“The Briar Club” by Kate Quinn is a different type of historical fiction novel than most. It is set in the early 1950’s in Washington D.C. U.S. citizens are worried about the Korean War, McCarthyism, Soviet Spies, women’s baseball teams, discrimination, gangsters and more. But in this story, the characters are the main focus and the historical events are woven into each one’s story. The chapters are long, but this story is wonderful!!
The majority of “The Briar Club’s” characters are residents of Briarwood House, a rundown, ‘ladies only’ boarding house run by nasty Mrs. Nilsson and her two children, Pete and Lina. The ladies all have their own secrets and backstories…as the novel progresses, more is revealed about each one. There are romances, murders and even recipes that are part of the house history. As Briarwood House itself says, “If these walls could talk. Well, they may not be talking, but they are certainly listening. And watching.“ The novel is full of secrets – and I SO enjoyed reading each page to uncover each one!
I LOVED the opening prologue in this novel and was hooked from that point on! The story moves slowly, but is written so, so well and the characters and backstories are fabulous. The murder mystery kept me guessing and there were twists and turns all through the book – especially at the end!! “The Briar Club” will definitely be one of my favorite books of 2024!
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