Lost Roses is historical fiction that follows the lives of three women, Sofya, Varinka, and Eliza, during the years immediately preceding and throughout the Russian Revolution. Told through the alternating POVs of these three women, we see how the Russian Revolution affected them and their families, following them from New York to St. Petersburg to Malinov, Russia to Paris, to New York. Much of the story centers around Max, Sofya’s son, born in New York, taken to Russia as an infant, and brought to Paris as a toddler. It is in Paris where the issue of his custody is ultimately decided . . . by Max, no less.

These are three strong women who, at times, are forced to make difficult decisions that can mean the difference between life and death. There is self-reliance vs. dependence; treachery vs. loyalty; and, ultimately, there is much loss of life, especially of close family members. I found this to be a fascinating story, dealing with a period of time that I am not that familiar with.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

"Lilac Girls" is one of my all time favorite historical fiction novels, so I was anxious to read this prequel. In Lilac Girls, Martha Hall Kelly gave us Caroline Ferriday, a real life heroine to Ravensbruck survivors following World War II. Lost Roses features Caroline Ferriday's mother, Eliza. Through a very dear Russian friend, Sofya, who is a relative of the tsar, Eliza comes to know of the peril of being born into the upper class as the Russian Revolution begins.. Set in New York, Paris and Russia, chapters alternate between the voices of Eliza, Sofya and a Russian peasant girl, Varinka. A story of friendshi[p, hardship, political upheaval and perseverance, I found the story interesting and the subject matter well researched. I appreciated the Author's Notes at the end of the book, explaining the existence of some of the places and societal institutions featured in the book.

Many thanks to the publisher, Ballantine Books, for a chance to read this novel..

Interesting historical angle but suffered from an ambitious scale. Pairing two very different wartime experiences - American society widow and Russian noblewoman - through their friendship was a great way to present two very different windows into society at the time. The inclusion of Varinka, the abused peasant and child kidnapper, was an odd attempt at creating more three dimensional characters around Sofya but muddled the motivations of everyone in the Eastern realm of the novel, and felt one-sided when no similar character expansions were done around the Eliza character. Also, in any case where a historical novel uses a real life person there is the risk of the individual on the page being stilted and overly committed to a biographical timeline, rather than storytelling.

Intriguing story about the Great War. The struggles and hardships faced by all. The characters are amazing. You'll find yourself entangled in their lives. Meet the strong women who survived all the optical that came at them.

A beautiful story about the ugly truth of war. A tale full of courage, determination, strength, compassion, Hope, beauty, and love!

Martha Hall Kelly has written A compelling book that is simultaneously elegant and brutal... this is the kinder gentler cousin of “The Lilac Girls” A book I read and liked, but if I’m being honest I liked this book a bit more... I think for me all the characters in this book were more relatable, and I felt compassion for all of them... really the only common thread between this book and the previous is the character of Caroline Ferriday, a character I liked in the first book but I adored even more in this one... so I wouldn’t necessarily call this a prequel, and both books can definitely be read as standalones... although I’m guessing after you’ve read one you will want to read the other they’re both exquisitely told historical fiction novels full of strong women living through extraordinary circumstances!

“Lost Roses” is the story of three remarkable women Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka... The book is set during WWI and mainly focuses on the atrocities in Russia... both Sofya and Varinka are Russians, although they come from very different backgrounds and social classes... Eliza is an American, she is from a privileged background, she is also the mother of Caroline of “The Lilac Girls”... Eliza and Sofya became friends while at boarding school in Switzerland, Sofya is related to the Romanoffs family...Varinka was not born into privilege as these other ladies were she came to know Sofya when she went to work for the family... three women from three very different backgrounds and yet all their lives are adversely impacted by war...

One of my biggest takeaways from this book was how untouched America really has been by war... yes, many lives were lost and goods were rationed, but I think that is very different from The many more lives lost, the property damage, the horror of living through war on your soil, not to mention bandits taking over your family home... some of the situations that Sofya found her self in were so harrowing... her fortitude and determination were so admirable, I tried to put myself in her situation and I just don’t know if I would have had the strength to do what she did...Varinka really skated the line of right and wrong throughout this book, I felt so much for her because I’m not sure what choices she had... Eliza was strong and compassionate and I admired her loyalty and altruism... such a remarkable story that I feel will resonate with everybody!

This really was historical fiction at its finest, this book made me feel as though I was right there with these ladies during WWI, I felt so much for each and everyone of them and bonus I learned some things along the way! Absolutely recommend!

<h1>🎵🎵🎵 Song Running Through My Head </h1>
This song always reminded me of how we are all more alike than different, it also reminds me of the Cold War and Russia...

<i>… In Europe and America there's a growing feeling of hysteria.
Conditioned to respond to all the threats
In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets.
MIster Krushchev said, "We will bury you."
I don't subscribe to this point of view.
It'd be such an ignorant thing to do
If the Russians love their children too.
How can I save my little boy from Oppenheimer's deadly toy?
There is no monopoly on common sense
On either side of the political fence.
We share the same biology, regardless of ideology.
Believe me when I say to you,
I hope the Russians love their children too
… There is no historical precedent
To put the words in the mouth of the president?
There's no such thing as a winnable war,
It's a…</i>

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wHylQRVN2Qs

*** many thanks to Random House Valentine for my copy of this book ***

For fans like me who adored Lilac Girls, this prequel about Caroline Ferriday's mother Eliza does not disappoint. It is an equally powerful second chapter in the history of the driven, independent and philanthropic Ferriday women who both shape and are transformed by the historic events of their time. In Lost Roses, Eliza Ferriday becomes enmeshed in the forces of World War I and the perils of assisting the "White Russian:" immigrants who escape Russia for Paris and the U.S. Told through the alternating voices of Eliza, her friend and cousin of the Romanovs (Sofya), and the peasant daughter of a Russian fortune teller (Varkina), this novel is rich in period details that portray a different side of World War I history. Similar to Lilac Girls, I was engrossed in this story from the first page until the very end. Highly recommend this to all HF fans whether or not you've already discovered Martha Hall Kelley and Lilac Girls. Many thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for an ARC of this wonderful novel!

I adored Lilac girls which gave me high hopes for this novel. All I can say is Martha Hall Kelly did not disappoint! There are tons of amazing WWII novels, but less about WWI. I was drawn into this story and the characters from page one. I loved that I got to learn more about that time in history, while also following a great story that kept me wanting more. I loved Eliza and Sofya's friendship but my heart broke reading their stories and what they and their families went through. I went back and forth on Varinka. Part of me broke for what she had to go through, but the other part despised her for what she had done. Highly recommend this to anyone that loved Lilac Girls, and really just anyone!

I received an advanced copy in exchange of an honest review.

Like Lilac Girls, the author weaves in three different characters. I liked the book but I don't believe I liked it as much as Lilac Girls.

This is a must read! The Lost Roses is the prequel to the Lilac Girls, and is as stunning and bold as its big sister. Set before WWI in Russia and then Paris, we meet American Eliza Ferriday (Caroline's mother), Russian cousin to the Tsar, Sofya, and Russian villager turned servant, Varinka. Their stories are woven together seamlessly, characters are well drawn and the cadence makes your heart pound. You will suffer these courageous women's hardships and heartbreaks and celebrate their survival and joys. It is not a requirement to read Lilac Girls first, but that is such a spectacular novel that you'll want to add it to your list too. I highly recommend Lost Roses to fans of historical fiction, especially Russian history. I'll be visiting the Bellamy Ferriday house in CT this spring to enhance the reading experience. Thank you to @netgalley and @ballantinebooks for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I must confess, I have been impatiently waiting for another brilliant story from Martha Hall Kelly, and Lost Roses does not disappoint.
A prequel to The Lilac Girls, Lost Roses transports you to Russia during the turmoil of World War I. Once again, Martha Hall Kelly showcases strong and brave women, who can work together and create great change.
The characters are so well developed, and the story flows effortlessly from the viewpoints of different women, allowing you to feel their different war experiences.
Delving into the War, the Romanovs, the Bolshevik Revolution, the storytelling is beautiful. Sure to be on my top ten for the year.

I loved Lilac Girls and I loved Lost Roses! Martha Hall Kelly has become one of my favorite authors. Her writing is superb, her characters strong and her stories are extremely interesting and compelling. Eliza and Sofya’s characters were remarkable and their chapters always ended before I was ready to quit reading about them. Varinka is very unlikable but I kept holding out hope for her. Kelly does a wonderful job merging the Ferriday women’s true stories with her fiction.

Many thanks to the publishers at NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for a review. It would have been so hard to wait until Lost Roses was published to read it!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy. Another hit for Martha Hall Kelley! I really enjoyed this novel based on the mother of one of her characters from Lilac Girls and two girls in WWI era Russia. I love the different voices the author uses, but this also made the book very similar to her first novel. I did find some of the book slow and the writing a little clunky at times, but I did learn a lot and I found myself unable to put this book down. I’m looking forward to the next one!

Lost Roses is Caroline's (from Lilac Girls) mother's story. A story of Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka. Eliza is a privileged American, her friend Sofya, is an aristocratic Russian and Varinka is a Russian peasant. The story of three very strong women who never lose sight of how to survive during WWI and how they can help others. The women are very compelling and the book is rich in the history of that period in Russia and America history. I feel that you don't have to read Lilac GIrls to thoroughly enjoy Lost Roses, but I can't think of a single reason why you wouldn't read both! Thanks so much to Martha Hall Kelly, the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the advanced copy.

I loved this author's first account of the Ferriday family, Lilac Girls, but it took a while for this book to actually engage me. In all honesty, if I wasn't reviewing this tale of WWI, I'm not sure I would have continued reading. That being said, I am glad I persisted as it did pick up and become clearer as I read on. The friendship of Eliza and Sofya is something to be celebrated as war and personal loss took it's toll on each of their lives. Their indomitable spirits and strength in a time of great adversity are a reminder of just how great (and easy) we have it in modern day America. For those who enjoy reading about the first world war, this is a worthy read and full of insights of how it was on the home front and for those not actually engaged in the fighting in Europe. I'd rate it at 3 1/2 stars, but am happy to round up to 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy to review.

Not as good as Lilac Girls, but still very enjoyable. I liked how the author showed the stark difference between living in America during a war vs. living in Russia. The chance encounters in France made things a little less believable (the world isn’t that small), but I really respect the research that went into writing this piece. I look forward to her next book!

Readers of The Lilac Girls fell in love with Caroline Ferriday and her determined spirit. Where did this spirit stem from and what stories fueled the passions of Caroline? Lost Roses answers all these questions and more. Martha Hall Kelly’s devotion to historical accuracy gives readers an insight into the otherwise unknown story of immensely courageous women who sought to right the wrongs and protect women whose lives were very nearly destroyed by anti-Semitism. Brilliantly written, this gripping story is a must read on many levels!

This was a lovely journey and prequel to Lilac Girls. Lost Roses is written very much in the same vein as Lilac Girls. Lost Roses follows three ladies during the Russian revolution and WWI with a much stronger emphasis on the former. The three women are Eliza (Caroline’s mother who we were introduce to in Lilac Girls), Sofya, Eliza’s friend from Russian royalty, and Varinka, a Russian villager and Sofya’s son’s nanny. Like Lilac Girl’s, these three women have intersected lives and hardships as the Russian revolution rages on and Russian royalty becomes more endangered every day. Martha Hall Kelly’s writing is so powerful and it was a joy to read a novel from this time period. So many historical fiction books have been written about WWII and I was happy to see WWI get a little love. I will say it’s a slower burn than Lilac Girls but around half way through I plowed through to find out what would happen to each of these ladies.

I absolutely loved this wonderful book. I have become such a huge lover of historical fiction in recent years, and the fall of the Russian monarchy is if infinite interest to me. Around the 100 year mark since the Great War it seems a lot of historical fiction is being published from this era and I am enjoying reading about it from the perspective of various nations. This beautiful book gave us insight to some of the American, Russian and French experience, though some amazing characters - all fierce women. I havent one negative thing to say about this book, I adored Sofya, Eliza and Luba, and I loved reading their story. I am now off to devour Lilac Girls!

Good historical detail, but the characters are flat. Perhaps too many were real people? Other books by Kelly are far better, both in plot and character development.

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly

April 2019
Historical fiction
Random House Publishing

I received a digital copy of this ARC from NetGalley and Random House in exchange for an unbiased review.

I am thrilled to be reviewing this new novel by Martha Hall Kelly. I absolutely loved her book The Lilac Girls and have often recommended it to others. The Lilac Girls featured a real-life heroine, Caroline Ferriday, during WWII. In Lost Roses, the author’s second novel, the story takes us back to WWI and Caroline’s mother, Eliza Woolsey Mitchell, during WWI.

Again, Martha Hall Kelly delves deep into the history and people of the time period. She only scratched the surface it seems with her first novel, The Lilac Girls, revealing the remarkable story of Caroline Ferriday. It should come as no surprise that this remarkable woman was reared by a lineage of courageous women. Lost Roses is based on the research and history of Caroline’s mother, Eliza Woolsey Mitchell, a staunch abolitionist and philanthropist in NYC. She advocated and assisted the “White Russian” émigrés who were former Russian aristocrats who lost everything when the Bolsheviks seized power in 1918.

This historical novel is well researched with many of the characters developed from the stories of actual people. Lost Roses occurs during 1914-1921 during WWI focused on life in United States, France and Russia as narrated by Eliza, Sofya and Varinka whose lives ultimately converge.

A forever friendship was formed at Brillantmont School in the Swiss Alps when Eliza and Sofya meet. The distance of Eliza living in NYC/Paris and Sofya living in Russia does not prove to be an obstacle in their loyalty to each other. Sofya delivers her son Maxwell unexpectedly while visiting Eliza just prior to the social uprising in Russia. Once settled back in Russia, the family ultimately hire Varinka to assist with the child care of baby Max. Varinka lives with her ailing Mamka in a questionable living situation after her father dies and leaves Taras in charge. Taras soon reunited with an old cell mate, Vladi, from prison and become involved with looting and chaos of overthrowing the tzar.

The three women’s lives eventually collide in devastating ways. The remarkable strength and courage of women to manage difficult life circumstances is explored. The decisions and choices people make have lasting effects on everyone. There are many unsavory and despicable characters who allow the brave to shine. It’s not a surprise that the author is already working on her third novel focusing on Eliza’s mother, Jane Newton Woolsey during the Civil War.