#21 The Briar Club
“I make it a policy never to believe more than a third of what men tell me”
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn, 2024. Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery.
So…how’s everybody doing?
It’s been quite a week for our BookStarrs in America, and indeed, around the world as the impact of the US presidential election will be felt globally. We want to be a safe, fun space on the internet for people who love books, which means we don’t generally wade into politics here. We welcome readers of all political leanings, but we must clearly say here that we do not stand with or support anyone who consistently demonstrates racism, sexism, homophobia, and a blatant disregard of the rule of law.
This month’s feature book actually ended up being very apropos to what’s going on in the wider discourse right now. While people are rightfully concerned about what the next four years will look like, we think sometimes it’s helpful to remember other fraught times in history when neighbours turned on neighbours, when male politicians wielded power in corrosive ways, and when everyday normal people were really, really scared about what was going to happen next.
“Violent men who are also smart and strong are not completely lost causes. They can learn different ways, if they choose. It’s the weak ones who cause the most damage. Nothing wreaks havoc like a weak man—because they never learn, so they just go blithely on, leaving pain and wreckage behind them.”
~ Kate Quinn, The Briar Club
That doesn’t exactly sound like something that’s fun to read, huh? But trust us when we say that Kate Quinn’s The Briar Club is an absolute literary blast and the kind of escapist reading you need right now. Set in Washington, DC at the height of Senator McCarthy’s Red Scare in the 1950s, this book follows an intriguing and memorable cast of female characters who all call Mrs. Nilsson’s boardinghouse home.
Spearheaded by mysterious newcomer Grace March, the women (and the men in their lives) meet every Thursday evening for a supper club. Each woman has her own secrets, traumas, dramas, and hopes, told in individual chapters that are all supplemented with delightful period-appropriate recipes sprinkled throughout (reminiscent of Elin Hilderbrand’s style of books, actually, which frequently include recipes as well!). It all culminates in a shocking act of violence and a twist that made us gasp out loud!
Somehow Kate Quinn manages to write a book that is simultaneously serious, fun, a pointed exploration of the misogyny, homophobia, and racism of the time, and ultimately, a very hopeful depiction of a “big, flawed, complicated country” that keeps messing up, but is also full of people who keep trying to make it a better place. On a week like this, we think that bears remembering.
“I sometimes think this country is an eternal battle between our best and our worst angels. Hopefully we're listening to the good angel more often than the bad one.”
We were consumed by The Briar Club and we think you will be too!
Grab your pitcher of sun tea, don’t forget your baseball bat, and get ready to bite into The Briar Club with us.
Julie’s Rating: 4/5 stars
What a book! This was one of those that I was sad to see come to an end. I so enjoyed my time in 1950s’ Foggy Bottom, exploring timeless topics with this found family collection of characters.
If you’re a fan of diverse, multi-faceted characters, strong female protagonists, an irresistible time and place setting, and a mysterious subplot (or two), you won’t be disappointed in picking up The Briar Club. I have enjoyed every one of the Kate Quinn books that I’ve read, and while this one is a little different from her usual fare (more character-focused; less plot), it still shows the hallmark of her meticulous research and deft plotting. And can we talk about Kate Quinn’s own pairings? I was a huge fan of the included recipes and suggested drinks, music and activities that accompany each of the characters’ stories. Brilliant and hard for us to top. Arlene’s Candle Salad! IYKYK.
There is a big reveal in the latter part of the novel which makes it difficult to discuss without spoilers, and I was so happy that I knew very little of the plotline or details before reading. Try to go into it blind. And do NOT read the historical note addendum until you’ve finished the novel!
Katie’s Rating: 5/5 stars
Completely agree with Julie that you must go into this book blind! The final act twist is delicious. Continuing with the food theme, I absolutely gobbled up this book and never wanted it to end. I loved the DC setting and the time period (I find it so fascinating how the 50s are usually depicted in culture as such an optimistic, happy time where everybody could afford colour TVs and Kitchen-Aid mixers and the women wore white gloves while driving, but in reality everyone was freaking out about the atomic bomb and the Cold War and the Communists, and the Civil Rights movement hadn’t happened yet, nor had reproductive rights…so it wasn’t really all Leave it to Beaver bliss).
Most of all, I loved the characters. Especially Grace March! Felicity Orton’s chapter was also a favourite of mine, and I enjoyed how Bea Verretti, “the Swinging Sicilian” who moves into the boardinghouse halfway through the novel, used to play for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (anyone else a fan of A League of Their Own?).
I can’t say enough great things about this book! I loved Kate Quinn’s The Alice Network, but this one tops it.
“A successful dinner party needs just one person all the others loathe, Pete—it gives everyone something to unite against.”
Grace’s Sun Tea
This is the first recipe pairing that we encounter in The Briar Club, and really the thing (other than Grace herself) that starts to bring the misfit group of characters together.
A Briar Club-inspired day in DC
Most of The Briar Club is set in Foggy Bottom, a neighbourhood in DC where Katie actually lived for the first month after she moved to the city. It’s named after the morning mist that rolls in off the Potomac River. Foggy Bottom is home to the Watergate hotel (yes, that Watergate!), George Washington University, and the State Department headquarters, among others.
For your Briar Club-inspired day around DC, we recommend…
Take the metro to Foggy Bottom metro station on the blue line. Pick up some picnic accoutrements from the Whole Foods next to the station for later!
Walk through the GW campus and past the historic rowhouses - so pretty to look at it! Maybe one of them was the inspiration for Mrs. Nilsson’s boardinghouse…
Choose a self-guided walking tour depending on your interest - the Foggy Bottom Association has a History/Architecture, Art and Artists, and a Family one to choose from.
Venture into Rock Creek Park, DC’s 2,100-acre greenspace. After a bracing hike enjoying the lush greenery, find a bench to sit and relax with a picnic lunch. Sun tea highly recommended!
If you’d prefer a side of history with your lunch instead, wander over to Martin’s Tavern, where JFK proposed to Jackie!
Head to the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts next, where you can catch a musical, an opera, a ballet…whatever catches your fancy!
After the show, walk a few minutes to the infamous Watergate hotel, the site of the 1972 break-in that led to Nixon’s resignation. Their rooftop bar is a great place to grab a drink (if you can time it for sunset over the Potomac, even better!) but the drinks are pricy and nothing Grace March would write home about to Kitty, if you ask us. The view and the historic nature of the building make it a fun experience, though.
Canada’s own Cold War immersive experience
Canadians (or those planning on visiting our fair country) must visit the Diefenbunker Cold War Museum the next time they are in the nation’s capital. This (literal) hidden gem just outside of Ottawa is a national historic site, interactive museum, and one of our favourite experiences.
A readalike
Sadeqa Johnson’s The House of Eve has been recommended to us as a readalike for The Briar Club. Neither of us has yet to read it, but Julie has had it on her TBR since it’s publication date (2023). If you’ve read this one, we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Let us know what you think - about the book, if you like the idea of a supper club, of the latest book that had a twist you didn’t see coming…we’d love to hear!
Whenever possible we feature books from our own personal collections, or books that we purchase at independent local bookstores, or borrow from our public library.
Love Kate Quinn and looking forward to reading “The Briar Club” !