The Briar Club

The book is set in Washington DC - which for me, was great. I have been there countless times for school trips, family outings and as an adult sightseeing and museums. It brought back warm memories.

But, the heart and soul of the story are the formidable women. There's Fliss a young British women struggling with postpartum depression and Bea with her struggles to stay involved in baseball and Grace the women with a big heart and big secrets, whose story ends up being more fascinating (and in some ways more tragic) than almost all the others. Her presence in the house slowly changes everything as she hosts weekly dinner parties in her small attic-room, bringing everyone together.

I also loved how the book showed the many different kinds of women that made up the 1950's America. Each women adding a diferent dynamic to the group and intgrigue and depth to the story. There is also a mystery, the police are investigating a murder, and although interesting, it's not really the focus of the book.