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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I knew this would be a five-star read from the start. I loved every second of reading, couldn't wait to find out what would happen to each character, and at the same time didn't want their stories to end.
The Liberty Scarf is broken up into three parts, each written by a different author. While the three authors have different writing styles and you can tell it wasn't written as one flowing story, the three parts absolutely blend together.
The three parts are concurrent-ish, taking place mostly in London and France from about 1915-1918 during World War I. Part I, Iris is a burgeoning fashion designer stuck working in the backrooms for the Liberty of London department store. She meet and falls in love with Rex, who is called back to the war. Iris designs a scarf, in which she includes the words to an Emily Dickinson poem they shared. Their story ends with a will they-won't they find their way back to each other.
Part II is Genevieve, a French-Canadian by way of America, who works as a telephone operator for the U.S. Army. En route to France, Genevieve has a stop in London, and while at Liberty of London meets Maxime, a pilot with the French army. Maxime gifts her a Liberty scarf (duh, designed by Iris!) and they are separated by their duties to the war. Later in France and caught in an air raid, Genevieve comes upon a soldier/violin player hit in the arm. She uses her scarf as a tourniquet with the hope it will save his life.
Part III goes back to begin before the war where we separately meet Belgian nurse Clara, and French violinist Roman, who serves the Belgian army as a member of its orchestra. The two meet when Clara is working as a nurse at a hospital for injured servicemen and Roman is a patient. The two fall in love and are separated when Roman is called back. We're then taken to Roman being caught in an attack where he is hurt and a stranger ties her scarf around his arm to save him.
Thank goodness we're given an epilogue where we learn the fates of the characters. Trying to keep this spoiler free so I won't say any more but it's a nice circling back to each of the women and the scarf that made its way to each of them.
This book features three strong, independent women at a time when that was not the norm. Fighting against societal standards and expectations, each woman paved her own path. Iris, Genevieve and Clara all had women BFFs who also were awesome in their own rights. While blended together as one, each of these stories had enough depth to be their own book. I would have loved more of some of the supporting characters, but understand why those pieces had to be shortened.
The stories nicely carried through themes of the beauty of, and power in art - whether through design, fashion, architecture or music. I loved the idea of one scarf touching (literally and figuratively!) each of the characters, and it definitely makes you think about how we all are connected.
I've never read from any of these authors before but absolutely will seek out more from each of them. I appreciated that the author's notes indicated which book part each author wrote, so depending on which section the reader connected to the most, you can favor that author.
The Liberty Scarf is broken up into three parts, each written by a different author. While the three authors have different writing styles and you can tell it wasn't written as one flowing story, the three parts absolutely blend together.
The three parts are concurrent-ish, taking place mostly in London and France from about 1915-1918 during World War I. Part I, Iris is a burgeoning fashion designer stuck working in the backrooms for the Liberty of London department store. She meet and falls in love with Rex, who is called back to the war. Iris designs a scarf, in which she includes the words to an Emily Dickinson poem they shared. Their story ends with a will they-won't they find their way back to each other.
Part II is Genevieve, a French-Canadian by way of America, who works as a telephone operator for the U.S. Army. En route to France, Genevieve has a stop in London, and while at Liberty of London meets Maxime, a pilot with the French army. Maxime gifts her a Liberty scarf (duh, designed by Iris!) and they are separated by their duties to the war. Later in France and caught in an air raid, Genevieve comes upon a soldier/violin player hit in the arm. She uses her scarf as a tourniquet with the hope it will save his life.
Part III goes back to begin before the war where we separately meet Belgian nurse Clara, and French violinist Roman, who serves the Belgian army as a member of its orchestra. The two meet when Clara is working as a nurse at a hospital for injured servicemen and Roman is a patient. The two fall in love and are separated when Roman is called back. We're then taken to Roman being caught in an attack where he is hurt and a stranger ties her scarf around his arm to save him.
Thank goodness we're given an epilogue where we learn the fates of the characters. Trying to keep this spoiler free so I won't say any more but it's a nice circling back to each of the women and the scarf that made its way to each of them.
This book features three strong, independent women at a time when that was not the norm. Fighting against societal standards and expectations, each woman paved her own path. Iris, Genevieve and Clara all had women BFFs who also were awesome in their own rights. While blended together as one, each of these stories had enough depth to be their own book. I would have loved more of some of the supporting characters, but understand why those pieces had to be shortened.
The stories nicely carried through themes of the beauty of, and power in art - whether through design, fashion, architecture or music. I loved the idea of one scarf touching (literally and figuratively!) each of the characters, and it definitely makes you think about how we all are connected.
I've never read from any of these authors before but absolutely will seek out more from each of them. I appreciated that the author's notes indicated which book part each author wrote, so depending on which section the reader connected to the most, you can favor that author.
oh boy. I have a feeling I am going to be an outlier in this review. I have been a fan of Aimie Runyan for sometime. I was not familiar with the other two authors.
This is a story about three women during WW1. I am not positive but I would guess that each author wrote one women's story. The first two stories were fantastic. My mom, sister, and I visited Liberty of London last year so I was intrigued about a story with that connection.
The issue is that the third story was completely disjointed, lagged, and confusing. This third part was so hard to read that I finally got to the point of skimming to just get to the end which was disappointing because I had recommended the book to my sister when I was 20% through.
Even though the authors did not shy away from the gore and tragedy of the war, it felt completely unbelievable to me that all three women and couples found their happily ever after.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 due to part 3 of the story otherwise this easily would have been a 4 star or higher read.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is a story about three women during WW1. I am not positive but I would guess that each author wrote one women's story. The first two stories were fantastic. My mom, sister, and I visited Liberty of London last year so I was intrigued about a story with that connection.
The issue is that the third story was completely disjointed, lagged, and confusing. This third part was so hard to read that I finally got to the point of skimming to just get to the end which was disappointing because I had recommended the book to my sister when I was 20% through.
Even though the authors did not shy away from the gore and tragedy of the war, it felt completely unbelievable to me that all three women and couples found their happily ever after.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3 due to part 3 of the story otherwise this easily would have been a 4 star or higher read.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in audio. This novel has three storylines and the scarf ties them all together. Iris, Genevieve and Clara have different roles in the WW1. One is a designer, another is a telephone operator with the Army Signal Corps and the last is a nurse. As with many historical fiction there is romantic interest for each. It is through these romantic interest that the scarf weaves it way to each.
I enjoyed the narrator. Even with all the characters and storylines, I thought it was a quick read.
I enjoyed the narrator. Even with all the characters and storylines, I thought it was a quick read.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The Liberty Scarf is about three women and a scarf in WWI. While it’s not really that simple, The Liberty Scarf is a story of these three women and their stories during WWI and how they intertwine with one another. I listened to this book on audio, which was a pleasant experience, but at certain times, the narrators lost my attention, but I attempted to bring myself back to the story itself, which I did find enjoyable. The level of detail may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but in the Author’s Note, she talks about her passion for WWI stories and the research she has put into her work, which felt on par for my experience with the story.
At the end of the day, my rating would be 3.5 stars. 3.0 for the audio and 4.0 for the story. If you’re a fan of historical fiction I may suggest reading instead of audio but the audio would make for a good time while on a road trip or other tasks that allow for successful multitasking.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collin’s Audio for this advanced listener copy
At the end of the day, my rating would be 3.5 stars. 3.0 for the audio and 4.0 for the story. If you’re a fan of historical fiction I may suggest reading instead of audio but the audio would make for a good time while on a road trip or other tasks that allow for successful multitasking.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collin’s Audio for this advanced listener copy
I absolutely loved this well written work of historical fiction, set in World War I. Three women, Iris, Clara and Genevieve, all volunteer for different aspects of service, exposed to the brutality and bloodshed during the war. Their stories weave together perfectly, through the element of a beautifully designed scarf from Liberty of London, a scarf that represents hope. The setting and details were so real, painting a picture I will remember. The relationships they developed were depicted so well, I felt like I was watching a movie of the time period. I highly recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction with a touch of romance. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The concept for the book was intriguing. I’ve read quite a few short-story anthologies and even series with multiple authors and a common theme. But this was the first multi-author book I’ve read that wove the stories together in such a way with a unified epilogue.
I enjoyed 2 of the 3 stories excessively and would’ve been delighted to read them as full length novels in their own right. The other story fell flat for me, though, and by its last few chapters I was frustrated and just wanted it to finish so I could move on to the rest of the book.
All 3 authors, however, did a beautiful job portraying different aspects of the Great War to form one multidimensional picture. Many books and movies focus only on the foot soldiers or pilots on the front line, but there were so many other ways that brave men and women gave of themselves to serve.
I enjoyed 2 of the 3 stories excessively and would’ve been delighted to read them as full length novels in their own right. The other story fell flat for me, though, and by its last few chapters I was frustrated and just wanted it to finish so I could move on to the rest of the book.
All 3 authors, however, did a beautiful job portraying different aspects of the Great War to form one multidimensional picture. Many books and movies focus only on the foot soldiers or pilots on the front line, but there were so many other ways that brave men and women gave of themselves to serve.