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

Such a amazing and powerful book! I love these authors. You forget you are reading and get swept up and go back in time. This novel was beautifully written and very enjoyable. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone!

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Even in 1917, in the midst on a world war, women knew that a scarf could make a bold statement. This beautiful tale follows the service that so many gave to their country and the women who held down the home front. Three authors bring together the story of women across the world in a cohesive and compelling manner. In a world of uncertainty, The Liberty Scarf brings hope and light for the future.

Review is on Goodreads and will be posted on instagram closer to publication date and on Amazon when published!

I am not sure what to say about this book. I truly wanted to enjoy it, and the concept was so different that I jumped on the opportunity to read a unique twist on a historical fiction novel focusing on WWI. But, the research was haphazard and sometimes inaccurate, and I stumbled several times, placing the book away and going after another. I didn’t feel the spark despite loving the idea of a scarf touching the lives of three different women.

The stories were weak. They didn’t keep my attention because I could not empathize or relate to any of the characters. The beginning was slow, and the connections between the three characters seemed unrealistic and weak, unknown until the epilogue. Although I enjoyed the story idea, the book simply didn’t resonate; the prose was merely there on the page, never fully capturing my imagination.

The shining moments of the story were in the settings; the details were vivid, and it was easy to picture and feel as if you were walking in France or Belgium during WWI. As a collaborative effort, this book felt like an anthology of short stories, loosely woven by a scarf, one a woman had to fight to design.

I gave this book two and a half stars for effort. I usually reread a book like this just in case I missed anything. I will update my review if I reread the story and find something new to entice me as a reader.

Sadly, this disappointed me as I had such high hopes based on the jacket info.

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. This review is voluntary and mine alone.

I’m sorry, I really wanted to like this. The concept is so very up my alley. But there were just too many fundamental errors (e,g, the blitz was ww2, not ww1). The stories (I finished part 1, halfway through part 2) were superficial and frothy. Not enough to realism and the characters pretty one dimensional.

Beautiful reminder to all that, in dark times and always, hope should be a predominate factor in our lives. It tells the story of three couples and their hardships and trials during the war with their lives intertwined throughout by the liberty scarf. It becomes a beacon of hope for all of them, first by the young lady who designed the scarf encouraged by her male friend, an architect turned soldier, who quickly becomes more, then it weaves its way into the lives of a phone operator from Maine sent overseas to the front and a nurse and their soldiers in significant ways. My favorite quotes from the book: “The captain was right to believe that beauty helped remind them that there were things worth protecting in the face of war” and “Look for the beauty and joy that still exist in the world, and hold on to them when all seems lost.” These truths are as valid today as they were back then, and we should all take a lesson from their words of wisdom. The epilogue was an enchanting and perfect ending and filled my heart with joy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.