The Briar Club - Kate Quinn - ★★★★.½

AUTHOR: Kate Quinn

GENRE: Historical Mystery

PUBLICATION DATE: July 18, 2024

RATING: 4.5 stars.

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:

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 wherever applicable 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.