A sweeping Jazz Age tale of regret, ambition, and redemption inspired by true events, including the Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935 and Josephine Baker’s 1925 Paris debut in Le Revue Nègre
1924. May Marshall is determined to spend the dog days of summer in self-imposed exile at her father’s farm in Keswick, Virginia. Following a naive dalliance that led to heartbreak and her expulsion … led to heartbreak and her expulsion from Mary Baldwin College, May returns home with a shameful secret only to find her father’s orchard is now the site of a lucrative moonshining enterprise. Despite warnings from the one man she trusts—her childhood friend Byrd—she joins her father’s illegal business. When authorities close in and her father, Henry, is arrested, May goes on the run.
May arrives in New York City, determined to reinvent herself as May Valentine and succeed on her own terms, following her mother’s footsteps as a costume designer. The Jazz Age city glitters with both opportunity and the darker temptations of cocaine and nightlife. From a start mending sheets at the famed Biltmore Hotel, May falls into a position designing costumes for a newly formed troupe of African American entertainers bound for Paris. Reveling in her good fortune, May will do anything for the chance to go abroad, and the lines between right and wrong begin to blur. When Byrd shows up in New York, intent upon taking May back home, she pushes him, and her past, away.
In Paris, May’s run of luck comes to a screeching halt, spiraling her into darkness as she unravels a painful secret about her past. May must make a choice: surrender to failure and addiction, or face the truth and make amends to those she has wronged. But first, she must find self-forgiveness before she can try to reclaim what her heart craves most.
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Not only is this an absolutely stunning book, but it is also a gorgeous story! I read this year (or maybe last year? I don’t know, what even is time anymore?) a story based off of Josephine Baker so I was really excited to get back to the time period and the glitz and the glamour that went along with it. And, as we often see with the glamorous lifestyle, there is a bit of darkness mixed into this story as well.
Where do I even begin though? This was just one of those books that I only need to take one look at and instantly know that I would be enamored by it. It just contains so many things that I love reading about and it was done so perfectly. And to top it off it follows a wonderfully strong female who isn’t willing to back down from a challenge. So, even more my type of book.
The best part of this book for me is that it refuses to stray away from the difficult topics. While this time period is often almost fetishized there were plenty of struggles that the people dealt with hidden behind these extravagant parties and lifestyles. Liza Nash Taylor just did such a wonderful job blending the darkness with the light and created a beautifully engaging read!
Wow! This book is phenomenal! It is gripping, atmospheric, heart-wrenching, powerful, and so much more. Every time I picked up “Etiquette For Runaways”, I was whisked back in time, and went on such an emotional journey with this story.
Liza Nash Taylor is such an incredible writer! Her writing and storytelling is incredibly visceral, vivid, descriptive, and each element of her story comes to life right before the reader’s eyes. I could really envision every location, and the book feels meticulously researched and is full of history. I found myself completely immersed in the world of the story from the first page to the last, and had such a difficult time putting it down.
This book follows May, a woman who goes through so much, and continues to follow her dreams. I do not want to spoil anything in this review plot wise, so, I will simply say, this coming-of-age story is unique, full of emotion, and makes you think in many ways. The author does not shy away from many hardships throughout the story, and as you follow along on May’s journey, this story truly is a must read.
If you enjoy historical fiction, I highly recommend this book! It kept me turning the pages chapter after chapter to see what would happen next, and I look forward to seeing what Ms. Taylor writes next.
Thank you so much to Blackstone Publishing for the review copy of this book! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I read the sequel to this book first (In All Good Faith), and I liked it so much that I wanted to read this one too. The second one is a standalone, but a little background never hurts. May is all of twenty years old in this book, and we are introduced to all of the characters that will form the basis of the two-book series (so far), along with a few that don’t appear in the sequel. May is very young and naive at this age. She wants more, always more, and thinks that everything will come easily to her just because she wants it. She’s been raised on a farm in Keswick, Va, and she’s convinced there’s more to the world than what she’s experienced so far. She learns pretty fast that there is a price to pay for that way of thinking. This is a coming-of-age story told during the jazz age in the “roaring twenties” when life was wild and the world was experimenting. I enjoyed this story. I found it a different take on the issues of that time period which meant that I learned some things right alongside May. I do highly recommend the sequel once you’ve finished with this one. And I will be on the lookout for other books by this author as well.
Etiquette for Runaways is a beautifully written debut novel! This is my favorite book of the year so far. I can’t wait for the Liza Nash Taylor’s next book!
While I had a lot of fun following along on May’s journey, my favorite part of this reading experience was how completely LNT transported me to back to the 1920s in Virginia, NYC, and Paris. I loved that it didn’t feel like I was simply reading the words on the page, but rather that I was there like a bird in May’s shoulder. Also? It wasn’t all sunshine and roses. I tend to get bored with historical fiction that’s too rosy, so the fact that May’s life was a bumpy ride had me hooked.
May has had a difficult childhood, raised by a single father after being left by her mother, experiencing loss when her infant brother dies, and being sent back home from college after a “little bit of trouble.” When she arrives back home to her alcoholic father, May has to take the helm of his illegal moonshine business. But the feds are breathing down their necks and when her father gets into trouble, she has no other option than to run away, far from her home and her past. May immediately heads off to New York where she witnesses the eye opening experiences of the roaring 20’s in full swing. A coming of age story, May’s enlightenment eventually ends her up in Paris, where she learns even more about herself and her ability to persevere.
A brilliant debut by Liza Nash Taylor. With intriguing characters and an awesome story line, this is historical fiction combined with coming of age at its best. Ms. Taylors writing is emotional and heartfelt and extremely easy to follow. Her ability to describe 1920’s New York and Paris though May’s eyes is quite moving. I always enjoy a good historical fiction about the 1920’s, my favorite era, and Liza Nash Taylor has sucked me into her fictional world with May and I never wanted to leave. So glad that she has a second “stand alone” sequel coming out in 2021, I will be first in line to buy. Highly recommend this to my historical fiction and coming of age story lovers. Quite a read.
Holy wow, y’all! I did not expect to love this one as much as I did! I mean, I knew I would like it, but it’s a debut novel. Sometimes, I only JUST like a debut novel. But, this one…….this one I fell in love with. From the start, Liza Nash Taylor hooked me, and kept me on a whirlwind ride throughout. I fell hard for her characters and the setting was beautifully depicted and came to life for me.
This historical story is set in the 1920’s, one of my favorites to read about. I mean, I love the jazz & flapper girl era. Something about that time period that just calls to me(I always tell folks I was born in the wrong era!). May’s character was beautifully, flawfully chiseled. She was real. She made huge mistakes in life, but following her story was a wonderful vacation. I loved following her on her runaway journey to New York & Paris, seeing the sites through her eyes.
This historical novel will leave you full of emotions. From sadness & heartache to anger & a few smiles, this book is wonderfully written, and captivating. Nash Taylor is an author who shows true talent and I look forward to reading more of her novels just like this one. If you want a story that will envelope you, take you on a twisting journey, and make you feel a true part of the story, grab this one up now!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Liza Nash Taylor
Oh, my. This book is wonderful. I saw the cover, knowing nothing about the story inside, and knew without a doubt that I had to read this book. The rose gold foil drew my eye and the model was mysterious and I knew she had a story to tell. Then the title, Etiquette for Runaways, that made me curious to where the story would take me.
May, the main character, is intriguing. She grew up without knowing what happen to her mother, she lost her brother, and her father was a moonshiner. When she was forced to go out in the world and fend for herself, she found her way. It was not easy, it was not pretty, but it was what she needed to do to keep herself alive. I could feel how real her story was. Liza Nash Taylor did not make this story all pretty and sweet, she told a story as May’s life really was, she told of the drugs, the business deals, and all that went along with that life. The story took me on a ride, telling of a life that I could not ever imagine living.
Etiquette for Runaways is Liza Nash Taylor’s debut book and I am now a fan of hers. I cannot wait to read her next book. I highly recommend picking up your own copy and reading the wonderful, realistic story.
“The world was a big place, full of mistakes just waiting to be made, but maybe, she thought, just maybe, there were some second chances too.”
Etiquette For Runaways is a beautiful debut novel set during the Prohibition. The protagonist is May Marshall, a 19-year-old who is expelled from college after a scandal and returns to her home on a Virginia farm to find her father is now a moonshiner and the demons from her past are still alive and well. When the law catches on to her father’s business, May goes on the run to New York City and reinvents herself as May Valentine. Taking work as a seamstress, she falls in love with Jazz and the club life and eventually lands a job designing costumes which takes her to Paris. Along this incredible journey, May must come to terms with the her past actions, the trauma of being abandoned by her mother and her feelings for a childhood friend who wants her to leave her new life behind and return to their farm town.
I really enjoyed how vividly Lisa Nash Taylor depicts May’s worlds. From the family’s rural apple farm and market to the glamour of 1920’s NYC and Paris, the places come alive. I also loved the characters she created. May is truly flawed but you can’t help but root for her even when she’s making terrible choices and her friends and family are wonderfully drawn – Byrd, the boy-next-door who’s been like a brother to May but would like to be more; Rocky, the Black elevator operator who helps her adjust to life in New York while also finding a way to express his true self; Dora, May’s self-centered opportunist of a roommate; Janie, the showgirl who becomes her friend; Delphina, the help who raised May after her mother left; and even Florence, the ladies room attendant at the hotel where May works, is someone you feel like you know.
I read a lot of historical fiction and this book is a unique, a moving coming-of-age story that is anything but predictable. Be sure to read the author’s note at the end – how she came up with the plot is extraordinary. I’m looking forward to reading a lot more from Liza Nash Taylor.
Thanks to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and the author for an advanced ecopy of this novel to review.
Liza Nash Taylor’s debut novel, Etiquette for Runaways is an easy-to-read historical fiction. Ms. Taylor definitely has a knack for storytelling that hooked this reader into spending an entire day reading.
Etiquette for Runaways is set in the early 1920s, and it greatly features the jazz age and prohibition. The historical basis is clearly well researched, and the author acknowledges all the time line changes she made when creating this work of fiction. Ms. Taylor touches on many historic issues and happenings of the era, but some are just tangents that readers may miss if they’re not already aware of the historic event or mores.
All of the characters in this book are interesting. Even the secondary characters are richly layered. I found it interesting that the more significant characters in this book are generally laden with baggage and make supremely bad decisions. They’re not victims, they bring on their own bad fortune. On the other hand, the secondary characters are generally portrayed as more moral and ethical. Their faith and loyalty are obvious throughout the story.
At the center of the story is May Marshall. Her primary antagonist is herself, or at least, her self-image. As the narrator, her bias does not make her totally unreliable. Her self-esteem issues are easy to identify, and that makes her a little more empathetic; however, her propensity to make bad choices eventually made it hard for me to care for her.
“The world was a big place, full of mistakes just waiting to be made, but maybe, she thought, just maybe, there were some second chances too.”
I enjoyed the story immensely. The vivid imagery took me back in time through apple orchards in Virginia to the glitz of New York City and the glamor of Paris. While I found May’s string of bad luck and poor choices to be plausible, some of her luck was a stretch for me. Ms. Taylor’s ambiguous yet hopeful ending surprised me and left me with the feeling that May Marshall had finally figured life out.
I really enjoyed this story of a strong young woman trying to find her way through this world via Virginia, New York and Paris. Set in the gilded age of glamour, Jazz age, crime and moonshine. I found this historical fiction a wonderful read as we follow along May Marshall who became May Valentine as she battles her past as she tries to survive the odds set against her.
Taylor navigates the world of post WWI America writing about the other side of glamour, the dark side of addiction, temptation, secrets and passion in this addicting story.
Set in the 1920’s, with great characters and a well researched story, I found myself enthralled and immersed in this exciting historical fiction, coming-of-age read.
Etiquette for Runaways by Liza Nash Taylor is a captivating debut novel that does not feel read or feel like a debut novel.
In this story we meet May in a story set in the 1920’s. I really enjoyed this story that was set in multiple locales: Virginia, New York, and Paris. The 1920’s was such an incredible time period riddled with glamour and crime and everything in between.
This story is a coming of age well written and researched story. The timeline alternates between the past and present.
The vivid imagery created immersed me into this book and the setting of the 1920’s. The author tackles addiction, alcoholism and one’s feeling of worth in a captivating way.
A MUST read for fans of historical fiction.
Highly recommend .
Liza Nash Taylor, the author of “Etiquette for Runaways” has written an enthralling, intriguing, intense, captivating, and thought-provoking novel. The genres for this novel are Fiction and Historical Fiction. The timeline for this story is approximately 1924. The story goes to the past and future when it pertains to the characters and events. The story takes place in Keswick Virginia and New York City and Paris. The author describes her dramatic cast of characters as complex and complicated. Moonshining and the jazz age are discussed in this story. There are secrets, betrayals.crime, and lies.
May Marshall, the protagonist in this novel, makes wrong choices and mistakes in life. Some of her mistakes are the cause of her insecurity, embarrassment, and shame. May’s father has an illegal thriving moonshine business that she becomes involved with. May is also obsessed with finding the mother who abandoned her, leaving her not only with a broken heart but a broken piece of a porcelain doll that she keeps with her. May does have some good friends that look out for her, and some that betray and hurt her.
May wants to find a way to be an independent woman and wants to explore and have adventures. Some of her adventures take her to interesting and dangerous places. I appreciate that the author vividly describes the characters, events, scenery, and plots. Many of the descriptions of foods, hotels, homes, costumes, clothing, and jewelry are intriguing.
I love how Liza Nash Taylor discusses problems such as alcoholism, drug use, illegal liquor, discrimination of races, and classes. The author also mentions the importance of self-worth, communication, honesty, love, and hope. I would highly recommend this memorable and thought-provoking novel to other readers. Happy Reading!!!
Fasten your seatbelts, for Etiquette for Runaways is an effervescent and completely unpredictable ride from Virginia to New York to Paris with brave and complicated May Marshall. Trust me, this is one fabulous book that will keep you turning pages.
Liza Nash Taylor has written a dazzling book that explores the hidden dreams and shifting sorrows of an amazing character, May Marshall. Taylor weaves May’s travails, travels, and triumphs into a multiplicity of wonders: generational mystery, moonshine intrigue, mother-daughter heartache, Jazz Age glitter, and a love story that lingers long after the last page is turned. Etiquette for Runaways is a must-read, remarkable, and sumptuous debut.
With deeply compelling characters intertwined in a story steeped in history, international travel, jazz, secrets, passion, addiction, heartbreaks, temptations, and more, Liza Nash Taylor delivers a page-turning book that will captivate readers from beginning to end. This is an exceptional debut novel from a very capable storyteller who has perfected her craft. Hopefully, this is a first book of many in the historical fiction genre by this author.
Exquisitely written, Liza Nash Taylor’s Etiquette for Runaways is a powerful tale of seeking absolution and pursuing dreams. It’s a magnificent, special novel that I didn’t want to end.
An utterly absorbing tale of the trials of being a young woman of independent spirit during the glamorous but harsh years of post-WWI America, when the yearning for personal freedoms clashed with the heavy hand of prohibition, politics, and social mores. I could almost taste the smoky, moonshine-laced air of the speakeasies, and feel flashes of fringed tassels on my skin as I read. Beautiful and immersive writing!
I liked this book made you reflect on the time in history the characters in the book reflected the rules of the time period
This is a great coming-of-age novel about life lessons, loyalty, and forgiveness in a fast-spinning, glittering world full of temptation and opportunity. Beautifully done!