My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
----George Orwell
Kate Beaufoy, an Irish award winning and a bestselling author, has penned a captivating tale in her book, Liberty Silk that unfolds the story of three women across three generations tied together by the glittery world of the Hollywood industry with a tang of Parisian landscape, centered around a remarkable dress passed down from one generation to another until it becomes a piece of the missing puzzle.
Synopsis:
One beautiful dress is the key to three brave women’s destinies…
France 1919: Jessie is celebrating the last heady days of her honeymoon. But when her husband suddenly disappears she finds herself bereft. Until a chance encounter thrusts her into the centre of the intoxicating world of Parisian high life.
Hollywood 1945: Lisa has come a long way from her quiet, unassuming life in London and is taking Hollywood by storm. But all that glitters is not gold, and as the smoke and mirrors of the lifestyle she so longed for shatter around her there are some secrets she can never escape.
London 1965: Cat, headstrong and independent, drawn to danger and passionately opposed to injustice, has no idea of the legacy that precedes her. Once past secrets are unveiled, she has the chance to find out what liberty really means...
An evocative story of survival, betrayal and the invincibility of love.
Jessie Beaufoy, born with a silver spoon in her mouth, runs off and marries a good-looking French artist, who abandons her on the final leg of their blissful honeymoon in Finistère on the coast of Brittany. Later on, a heart-broken and shameful, Jessie accepts the role of a muse to a famous painter in the early eighteenth century's Paris. Twenty years down the line, Baba MacLeod, who too runs off to the glitzy tinsel town to pursue her dreams to become an actress only to begin her career as a personal assistant to a renowned movie star. later on, she changes her name to Lisa La Touche and immediately launches herself to become a really famous actress, but her life is dictated by the social norms of those era, which made her difficult to pursue her dreams. Another twenty years down the line, Cat, the apple of her parents' eyes, leaves her hometown to pursue her dreams of becoming a war photographer.
Well do not fret if you find the mention of some of the famous personalities like Coco Chanel or Mr and Mrs. Fitzgerald or Picasso. As the author pens this incredibly addictive and enthralling story from her grandmother's personal account, the story will warm up to the very core of the hearts of the readers. The writing style of the author is exquisite and is laced with evocative emotions that will make the readers sway with the story's poignant flow. The narrative is engaging and at times mysterious that will keep the readers glued to the story line till the very end. The pacing is moderate as the story shifts from one timeline to another with in-depth layering done by the author.
The dress from the book cover is an original gown from the from Liberty of London that passes from one generation to another which will ultimately bind the three women with a shred piece of missing puzzle. The backdrop of the three stories are vividly captured by the author into her canvas of this heart-touching story. From the 20s high-society in Paris to the 40s shimmering Los Angeles to the 60s war-torn Ireland and London, will make the readers feel like riding a roller-coaster filled with fashion, love, loss and fight for freedom.
The characters are inspired from reality as Jessie Beaufoy is the grandmother of the author and based on her letters written during the world war II to a famous painter, the author has penned the story of Jessie who is a romantic at her heart and her life is a sad journey who links her to the next two women. Lisa is the convivial woman who is struggling to give wings to her dreams but when she becomes an actress, she realizes that Hollywood is not all about money or glitter, there is a dark underlying truth to it. Cat suffers the honesty and rawness and hard life of being a war photographer, especially digesting the smell of death through the war-torn cities. Rest of the supporting characters are also quite well-developed.
The story is mainly about giving wings to one's dreams through challenges of those era when women were not much allowed to live freely like a man. Yet these three women keep up to their dreams and fight hard enough to live up to it. Overall the story is an enticing account of three women aspiring for their dreams and their love.
Verdict: A must read story through war, glittering dreams and truth.
Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Kate Beaufoy, for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
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Author Info:
Kate has an MA in French and English literature from Trinity College, Dublin. She began her career as a professional actor – winning a Dublin Theatre Festival Best Actress award – before becoming a fulltime writer. As Kate Thompson she has had a dozen novels published, including the Number One bestseller The Blue Hour, which was shortlisted for the RNA award.
Kate’s novels have been translated into French, German, Greek, Italian, Czech and Dutch. She has contributed to numerous newspapers and magazines in Ireland and the UK, written and broadcast for RTE, and is regularly invited to participate in literary events across the media.
As Kate Beaufoy her first novel – the critically acclaimed Liberty Silk – spent four weeks on the Irish Times bestseller chart. Her latest novel - Another Heartbeat in the House – charted last summe and has been shortlisted in the popular fiction category in the Irish Book Awards 2015. Inspired by William Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, it tells the story of the woman who became governess to his children and who may have been the prototype for literature's most enduring and engaging heroine, Becky Sharp.
Kate lives some of the year in Dublin and some on the West coast of Ireland. She is an advanced-level scuba diver, a wild swimmer, a keen practitioner of Bikram yoga, and the fond keeper of a bewitching Burmese cat.
Visit her here
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