Martha Hall Kelly writes a riveting story which not only has a marvelous story line but is written in a way that draws in the reader. Each chapter of Lost Roses is told from the point of view of one of the three main characters--a wealthy American woman, her friend a Russian princess, and a Russian peasant. This rotating viewpoint allows Kelly to both further the story but also to provide information that helps to paint a fuller picture of what is happening. Many times information shared by one character would provide insight into something that happened to another character or would foreshadow a future event. As the characters had diverse backgrounds, Kelly was able to realistically portray both sides of the Russian revolution and how it was perceived by outsiders.

This book is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and particularly anyone who enjoys reading about Russian history. I may just need to add a non-fiction book about the Russian revolution to my reading list to explore this topic further. Individuals familiar with Kelly's previous work Lilac Girls will enjoy this prequel. If like me, you hadn't read it yet you will wish to add it to your list as well.

Kelly wrote a truly beautiful book that's rich in historical detail, highlighted untold stories from historically significant times, and left you feeling satisfied at the end.
But - the first 2/3 of the book dragged, compared to the somewhat frentic pace of the last 1/3. I found Lilac Girls to be perfectly paced throughout, and I would have given up on this book halfway through had I not enjoyed Kelly's first book so much.
Overall, Lost Roses is a very good book with some pacing issues. But I loved the prose, the character development, and the power of female friendships even in the face of war and revolution.

Lost Roses is a prequel to Martha Hall Kelly's popular Lilac Girls. In Lost Roses, we go back a generation to 1914 to Caroline's childhood and meet her mother Eliza. Eliza is best friends with Sofya Streshnayva, a Russian aristocrat whose family is related to the czar. Russia is in turmoil; revolution and unrest are sweeping the country which puts Sofya and her family in peril. Varinka, a daughter of a local fortune teller is hired for help. What follows is a number of tragic events. Each chapter is told from Eliza, Sofya and Varinka's point of view. I did not really care for this book as much as I did for Lilac Girls. It fell flat for me and I was not engaged at all with the characters. However. if you liked Lilac Girls and you are a fan of historical fiction, you should definitely give it a try.

Confession, I have yet to read Lilac Girls. I own and somehow have still not cracked it open. Regardless I am a huge fan of historical fiction and even more so a fan of strong female characters. So when I had the opportunity to get my hands on Lost Roses, it was the perfect opportunity to jump in being that this book is a prequel. This is the story of 3 women, Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka during WWI and focusing on the Russian Revolution.

As much as I wanted to love this one, I just never connected. I finished this book a week ago and have been still trying to sort out why. A couple possible reasons have come to mind. Though this book as written as a prequel, I wonder if reading Lilac Girls first is needed to develop a connection to the overarching story. I kept waiting for the hook to pull me in and it just never quite happened. A second possible reason if my own lack of knowledge. As a reader I had very little knowledge of this time period and the Russian Revolution in particular. I felt like I was missing the historical framework to truly enjoy this story.

I did find Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka to be interesting women. And if you have read Lilac Girls or enjoy Russian history I think this book might be well suited to you. I may give this book another go once I read Lilac Girls!
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Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a wonderfully well research historical fiction book. I really enjoyed that some of the characters were real figures from history. I didn’t know much about the Russian experience during WWI so this story was very interesting. The plot line was a little slow and unfortunately it wasn’t fast moving enough for my tastes. I do think historical fiction fans will love this one though!

The authenticity and realism of the story are its biggest strengths even though I personally have difficulty with alternating chapters told from 3 different POVs because I struggle remembering where each story left off. Note: graphic violence
Author’s note was very interesting and most appreciated. This prequel to Lilac Girls will be followed by another prequel, with an ancestor during Civil War.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #RandomHouse for an advanced digital copy.

I love historical novels that tell me about a part of history I don't know much about. While, of course, I have been taught about the Russian revolution that lead to the formation of the Soviet Union, I didn't know much beyond the execution of the royal family. Lost Roses, by Martha Hall Kelly, filled in the gaps with gripping details of how the lives of both peasants and aristocrats were turned upside-down by the forces of change. I liked the narrative style, the historical details, the various settings, and the characters. While I wish the story focused less on the ultra wealthy, this was still a very compelling novel.

What I Liked:
Narrative Style:

I liked the alternating chapters with the first person narratives of three characters: Eliza (a wealthy American), Sofya (Eliza's aristocratic Russian friend), and Varinka (a peasant girl hired by Sofya). Each woman's story intersected with another. While they each had their own concerns and worries, all of them are swept up in the historical events of WWI and the Russian revolution.

Historical Details:

The depth of historical details in this book is truly breathtaking. From what each character wore, to what they ate, to how they amused themselves, a vivid picture of the time comes into focus. I was surprised by how rigid American mourning rituals were, especially considering this was only a hundred years ago. The emphasis on letter writing, and reading books was also wonderful to read.

Characters:

Each of the three main characters has a compelling story. Eliza Ferriday is a wealthy American who seems to be, at first, unaffected by world events. She is friends with Sofya and is worried sick when their communications are cut off during the Russian Revolution. To alleviate her fears for her friend, she creates a charity to help recent Russian immigrants in the United States. But soon, WWI begins to affect even Eliza as men are shipped overseas to fight in the war.

Sofya is a newly married school friend of Eliza's. She visits Eliza in America at the beginning of the story, but soon must return to Russia. Sofya's harsh change in circumstances over the course of the book brings to light how brutal the revolution was on aristocrats.

Varinka is the youngest main character. A young teen as the story begins, she is continually abused by another peasant. I think since she was so used to being mistreated, she has a hard time sympathizing with anyone else's pain.

If you've read the author's other novel, Lilac Girls, you will also recognize Eliza'a daughter, Caroline Ferriday. In this novel, we see Caroline as a young girl. While this is a fun extra, she is not the main focus of Lost Roses.

What I Didn't Like:
Focus:

I really wish there would have been a greater focus on the sufferings of other types of people than just the wealthy in Russia. While the author certainly does use Varinka's story to show how peasants viewed the revolution, the main focus was on the suffering of the aristocracy. Yes, they did suffer greatly, but middle and lower income people suffered for centuries under Imperial rule. It's hard to feel badly for Sofya's family when they had been profiteering off the masses for centuries.

Character's Awareness:

I wish that Sofya, in particular, had a little more awareness about the suffering of the masses caused by the ruling class in Russia. She had many opportunities to make amends (especially when she had all the information concerning secret Swiss bank accounts). Instead, the book focuses in on how much Sofya has lost. This made it hard for me to empathize with Sofya.

Lost 🌹 Roses a sad historical fiction book about a family who loose their child Max but eventually find him again. Times of war are very stressful and people do things that are not always nice things like murder people to get ahead.

The book I just finished, Lost Roses: A Novel, is getting a lot of attention as the prequel to Lilac Girls, both by Martha Hall Kelly. Thanks to NetGalley I got access to this book in advance, and I’m ready to tell you more about it.

I liked this book though I had a couple of issues with it. Perhaps my expectations going in were a bit off, so I hope to help out with that in this post (for your future enjoyment). I do think it’s worth reading!

I knew this book had “something to do” with Lilac Girls but note it is a prequel not a sequel, meaning it “happened before” in time. Lilac Girls was set during WWII, so I was still associating this new novel with WWII. But it’s not really about that at all. It’s set after WWI and leading up to and during the Russian Revolution where the Bolsheviks overthrew the Tsar and terrorized and killed the royals (known as the white Russians). While reading this new book, I thought a lot about Animal Farm by George Orwell which I haven’t read for decades but has a strongly memorable theme.

Like Lilac Girls there are three perspectives, one from the United States, and two others that cross paths in Europe.

At first I found this book a bit hard to follow because I have not read much else in this setting, so it took more mental energy to process. Eventually (maybe half way through) I settled in and became invested in the story and appreciated learning more about this time and place in history. Actually one of my favorite books ever is set after and as a result of this part of history.

There are some other interesting intersections specifically Alva Vanderbilt makes an appearance, who has been in two other recent reads.

My other issue with the book besides having a confusing start (for me) is that some of the romantic relationships seemed unrealistic and too quickly formed. But all in all it is a solid read, and I would recommend picking it up.

Although it is a serious and disturbing topic and setting I want to move from that to finish off with some lighter information I picked up from the book:

“You know, in Russia we have a name for a friend you make while drinking vodka.
“‘Very drunk,” as I am now?
Nancy laughed, her eyes bright with tears. “No. ‘Sobutylnik’ is the word.”
from lost roses by martha hall Kelly

If you choose to read this book I’d love to know what you think!

Despite not falling in love with this one quite like I did THE LILAC GIRLS, it’s still a solid read. Following three women - Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka - during the First World War, the character development is good and I found myself rooting for each of them. As a story, I think this one holds up well, but as a historical fiction novel, I found it lacking. There were references to the Russian upheaval that happened, but I wanted more. There are so few historical fiction novels about WWI, and I was really hoping this one would give me a better understanding of what was going on in the world, both politically and economically. I left this book with little understanding of why the war happened. It’s a fantastic story, I just had higher expectations of learning about WWI.

Lost Roses was an engrossing look at three womens’ lives during the early 1900s. The story is about the close friends Sofya from Russia and Eliza from New York, and their families. The story is set in New York and Russia during the Russian Revolution time period. The story alternates between these two women’s stories, along with another woman, Varinka’s story. While Sofya and Eliza are from wealthy familes, Varinka lives a rough peasant life. Their lives will intersect as the story goes on. All three of these women are strong and determined to protect their families. The story is a portrayal of what everyone experienced during this time.

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 engaging stars

This is Martha Hall Kelly’s follow-up book to her best seller, ‘Lilac Girls’. I have a feeling that this book will be another best seller! For me, this was one of those compelling, ‘Can’t Put It Down’ books. ‘Lost Roses’ is set the generation before the events in ‘Lilac Girls’.

The story starts in 1914 where we meet Eliza Ferriday as she hosts a Russian family at her mother’s beach house in Southhampton, NY. The Streshnayva family are cousins of the current Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra. Sofya Streshnayva and Eliza Ferriday had become close friends when they both studied in Paris years earlier. Both are now married, with children of their own. Actually Sofya’s son Max arrives unexpectedly early, and is delivered at Eliza’s home in New York.

Soon after Max’s birth, Sofya, her husband Afon, her father and step-mother, her sister Luba and Eliza travel back to St. Petersburg. Eliza is stunned by the opulence of the Russian aristocracy, but troubled by the unrest in the country and the peril that that upper class appeared to be in. Eliza gets out of Europe just before WWI completely ramps up, and she’s left to fret about her Russian friends from afar as she sees news of the WWI, and the Russian Revolution unfold in the newspapers and intermittent letters from Sofya.

As the Revolution grows stronger, the Streshnayva family moves to their country estate. There Sofya hires a peasant girl, Varinka, to be a nanny for the infant Max. Sofya’s husband is an officer in the Russian army. That is why he is not there to protect that family as the peasants become more emboldened, and eventually overrun the estate. What transpires from that moment is a many layered story of survival and the skills needed to adapt to a changing society. It’s a society where all the former rules are ripped away, and the oppressed now become the oppressors, with often gruesome results.

The story is told by three alternating narrators; Eliza, Sofya and Varinka. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away. Rest assured that there are many twists and turns in the lives of all three women. This is a sweeping story about a momentous era in world history. The Russian experiences while often traumatic and brutal, were also true my understanding of the history before and during the Revolution.

I lost sleep reading this book. I kept telling myself, ‘Just one more chapter.’ into the wee hours of the morning. I fell deeply into the story and was anxious to see how everything would be resolved. I wasn’t disappointed in the ending. I found Sofya’s story to be the most compelling. But all in all, I highly recommend this terrific work of Historical Fiction.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books; and the author, Martha Hall Kelly; for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Fellow Reader
,I have signed myself up to read more than I can read. I don’t know how I got in this position, but I don’t like it. I hate feeling that I am behind with my reading. Between the book clubs and the Library Adult Reading Challenge, I would be reading plenty. But there are so many books that I want to read. The reading life isn’t a box of chocolates, it is a never-ending smorgasbord. I have decided that I am going to read my TRB pile that is staring at me in the living room. I will complete those books this year. Do you have a pile of books to read staring at you?

This is a long explanation that I did not read my book club book for last month. It was Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. I understand that it is to be very good, but I ran out of time. It is on my TBR pile and I will get to it this year. But while I didn’t get to Lilac Girls, I did receive a promotional copy of Lost Roses and I read that. Lost Roses is the new book by Martha Hall Kelly and today is its publication date. Happy new book day to Martha Hall Kelly!

The story, Lost Roses, starts in 1914. Sofya Streshnayva is in New York visiting her friend, Eliza Ferriday. The two friends are about to leave to go to St. Petersburg. The two friends met in Paris years ago and are happy to continue their friendship. Sofya is a cousin of the Tsar of Russia. She lives with her husband, son, father, step-mother, and sister. They are wealthy and have always been wealthy.The two friends get to St. Petersburg, but times are turbulent for the Tsar and his supporters. Then as it had been threatening, World War I starts. Eliza Ferriday rushes home to New York. In the meantime, Sofya and her family flee to their summer home to escape the violence that is overtaking the city. The family needs domestic help and hires the daughter of the local fortune teller, Varinka, to help with the care of Maxwell, Sofya’s son.

The story follows how the friend's friendship survives turbulent times. Eliza loses contact with Sofya and is anxious to find her. She goes to Paris as soon as it is safe to search for her friend. She doesn’t know if Sofya is alive, but she knows that she has to find out.I found that it was a very entertaining tale of friendship, family bonds, and how war can bring out the best and the worst in people.

It is a book worth reading. (And I promise to read Lilac Girls and let you know what I thought of it.)Thanks for reading!

I don't know why, but I just can't get into this author. The story and the characters just never connected with me. I was disinterested with Lilac Girls as well. It's not the books, it's me. Maybe you'll enjoy it better! Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Martha Hall Kelly for the opportunity to read and review her latest book - a prequal to her first novel, Lilac Girls. While this book didn't hold quite the same emotional punch for me that The Lilac Girls did, it's still a wonderfully researched and written book. 4.5 stars!

The author again tells this story from 3 different voices: Eliza - who is the mother of Caroline Ferriday, who figures prominently in Lilac Girls and is a true character; Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Russian royal family the Romanov's; and Varinka, the daughter of the local fortune teller. Eliza and Sofya are good friends but with Eliza living in New York and Sofya in Russia, the intersection of these 3 women's stories is amazing and heartbreaking.

This book can certainly be read as a stand-alone and is highly recommended. The author is busy writing yet another prequel, going back to the Civil War to explore descendants of the Ferriday's. You can bet that it will be another well-researched trip to the past.

Martha Hall Kelly drew us into WWII with the Lilac Girls and Caroline Ferriday. Now with Lost Roses, Ms. Kelly shows where Caroline learned compassion and her sense of responsibility to do the right thing when we are introduced to her mother, Eliza Woolsey Mitchell Ferriday.

The friendship between Eliza Ferriday and Sofya Streshnayva, whose family is related to the Tsar of Russia, is the impetus for the story. Sofya and her family visit with Eliza at Gin Lane, the summer home of Eliza’s mom, Caroline Carson Woolsey Mitchell.

The return of Sofya and her family to Russia during a time of turbulence not only due to World War I but the increasing unrest of the masses in response to the Tsar’s rule. The uprising against the “White Russians”, the rich and royal people, endangers Sofya and her family. This is the start of Eliza’s worry and her philanthropy to aid and assist those displaced by the war and revolution. This story demonstrates the strength of women in adverse times. Ms. Hall provides an insight into the struggles of women displaced by war.

I had looked forward to reading this book and was not disappointed. The characters are so well written that you love, admire, despise, or pity them. It was the character descriptions that drove much of my sense of foreboding. As the action occurred, I found myself holding my breath and hoping that everything would turn out well.

I highly recommend this book to historical fiction fans as well as any one who wants to read a great book. It is not necessary to read the Lilac Girls, although I recommend you do, to read this book. I heard that there might be a third book and I really hope it’s true.
Thank you to #Netgalley and #BallantineBooks for approving my request. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

Brilliant!! This story was gripping, emotional, and empowering! I could not put this book down. The characters were so well written and weaved such a beautiful story about friendship, loss, and never giving up. I highly recommend this book.

As with many others, I devoured Lilac Girls and it became one of my favorite reads of 2016. I think one of the reasons why I really enjoyed the novel is because Martha Hall Kelly wasn't afraid to show both the dark and the light of WWII and let us peek behind the curtain so to speak as to HOW the nazi mind worked with Herta. In Lost Roses Martha Hall Kelly again balances the two "good" women with one "bad" woman while again showing that none of them are all good or all bad.

The three new women we meet in this novel are Eliza, Sofya and Varinka. Eliza is what ties the two novels together as she is Caroline's mother (whom you may remember from Lilac Girls). Sofya is a Russian Aristocrat who is a close friend of Eliza's caught in the turmoil going on during WWI as the Reds take over Russia. Varinka is a Russian living in the woods near Sofya's family's country estate. The whole story is beautifully told, alternating from each woman's story seamlessly from Russia to the United States and to Paris.

Overall I was sucked into this story rather quickly (Luba may be my favorite) and it was very hard to put the novel down. Every time I thought I had sorted out what I thought would happen to the women there was yet another curveball ahead.

I am eagerly awaiting the prequel with the elder Caroline Ferriday during the Civil War.

In my opinion one doesn't need to read Lilac Girls before Lost Roses. You may even benefit from reading them in chronological vs. release order.

I loved Lilac Girls, so I was so excited to hear about this one. It did not disappoint. Set in WWI rather than WWII it touched on similar issues like the struggles of women and lack of rights. Martha Hall Kelly really knows how to seamlessly weave a story from three different character perspectives. Her characters are so well developed and real that I feel like I know them. They aren't perfect, but they are strong. There were moments of heartbreak and moments of sheer joy. It was great.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for a copy of Lost Roses in exchange for my honest review.

Last year, I finally read Lilac Girls and loved it. Lost Roses is "prequel" of sorts to Lilac Girls but it's okay if you read Lost Roses first. You won't be harming either story by reading Lost Roses before Lilac Girls. Honestly, I might go back and read Lilac Girls to see if anything was referenced between the two books besides a couple of characters.

Lost Roses, like Lilac Girls, is told through the p.o.v. of three different women. Eliza Ferriday is an American who helps White Russian women during WW1 as a result of her friendship with Sofya Streshnayva. Sofya is a Russian aristocrat who's a cousin to the Romanovs. Varinka is a Russian pheasant who's mother is a tarot card reader and she ends up working for Sofya's family as they move to the Russian countryside as a result of the crumbling of the tsar's rule. We get alternating chapters between the three women spread across a five-year, or so, period allowing the reader to see how each character was impacted by the civil unrest in Russia.

Lost Roses struggled to hold my attention at the beginning. By the fall of the tsar it started to hold my attention a little more. Readers can tell Martha Hall Kelly did a lot of research to transport us to mid-1910 America, Paris and Russia; however, it wasn't enough to hold my attention long term for this novel. I didn't find myself rooting for any character like I did with Lilac Girls. I know this greatly impacted my reading experience as well. It was interesting to have a WW1 historial fiction novel that was not based solely on the Romanov family but with a character from its outer circle. I do think I will be in the minority with my opinion of this novel as many early reviews have been extremely positive. I do enjoy historical fiction but this one missed the mark for me.