday nights Mrs. Nilsson goes out, everyone breathes a huge sigh of relief, Grace introduces the idea of holding dinner parties in her room, she serves her famous sun tea, Pete and Lina are keen to attend and slowly each of the ladies start making an appearance.
When a shocking act of violence tears the house apart on the 28th of November 1954, The Briar Club women have to decide who they can trust, do they have an enemy living amongst them and slowly they reveal via the narrative what they have been hiding about themselves and their vulnerabilities and all is not what it seems.
I received a copy of The Briar Club from HarperCollins Publishers Australia and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have been a big fan of Kate Quinn’s novels for years and her latest book is well written, captivating and a real page turner.
Not all what I was expecting and in a good way, it covers topics such as where women lived in 1950’s America and boarding houses were a popular choice, unlikely friendships and loneliness, food and sharing it with others, insecurities and jealously, fear of communism in the US at the time, post-natal depression, access to birth control and what was available, sports women played and did it make a lady less feminine to be an athlete, gangsters, crime and corrupt cops and controlling men.
Most of all it's a story about secrets, what goes on behind closed doors, and in people's minds. Five stars from me, The Briar Club is brilliant read and full of so many twists and turns and I predict it will be a best seller!
The boarding house is owned by a frugal Mrs. Doilies Nilsson, her teenage son Pete and she has a younger daughter Lina. The borders are: English rose Fliss and her baby Angela, Nora who works for the National Archives, Bea a high school physical education teacher, Arlene the snippy girl from Texas, Claire who likes to be left alone and Reka an elderly lady. Thursday nights Mrs. Nilsson goes out, everyone breathes a huge sigh of relief, Grace introduces the idea of holding dinner parties in her room, she serves her famous sun tea, Pete and Lina are keen to attend and slowly each of the ladies start making an appearance.
When a shocking act of violence tears the house apart on the 28th of November 1954, The Briar Club women have to decide who they can trust, do they have an enemy living amongst them and slowly they reveal via the narrative what they have been hiding about themselves and their vulnerabilities and all is not what it seems.
I received a copy of The Briar Club from HarperCollins Publishers Australia and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have been a big fan of Kate Quinn’s novels for years and her latest book is well written, captivating and a real page turner.
Not all what I was expecting and in a good way, it covers topics such as where women lived in 1950’s America and boarding houses were a popular choice, unlikely friendships and loneliness, food and sharing it with others, insecurities and jealously, fear of communism in the US at the time, post-natal depression, access to birth control and what was available, sports women played and did it make a lady less feminine to be an athlete, gangsters, crime and corrupt cops and controlling men.
Most of all it's a story about secrets, what goes on behind closed doors, and in people's minds. Five stars from me, The Briar Club is brilliant read and full of so many twists and turns and I predict it will be a best seller!
July 22, 2024
Have you ever wondered what your neighbors are feeling or thinking as they go about their daily mundane rituals? Have you ever wondered what your house was sensing and seeing? Yes? You might love the Briar Club as much as I did.
Kate Quinn, author of The Briar Club, interweaves the stories of the neighboring women who live in a boarding house, highlighting the interconnectedness of human experiences. Kate Quinn draws in readers from many points of view and gives us a sense of the gritty, heavily weighted problems all the characters in the book face. Like stepping into the lives of the people we see daily, Quinn switches the narratives so we get a fully fleshed-out understanding of each character.
And it just so happens that the boarding house has feelings, too. It sees what we do and even beyond that. I've often wondered about the history of spaces I've lived in and visited, and I enjoyed reading about the characters from the house's perspective. To be sure, no ghosts are haunting the Briar House; it's a clever house. It's a character in its own right, a presence in the lives of its inhabitants and bearing witness to all, good and bad.
I only read a little historical fiction, but I was amazed by this book. The writing is impeccable, and the story is almost unputdownable. There are some slower parts, to be sure, but it did not impact my excitement to read each time I picked up this book. Kate's character building is exceptional; I could relate to every woman in this book. Sure, I disliked some characters, but when the author shared what felt like their whole story, I could emphasize them in a new way.
While this book is a bit longer than my usual reading length, I was not deterred. Even if you're not a historical fiction fan, this book has so much to offer to lovers of nearly every genre. It's a testament to the author's skill that she can draw in readers from various backgrounds. I'm now a Kate Quinn fan and will eagerly seek out her other books.
Kate Quinn, author of The Briar Club, interweaves the stories of the neighboring women who live in a boarding house, highlighting the interconnectedness of human experiences. Kate Quinn draws in readers from many points of view and gives us a sense of the gritty, heavily weighted problems all the characters in the book face. Like stepping into the lives of the people we see daily, Quinn switches the narratives so we get a fully fleshed-out understanding of each character.
And it just so happens that the boarding house has feelings, too. It sees what we do and even beyond that. I've often wondered about the history of spaces I've lived in and visited, and I enjoyed reading about the characters from the house's perspective. To be sure, no ghosts are haunting the Briar House; it's a clever house. It's a character in its own right, a presence in the lives of its inhabitants and bearing witness to all, good and bad.
I only read a little historical fiction, but I was amazed by this book. The writing is impeccable, and the story is almost unputdownable. There are some slower parts, to be sure, but it did not impact my excitement to read each time I picked up this book. Kate's character building is exceptional; I could relate to every woman in this book. Sure, I disliked some characters, but when the author shared what felt like their whole story, I could emphasize them in a new way.
While this book is a bit longer than my usual reading length, I was not deterred. Even if you're not a historical fiction fan, this book has so much to offer to lovers of nearly every genre. It's a testament to the author's skill that she can draw in readers from various backgrounds. I'm now a Kate Quinn fan and will eagerly seek out her other books.
July 17, 2024
4 solid stars for the "Briar Club" and it's amazing women of the 1950's!! Really loved this D.C. boarding house set historical of a "found family" of very, very different people all coming together and their quite dramatic Thanksgiving dinner climax. My only quibble was the extremely long chapters about each of the women and at times this just felt so long! But I had a tear or two at the ending and a twist I didn't see coming, so I highly recommend this one.
June 14, 2024
There's a reason Kate Quinn is the Queen of Historical Fiction. She's just a brilliant writer and a masterful storyteller. Though this is a bit of a departure from her previous books, her fans are in for another treat with THE BRIAR CLUB. Set in a woman's boarding house in Washington DC during the Cold War, Quinn brings together a rich ensemble cast combined with lyrical prose, a touch of romance, and equal measures of heart and suspense. This novel has it all and will keep you turning pages until the surprising end.
February 15, 2025
It's Thanksgiving, 1954 and blood is soaking into the threadbare carpet of an upstairs apartment at Briarwood, a boarding house for ladies in a leafy Washington D. C. neighborhood. The air reeks of paranoia and mistrust—this is the McCarthy Era, after all. The wrong friends, the wrong social or political leanings could land you in the cold water of the Cold War, accused of harboring Communist sympathies. But the gang gathered at Briarwood House are friends: the eight women who live their complicated, secret lives in tiny flats, the two children and their mother who tend Briarwood (okay, the mother is comically awful), and assorted male hangers-on pulled to Briarwood by a few of its irresistible residents.
The Briar Club circles back to that murderous Thanksgiving with stories that unspool over 400 delightful, character-full, detail-rich pages. We come to know each of Briarwood's residents and how they landed in this genteel Southern city that is also seat of American political power. Elegant Nora, escaping an overbearing Irish-American clan, yet she can't escape the notice of an enigmatic mobster. Irreverent Bea, a former pro baseball player who still dreams of the sandlot. Perky Fliss, a new mother and wife of a surgeon serving in Korea, whose adorable little girl is slowly driving her insane. And then there is inscrutable Grace, who, from her tiny attic room, notices all of the house's goings-on and breaks nearly all of its rules. She starts a Thursday Night Supper Club that brings all the women and their landlord's two browbeaten kids together while their shrew of a landlord/mother is out for her weekly bridge game.
The characters' intrigues that intersect and spin together make for a rich, history-driven story. Kate Quinn capitalizes on all the complications of the era: the emotional and political aftermath of World War II, only a few years distant; the confusing situation in distant Korea; the bewildering paranoia coming from the halls of Congress, and the cultural shift as women explore more independent lives. Many of the characters are based on historical figures and Quinn gives them vivid, full-bodied life. She probes issues of race, class, gender, political corruption, and domestic abuse, and yet imbues the narrative with easy touches of elegance and humor (Briarwood House itself plays a small but keen role in the story!).
This was a perfect read for me: historical fiction wrapped around a mystery, with well-developed characters, wonderful writing, and a warm, empathetic, intelligent delivery (and recipes!).
The Briar Club circles back to that murderous Thanksgiving with stories that unspool over 400 delightful, character-full, detail-rich pages. We come to know each of Briarwood's residents and how they landed in this genteel Southern city that is also seat of American political power. Elegant Nora, escaping an overbearing Irish-American clan, yet she can't escape the notice of an enigmatic mobster. Irreverent Bea, a former pro baseball player who still dreams of the sandlot. Perky Fliss, a new mother and wife of a surgeon serving in Korea, whose adorable little girl is slowly driving her insane. And then there is inscrutable Grace, who, from her tiny attic room, notices all of the house's goings-on and breaks nearly all of its rules. She starts a Thursday Night Supper Club that brings all the women and their landlord's two browbeaten kids together while their shrew of a landlord/mother is out for her weekly bridge game.
The characters' intrigues that intersect and spin together make for a rich, history-driven story. Kate Quinn capitalizes on all the complications of the era: the emotional and political aftermath of World War II, only a few years distant; the confusing situation in distant Korea; the bewildering paranoia coming from the halls of Congress, and the cultural shift as women explore more independent lives. Many of the characters are based on historical figures and Quinn gives them vivid, full-bodied life. She probes issues of race, class, gender, political corruption, and domestic abuse, and yet imbues the narrative with easy touches of elegance and humor (Briarwood House itself plays a small but keen role in the story!).
This was a perfect read for me: historical fiction wrapped around a mystery, with well-developed characters, wonderful writing, and a warm, empathetic, intelligent delivery (and recipes!).
July 17, 2024
This is an entertaining, well-written, 1950's historical fiction novel which is based on actual persons and events. It has a diverse cast of interesting characters, a touch of humor, secrets, intrigue, suspense, friendship, a touch of romance, recipes, a surprise appearance, an unexpected twist, and a satisfying conclusion. Ms. Quinn's loyal readers will appreciate the nod to one of her previous novels. The author's notes and the interview with the author and narrator, which is available with the audio book, are interesting and informative, and are truly appreciated. The talented Ms. Saskia Maarleveld, who has a captivating voice, does an outstanding job voicing the characters of the audio book.
October 22, 2024
I'm so torn about my rating for this book. I loved the women, their stories, secrets and journeys. I loved the approach Kate took to weave their lives and mystery of who was killed and who did it. Why the 1 star rating? I am SOOOO tired of the all men are crap, treat women terrible and women are better off without them themes running through modern fiction these days. You would think that for all of history, all men are the scum of the Earth. I am not a feminist and I don't appreciate the sexual revolution that has brought women to their knees trying to be and do it all, thinking we don't need men. We do, so badly we do! So this book will leave me thinking but I can't recommend it.
July 20, 2024
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn is a historical novel set around the post McCarthy era around 1950 Washington DC. This novel is slower than many of Quinn’s typical WW2 novels. I find myself waiting for wars and the resistance with strong female heroes. Instead we get a murder, eccentric women, affairs and spies.
The Briar Club is for the ladies the reader meets on the way. They include Pete and Lima the children of the strict boarding House owner, Mrs Nillson, Fliss and her sweet baby, Angela, Nora, Bea, Arlene, Claire, Reka and Grace. Slowly the reader is introduced to each of them and their secretive background stories. They live and meet in a run down boarding house, Briarwood. When Grace moves into the tiny attic in the house she gets everything started. Her eclectic style is appealing to those around her. On Thursday nights Grace hosts dinner parties in her room. Slowly the reader is introduced to other characters in the novel, including the children. The story offers a-lot to keep the reader pulled in and interested. Themes include murder and gangsters. Fear of communism. Lack of trust, loneliness, poverty, friendship, and love.
The Briar Club is for the ladies the reader meets on the way. They include Pete and Lima the children of the strict boarding House owner, Mrs Nillson, Fliss and her sweet baby, Angela, Nora, Bea, Arlene, Claire, Reka and Grace. Slowly the reader is introduced to each of them and their secretive background stories. They live and meet in a run down boarding house, Briarwood. When Grace moves into the tiny attic in the house she gets everything started. Her eclectic style is appealing to those around her. On Thursday nights Grace hosts dinner parties in her room. Slowly the reader is introduced to other characters in the novel, including the children. The story offers a-lot to keep the reader pulled in and interested. Themes include murder and gangsters. Fear of communism. Lack of trust, loneliness, poverty, friendship, and love.
August 10, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I absolutely loved reading the Briar Club, Kate Quinn definitely knows how to capture her readers.
I absolutely loved reading the Briar Club, Kate Quinn definitely knows how to capture her readers.
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