The Liberty Scarf

I really enjoyed this book especially the story of Iris and the beautiful scarves she wanted to create. I thought the three stories wove together nicely although the editing on each story could be tighter. I live in London so I knew the area around the West End. We don't call streets, blocks so US expressions like that took me out of the story. But the writing was wonderful and the history fascinating. I loved how the book covered three different careers open to women at the time but also highlighted the similarities between women of a certain age regardless of background. How they were expected to behave etc. Highly recommended.

This set of books is extraordinary! I was very sad that it had to end, but I'm thankful for the epilogue that tied everything up in a satisfying way! I love how the Liberty scarf is wound through each book! It starts as the product of the creativity of one woman and touches lives and offers hope amidst war.

The characters are written brilliantly! I became invested in their lives. My heart broke when theirs did and rejoiced with them in times of joy! The women: Iris, Genevieve, and Clara each have special gifts that help others during the war. The men: Rex, Maxime, and Roman all serve in some capacity trying to end the war.

Each of the authors did a fantastic job with imagery. I could easily imagine myself in London, France, and Belgium. My favorite place was the Cave a Champagne! Francois is such a wonderful man! He truly loves his vineyard and enjoys sharing his knowledge.

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Harper Muse via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Three of my fav authors have collaborated again, this time on a splendid historical novel linking three women to one scarf in WWI. I loved each compelling romance and marveled at how beautifully the tales entwined. A must-read for fans who adore women's histficrom of the highest quality!

The Liberty Scarf is an entertaining historical fiction. Book in which three women are tied together by a scarf in 1917. If you’re historical fiction fan, you’ll enjoy this book.

Three different authors, one story line that fits together beautifully.
Part 1, London, Dec 1917- Iris Braxton is a paint girl Liberty & Co and designs the Liberty of London scarf. Rex (captain Richard Conrad) is an architect with a bum leg from a previous injury. Rex is charming and a smooth talker. Both of them are are creatives. I adored Rex’s optimism and positive outlook and Iris’s best attempts to not be moved by him.
Part 2, Portland, Maine, Dec 1917 - Genevieve Tremblay is phone operator joining the Signal Corps. She comes from a large family and wants to continue to help providing for them. Captain Maxime Auvray is French airman on loan to the allies for training and just exudes romance and gentleman characteristics. I really loved Genevieve’s commitment to excellence and honor. Maxime is truly a swoony hero and I love how he treats and loves Genevieve. Peter is part of the story and builds a lot of the character development, but beyond that, he is hardly worth mentioning as Maxime is the true hero!
Part 3 Tielt, Belgium, before the war - Clara Janssens is a nurse (motivated by Pieter Bruegel’s The Blind Leading the Blind, oil painting).
Roman Allaire is a gifted violinist from Strasbourg who joins a special group of soldiers meant to deliver music and hope to those in various areas and stations. They meet during a time of convalescence for Roman and strike up an unusual, but thoroughly romantic, companionship. Their conversations exist through stories and music. This story is a little more abstract and filled with a lot of letters.Creatives will resonate with this couple!
I loved the full circle of the scarf and the various ways it appeared and inspired others. All the stories contain letters of life, love, and hope. I especially loved all the descriptions of life during the war, whether from the city, country, trenches, hospitals, or everyday rhythms. Truly a romantic collection at heart. Lots of prose and flowery writing yet balanced with meaning and depth.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

“I think liberty is as lovely a word as hope.”

This was one of the best historical fiction novels I’ve read this year!

I absolutely loved the way the liberty scarf was woven throughout each story. I don’t have a favourite; each one was unique in its own way. From one I learned about the origins of the Liberty scarf, the iconic storefront and the term ‘blighty’. From another I learned about the US Army Signal Corps and General Pershing’s ‘Hello Girls’. And from the third story, I learned about Pieter Breugel’s painting ‘The Blind Leading The Blind’ and an orchestra formed to play at the frontlines and boost troops’ morale.

I enjoyed every moment with Captain Richard ‘Rex’ Conrad, Iris Braxton, Captain Maxime Auvray, Genevieve Tremblay, Roman Allaire and Clara Janssens and I think “The Feathered Hope” story will stay in my mind the longest. I appreciated the epilogue and how it tied everything together nicely for readers.

I wonder if the scarf in the cover could have been represented differently to reflect the story within….when I think of a Liberty scarf, this red scarf is not what comes to mind.

“Everything tastes sweeter when served with a heaping spoonful of nostalgia.”

I was gifted this copy by HarperCollins Focus and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

Braxton makes scarfs with messages sewn into them, hoping they will find their way to Rex, who is on the front during World War 1. there are three stories that are interwoven. good book.

This is a beautifully woven set of stories from three different authors, following the creation and impact a liberty scarf has on those who come in contact with it. The stories are told of three different women in different places, but the narrative is brought together expertly. This is another excellent history novel that focuses on the bright lights of hope we see when the world is dark. 5⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. This is my honest opinion of the book.

A treasure of a book. Brilliantly and beautifully written, gently woven together. Three special and unique couples to get to know and love in stories taking place during WW1. Heart melting and heartbreaking, a lovely scarf and its design lightly tie them together. This is a keeper, should be a classic, would make a lovely and thoughtful gift.

I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

#TheLibertyScarf #NetGalley #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #AimieKRunyan #JnellCiesielski #RachelMcMillan #HistoricalFiction #HarperMuse #HarperCollinsFocus

A beautifully written historical novel that weaves the lives of three women during WWI. A beautiful scarf connects them and is a testament to love sacrifice, and resilience. The writing is reminiscent and rich in detail. A wonderful read.
Many thanks to HarperCollins Focus and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.” Emily Dickenson
A beautiful story of love and hope amidst the turmoil of war.
“Everything need not be perfect to be beautiful.”
Like the textile represented in the title, the three authors have woven an exceptional tale of hope and resilience during a time of upheaval in WWI. The descriptive details kept my interest as I watched the characters grapple with the difficulties that they faced in the time of war. I liked the way it was written in three parts for the three couples and a bit of mystery until the reveal at the end. Three different stories meshed together at the conclusion in a unique and satisfying way.
*A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Harper Collins through NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.*

With this second collaboration between these three authors, I think they’ve really found their groove. Now, yes, this could easily be considered a romance novel, but despite the fact that romantic relationships for these three women seem pretty much at the forefront, there’s also a whole lot of other things going on here. What is more, although these three stories could easily stand alone as novellas (should I include it in #NovNov24?), they’ve cleverly connected them all through the titular object, in some very inventive, and different ways.

I should mention that the first two stories were particularly fascinating, and beautifully written. Not that the last one wasn’t well written, because it was. But I have to admit that the romance part in that story was a bit more prominent than in the other two, and the level of angst was at a higher level than what I personally prefer. That said, I’m sure that those who enjoy a good “are they; aren’t they” type of romance will find it just as absorbing as the other two stories. For me, however, Iris’s ambition, combined with a lovely level of wit and humor, was more engaging for me. In addition, I really loved how Genevieve was so dedicated, especially knowing how her need to be useful to the war effort was stronger than her desire to help her family financially.

These authors also built foils for these women into each of these stories. Iris has to convince the owner of Liberty & Co. to use her designs, Genevieve has her boyfriend who isn’t really suited for her, but his wealth would help her family, and Clara has a patient who is a mean misogynist that only sees women as sex objects to be taken advantage of. In this way, these three not only have to content with the Great War waging around them, but their own personal wars within their own circles. That they fight these battles on their own terms, without letting their romantic interests get in the way of the eventual outcomes, was something I very much appreciated.

In short, I really enjoyed this book, and found it better than their debut collaboration. That it is a WWI story and not another WWII one was certainly a plus for me. Also, that the timelines are mostly parallel as opposed to being set during different eras was even better. It was like having a 3D view of separate aspects of the same war, that made the whole book come alive. I’m therefore very warmly recommending this book, and giving it 4.75 stars out of five.

** “Hope could flourish and sprout magnificent feathers and soar above the treetops, leaving the safety of the nest behind until it was time to roost once more.” **

Authors Aimie K. Runyan, J’nell Ciesielski and Rachel McMillan once again join forces to bring us the delightfully inspiring “The Liberty Scarf,” a WWI era story of three women and the message of hope behind a scarf that weaves their tales together.

Iris Braxton has bigger dreams than just being a Liberty & Co. paint girl. She longs to design the beautiful scarves the company sells. And not only to design them, but to be the company’s first woman designer. A chance encounter with the handsome Capt. Rex Conrad, an architect, pushes her closer to her dream, as well as a chance at love.

Genevieve Tremblay finds herself heading to Europe to serve in the American Signal Corps, an exciting job relaying important war messages. When she meets French pilot Maxime Auvray, she questions the life path she thought she left behind in Maine. But with a Liberty scarf to remember Maxime by, what will Genevieve really desire for her future?

When nurse Clara Janssens meets the intriguing violinist Roman Allaire in a hospital, she finds herself deeply drawn to him. With the help of her friend Annelise, who has a deep love for fabrics and an imitation Liberty scarf, they nurse Roman to health, all while also nursing a relationship between Clara and Roman.

But when war separates each of the three couples, will they be able to overcome the trials that follow?

Enhanced by letters and journal entries, the three authors brilliantly weave together a plot featuring three separate tales, all that will eventually intertwine. They develop characters that are fascinating and flawed and relatable, as well as a couple who are truly loathsome.

They also fill “The Liberty Scarf” with several great themes, like “bridging unique perspectives to make a whole”; the ability to see what we are capable of; life is too short for regret; the possibility of miracles (“Her mother always told her to trust that the era of miracles hadn’t expired two millennia ago, and she has to trust that there was just enough magic in the world for another.”); accepting fear and carrying on despite it; and not everything has to be perfect to be beautiful. Of course, the main theme is hope, as Iris includes Emily Dickinson’s famous words in her scarf: “Hope is the thing with feathers.”

Fans of historical fiction, World War I stories and authors like Kate Quinn and Kristy Cambron will love “The Liberty Scarf.”

Five stars out of five.

Harper Muse provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.