BOOK CLUB | JUNE
The Briar Club is the most recent historical fiction thriller by the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Kate Quinn. The novel is set entirely in Washington, DC, between the years 1950 and 1956, and is centered around an all-female boarding house called Briarwood House. The story begins with a prologue presented by the House: it has just witnessed two murders that took place within its walls during a Thanksgiving dinner in 1954. The women in the boarding house, include Grace, a mysterious widow who moves into the attic room; Fliss, a seemingly perfect English beauty; Nora, a policeman's daughter entangled with a gangster; Beatrice, a frustrated former baseball star; and Arlene, a gung-ho supporter of McCarthyism. The tenants in the building rarely speak to one another except in passing, each living isolated lives. However, Grace initiates change. She invites everyone to an impromptu dinner every Thursday evening in her flat. The price of admission is one article of canned food. Grace also busies herself painting flowers and vines on the gloomy hallway walls. The house, which has long existed in a state of inertia, begins to wake up and appreciates Grace’s attempts to brighten the living space. The rest of the tenants also show signs of positive change under Grace’s friendly influence and the support of the other members of the dinner group, soon dubbed the “Briar Club.” The weekly supper club becomes a space for the women to connect and share their lives, despite their differences. The story follows the women's lives, their relationships, and the secrets they hold, particularly as they navigate the McCarthy era and the societal restrictions in postwar America. The boarding house itself serves as a microcosm of the era, reflecting the paranoia and anxieties of the McCarthy era, and incorporates historical details, including the McCarthy hearings, the changing roles of women, and the cultural landscape of the 1950s. "The Briar Club" is a character-driven story that blends historical fiction with a murder mystery, explores the complexities of female friendship, the challenges of navigating a restrictive society, and the secrets that can bind and divide individuals.
JUNE 3, 2025
JULY 8, 2025
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn. Historical thriller about a haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, D,C. boardinghouse during the McCarthy era. Barbara Dukart will lead the discussion for the June meeting.
Seeking Shelter by Jeff Hobbs. A powerful portrayal of American homelessness that follows a single mother of six in Los Angeles struggling to keep her family together and her children in school. Sandy Hobbs will lead the discussion for the July meeting.
Please join us on June 3, 2025, at 4:00 pm in the Women’s Lounge as we discuss The Briar Club.
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