Bloomsbury Girls

Bloomsbury Books is an old-fashioned new and rare book store that has persisted and resisted change for a hundred years, run by men and guided by the general manager's unbreakable fifty-one rules. But in 1950, the world is changing, especially the world of books and publishing, and at Bloomsbury Books, the girls in the shop have plans:

Vivien Lowry: Single since her aristocratic fiance was killed in action during World War II, the brilliant and stylish Vivien has a long list of grievances--most of them well justified and the biggest of which is Alec McDonough, the Head of Fiction.

Grace Perkins: Married with two sons, she's been working to support the family following her husband's breakdown in the aftermath of the war. Torn between duty to her family and dreams of her own.

Evie Stone: In the first class of female students from Cambridge permitted to earn a degree, Evie was denied an academic position in favor of her less accomplished male rival. Now she's working at Bloomsbury Books while she plans to remake her own future.

As they interact with various literary figures of the time--Daphne Du Maurier, Ellen Doubleday, Sonia Blair (widow of George Orwell), Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim, and others--these three women with their complex web of relationships, goals and dreams are all working to plot out a future that is richer and more rewarding than anything society will allow.

This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with St. Martin’s Press.

Book club questions for Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

Bloomsbury Girls is set in 1950s London, not long after the Second World War. What aspects of the world of Bloomsbury Girls seemed the most different from modern society? What aspects seemed the most like the world today?

The three main female protagonists have followed very different paths to bring them to the bookshop. Which character’s history did you find the most interesting and relatable? Who did you empathize with the most?

Evie, Vivien, and Grace each have obstacles blocking their individual paths to happiness and professional success. Which of these obstacles—emotional, societal, or physical—did you relate to the most? What did you believe was the greatest challenge each one faced?

In keeping with the tradition of bookstores in novels, the bookshop itself looms almost as large in Bloomsbury Girls as any of the individual characters. Did it remind you of other fictional bookstores? Why do you think novels about bookshops are so popular with modern readers?

Evie Stone is faced with a moral dilemma—either follow the rules of the bookstore or flaunt them and, in doing so, change the lives everyone there. Do you agree with how she resolves her dilemma in the end?

There are many real-life figures who factor in the story, including Ellen Doubleday, Daphne du Maurier, Sonia (Orwell) Blair, Peggy Guggenheim, Samuel Beckett, and Elsie Wakefield. How well did you know each of them before reading the book? Who fascinated you the most and why? Who would you most want to sit down and have a cup of tea with?

Of all the male characters, Ashwin Ramaswamy faces the most challenging of circumstances. What traits and trials does he share with the three main female protagonists, and in what ways does racism force him to behave differently?

Although the men in the book act in ways true to their time, several of them are able to rise above the traditional constraints of 1950s society. Who do you think was best able to do this and why? What qualities do these men share that allowed them to do this?

What is your favorite scene in the novel? What plot development did you anticipate and enjoy the most?

Which characters did you most want to spend more time with? What do you imagine happens to each of the three main characters after the events of the book?

Bloomsbury Girls Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Bloomsbury Girls discussion questions

"Delightful." —People, Pick of the Week

"Jenner follows The Jane Austen Society (2020) with another top-notch reading experience, using the same deft hand at creating complex, emotionally engaging characters [against] a backdrop chock-full of factual historical information... Fans of Christina Baker Kline, Kate Quinn and Pam Jenoff [will] appreciate this gem." —Booklist (starred review)

"A feel-good literary confection that will have you grinning in solidarity with these girls who dare to follow their dreams." —Toronto Star

"An illuminating yarn... Fans of emotional historical fiction will be charmed." —Publishers Weekly