Showing posts with label design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label design. Show all posts

Sunday, November 17, 2024

The Liberty Scarf by Aimie K. Runyan; J'nell Ciesielski; Rachel McMillan

 


A Story of Three Women, One War, and a Scarf That Binds Them Together

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

About the book

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

London: As an ambitious scarf maker, Iris Braxton spends her days surrounded by color and luxury not often seen during the dark days of war that promised to be over by Christmas. That promise has come and gone for three years with still no end in sight and her days continue in a monotony of rations and threads while she spins a dream of becoming Liberty's first female pattern designer. She hasn't the time or interest in rakish soldiers, but the temporarily-on-leave Captain Rex Conrad is persistent--and before long his charm wins her over. But war is cruel and all too soon Conrad leaves once more for the Front, but not before vowing to meet again in Strasbourg, France, the most magical of Christmas cities. Iris begins stitching small messages into each of the scarves she makes in hopes that one will find a way into Rex's hands to let him know she's thinking of him. And when she receives word that he's wounded in Strasbourg, she rushes to his side. Along the way, she passes a woman wearing one of her scarves . . .

Maine: Genevive Tremblay, a French-Canadian immigrant, is a telephone operator living in Lewiston, Maine. Her beau is a member of a prominent family who has helped to Americanize her in a community often unfriendly to Canadians. As part of this effort, she enlists in the US Army Signal Corps to serve as a bi-lingual operator. Along the way, she meets a French officer who makes her question whether losing her identity is too heavy a price for acceptance.

Belgium: Clara Janssens, a Flemish Nurse, and Roman Allaire, an Alsatian violinist, connect in a Brussels palace-turned-hospital far beyond their routine provincial and countryside lives--and the expectations in those towns. Their love of music creates a spark between them, but the destruction of battle and the transient nature of their relationship threatens the bond they have built. Still, the appearance of a kind stranger and the unexpected gift of a treasured scarf bind them long beyond their stolen moments and offer them a future brighter than they could have even hoped.

Synopsis

From acclaimed authors Aimie K. Runyan, J'nell Ciesielski, and Rachel McMillan comes an evocative, three-part novel about a thread of connection during World War I--a single scarf that links three extraordinary women, each battling societal expectations, enduring the devastations of war, and striving for personal growth amidst the chaos. The Liberty Scarf is a testament to the resilience of women and the enduring power of hope and unity in the harshest of times.

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

London: As an ambitious scarf maker, Iris Braxton spends her days surrounded by color and luxury not often seen during the dark days of war that were promised to be over by Christmas. That promise has come and gone for three years with still no end in sight, and her days continue in a monotony of rations and threads while she spins a dream of becoming Liberty's first female pattern designer. She hasn't the time or interest in rakish soldiers, but the temporarily-on-leave Captain Rex Conrad is persistent--and before long his charm wins her over. But war is cruel, and, all too soon, Conrad leaves once more for the Front, but not before vowing to meet again in Strasbourg, France, the most magical of Christmas cities. Iris begins stitching small messages into each of the scarves she makes in hopes that one will find a way into Rex's hands to let him know she's thinking of him. And when she receives word that he's wounded in Strasbourg, she rushes to his side. Along the way, she passes a woman wearing one of her scarves . . .

Maine: Genevi ve Tremblay, a French-Canadian immigrant, is a telephone operator living in Lewiston, Maine. Her beau is a member of a prominent family who has helped to Americanize her in a community often unfriendly to Canadians. As part of this effort, she enlists in the US Army Signal Corps to serve as a bi-lingual operator. Along the way, she meets a French officer who makes her question whether losing her identity is too heavy a price for acceptance.

Belgium: Clara Janssens, a Flemish Nurse, and Roman Allaire, an Alsatian violinist, connect in a Brussels palace-turned-hospital far beyond their routine provincial and countryside lives--and the expectations in those towns. Their love of music creates a spark between them, but the destruction of battle and the transient nature of their relationship threatens the bond they have built. Still, the appearance of a kind stranger and the unexpected gift of a treasured scarf bind them long beyond their stolen moments and offer them a future brighter than they could have even hoped.

The Liberty Scarf is more than a piece of fabric--it's a symbol of hope, resilience, and unity in the face of war, binding these three women together in an indelible bond. Experience their stories of love, sacrifice, and survival in this captivating novel from Aimie K. Runyan, J'nell Ciesielski, and Rachel McMillan.


My reviews

Thursday, June 9, 2022

The Master Craftsman by Kelli Stuart

 



Interesting story where you learn more about Faberge than you probably already knew. He was a master craftsman who designed the first Faberge egg that was a gift to the Tsar. It brought him great success and notoriety. 50 plus eggs were created over the years. He didn't design them all, and even of those he did design, he didn't make all of the components. He employed other master craftsmen who each specialized in a skill. He loved all of his employees like family and was good to them. When the Tsar was deposed all who were associated with him were as well. Russia was not friendly to them, and they had to flee. 

This is a time skip story to modern day. Ava's father is a treasure hunter and wasn't around much when she was growing up. She goes to him as he's dying and learns of an unfinished quest to find a lost Faberge egg. Since she's like him, she jumps at the chance to find it. Excellent mystery, learning about St Petersburg, Russia and Faberge. Danger and murder thicken the plot. 

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.

#TheMasterCraftsman #NetGalley #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout #HistoricalFiction @KelliStuart

My Reviews

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

A Tapestry of Light by Kimberly Duffy

 




"She knew every time she created something beautiful, she was declaring something of her own— independence, value, creativity"

1889 Calcutta, India. What an interesting story. Ottilie is a Indian-British young lady with a talent for beetle-wing embroidery, a skill handed down for generations.  She was not accepted by society, on either side of her heritage. "No matter how far she ran, she couldn’t escape the narrative God had been fashioning for her—a story of constant loss and never belonging." She had lost her father and two siblings to cholera, and then later her mother was killed, leaving Ottilie to care for her grandmother and young brother.  Her mother had supported them with sewing and embroidery and she tried to. Then their British relatives send a representative to take her little brother to England as he had become heir of the family estate. An estate their father had walked away from. You can feel Ottilie's fragility and her strength throughout, as well as her struggle with faith, since her grandmother had died too. But the safety of England from cholera made her accept their going there. Unfortunately society in general there did not accept her and even her relatives treated her terribly, and Everett the young man who had been sent to take them to England. They all struggle to coexist, and when her brother is sent away to school, she leaves the estate to be near him and takes a job in a dress design shop,. This is also a story of the poor conditions women worked in to produce high fashion for the elite. Excellent read! A lot to learn.
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.
#ATapestryofLight #NetGalley

My Reviews:

Sunday, April 7, 2019

The Fashion Designer by Nancy Moser

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1683226011/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1683226011&linkCode=as2&tag=netg01-20https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-fashion-designer-nancy-moser/1127353397?ean=9781683226017https://www.powells.com/book/-9781432856571https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36459597-the-fashion-designer?from_search=true

 "So many of us New Yorkers share a rags-to-riches story."

Freedom of choice.
In the living of our lives things happen to us. We have the freedom to accept God's help, open the door and let Him in, or not.

In this book the characters all are put into situations - how and what they choose shapes their lives. The book is mainly about the women. They all join together and form a sisterhood. Joining strengths and supporting each other in their weaknesses, all becoming stronger for it.

Creativity continues in this edition of the series. Annie was a Maid who went on to design dress patterns for Butterick, and in this story goes out on her own (with friends) and starts her own dress shop, designed for the everyday woman. This was a huge step away from designing for the wealthy. It was believed at the time that money could not be made by selling clothes to "common" people. A wonderful story of hardship and success in this great country of ours.

Disclosure of Material Connection: 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. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
#TheFashionDesigner #NancyMoser #NetGalley #BooksYouCanFeelGoodAbout

My Reviews
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