Those I Have Lost is a very complex story of family, foster family, friendships and relationships. Set in both India and Sri Lanka during the British Raj and Second World War the novel is the story of Rosie. Rosie loses her mother when she is very young and moves to Ceylon with her mother's best friend. Here she forms friendships and relationships which define her life.
This novel is a little slow to pick up but its one of those novels that you can't put down once you get into it. The landscapes of Sri Lanka and India just come to life in this novel. The attitudes of British towards the locals in both the countries has been captured by the author well. Since the novel is set during Second World War the war on Asia's front has been described so well by the front. This novel is a beautiful coming of age novel in a very different setting where colors of skin don't matter when it comes to friendships or love.

"Those I Have Lost" by Sharon Maas
Release Date: 7.9.2021

Rosie's beloved mom dies suddenly in India, 1940. Rosie is 10 years old. Her father sends her to live with Silvia, her mother's friend, and three sons in Sri Lanka. Rosie loves her new home! She becomes friends with Silvia's sons, Victor and Andrew. She befriends the daughter of one of the house staff, Usha. She even falls in love.

Sri Lanka becomes involved with the war in Europe, and Rosie is left with her broken heart and memories. All of her friends are contributing to the war effort. Rosie cannot sit idly, waiting for news. She decides to join the army to work as a typist. She finds out that the man she loves is missing and presumed dead. Rosie waits to see if any of her friends and family return from the war.

Ms. Maas gives vivid images of Sri Lanka and the feelings and emotions of the characters. This story has mystery, intrigue, and love. She focuses on the war in the Pacific, and specifically with Japan, which is lacking in World War II fiction.

Thank you, @netgalley, for providing me a copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review.

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Full review on the blog tour. Interesting fiction story about how families coped during WW2 in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). I visited Sri Lanka in 1999 and didn’t know how the area was affected
The story looks at loss, growing up, racism, class divides, assault, war work, and many more topics.
It does take some time to set the story but the pace picks up dramatically during the war years.
Happy to recommend

I read a lot of WWII historical fiction but it's almost always about the war in Europe. Those I have Lost takes place in Ceylon and India and about how they were affected by the war with Japan.

In 1933 when Rosie was 10, her beloved mother died. The family lived in India where the father was a professor of languages and her mother took care of the house and Rosie. She and her father were distraught at the death and when her mom's best friend came from Ceylon, she had a letter that her mom had written several years earlier that asked her raise Rosie if anything happened to her. Rosie and her father both realized that this was the best solution so she moved to Ceylon with her Aunt Silvia and became part of the family with two boys near her age and an older boy in college in England. Her life is happy and carefree until the threat of war gets stronger. All three of the brothers sign up for the military much to Aunt Silvia's dismay. Rosie decides that she needs to do more for the war effort so she starts working as a typist for the government. As the losses to her family start to happen, Rosie wonders if she'll ever find love and happiness. When the war if finally over, Rosie waits to see if any of the men in her life return home.

This coming of age story is told by Rosie and is written as a memoir later in her life. She is a brave girl, true to her friends and family but is often stubborn and set in her ways. The author does a fantastic job of making the story come alive with her descriptions of the scenery as well as the food. It was very interesting to read about the effect of the war that is not often written about. My only complaint about this book is that it starts off very slowly. My advice is to keep reading because when it picks up, it's a fantastic look at how the war affected both the military and their families in this war.

Thanks to Bookouture for a copy of this book to read and review.

The tragedy of loss is once again written of in the book, Those I Have Lost. The time is the 1940's where we encounter Rosie, a young girl living in India, who has just lost her beloved mother. As much as her father loves her, he is unable to care for Rosie and when her mother's wishes are revealed., Rosie is sent to her mother's best friend, Silvia, to live in Sri Lanka. Th family also has two boys and for a time Rosie lives an idyllic life. However, the time of war is drawing close.

Rosie's life intertwines with those of the boys, Victor and Andrew, the family who loves her, and the house staff, befriending a young native girl, Usha. It is just past the time of the Raj and the attitudes of the remaining British is one that looks askance towards the natives. All interactions between them are frowned upon and the thought of romance is forbidden. As the war in the Pacific drifts closer to home, the years have gone by and the boys have grown. Eventually, they all go off and join the service, Victor in the air force, while Andrew goes to practice medicine onboard a ship.

Tragedy occurs and Rosie does all she can to cope when a young man brought home on leave by one of the boys, comes across her path, and the lure of romance and love beckons. Rosie is besotted by a chance encounter and as she grows into maturity she once again learns about love and loss.

I truly enjoyed this book as the author gave us such vivid pictures of the country, the attitudes of the British, and the characters. Each place was lovingly described with its lush beautiful scenery. Each character was equally flushed out and their personalities were understood, be they good or bad. The mixture of the times and the war in the Pacific was one I so relished learning about. It made me reflect on the fact that the war was felt in so many other places that I knew little about but the cruelty of war is always apparent no matter where one comes from.

Truly enjoyable and truly one I would recommend to those who enjoy war stories and romance flawlessly told, in a place where war could destroy what seemed like a paradise on earth.

Thank you to Sharon Mass for creating this gorgeous story, Bookouture, and NetGalley for a copy of this book due out July 9, 2021.

A wonderful memoir- style story of Rosie and her family. Full of love, grief and loss, it details the impact of World War II on India and Ceylon(Sri Lanka)
Rosie is a warm and compassionate young woman - driven to do the right thing at all times and her story is a compelling one. Faced with heartbreaking decisions, the characters and storylines in this emotional story are sensitively written.

Beautifully done in such a way that you are swept along on Rosie's journey. A period that is frequently written about but not against the gorgeous Sri Lanka backdrop. I have already been telling people about this book because the characters and settings come alive on these pages. Sharon Maas has created a piece of magic on the pages of Those I Have Lost.

The main character Rosie, British, but born in India, lived with her parents in Madras. The family had assimilated to the culture and even spoke the native language fluently. It was a happy existence, until at the age of 10 Rosie lost her mother unexpectedly. Her father who was a good father but not used to having to take care of his daughter full time, followed the wishes that his late wife had left in a letter to her best friend Sylvia, who lived in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) asking her to raise her daughter as she still needed a mother figure.
With torn feelings he saw that it was probably the best thing for Rosie at the time, with her going back to be with him on holidays.
Rosie new the family well and had always called her mothers friend Aunt Sylvia, and Sylvia's sons, Graham, Victor and Andrew were her childhood friends.
This story follows Sylvia's new life in Ceylon before, during and after WWII.
There were so many interesting things happening during this time frame and we watch Rosie go from a young child to a beautiful young lady with all of her wants and dreams in the making.
This story has intrigue, mystery, love stories, and hard times as one follows the story of Rosie and her extended family.
I really enjoyed this story and have loved many books by this author.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book.

Life, Love and War

This story takes place in India and Sri Lanka right before and during WWII. I have pros and cons on this one. I have to admit I stayed up late finishing the book and that said, I also have to say it started very slow and I almost gave up. I started getting really interested in the story about forty percent into the book. The last half was really good.

It is a story of a girl in India at the age of 10 her mother passes away and her father is unable to care for her properly so she goes to live with her mother's best friend in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). It is a story of her life with this family, the people around her and the war. It does go between Ceylon and India throughout the book.

Her life changes direction a few times as she and her adopted family weather the storm of WWII and their fears and worries for the three sons of the family that she grows up with as a daughter and a sister. Her best friend the daughter of the housemaid and father Bear a priest in India feature prominently in the story.

There is some wonderful descriptions of the scenery in both India and Ceylon and the clothing worn by the characters in the story. I thought that was quite interesting.
The first part of the book is more about family relations, how she lives and adjusts to a new life in a new place and everyday living before the war. The second part takes place during the war. The book has a bit of a tragic ending, but does end well.

I would recommend this book if you wish to know more about India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) before and during WWII. If you like romance you will probably like it a lot.

Thanks to Sharon Maas, Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of the book for my honest review.

This is an historical novel which is set in Ceylon and India before and during World War 2. As well as describing the life of English ex pats living in Ceylon at this time, this book also looks at how the Japanese army cruelly treated its prisoners of war.
“Those I Have Lost”is told through the eyes of Rosie who loses her mother aged 10 and goes to live in Ceylon with her Auntie and Uncle, as her father is perceived as being unable to cope on his own.
Rosie’s parents have brought her up in an enlightened way, to respect the Indian people and their religion. Auntie and Uncle do not seem to be quite as modern in their views but they do take her in and she enjoys the rest of her childhood playing with their younger sons Victor and Andrew. However it is the late 1930s and war is on the way which leads to heartbreak for Rosie and her adopted family when the boys go to war and her best friend, Tamil servant, Usha finds herself in an impossible situation. Rosie has to grow up fast, putting aside her own desires as she tries to help her friend whilst doing war work and suffering her own heartbreak.
I loved the characters in this book, particularly Rosie, who was well described as she grows up as the foster daughter of English plantation owners in Ceylon. I knew little about the colonial lifestyle so I found this aspect of the novel especially interesting, particularly the attitudes of the English towards the Tamils who work for them.
This was my first book by Sharon Maas but it definitely won’t be my last as it was a well researched and engrossing read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw the blurb of this book and saw "Sri Lanka" and WWII, I was so excited! Number 1 reason being I am a fan of WWII books and the other reason is I am a Sri Lankan! As a Sri Lankan, I was always curious about what Sri Lanka aka Ceylon was like during the war and so I was fascinated when I saw the blurb and decided to give it a try.

Rosie and her family are living in Madras, India in a house called Shanti Nivasam. When Rosie's mother dies and her father cannot look after her, Rosie moves to Sri Lanka, known during the British rule at the time as Ceylon to live with her mother's friend, Aunt Sylvie. Aunt Sylvie has three sons--Graham who is studying to be a doctor, Victor who is arrogant and Andrew who is a shy boy. The family owns tea plantations up in Kandy (I think Nuwara Eliya as that's where most tea plantations are). While living with them, Rosie meets Usha, the beautiful daughter of a servant working in Huxley House and because of Rosie's familiarity of Tamil language, the two girls become best friends. Then the Second World War starts with the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbor and capturing many of the British colonies--from China to Burma, Malaya and Singapore and is on the verge of attacking Ceylon. Then there's the blossoming love story between Andrew and Usha and when Andrew goes to fight in the war, Usha confides a secret to Rosie and Rosie must protect the loved ones at all costs.

Let's start with the plot.--this is a historical fiction and I do like the plot well. A tear jerking instances with emotional and heartbreaking story makes the story more interesting--particularly the fact that Usha becomes pregnant our of wedlock, which is in the eyes of Tamil culture is a bad thing and how Rosie helps with that situation by taking her to Madras, India, shows true friendship and couragement. The story also felt realistic to me as well--reading about familiar places such as Kandy (where my mother is originally from), Colombo (where I currently live) to the down south of Sri Lanka as well as the certain schools such as Girl's High School (this school still exists even today in Kandy), Galle Face Hotel (which still exists even today in Sri Lanka) and University of Colombo where Graham studies (the university still exists today and is one of the top universities in Sri Lanka) shows how much the author has done tremendous research about Ceylon and I try to imagine what those places where I visited in the present day looked like back then. The fact about Tamils working in plantations is also realistic that even today, still, the Tamils work these tea plantations (though now these tea plantations no longer owned by the British but by local people). As I have mentioned earlier, I was always curious about the history of Ceylon during the WWII and not much was there about the time during the war but I was glad to read the book and experience what life really was like during the war. Characters wise, I do like Rosie and Usha as well as Andrew very well. Towards the end, it gets emotional and sad with tear jerking instances but it was a happy ending. The love story between Andrew and Usha felt emotional and real and the romance blossoming between Graham and Rosie. Only thing is, I know in the end they all move back to India but I wished I know if they moved back to England when both India and Sri Lanka gained independence and if Usha followed them to England but otherside, I enjoyed reading this book! The writing was really good with descriptions of the places in Kandy and Colombo making the reader feel like they are in Ceylon with Rosie--the nature and the birds all sound realistic. Even the food descriptions made the reader feel hungry and yearning for the spicy Sri Lankan meal!

Overall, this is an emotional, tear-jerking and heartbreaking book, that will make the reader tearful and will take you to Ceylon and India during the British rule and war. Will keep you up all night reading this book! Kudos to author for writing a book based on my country! Worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

I found it really hard to get into this book. But slowly I began to really get into the story.
Set in Ceylon just before the 2nd World War the book sets the tone of the cast system, the British colonial society and how the families lived in Tea Plantations.
The story continues through the war, the Japanese invasion and their cruelty to their prisoners of war.
Nothing comes easy for the main characters as they fight for freedom, justice and their own rights.

Those I Have Lost
Author, Sharon Maas

Publisher: Bookouture
Pub date: July 9, 2021

An emotional and heartbreaking read set in the beautifully detailed Sri Lanka and India during World War II, Maas delivers her readers a unforgettable historical fiction novel that will stay with me for a long time.

We follow Rosie's life, beginning at the age of 10 in India, with already an incredible hardship by the loss of her beloved mother. She and her father's lives are shattered and Rosie is sent to Sri Lanka to live with her mother's friend Silva, husband, three sons, and household staff. Rosie become very close with the daughter of one of the staff, Usha. Their unbreakable bond throughout this novel was so brave and genuine that it was powerful. Weaved beautifully throughout Rosie's experiences, WWII begins and Rosie and the boys are forced to grow up sooner than they had hoped. One by one, the characters all play their roles in the war and Rosie is left to learn how she can continue to thrive, survive, and to find her purpose during the war as well.

She is met with heartache and love, growth and more loss, many answers she didn't ask for and so many questions along the way. A true coming of age novel with exceptional character development and relationships, as well as a beautifully written depiction of the WWII experience set in Asia. The ending all came together fantastically, and as soon as I thought I could exhale, my heart was once again broken. Truly a story that will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Sharon Maas for the opportunity to read and review this amazing story.

During the Second World War, Ceylon was a British colony like India. The tea plantations around Kandy were largely owned by English men.

Rosie lived with her family in Madras, India. After her mother Lucy’s sudden and unexpected death, to honour her mother’s last wish, Rosie was sent to Ceylon to live with Aunt Silvia, her mother’s best friend. Rosie thrives amongst the glorious lush green tea gardens with Aunt Silvia’s two boys. She also forms a friendship with the servant girl Usha. When the war reaches Ceylon, one after the other, all three Huxley brothers enlist themselves. Huxley family left behind lives in constant dread of the unfortunate news.

Those I have Lost is like a memoir of a fictional character, Rosie. Rosie has her set of flaws along with being headstrong and fiercely independent. The author has eloquently expressed the fears and anxiety of loved ones left behind during the war. The historical facts have been seamlessly weaved in the narrative and don't sound like a history lesson.

I would read this book again, and I very rarely say that about books. The author has a similar writing style to Victoria hislop and took me on a journey through Asia during the Second World War. It was exhausting, romantic and full of hope - I couldn’t put it down. Rosie and Asha are two very likeable best friends and I loved reading about how their lives turned out along with the Huxley brothers.

An enjoyable read with a good storyline and lovely characters, set in the 1940s and the ever looming war drawing closer to Rosie who leaves India after the death of her mother and moves to Ceylon with her mother's friend who has vowed to look after and raise her, a story full of tragedy, love, hope and friendship between the English and the natives
A lovely book which told the story from Rosie's voice

A stunning novel of WWII, of loves lost and found and the resiliency of the human spirit to survive and begin again. Set in India and Ceylon, the novel takes us into the stunning lush surroundings in a time of innocence before the war began. I loved that this setting takes place in countries that you don't hear much about during the war.

It is the story of Rosie, growing up in a loving fun family with her mother and father in India, When her mother dies unexpectedly Rosie's father consumed by grief and unable to care for his young daughter makes the decision to send her to Ceylon to stay with her mother's best friend Sylvia, and her three boys.

There Rosie grows and flourishes on the lush tea plantation growing up with the boys she thinks of as brothers, unaware of the threat of war looming on the horizon. When the war breaks out one by one the boys leave to fight, including the young man Rosie has given her heart to.

It is a time when a telegram could destroy an entire family with the words missing, presumed dead, or killed in action. Rosie waits desperately for word of the man she loves and the fate of the three brothers.

Until the end of the war, when one lone figure walks up the sweeping driveway, and Rosie's world will suddenly be torn apart, Where everything she has ever known and loved will be forever changed.

I think I wasn't in the right mood for this novel, hence my middle ground rating, rather than the fault lie in the writing itself. The plot, characters and premise all seemed great, I was just struggling to connect to the story. The background felt rich and complex, I wish I was able to enjoy it more. I'm sure it's a solid read for other Historical Fiction fans out there, it just wasn't for me.

I was a bit nervous when I requested a copy of Sharon Maas's book 'Those I have Lost'. 20 years ago, I had read and loved her novel 'Of Marriageable Age' set in Guyana, but more recently, I'd found her novel 'The Speech of Angels' to be almost unreadable tosh. It was a risk; would I be getting the quality of her first book or the rubbish of the one I'd read more recently. Thankfully, I was relieved to find 'Those I Have Lost' was good, and also completely different to both the other books.

There's been quite the fashion for bodice rippers set amongst the tea plantations in the past decade. Many of those books are written by people who clearly wouldn't know a tea bush if it bit them in the bum. 'Those I Have Lost' is set in Tamil Nadu and Ceylon, and takes the form of a first-person tale told by a young English girl whose mother has died and whose father has complied with his late wife's wish that she goes to live with her mother's friend in Ceylon. Rosie is a character I could relate to - unusual but not extraordinary, a bit of an 'everywoman' if every woman were living in the last few years of British rule in India and Ceylon, She's compassionate, ambitious to be more than just a wife and mother, and has an interfering streak that gets her and her friend Usha into tricky situations. The 'aunt' in Ceylon has designs on marrying Rosie to one of her three sons (the aunt's sons, obviously) but the three men are very different people. The Second World War is a convenient plot device for introducing a lot of pace and peril.

I know the areas in which the book is set and I related well to the story. I didn't know the fate of Sri Lanka/Ceylon during the war, so I found the strategic location and its role in the war against the Japanese very interesting. The start of the book dragged rather, but once things got going - from about 40% of the way into the book - I was hooked.

This isn't the kind of book I'd read all the time but once in a while this sort of thing really hits the mark. Maas could have made things much worse for her characters than she does, and I applaud the light touch and her resistance to over-doing things in the way that many less accomplished authors probably would have done.

With thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for my copy.

It’s 1940 and after Rosie’s mother dies, she cannot stay in India anymore; she’s sent to live with her mother’s friend Silvia in Sri Lanka . Rosie blossoms in Sri Lanka and she eventually falls in love, but the war tears her world apart. All the men Must leave to fight, leaving Rosie alone again. She occupies her time helping out with the war effort, continuing even after her lover is reported lost, presumed dead. This story is filled with the beauty of Sri Lanka and first love and the despair of war and loss. Maas is a master at creating unforgettable characters and settings