Really great threads between 3 stories of women finding and conveying hope and beauty in their circumstances during ww1. I liked the concept of art and creativity offering some brightness in difficult circumstances, and how overlooked the impact of it makes, as well.

With each of the women’s stories it showed a different aspect of ww1 that women were involved in, as well as a different location. It worked well to give the reader a rounded view of what the war was like for women involved and how it opened doors for women afterwards because of it.

As to the individual stories themselves, I enjoyed Iris and Rex’s story the most - their chemistry and banter, and the commonality of their creativity and wanting to be successful with their dreams. Genevieve’s story I struggled a little with her attitude that just felt snappy and biting to everyone around her as well as her excuses for her behavior initially. Clara’s story got so introspective and sort of philosophical that I kept losing the plot and sometimes was left confused. All in all, I liked each of their stories tho and how they integrated with each other.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

The Liberty Scarf is a beautiful story set during World War I and told from multiple perspectives. Three young ladies who don't know each other yearn to lighten the terrible devastation of the Great War in completely different ways. In doing their part, they exude glimmers of sunshine in the heavy darkness surrounding them. A gorgeous scarf connects them in unexpected ways. I love how something not critical to life becomes so meaningful, so inspirational. It gives sparks of hope.

Iris is fiercely independent and works hard. Her creativity is quashed by her boss at work who is very grey and beige. Her dream of designing colourful scarves is tested but Iris is persistent. Geneviève is a Quebecois immigrant who becomes a Hello Girl and helps relay telecommunications intelligence with the US Army. Clara is a nurse who brightens soldiers' days with her storytelling and uplifting spirit. What she sees is horrific but she pushes through by focusing on her patients. She is given a stunning scarf which is woven into the fabric of several lives. The description of fingering the buttery fabric is wonderful.

The three girls all meet kind and respectful men and enjoy sweet romances.

Though a bit too pat at times, the story is lovely and endearing and pulled me in. The letters back and forth between characters are particularly interesting.

My sincere thank you to HarperCollins Focus and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this captivating novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Tagline: In the midst of a seemingly endless war, a scarf connects three women in the cold winter of 1917 . . .

“Hope” is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all.

This is a historical fiction collaboration with authors Aimie K. Runyan, J'nell Ciesielski, and Rachel McMillan, each writing a part of the story. The tale takes readers from London to Maine and then on to Rome and Belgium, where three women, Iris Braxton, Geneviève Tremblay, and Clara Janssens, experience the horrors of war, friendship, and even a little romance.

It took a wee bit of time before I felt immersed in the story and, in my opinion, part two( Geneviève) was my favourite and got a 4 star respectfully. As other reviewers have stated, I do love the theme of hope that threads all through the different stories, but I feel that among all my other WWI and WWII reads, this one is not quite as memorable.




Expected Publication 19/11/24
Goodreads Review 07/11/24
#TheLibertyScarf #NetGalley

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

The epilogue actually made this read for me. :D I felt both of the first two stories ended too soon, and then I discovered the epilogue, which rectified that feeling! (The joys of an eARC--it's harder to flip to the end and see what's coming, if anything.) So, read them knowing more is coming.

(Also, I will note, the second story had some mild swearing--just 2-3 words, and understandable given the scene they presented in; forewarned is forearmed.)

The scarf proved the uniting factor/thread across all three stories. I kind of appreciated that the unity stemmed from an inanimate object; it can be hard to carry over characters across authors' disparate stories, and more often than not, I don't find that successful. So, I appreciated the scarf as that unifying point!

The read also made me appreciate WWI fiction. I've read a _ton_ about WWII, and (much) less so on WWI--so I appreciated the opportunity to read more. I also couldn't help but think back to everything I'd read (albeit not much) about the Christmas truce of 1914.

All three authors are quite talented, and I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite story of the three.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I loved the concept of this book; it just fell a bit short of what I usually experience when I read books by Aimie K. Runyan who is one of my favorite authors. I think this was because it fell into the pitfall that sometimes occurs when a work of fiction is collaborated on by several writers. While a book that is a story of three women who experience the "magic" of this scarf seems like a natural for such a collaboration, I found the sections to be uneven. My favorite character and story was Genevieve's. I liked Clara's story too, but not quite as much. I found Iris's story to be a bit tedious. While it makes sense that all three stories would not be the same, I found them to be a bit uneven.
I liked that this was a WW I story; I do read WW II books but more authors write about that time period. WW I does not get the attention it deserves.
Overall, I would give this novel 3 1/2 stars (rounded up).
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Focus for providing me with access to this ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Set during WWI, three women are bound by a scarf produced by Iris Braxton, a scarf designer living in London. Iris is depressed by the war surrounding her until she meets Rex, a soldier on leave. When Rex returns to the front in France, he is wounded, and Iris sets out to be with him.
The second storyline features Genevieve Tremblay, a French-Canadian living in Maine working for the US Signal Corps as a bilingual translator. Jenny loves Pete, but he is not up to her parents expectations when it comes to social standing. Jenny is sent to France as a translator and meets Captain Aubrey, and tells him about her love for Peter.
The third storyline involves Clara Jannsens, a Belgian musician who falls in love with Roman as they are set to travel to the front line to play for the troops to boost morale. The war challenges their relationship but a gift brings them closer and gives them hope.
I loved how the story brings these the characters together in the end, and how they share hope, despite the bleak background of war. The characters are well developed and relatable. The the authors did a great job showing the love, sacrifice, and courage these couples bring to the story. While this is romantic fiction, the writing is not overly dramatic. The authors did an excellent job of describing the places involved in WWI, and the connection with the scarf.

Three ladies have their lives touched by a scarf designed by Liberty of London. Iris wants to be a designer for Liberty and finally has a scarf design accepted. She meets Rex, a junior architect who is working with Liberty while on medical leave. Genevieve, a switchboard operator in WWI. was given a Liberty scarf by Maxime, a soldier she met. Clara, a shy nurse, meets a man who plays violin in the Army orchestra. His life is saved by using a Liberty scarf as a tourniquet. While their lives and experiences are different during the war, all of them are touched by the Liberty scarf and their stories are intertwined because of that. The Liberty Scarf, by Aimie Runyan, J'nell Ciesielski, and Rachel McMillan is a different sort of tale, but it is compelling and worth the read. I was able to read an ARC on #NetGalley.

The different authors come together to tell the story of a very special scarf.

Iris Braxton is a paint girl at Liberty & Co in London and wants to become a pattern designer. With the help of Captain Rex Jones, a local architect with a bum leg from a war injury, her talent is finally noticed. Iris hopes her scarf, stitched with a line from a poem, makes it to Rex who is sent back to the front despite his injury and lets him know she is thinking about their time together.

Genevieve Tremblay is a phone operator in Portland, Maine, but her family originally hales from Quebec. Because of her background Genevieve is fluent in both English and French, a skill that is needed by the US Signal Corps overseas. While in France, Genevieve strikes up a friendship with Captain Maxime Auvray, a French airman on loan to the allies while out admiring scarves in a local store. Initially just pen pals, their friendship deepens as the war progresses, and Genevieve has a special scarf to reminder of their time together that turns out to be a life saver.

Clara Janssens is a nurse serving in Belgium to aid in the war effort. A bit eccentric with an appreciation for the arts, Clara finds Peiter Bruegel’s paintings a comfort as she helps wounded soldiers recover from their war injuries. When Roman Allaire, a gifted violinist ends up convalescing in her ward, they strike up a friendship with their mutual appreciation for the arts. Again, the scarf plays a role in this romance when Roman is sent back out to entertain the troops with his music.

The three stories tell of life during the war from multiple perspectives both military and civilian, and the telltale scarf serves as a symbol of hope during a dark time. Though the three stories were very interesting, the book reads as three distinctly different stories with three different styles. If you are okay going in reading this more as a few short stories, you will enjoy Iris, Genevive and Clara’s romances.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins Focus and authors Aimie K. Runyan, J’nell Ciesielski, and Rachel McMillan for the advanced copy of the book. The Liberty Scarf is out on November 19th! All opinions are my own.

Interesting three person point of view story set in the winter of 1917. The three women's stories are threaded together because of a Liberty Scarf from the famous House of Liberty in London. Iris, Geneviève, and Clara each had their own story with some romance. Iris was a scarf maker from London, Geneviève was a telephone/communication operator from Canada working in France's war zone, and Clara was a nurse working to care for WW1 soldiers. It is a creative story and how the three authors connected the three women was intriguing. Each woman's story was told before the next so the reader doesn't have to go back and forth between story lines. The way all three women finally met and connected at the end was well done.
These three authors do a great job of creating unique stories. Their characters come to life and get you invested in the decisions each woman makes, or doesn't make. It would be difficult to choose a favorite character because each one had an interesting back story and profession.
If you are looking for a WW1-era setting and a story of how very different women handled their role during the time, I would recommend this book.
#TheLibertyScarf #NetGalley #historicalfiction
Thank you Harper Muse and Net Galley. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I liked Iris and Rex’s story in part one. Rex’s playfulness is an immediate grab. I did not appreciate Genevieve’s profanity in part two, or the using of God’s name in vain, and that is reflected in three stars. Roman and Clara’s story in part three has been well described as abstract, and not always easy to follow. Emily Dickinson’s poem “Hope is the Thing with Feathers, which influences Iris’ scarf design, is a lovely way to tie the three parts together.

"Delightful" story about the effects of WWI upon 3 young women with differing lives. The descriptions of how the war affected their lives as a civilian, nurse, and switchboard operator was very interesting. Their soldier boys had different experiences and were lucky enough to survive, This could be a good introduction for middle teens to the war.

3.5 stars

A trio of inter-connected accounts of a specially designed scarf during the final days of the Great War.

As always with a compilation by different authors, one especially appealed to me and that was the first account, of a young British designer who meets a officer on leave who is also an architect. The second story concerns a French-Canadian immigrant who is living in Maine and works as a telephone operator. She enlists in the Signal Corps and ends up overseas. And the final story is about a Belgian nurse who has a connection to a patient.

The accounts of life during World War I in Europe are well-done. The theme of the scarf forging a path of connection between the characters is appealing. There is a happy ending for everyone, but not without some wartime sorrows as well. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I LOVED this book! The story is amazing and beautiful and so entertaining.

It follows the travels of a scarf during WW1 and is told in three parts. Each girl has the scarf and has a wonderful story about it. The scarf connects them all and it's a beautiful story of friendships, love, war, loss and whats important.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
I was unfamiliar with the authors for the most part, but was intrigued by the story promise and the concept of the scarf weaving its way through the three stories. Having been a reader of Historical Fiction for a long time, I come into a new HF with great expectations, especially when the book is dual or more timelines. Its not easy to weave more than one narrative together and keep the reader interested and intrigued in the story.
This is a historical fiction of world war 1. I will share my pros and cons and you, gentle reader, can decide if you want to read further.
Pros: Each storyline was interesting (for the most part) with romance and hints regarding the war. I especially enjoyed the musicians tale as my husband served as a musician in the military and in Belgium. But, The descriptions of Belgium could have been a little more thorough. I also liked the way the author of the first storyline talked about the manufacturing of the scarves in London.
Cons: The stories read like three novellas instead of 'interwoven'. The first and second stories just end with a teaser and then you don't see them again until the last chapter where the weaving and wrapping up happen at the same time. By the time I got to the end, I had to remind myself of stories 1 and 2. I also spent a good deal of time wondering what happened to 1 and 2. Story three, even though it had the musician, was far too long. It really dragged at the halfway point...leading to more thoughts of whatever happened to 1 and 2.
Overall I liked it and had no trouble reading it. It is clean and a nice trio of romance novellas. I dont think I will choose it for my book club though.
3*

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Liberty Scarf tells three interrelated stories of women towards the end of World War One, brought together by the same Liberty of London scarf.

Iris Braxton is a design painter at Liberty who longs to become their first female designer. Through her boyfriend Rex she has the opportunity to show one design to Liberty's current owner and he chooses it to be made into a scarf to be sold in the famous department store. The scarf has the famous Liberty peacock feathers in the design and a quote from Emily Dickinson "hope is the thing with feathers" scrolling along the edges. Rex is sent back to the front but he and Iris continue to correspond.

Genevieve is one of Patton's "Hello Girls" working the switchboards in France at the front. Before going to France she meets Maxime, a French pilot, in London and he buys her Iris's scarf as a thank you for helping him select a birthday gift for his sister. Although Genevieve has an understanding with a man from back home, she and Maxime write to each other once he is sent back to the front. At the end of the section Genevieve uses her scarf as a tourniquet to save a young French musician after a bombing raid and loses it.

Clara, a Belgian nurse receives a patient with pneumonia named Roman and a bond develops between them during his convalescence. She receives a Liberty like scarf from a fellow nurse that she treasures especially after Roman is sent back to the front but struggles to maintain a correspondence with him after he returns to war.

All three couples meet in Strasbourg after the end of the war in December 1918. Clara is wearing the Liberty scarf that saved Roman's life and Iris recognizes her design. Roman and Clara run into Genevieve and Roman returns the scarf. Finally Genevieve runs into Maxime whom she had feared dead and passes the scarf to a recently bereaved woman as a symbol of hope and all three couples have happy endings to their stories.

I enjoyed reading about Iris and Liberty and Genevieve and the hello girls, but the third story was overly long and fell flat for me. Happy endings make us feel good, but aren't very realistic in the context of World War One. This book didn't live up to its promise for me.

I loved that ‘hope’ was the theme of these stories.
I have always loved the poem ‘Hope is a thing with feathers’. And the way the authors connect the scarf and the poem throughout the book was wonderful.
WWI stories are among my favorites especially ones about women’s place in it.
These are beautiful stories about finding love in the midst of war and pain.
There are so many things I loved about this book.
I loved the descriptions, the history, the music, the architecture, the art work and the importance of stories
I did feel it needed a bit of editing for flow and make it easier to keep the stories separate in my mind.
Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this book. The opinions are entirely my own.

The Liberty Scarf is a historical fiction romance novel written during WWI. The novel is separated into three separate experiences of women coming into their own during a tumultuous time in history. With war raging each woman is challenged to contribute to the war effort while also discovering friendships and romance.
An artist, Iris, hopes her designs will become a fashion symbol of hope as she works to design a scarf for her luxury retail employer, Liberty. Genevieve, a Canadian immigrant living in Maine joins the war effort and embarks upon her journey to Europe through her employer as a bilingual phone operator. And Clara, a Flemish nurse seeking to find her place in life other than looking after her father and after the loss of her mother.
The novel is written by three separate authors who collaborated on the storyline. It becomes apparent in reading that it's written by different voices which somewhat distracts from the flow.
Thank you for the opportunity to read The Liberty Scarf. I enjoyed the romantic aspects of the novel.

What a beautiful novel. I love that you could see each authors writing style in the book but it all weave so well together. Iris in the middle of the war has fallen in love and makes scarves that have secret messages for her love. That is such a romantic thing to do and honesty made me tear up a bit with how much distance had come between them with the front line. These scarfs end up bringing her new friends and lots of stories from others and tbh that was a really endearing part. I really hope there is another collaboration for these authors.

Such a great read! Highly recommend this one.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

"Hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul..."
A collection of three stories that interconnect by way of an unusual scarf. Set during World War One, taking place mainly in Europe, with different couples who meet during the war.

The theme of hope stands out in the midst of the horrors of war, using art, music, kindness and service to others. I liked all of the couples and wondered how their stories would end. The stories overlap a bit and leave a thread dangling, with a clever ending that weaves them all together. It was a little confusing until I saw how they interconnected later on. The history included was interesting, especially the new use of telephone operators or the "Hello Girls".
Recommend for readers who enjoy historical clean romances. 4 stars