Bloomsbury Girls

A Novel

By: Natalie Jenner

Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Katie Couric Media, Audible, the CBC, the Globe and Mail, BookBub, POPSUGAR, SheReads, Women.com and more!

“Juliet Stevenson’s luminous narration is a delight for the ears and makes for an entertaining and moving listening experience.”–Library Journal (Starred review)

"Juliet Stevenson's performance of this novel about a post-WWII bookshop is vocal virtuosity."—AudioFile

“Juliet Stevenson narrates the novel in her lovely, versatile voice, nicely capturing different personalities of the book”–The Washington Post

Multi-award-winning actor Juliet Stevenson narrates this Earphones Award-winning, heartwarming audiobook from the internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society. Natalie Jenner returns with a compelling story of postwar London, a century-old bookstore, and three women determined to find their way in a fast-changing world in 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.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

©2022 Natalie Jenner (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Juliet Stevenson's performance of this novel about a post-WWII bookshop is vocal virtuosity. Stevenson enlivens a multitude of characters through a spectrum of dialects spanning from plummy to country.... Stevenson delivers the satisfying triumph at the end with perfect polish." (AudioFile)

The perfect next Chapter...

In the lives of the people we grew to love in The Jane Austen Society. We also get to meet Peggy Guggenheim, Samuel Beckett and so many other legends of the 1950s. Juliet Stephenson's narration is perfect, as always.

Delightfully good!

I agree with others that this book started out a bit slow, but after awhile I couldn’t stop listening! As someone familiar with the oppression of women in the workplace, I cheered on these three wonderful women and the other women that came along. Stick with it, you won’t be disappointed!

Bloomsbury Girls

Slow at first then finished great! The characters can be a bit confusing to keep track of but each develops into full bloom by the end.

Enjoyed it

Perhaps it’d because ai don’t listen at 2 speed but I didn’t find the story slow or boring. I wanted to know how it ended. Lots of characters to keep straight but an enjoyable book. Voice performer was superb!

Soul Uplifting

A delightful listening experience ! Highly recommended. A glimpse into life without mobile phones and social media.