I must confess, I have not yet read "Lilac Girls." After finishing this book I am determined to move Lilac up on my TBR list. Martha Hall Kelly has a gift for writing about history. In her narrative she uses alternating viewpoints (Eliza, Sonya and Varinka) as well as inserting cliffhangers at the end of the chapters. You are compelled to keep reading to see what happens to that character, of course. I do believe Sonya was my favorite character. Loved the roses and flower references strewn throughout. As I could tell from the end notes there was extensive research done and this book was based on a real Eliza while Sonya and Varinka were composites. I am wondering why there was no reference to the Spanish Flu by any of our three characters? This will be popular with the book groups!

A big thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this new historical novel.

Breathtaking. I love that this book is the prequel to Lilac Girls. If you are a fan of historical fiction you need to give this one a try. I love that this involves the Russian Romanov family.

I am probably one of the few people left on this planet who has not yet read Lilac Girls, Martha Hall Kelly’s debut novel about real life heroine Caroline Ferriday during World War II. The book has actually been on my TBR for quite some time and I even own a copy of it, but unfortunately, I have struggled to find the time to read it (which hopefully will be rectified soon). Despite not having read Lilac Girls, I was still excited to have received an ARC of Kelly’s second novel Lost Roses, which is the prequel to Lilac Girls and tells the story of Caroline’s mother Eliza Ferriday. This time around, the story is set against the backdrop of World War I, though technically, the Great War only plays a peripheral role, as most of the story takes place in Russia, with a narrative revolving around the events leading up to the Bolshevik Revolution in 1918 – a peasant uprising that eventually overthrew the imperial dynasty and ended the rule of the Romanov family. Central to the story is Sofya Streshnayva, cousin to the tsar and also Eliza’s best friend, who is forced to flee with her family to their country estate in the woods when war erupts and things become too dangerous for the ruling class. While staying at the estate, the family hires a young peasant girl, Varinka – the daughter of the local fortune teller -- to help in the kitchen and also take care of Sofya’s newborn son Max. Unbeknownst to them, Varinka brings with her tremendous danger that will end up changing the family’s lives forever. Meanwhile, after having returned to her hometown of New York, Eliza endures a tragedy of her own, but through it all, she continues to do her part in helping the Russian immigrants who successfully fled from the revolution to America, while at the same time, she continues to hold out hope that her friend Sofya and her family will also be able to escape the turmoil wrought by revolution as well as the vestiges of war.

With the story narrated mostly from the alternating perspectives of Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka, each woman lends a distinctive voice to this captivating tale of endurance and survival during a turbulent period in history. Going into this book, I had very limited knowledge about the Bolshevik Revolution and the resulting turmoil in Russia at that time, so I definitely appreciated the tremendous research that the author Martha Hall Kelly did in order to bring that historical event and all the other ones to life. The storytelling here was top-notch, as I truly did feel like I was being transported back to that time and place, living through the harrowing circumstances that Sofya and her family faced. The portrayal of the horrors and violence suffered by those caught up in the uprising felt so real that I actually felt a chill run through me while I was reading those particular scenes. Sofya was the type of character that I couldn’t help but root for, with everything she goes through and still finding the will to survive for her son’s sake, an admirable trait many of us with children can relate to. With Varinka, I felt her inner moral struggle and though I pitied the situation she was placed in, I still couldn’t help being upset over the role she played in the events that transpired. As for Eliza, I actually felt that her story was the least interesting of the three, though I did love her fierce personality and compassionate spirit. I love stories with strong female protagonists and this book didn’t give us just one, but several indomitable women (and I include not just the above-mentioned 3 women, but also Luba, Caroline, Mamka, Eliza’s mother Carry, etc.) whose courage, determination, and tenacity amongst so much destruction and adversity made this such an unforgettable story for me.

This is historical fiction at its finest: well-researched with the historical events incorporated seamlessly, plus a compelling story as well as wonderfully developed characters – a balance that is not easy to achieve in books like this one where it is necessary to strive for authenticity historically while still maintaining great storytelling. Emotionally, this story resonated with me deeply, especially with its portrayal of family, love, hope, friendship, and most significantly, resilience. The one warning I would give is that the descriptions of the atrocities of war were gut-wrenching and, truth be told, difficult for me to get through, but I understand the necessity of including these scenes for us to understand the devastating impact of such history and as a lesson to never let them happen again.

In her Author’s Note, Martha Hall Kelly mentions that she will be writing a third book – another prequel, but this time the story will go back further in time to the Civil War, continuing the story of the Woolsey women with Caroline’s great-grandmother Jane Eliza Newton Woolsey and the establishment of the first nursing services in America. I’m looking forward to Kelly’s next book and for sure, I will definitely have read her first one Lilac Girls by then!

Received ARC from Ballantine Books via NetGalley

Set during WW1 from the perspective of 3 females, the concept is intriguing. However, I rode the struggle bus with this one a bit and found it slow and hard to become invested in the characters. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC!

I never head Martha Hall Kelly's "The Lilac Girls", but after reading Lost Roses I have apparently been missing out. Lost Roses was a wonderful read about a group of women who survived both WWI and the Russian Revolution and how their lives were affected by what all they'd been through. Well written, enjoyable book.

It is no secret that I did not love Lilac Girls, but I wanted to give this author a second chance because mine seemed to be an unpopular opinion for that book—I’m so glad that I did.

Lost Roses soared in comparison to Lilac Girls for me personally, and there are so many reasons why. First and foremost, this book took place during WWI/the Bolshevik Revolution which is a time period that I had never read about previously. This put Lost Roses in a league of its own and I really enjoyed learning about something completely new.

I strongly disliked Caroline’s character in Lilac Girls; but I really enjoyed her mother Eliza’s character in Lost Roses and appreciated how we understood her purpose from the very beginning. This book did a great job of evenly distributing the narrative between the three women, and I found each of them to be relatable and mildly unlikeable in a way that gave the characters depth. The chapters were quick and the pages flew by for me and I couldn’t put it down. My one critique was that at times the backstory was overly descriptive in a way that didn’t aid the storytelling, but overall I really enjoyed this book. It is clear that the author puts a great deal of research and passion into her work.

In the Author’s Note, Kelly announces that she is working on her next book about a Ferriday family member that lived during the Civil War. Based on this book, I’d say SIGN ME UP for more!

While the characters in this weren't quite as captivating as those in Lilac Girls, this is still a very worthy successor to a book that's been incredibly popular since it's publication. From the story of Eliza Ferriday, it's clear where Caroline Ferriday received her gumption and passion for helping others. It's a great story about friendship, and this one focuses on World War I, which seems less represented in historical fiction, and particularly on the experience of the Russian nobility in that time frame (not something I've spent a great deal of time reading about, but this story is definitely going to inspire me to seek out more information!).

I have The Lilac Girls on my shelf and when I found out this was the prequel, I choose to read this one first, I was certainly not disappointed. I’m thinking I will enjoy the Lilac Girls all the more now. This is a historical fiction based upon true events and it kept my interest from the beginning to the end. It was easy to become fond of Sonya and Eliza, but Varinka’s story was a little hard to take.
This story covers a part of WWI that I hadn’t read about before, Russia’s imperial dynasty falling and family to the Romanovs. I found the descriptions of the fighting and the hardships very well researched. I did feel a few coincidences a little hard to believe, but otherwise the story was very well told.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone that loves historical fiction and I look extremely forward to The Lilac Girls.
Highly recommend!!! I was given an advanced copy from Random House Publishing through Net Galley for my honest review, this one gets 5*****’s.

Did you read Lilac Girls? I haven’t but I will now after reading this book. I was so enthralled by this book and the brutal yet beautiful stories. After spending many months throughout Europe and reading about WW1 and WW2, I can see that the US hasn’t experienced war in the same devastating ways other countries have. This book certainly opened my eyes. Now onto Lilac Girls. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

I am finding it difficult to articulate my feelings about this book---I really enjoy learning about a period or place through historical fiction and there is no doubt that Martha Kelly is adept at taking the reader into another time and place. And, the reader vividly encounters the people and problems of the period.

Perhaps the center of my disquiet about this book (and LILAC GIRLS) is the Martha Hall Kelly seems at her best when her characters are suffering. And, there is a lot of it in her books. I don't expect a novel about the plight of the White Russians to be full of frivolous fun, but Kelly's books tend to take me to places where I am more uncomfortable than the narrative requires.

The few characters that really caught my imagination (Luba, Cook, Mrs.Farriday) were relatively minor characters in the story and although we spend a lot of time with the principal characters their spirit never spoke to me the same way the lesser characters' did.

I emerged as a more informed reader---never realizing that there was so much support for the White Russian community in America, but I found myself struggling to find my way through a book that was not a difficult read, just not compelling for me.

NetGalley provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.

Love Martha Hall Kelly, I loved The Lilac Girls and recommend it to everyone. I can’t believe, she did it again. She writes historical fiction like no one else. Her description of the places and the characters just brings the book to life. Her 3 women characters stories are told in3 different voices. Rich, poor,. Needing to know what happens to these ladies I read the book in 2 days. Thanks for the advance copy of this book and i’m already recommending this book to my friends and book clubs.

I loved Kelly’s book, The Lilac Girls, and couldn’t wait to read this prequel also inspired by true events, set during WWI. The author’s meticulous research again shone through.

A moving story involving three strong women and how war affects their lives. I enjoy multiple-perspective writing but it took me a little while to get the characters straight. In the beginning chapters, it felt a bit heavy in unnecessary details but a good plot and historically interesting and enlightening.

I was very excited to get my hands on this due to all the high praise of the author's previous work, Lilac Girls. I had not read that book (as I had genre fatigue at the time), but I jumped at this one because I feel like WWI fiction isn't as prevalent and I spent a great deal of time studying Russian history in college.

The story is told in what is now a familiar format from three different perspectives. An American socialite, Eliza, a cousin to the Tsar, Sofya, and a poor villager, Varinka. I went back and forth a lot with these characters, but ended up being confused the most by Varinka.

The Good - This was a very well researched book, where I felt it almost got too bogged down in detail at times, but since I'm a huge history nerd that didn't bother me. What I liked the most was that these were voices we don't hear from a lot. I think this era of history is even more "important" than the 30's and 40's because this is what sets the stage for all that is to come. So often, (in my opinion), this era is overlooked and I think it's a shame because there are so many wonderful stories to be told.

What didn't work for me - I went back and forth on these characters a lot. Likeability isn't an issue, it was more believe-ability. I felt some of Eliza's story was rushed in parts (most likely to try and keep the story moving since it already clocked in over 400 pages). I've seen some complaints about Sofya and her family caring more about parties and things than the plight of their people, but to me that was historically correct. It's hard NOT to want to yell at them because they are so blind to the suffering of their people, but when you're sheltered from that your whole life, how can it be expected of them to think differently? (Although, admittedly I felt it troubling as well.). Varinka is the one that puzzled me the most. I had difficulty juxtaposing her character before Max and after Max.

Overall, this was a good book, but not anything I would yell from the roof tops about - and that's okay. Many, many others loved it and I'm sure there will be many more!

Thanks to Netgalley, Martha Hall Kelly and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Review Date: 4/2/19
Publication Date: 4/9/19

Thanks to NetGalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I enjoyed Lilac Girls, Ms. Kelly's previous book, very much, so I was quite enthusiastic to read Lost Roses, historical fiction involving Caroline Ferriday's mother Eliza. Once again, the book centers around three women, an American socialite and two women in a war-torn area, this time in Russia during the time of the Russian revolution. One of the Russian women is a (former) wealthy socialite, Sofiya, and relative of the tsar, while the other is a poor peasant woman in the village where Sofiya's family has an estate.

I went back and forth about the main characters - sometimes feeling annoyance at the entitled attitudes of the two wealthy women and the selfishness of Varinka, the peasant woman. When I put it in context, though, it all made sense - of course these wealthy women are going to have an entitled attitude about life and their place in life - not to say that it's right, but it's just not surprising. And why on earth should a downtrodden peasant woman feel any great compassion for the wealthy woman who is part of the upper class which has viciously oppressed her? Even after the revolution, she continues to be oppressed by her boyfriend, and it's not out of character for her to feel that she should grab whatever she can get, including another woman's baby.

While the story is generally not surprising - we can all see where it's going - it's a good read and there are a couple twists. It's an interesting time, and the events are compelling. Ms. Hall writes a good story - it flows beautifully and is certainly one that carries you right along, making it hard to put down - "just one more chapter and then I'll stop"!

This is probably a 3.5 to 4 for me. My respect for the research that author Martha Hall Kelly has done to create Lost Roses and her previous book Lilac Girls bumps up my rating a bit. Based on the life of Eliza, mother of Caroline Ferriday, and her support of Russian emigres during and after WWI, Hall Kelly has brought to life the Russian immigrant and war experience. The novel follows Eliza as well as Russian Sofya and her family, and Varinka, a Russian peasant. To me it felt clear (and was confirmed reading the author's notes) that Sofya was based on a real person and Varinka was not, as Varinka's story, while compelling, felt less authentic and less developed.

Sofya and Eliza are dear friends so when the uprising (Bolshevik revolution) in Russia begins, Eliza fears for Sofya, husband Afon and son Max as well as her parents and sister, Lubya, who are in danger. Their relationship to the Tsar puts them in the camp of White Russians, many of whom would be murdered as the revolution gained support. Varinka, a peasant who struggles to keep herself and her beloved mother alive under the Tsar's reign, finds an opportunity to work for Sofya's family. A great deal of Russian folklore and culture is present in Varinka's story, including superstitions that lead Varinka to believe she should raise Sofya's son.

The heartbreaking losses suffered by all three women and the courage of Sofya and Lubya, in particular, bring to focus this time in history. Interesting and engaging.

I haven’t read Lilac Girls yet, so when I was approved by Netgalley to pre-view this prequel, I was very excited! This was a wonderful historical fiction about 3 women whose lives intertwined during War World I. I really enjoyed the Russian history of that time period because of the few references to the Romanov’s which I am interested in learning more about. I am excited to read Lilac Girls because the story continues with Eliza’s daughter Caroline. I particularly enjoyed the author’s notes at the end revealing what were the fictional vs. non-fictional parts of this book. I appreciated the research she did in writing this book.

The book Lost Roses is a prequel to Martha Hall Kelly's book Lilac Girls. The book focuses on Caroline's mother Eliza and is set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution of 1917. I appreciated this book's unique perspective on the Russian Revolution, since it focuses on two sisters from an aristocratic family whose lives are deeply upended by the Revolution. It also includes a character who provides a perspective on what it was like to be a peasant during the Revolution. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about the Russian Revolution and enjoys books about sisters and friendship.

Fans of the Lilac Girls will love this historical fiction journey back to WWI. Readers will follow in the footsteps of three women during the Russian Revolution. Strong women that made difficult decisions and survived. A well researched novel that reveal the real effects of war. Recommended!

Martha Hall Kelly wrote Lost Roses after Lilac Girls and it takes us back to WWI and features Caroline's mother, Eliza. I connected even less with Eliza. I found this story difficult to follow. The rhythm was choppy and lacked any drama. Eliza is again representing the American viewpoint and gives us a glimpse of the Russian revolution, while Sofya, her friend who is related to the aristocrat family, shows us how many upper class Russians denied any issues until they themselves were caught in the middle of the destruction. The third narrator, Varinka, was just an ordinary Russian who comes to work as a nanny for Sofya and ends up having a major part in the story. I never connected with any of these women, and since the story was so difficult to follow, I am sorry to say I did not enjoy reading the book.

It's obvious Kelly's novels were thoroughly researched, but the stories are missing the qualities that make them hard to put down. I found myself reading less because I wasn't drawn into the stories. These are difficult subjects and hard to enjoy reading when the subject matter is so grim. I did learn a lot from reading these stories based on actual women in history. It's important that we honor the women who endured such atrocities and the women who fought for the innocent victims of these terrible tragedies. If you have an interest in women's history and can stand seeing evil from the perspectives of the antagonists, you'll want to read this.

Another fantastic book by Kelly! I love her attention to detail in her research and storytelling. The strong female characters are appreciated, even the unlikeable ones. I love that she includes their perspective because it makes the story more interesting. No matter the circumstances, these women remained hopeful. Her writing is so compelling, it's hard to put the book down and I don't want it to end....and then the teaser in the author's note about her next book!!! I can't wait to read it and I love that she is telling the stories of the Ferriday women.