{"title":"Books by Aimie K. Runyan","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781400246700","title":"The Liberty Scarf","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom 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. \u003cem\u003eThe Liberty Scarf\u003c\/em\u003e is a testament to the resilience of women and the enduring power of hope and unity in the harshest of times.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn the midst of a seemingly endless war, a scarf connects three women in the cold winter of 1917 . . .\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLondon:\u003c\/strong\u003e 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 . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMaine:\u003c\/strong\u003e Geneviève 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBelgium:\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Liberty Scarf\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54911799853429,"sku":"9781400246700","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781400246700_65971af4-a27b-4684-8c3b-e2c44f80f3d5.jpg?v=1786019275"},{"product_id":"9780063247710","title":"A Bakery in Paris","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the author of \u003cem\u003eThe School for German Brides\u003c\/em\u003e, this captivating historical novel set in nineteenth-century and post–World War II Paris follows two fierce women of the same family, generations apart, who find that their futures lie in the four walls of a simple bakery in a tiny corner of Montmartre.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e1870: The Prussians are at the city gates, intent to starve Paris into submission. Lisette Vigneau—headstrong, willful, and often ignored by her wealthy parents—awaits the outcome of the war from her parents’ grand home in the Place Royale in the very heart of the city. When an excursion throws her into the path of a revolutionary National Guardsman, Théodore Fournier, her destiny is forever changed. She gives up her life of luxury to join in the fight for a Paris of the People. She opens a small bakery with the hopes of being a vital boon to the impoverished neighborhood in its hour of need. When the city falls into famine, and then rebellion, her resolve to give up the comforts of her past life is sorely tested.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e1946: Nineteen-year-old Micheline Chartier is coping with the loss of her father and the disappearance of her mother during the war. In their absence, she is charged with the raising of her two younger sisters. At the hand of a well-meaning neighbor, Micheline finds herself enrolled in a prestigious baking academy with her entire life mapped out for her. Feeling trapped and desperately unequal to the task of raising two young girls, she becomes obsessed with finding her mother. Her classmate at the academy, Laurent Tanet, may be the only one capable of helping Micheline move on from the past and begin creating a future for herself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoth women must grapple with loss, learn to accept love, and face impossible choices armed with little more than their courage and a belief that a bit of flour, yeast, sugar, and love can bring about a revolution of their own.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56222480138613,"sku":"9780063247710","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780063247710_0a54772a-56e2-46b6-9111-668f1d6d4b33.jpg?v=1786011129"},{"product_id":"missed-connections","title":"Missed Connections","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat if you had the chance to revisit every choice that mattered?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSabrina Sorensen is 37, single, and just lost a fabulous job as manager of a posh Parisian restaurant. She heads home to California for her younger sister’s engagement party, and it's an open door for her mother and siblings to chide Sabrina for her inability to commit to any of her previous jobs and relationships. What they don't know is that Sabrina, for fifteen long years, has been building her résumé in hopes of becoming an inspector for the famed MICHELIN guides—a path that has required keeping her ambitions hidden, even from her family. And, with the job loss, all she’s worked for is in jeopardy. After her mother's final clumsy attempt to fix her up with the charming \"boy next door,\" Sabrina leaves the party and retreats to the Burbank Airport.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe problem? She has nowhere to go. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe arrives at the airport, resolved to put the family conflict behind her and focus on her work, but now her mother's critical voice fills her with doubts. Has she been wasting her life? Faced with the enormity of her next decision, Sabrina breaks down at the ticket counter. The ticket agent pulls her aside and offers her the life-altering opportunity to revisit some of her key life choices, both personal and professional. Sabrina suddenly is given the rare chance to answer the burning question: has she been foolish to sacrifice so much for her dream of becoming a Michelin inspector? And will a spark with an aspiring Danish chef change her priorities altogether?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57483495309685,"sku":"9781400353255","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781400353255.jpg?v=1786178664"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-aimie-k-runyan.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}