The Radcliffe Ladies' Reading Club: A Novel

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Description

Never underestimate the power of a woman with a shop full of books Literature has the power to speak to each of us uniquely - but also to draw us together. Massachusetts, 1954. With bags packed alongside her heavy heart, Alice Campbell escaped halfway across the country and found herself in front of a derelict building tucked among the cobblestone streets of Cambridge. She turns it into the enchanting bookshop of her dreams, knowing firsthand the power of books to comfort the brokenhearted. The Cambridge Bookshop soon becomes a haven for Tess, Caroline, Evie, and Merritt, who are all navigating the struggles of being newly independent college women in a world that seems to want to keep them in the kitchen. But when a member of the group finds herself shattered, everything they know about themselves will be called into question. From the author of For Those Who Are Lost comes an extraordinary love letter to books and friendship, a story that is at once heart-wrenching, strengthening, and inspiring.

Reviews

"Relevant now . . . A good fit for enthusiasts of historical fiction centering young women, New England settings, and college nostalgia." -- Booklist
"A loving, engaging tribute to female friendship and the intimate power of books." -- Mary Anna Evans, Benjamin Franklin Award-winning author of The Physicist's Daughter
"A story of female freedom and constraints that doesn't shy away from the trauma--and joy--that faced U.S. women in the 1950s." -- Kirkus
"Elegant prose and compelling storytelling....I loved every heartbreaking, empowering, unexpected and uplifting moment of it." -- Penny Haw, author of The Invincible Miss Cust
"Endlessly charming...you will never want to leave the Cambridge Bookshop." -- Mariah Fredericks, author of The Lindbergh Nanny
"Readers who enjoy character-driven narratives will appreciate the gradual but notable changes in the friendships and how the women relate to one another. . . . a great choice for book clubs." -- Library Journal

Author Bio

JULIA BRYAN THOMAS is a graduate of Northeastern State University and the Yale Writers' Workshop and the author of For Those Who Are Lost. She is married to mystery novelist Will Thomas