I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed Lilac Girls. It was interesting seeing this time period, but the characters did not resonate with me. Varinka's story especially bothered me. I did not understand many of the choices she made. The writing is good, but I just did not find this story as riveting as Lilac Girls. I do appreciate the advance copy from NetGalley.

After reading #thelilacgirls from @marthahallkelly1 I was super excited to receive an #arc of #thelostroses this past winter from @netgalley and @randomhouse ! This book tells the story of real life heroine Caroline Ferriday’s mother, Eliza, and her bond with Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Romanovs. The Lost Roses will, like The Lilac Girls, mesmerize you, break your heart, and piece it back together. The strength and courage of these women is astounding, as is the story that unfolds. This should top every historical fiction lovers list... (and the Lilac Girls too!!

This book starts in 1914 and tells the story of Eliza, an American and Sofya, a Russian. Their friendship spans two continents while the friends go through war, love and loss. Lost Roses is a prequel to Lilac Girls which I have not read but I plan on reading it now. When Sofya's letters stop arriving Eliza worries about her friend as talk of war keeps getting more real. I highly recommend this book. It will captivate you from the beginning and at times break your heart. We would all be so lucky to have a friendship like Eliza and Sofya.

I read the lilac girls and was so excited about this prequel! It did not disappoint! These women were just as strong as their counterparts in Lilac Girls and I liked reading about a different war. Highly recommend this book.

Though I wish I could have read Lost Roses before Lilac Girls, this was such an interesting way to read more about these character’s backgrounds and their struggles throughout the First World War. I love how everything came together at the end and I loved the Author’s Note too. I usually feel like I need an epilogue when I’ve finished a book like this but the Author’s Note served that purpose well (as does knowing what happens in Lilac Girls). I really felt for these characters and, even though I can’t imagine what they’re doing through, still found ways to relate to them personally.

This is the prequel to the author's “Lilac Girls”, in which Caroline was a main character in that World War II epic. At the brink of World War I, Caroline's mother, Eliza Ferriday is now a main character, a role she shares with her friend, Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the the last Czar. The reader is transported back to the Russian Revolution and World War I. From the country homes and salons of the Russian aristocracy to the hovels of the downtrodden Russian masses, the reader feels the civil turmoil marked by hunger, looting, murders, kidnap, riots, and espionage. Those that can, escape by any means possible. Event and issue driven, with fast plot lines on both sides of the Atlantic, make this a page turner. Everyone has their favorite “Lilac Girls” of the two books, but this was my favorite.

An historical novel based on true events, set in World War I and the Russian Revolution. It is a prequel to Lilac Girls (which I loved). This story is full of history with a compelling storyline revolving around Eliza, from the US, Sofia, a member of the Tsar's family, and Varinka, a nanny for Sofia's son. It was interesting to learn more about our country's history and that of Russia.

The Lilac Girls was one of my favorite books I read last year, so I was thrilled to receive Lost Roses. While it took me longer to invest in this book than the Lilac Girls, once I was into it, I loved it! I really admire Martha Hall Kelly's ability to blend fact and fiction so seamlessly. I hope that we can get another prequel and learn about the Grandmother's story too!

I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this one or not because as much as I appreciated the research and historical facts inside her previous novel, Lilac Girls, it was a challenging read in so many ways including the horrors of human experimentation at Ravensbruck by the Nazis during WWII

But this novel set prior to the first World War, switches between two characters in Russia and one in the U.S. We meet Caroline Ferriday, whom we met in the previous book, and learn more about her life and how she got into 'rescuing' people.

Learning how she deals with grief and channels that into what will become her life's work is fascinating.

I requested this book thinking I'd enjoy it before reading Lilac Girls. Upon reading book 1, I knew going into this one I'd have a hard time. It was a hard read but i can see why some people can consider it a good read. Just not my cup of tea.

The prequel to Lilac Girls will certainly be an interesting read. What's especially noteworthy is that the main characters weren't merely characters but ones based on living people.
It begins with the advent of World War I and Eliza Ferriday, a cousin of the Romanovs who resides in NY, sets out to see the imperial sites of Russia with her Russian cousin, Sofya, When World War I breaks out, Sofya, a member of the aristocracy, is forced to flee with her family to the countryside where her horrors begin. Eliza returns to the US, allowing the author to juxtapose American sentiment at the same time.
What's especially interesting in this book is Kelly's description of the imperial versus peasant history that caused such upheaval and tragedy before and after the War. The shortcomings and lack of empathy on the part of wealthy Americans was so well portrayed.
Kelly was at her best when discussing world events and how her characters fit in and reacted to them.

“𝙼𝚎𝚗 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚎.”
—𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚊 𝙷𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝙺𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚢, 𝙻𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚜

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 stars!

I read a lot of historical fiction, and I was so excited to read The Lost Roses, a story of WWI, based on true events. I just don’t know if this book was so high up on my most anticipated reads, or if I waited too long to read it or what, but I just couldn’t dive into the story as I’d hoped.

Martha Hall Kelly is a wonderful writer, and I loved The Lilac Girls, so I had high hopes for this novel. I started out feeling connections with some of the characters, but quickly lost that engagement somehow. I struggled to really get a sense of the story and where it was going.

With that being said, from now on I’ve decided not to hoard books any longer, and to go ahead and read them before the hype gets to me. I really wonder if that was the case with this one.

*many thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review

I usually make it a point not to read historical fiction based in Russia, but since this is a prequel to Lilac Girls, I decided to give it a try. I liked it more than I thought I would, though definitely not as much as Lilac Girls. It seemed a little slow at the beginning, but it did pick up, and I liked the last bit of the book.

I loved this book. It was great reading, interesting to read more about the people in The Lilac Girls. I felt like I knew them!

Lost Roses was a heartbreaking, powerful, moving novel that seemed to have all the things I like to see in historical fiction going for it, though sadly ended up falling a bit flat for me. In fact, I felt much the same while reading this one as I did the author’s previous, Lilac Girls. While certain characters perspectives and storylines kept me engaged and quickly turning pages (I was so inspired by Eliza’s efforts in helping the Russian aristocrats) other parts plodded on and until a ways over halfway through, I had a struggle keeping interested. As far the prequel element, it was so great to see into the life of Caroline’s mother, Eliza, and come alongside her as that storyline opened up. Especially as Caroline was my favorite character in Lilac Girls, and we got to see glimpses of her as a little girl.

One thing that keeps me coming back to this author’s books and that I so appreciate is the detailed writing and the clear effort she puts into her research to make her stories historically accurate. I walked away learning so much about this time period and in particular the Russian Revolution, and loved how the vivid and rich details the author paints draws you into the setting in the best way!

I will still be recommending this book to fans of historical fiction as there were still enough things I could appreciate about it and think others will enjoy too! It just won’t be landing a spot of my favorites shelf.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

Auto buy author for sure! I love the writing and the feels that I get from the story. Thank you so much for the chance to read this! I do not yet have a full review on my blog but I will!

LOST ROSES

In this prequel to Lilac Girls, the story of Caroline’s mother is told. It is written with the same beautifully written language and held my heart throughout the novel. It is easy to see where Caroline got her heart, determination and love as Eliza’s story unfolds. While difficult to read, the horrors of this time are told in a vidid story interlaced with love and determination of the characters. Historic fiction is among my favorite genres and this book did not disappoint.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in return for a fair review.

I haven't yet read Lilac Girls, but I heard that's even better than this book. In Lost Roses, set during the Russian Revolution, there were three girls who were affected in different ways, and hence, three different voices. Each was unique, but at the same time, I didn't ever feel like I had to go through one to get to the other. The different voices each introduce the reader to a unique perspective of the revolution, but the characters are so timeless we can also relate or empathize with each one.

4.5🌟

Lost Roses is the type of book I tend to avoid. It’s a period piece based on true tragedy, which means I’ll cry ugly tears. After I found the courage to start Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly, I found that I couldn’t stop reading. Each chapter I said it will be enough to have a tiny snippet of closure so I could sleep. You can see where this is going. I ended up getting to sleep sometime after 3:30 am and thus have a serious book hangover today.

Why did such tragedy have to occur?
The harsh treatment of people throughout the war is truly devastating. Lost Roses doesn’t go too heavily into these scenes; however, I’m way too empathetic. A small fiction scene told from one of the Russian immigrants told to Eliza Ferriday (one of our main characters) had me literally crying for five minutes.

Lost Roses is a story of perseverance. It is a telling of what lengths women will go for their own survival. Even when it seemed impossible for Sofya to survive the fall of Russia’s imperial dynasty, let alone have the will to try, she just kept moving forward. Her story of challenges may have been fictional, but there’s no doubt it is quite true to what real women of the period endured.

There was already a lot of buzz around this book before I had a chance to read it for myself. I can attest to the hype. Martha Hall Kelly wonderfully combined fictional characters alongside true historical figures of the Imperial Dynasty. The plight of Russian immigrants seeking a semblance of a good life in America shouts at our current state of affairs.

Grab the tissues, sit in your favorite reading place, and brace yourself for a brilliant story.

Really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed reading about a period in history (Russian Revolution and leading into WWI and most interestingly, Russo-American relations at the time) that I really don't know nearly as much about and how these characters tied in or set the stage for the ones in Lilac Girls.