This is very compelling historical fiction about a time we don’t read much about. It is set in McCarthy’s Washington D.C in the early 1950’s, and explores questions about Communism, the Korean War, the mob, women’s rights, racism, and general human nature in a brilliant way.

It centers around a boarding house, giving a chapter to each of its six female boarders, interspersed by some narration from the house’s point of view. We learn back story about each of the women, as well as their jobs, their loves, and their “issues.”

A new woman moves into the house, named Grace March, who brings them all together, listens to them, befriends them, and councils them. She can tell what each one needs and makes sure they get it.

• “Grace had a way of nudging everyone into helping each other, just by quietly pitching in until everyone else did too.”
• “She’d always had the easiest way about her, the ability to make people open up.”
• “She hadn’t even realized what she was craving when she walked into a houseful of people who had nothing in common but an address, but who all needed feeding and fixing.”

Grace had the urge to feed and to fix people, and I can very much relate to that. I found her a fascinating character. She modeled active listening in an amazing way.

As you know from the narration by the house, there is a murder to be solved, and each chapter about the women starts far before that day, until the last chapter brings you into the present, together with the solution.  It was a unique structure, and a satisfying ending.

It also gives the reader a good view of the time. On the one hand, you have cheerful workers scraping out a living in the land of plenty, and on the other hand, intolerance of many stripes, mixed with misogyny and political bullies. Kate Quinn is an excellent writer, who lets her story take center stage in such a way you hardly notice the writing; I have other books by her on my to-be-read list, and now I’ll be reading those other ones sooner.

I totally recommend reading The Briar Club, and give it five stars.