This book deals 1914 time frame and joins the stories of three women during the war and how each coped with the dangers and hardships they encountered. When war is declared by Austria and the Russian imperial dynasty is attacked, three women's lives become entangled and show how friendship can endure. Eliza, an American, escapes back to her life in America, while her friend Sofya and her family flee to their country estate in Russian. The third character, Varinka, is hired as domestic help for Sofya. Eliza loves her friend Sofya and can not find out what has happened to her but her friendship with the Russian royal provides her with a passion to help other Russian immigrants by providing shelter and jobs to transition them to a life in America. Sofya's family is captured and her son is taken away. What has happened to him and she seeks him through out her journey's during the war.
This book is a almost a prequel to the Liliac Girls and set a generation earlier with Eliza providing Caroline a role model in helping others affected by the war.

This book started off slow at first but then all of a sudden it grabbed me and I did not want to put it down. The story begins in 1912 when Sofya and her sister Luba are spending time with Eliza Ferriday, Sofya's longtime friend and cousin while their father is honeymooning with their new stepmother, Agnessa. The story then moves to 1914 when the Russian Revolution begins. Each chapter features either Eliza, Sofya, or Varinka, a peasant girl who becomes nanny to Sofya's son Max, while the story travels between the United States, Russia and Paris. Numerous characters and subplots make this a fascinating read with the story ending in 1920. If you loved the Lilac Girls as I did, you will certainly love this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this wonderful book.

I’m always a little worried about reading a follow-up book or a sequel (or prequel) to an amazing book. I want it to be just a good but I have been let down several times. But not with Martha Hall Kelly!! This book will not disappoint her readers.

With Lilac girls, she wrote about 3 women during World War 2. They each lived through the same war but from different life’s. With Lost Rose, she did the same thing but it was based during World War 1. You will fall in love with the 3 women and learn about their struggles. Nobody’s life was unchanged during or after the world. You see the struggles of the poor and also the rich.

This story was also based on true historical events. Kelly’s amazing writing and research did not go unnoticed. This book is just as well written as Lilac Girls and you won’t be disappointed.

I had to read the author's first book "Lilac Girls" before I started this book, so that I could have the background and full story to do a good review of this book. I enjoyed Lilac Girls a great deal, and I enjoyed this book just as much.
Lost Roses follows 3 women through the time period in Russia where the Bolsheviks were overthrowing the tsar and it became the Reds (peasants/commoners), against the Whites (wealthy nobility).
Sofya was a person of nobility who suffered great losses during this time period, and who ultimately fled Russia for safety. Varinka was a peasant girl in Russia who benefits a great deal when the tsar is overthrown, and Sofya's family is taken captive. Eliza Ferriday's character is based around the real person, who was part of a well known family of woman who were very active abolitionists and activists for emigres, and really anyone who needed help.
Throughout the book the characters lives intertwine in more ways then one, and all the women face great challenges in their own lives that they must rise above. The book helps to offer a good perspective as to this time period and the struggles of the Russian emigres, and the work of the Woolsey/Ferriday women.

I enjoyed her earlier book, “Lilac Girls”, and learning the story of Caroline Ferriday (who I’d never heard of). I was excited to read a book featuring Caroline’s mother, Eliza. I was thoroughly caught up in the stories of the three main characters. They live on different continents (separated by a war) yet their stories are intertwined. This book speaks to the strength and resilience of women. Someday I hope to visit the Ferriday’s historic home in Connecticut. I look forward to Martha Hall Kelly’s next book. Her subjects are captivating!

3.5 Stars

Thank you Netgalley for an early copy of Lost Roses, in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited to receive a copy of Lost Roses, the prequil to Martha Hall Kelly's Lilac Girls which I enjoyed a lot. Like Lilac Girls, she tells the story of three women one of whom is Caroline's mother, Eliza living in New York, Sofya an aristocrat and Varinka a peasant girl both in Russia. The novel is set during WW1 as the lower classes in Russia begin to revolt and turn against the wealthy socialites. Sofya and her family are swept into the danger as their family home becomes overrun with rebels and they are taken captive. Varinka, a nanny for Sofya's son Max, cares for the child who was not apprehended in the raid. Eliza is desperate to help her friend, Sofya, while assisting other Russian refugees in the States.

I enjoy the historical detail that Martha adds to her novels and how she portrays both real and imagined women in a captivating way. It was interesting to see the mother of a character I was familiar with and how her own behaviors shaped those of her daughter. I struggled the most with Varinka who I saw as more of a villain and lacked much sympathy for her or her plight. The story took me longer to get into then usual but enjoyed more of the dramatic scenes.

#fridayreads #bookrec

I’m behind with my #reading and reviews (when am I not really?!) thanks to round one of the crud. So before round two takes me out, I wanted to share my thoughts on this 5x (star) read, #LostRoses by @marthahallkelly (author of #LilacGirls also a 5x (star) read).

WWII #historicalfiction is one of my favorites, and now the setting of WWI is becoming a favorite as well.. This novel features the mother of Caroline Ferriday, Eliza, a generation before Lilac Girls, and follows three women from St. Petersburg to Paris and America starting in 1914. This is a beautifully written novel which transported me on an emotional journey with Eliza, Sofya (a cousin of the Romanovs), and Varinka. These women are given genuine voices for their stories, the settings vivid in my mind as I read, and I found this book to be “unputdownable." While technically a prequel to Lilac Girls, you can read either as a stand alone, or in whichever order you suits you. (I would still start with Lilac Girls - after reading it I think you’d be that much more interested in Caroline’s mother Eliza’s story but that’s my humble opinion - to each reader their own).

Lost Roses comes out in April. Have you added it to your TBR yet? #ThankYou to @randomhouse #BallantineNooks and #NetGalley for this e-ARC!

(Note: Blog post includes NetGalley synopsis)

The author really make the book come alive! It started off pretty descriptive, but ended up being a book I just could not put down. It is beautifully written and I would recommend, even if you have not read the Lilac Girls.

Lost Roses, similarly to Lilac Girls before it, had me desperate to travel to every location described in the book. In the height of the Russian Revolution, the story unfolds in New York, Russia and Paris. Told through three narrators, the story unfolds beautifully, leaving your emotions and your heart on the line.

A world on the cusp of war brings Eliza Ferriday together with a cousin of the Russian tsar, Sofya Streshnayva. The two are fast friends, but lose touch with each other when Sofya has to flee back to a crumbling Russia. Introduced into the mix is a local Russian girl, Varinka, who is brought into the Streshnayva household to care for Sofya’s young son. The three women’s lives unfold separately but delicately intertwined over the course of the revolution.

What I liked the most about Lost Roses was the strong and fierce female characters throughout. In all three stories, the women persevered through their own wherewithal and courage. The Ferriday-Woolsey women, in particular, deserve a much bigger mention in American history!

Like any good reader, I was attached to these characters from page one of Lilac Girls, and was happy to read in the Author’s Note that we’ll be going back to the Civil War in a third story.

I loved the Lilac Girls so I knew that I had to read this latest book by the same author. It delivered!!!
I was so glad to get to read about Caroline’s mother as she was one of my favorite characters from the first book. I loved this historical story of Eliza and her life, love and friendships in a war torn country. The landscape of this book was powerful with real characters and strong heroines. It has everything I love in s historical fiction. This book was rich and engaging and you will fall in love with the writing all over again!

Thank you Random House - Ballantine and Netgalley for the chance to read the ARC of Lost Roses. My friends were trés envious! I would give Lost Roses a solid 4 stars. The history of Russia in the early 20th century is tragic for all sides you look at, and Martha Hall Kelly does a good job of providing characters from every walk of life affected by the Russian revolution. I believe stories set in WW1 will be the hot ticket sellers this year, and for good reason.

The only issue I had with the novel was the few moments of dialogue that felt very "give the readers a history lesson" rather than a natural voice. However, it's not as though this time period is very well known (compared with WW2) so readers may need some hand holding when it comes to the nuts and bolts.

This historical fiction story is jam packed with action. Sometimes the action is glazed over, making it feel a bit rushed. I highly recommend Lost Roses to readers who want a new historical period to obsess over, and who don't need much character development.

I read “Lilac Girls” back in 2016 and loved it and I’ve been anxiously waiting for the next book from Martha Hall Kelly. Let me just say that she did not disappoint with this one. “Lost Roses” left my heart reeling, set against WWI and the Russian revolution.

This book checks all my favorite boxes: historical fiction, richly drawn characters, and a compelling plot that kept me turning the pages. The author employs an alternating chapters technique with Eliza, an American socialite (and Caroline’s mother from “Lilac Girls”) and several characters in Russia – Varinka, a peasant girl, and Sofya and her family -- relatives to the Tsar. Eliza and Sofya are friends and their lives intersect, both in the US and in Russia.

I’ve come to expect Martha Hall Kelly to firmly plant me in an historical time period and she does that so well again with this book. We see how the events in Europe affect Americans and what the Russian Revolution entails for both the upper classes and the peasants in Russia.

I loved seeing the lineage for the strong American women -- the Woolsey women – and the background on how Caroline became such a philanthropist and advocate for women. The stories are so well told, but definitely heartbreaking in a few parts. Kudos to you Martha Hall Kelly for creating another masterpiece!

*I will update my Goodreads review on publication day

Like a million other readers, I fell in love with Martha Hall Kelly's captivating writing while reading best-selling Lilac Girls. I was thrilled to dive into Lost Roses to learn more of the backstory of the Ferriday family. Lost Roses takes place against the backdrop of WWI and the Russian Revolution. It's a sweeping tale of friendship and family. The book stands alone without having read Lilac Girls, but I loved the familial connection between the two. A must read for fans of historical fiction.

Lilac Girls was one of the best books in historical fiction and completely mesmerizing. This book was a close second, an historical fictional book about WWI. Martha Hall Kelly can just keep them coming.

#LostRoses #NetGalley

This is the story of three women and how they survived the !st World War, specifically the Russian Revolution. Eliza, an American heiress, and Sofya, a Russian aristocrat are friends in school. Eliza spends time with Sofya in her Russian home and they become lifelong friends. Shortly after the visit, the revolution begins and the girls lose touch. The book follows the lives of these two women as they marry, care for their families and face specific problems of life during wartime. Being a Russian aristocrat, Sofya must deal with the take over of her family and childhood home by the revolutionaries. She finds her family imprisioned and her your son adopted by Varinka, a Russian peasant and member of the revolutionaries. Varinka has a secret of her own and must hide the kidnapping from those around her for fear of what will happen to the child. Eliza living in America must face her own conflicts with life in general, and trouble in her family. Throughout the story, the women Eliza and Sonya continue to try to reconnect with one another. As you read the story, you will be introduced to many war time experiences, the history of "White Russians" and the horrors the aristocracy experienced living in Russia during the Revolution. This book is a prequel of "Lilac Girls", which I can't wait to read. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you Martha Hall Kelly, Random House-Ballantine and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of Lost Roses.
Lost Roses is a prequel to The Lilac Girls. Lilac Girls is on my list of all time favorite books and I was so looking forward to reading Lost Roses. It was not a disappointment. Kelly's writing makes you slow down and savor every word.
This is the story of Eliza Farraday, the mother of Caroline Farraday from Lilac Girls. It also is the story of Eliza's best friend Sofya and Varinka, the "nanny" for Sofya's son, who becomes someone dangerous to Sofya and her family. Each chapter focuses on one of these three interesting women. WWI breaks out and Sofya and Varinka are right in the cross hairs of the violence and horror of war. Eliza is in New York but makes sure to do everything she can to help Sofya and the other women of Russia.
The story moves from New York to Russia and then to Paris. As the three women find themselves in Paris, although separately, their lives and happiness depend on what happens in Paris.
Although I still like Lilac Girls better, this story was no disappointment and I can't wait to read the next installment of this family, as previewed by the author, as being about Eliza's mother during the Civil War. These characters (and real people) stay with you long after the last page.

A special thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book. I had read and loved Lilac Girls and was really excited to receive access to Lost Roses. I will say that, for me, this book got off to a slow start. But it redeemed itself and became my favorite type of book- a well written, slow burn that has a developed, involved plot. I was also pleasantly surprised to read about the Romanov families in Lost Roses. I love learning more about that family. Overall, a wonderful book that I would recommend.

The Lilac Girls was so overwhelmingly popular that I thought that perhaps this book would have a lot to live up to and for me, it didn’t meet the expectations. I still love this author and the books maybe just cane too close on the heels of each other for me to really separate the two as individual works to be appreciated on their own. The book is good, just not as good as Lilac a Girls.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of the novel. This was a historical fiction that takes place around the time of WWI and involves the lives of three main characters. I really enjoyed lilac girls and was excited to read this semi prequel novel but found the characters not as intriguing as those in Kelly's first novel. I will definitely keep reading this author.

I thought Lilac Girls was one of my favorite books of 2018. Now, it seems that Lost Roses has taken the lead in 2019.
A prequel of Lilac Girls, the story focus on three courageous women, one being Eliza Ferriday, the mother of Caroline, in Lilac Girls. It takes place at the start of WWI and the Bolshevik revolution and overthrow of the Tsar. We follow Eliza in NY, Sofya, a relative of the royal family and Varinka in Russia, as they all deal with the troubling times in their own stories.
This is a story of tragic loss, struggle, violence and deep love. It will draw you in from the first words, spoken by Eliza.
Martha Hall Kelly had a gem with her debut novel and has continued so with her second. She is a superb storyteller, bringing the lives of real women to us, in her unique way. My thanks to the author, #NetGalley and #Ballentine Book for the ARC for my honest review.