If you have read my past reviews, you know I am a big fan of Kate Quinn. While “The Briar Club” is different from her previous historical fiction, I found her latest book captivating.
Her other novels are set during a war. This novel is set in Washington, D.C. during the Cold War when Sen. Joseph McCarthy became a tireless crusader against Communist spies who might be living in the United States. It was a time of political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals and a campaign spreading fear of communism during the late 1940s and through the 1950s. Many were afraid of being falsely accused. All the characters in the novel are well researched and based on real people. Quinn does an excellent job of bringing the McCarthy era to life.
“The Briar Club” opens with the Briarwood House telling the story. On Thanksgiving Day, the police are knocking on the door. The house has a lot of blood and two dead bodies, one upstairs and one down, with 17 suspects who have had too much rum punch.
First the house must back up four years to fill in the blanks. Briarwood is a run-down, all-female boarding house set in Washington, D.C. in 1950. No one would suspect that Briarwood House has secrets hidden behind its white picket fence. But Briarwood has plenty. At first, all the women keep to themselves until widow Grace March moves into the attic. She draws the ladies in for potluck dinners on Thursday nights while the grouchy landlady goes to play bridge. The residents include the landlady’s two children, an older Hungarian refugee, a woman working for the National Archives in love with a gangster, a poised young English mother whose doctor husband is stationed overseas, a former baseball star from the women’s baseball league of World War II and a real-life secretary to the Maine senator who goes up against McCarthy, a secretary for House Un-American Activities Committee.
As they grow closer over meals and plenty of gin, the residents share their stories with each other. But they are all holding something back. This is a compelling story of women’s friendships during a frightening time. While this book has so many characters that one might think they could be confusing, Quinn does and excellent job of making sure they have very distinct characteristics and personalities, along with their secrets.
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.” (www.katequinnauthor.com)
Cathy Lay Mayor grew up in Cullman and graduated from Cullman High School in 1976. She says when she writes book reviews, she tries to remember what Mrs. Gilbert taught her in 11th-grade English. She lived in Dothan for more than 30 years and is married with three adult children and six grandchildren. She retired to Panama City, but still calls Alabama home.
