Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly

Brief Summary: This is the fall of Russia’s imperial dynasty and its impact told through the eyes of three female narrators. Sofya is a cousin of the Romanovs who flees to her family’s country estate to escape violence and uprising in the city. Her best friend Eliza Ferriday, Caroline’s mother, is back in the US trying to help displaced Russian women. And Varinka, a peasant girl, works for Sofya and endangers her family. From St. Petersburg to New York to Paris, this sweeping historical novel is a tale of war, loss, love, survival, and resilience. I enjoyed the Lilac Girls and was thrilled to get my hands on this prequel!

Highlights: This story started slow but man did it ever pick up and I was glued to the pages. I knew little about the Bolshevik Revolution and could not believe how royalty and nobility lost everything. I absolutely loved the resilience and cunning problem-solving of Sofya and her sister Luba. For some reason, their experience of war and loss was different and unique; though loss is common during the experience of war. It was also fascinating to see the other side of the revolution through Varinka, who lived with one of the instigators of the uprising. It was also wonderful to where Caroline got her sense of philanthropy from and her desire to help Russian women who came to the US with nothing. I was inspired to learn more about the Bolshevik revolution and visit Russia! I also want to visit the Ferriday House in Connecticut.

What makes this book unique? The original take on the Bolshevik Revolution through the eyes of unforgettable heroines.

Explanation of Rating 5/5: Better than the Lilac Girls(which I also greatly enjoyed).

This will be another hit for book clubs and it makes the perfect mother’s day gift.

On a positive side note, I got to meet Martha Hall Kelly on one of her tour stops. She is such an engaging and dynamic public speaker who is really passionate about her work. I could see a variety of people enjoying her presentation so don’t hesitate to bring that loved one with you are always trying to get to read more along with you! She also talks about her own writing journey; which is inspiring to aspiring writers.

I’m anxiously awaiting her third novel about the Ferriday women during the Civil War Era.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly


In Martha Hall Kelly’s Lilac Girls , we meet three women during the World War II years. Lost Roses , takes us back to the years prior to and during World War I. Caroline Ferriday, who was one of the “lilac girls,” is a lesser character in this story. Instead, her mother Eliza is one of the three young ladies who are central to this turbulent historic fiction novel.

In 1914 Europe is teetering on the brink of war. Eliza is set to travel to St. Petersburg with her friend, Sofya Streshnayva, a relative of the tsar. War in Russia strikes close to home, and Sofya hires a young peasant woman, Varinka, to care for her infant son Max. The novel follows the lives of these three women as the unrest and chaos of the revolution spread throughout Russia and Europe, even to America as refugees flee the Bolsheviks and the German army.

Ms. Kelly has done extensive research, and she writes with great detail about the clothing and customs of the time, the harsh conditions, and the struggles of the women and their families. The plot unfolds very slowly, and it requires much patience to stick with this tale. Finally, at about 30%, things start to make sense. I wanted to love this book as much as Lilac Girls, but I had a hard time following the plot initially. The chapters alternated by telling the story of each woman, and at the onset, this felt too choppy. I had a hard time keeping track of the characters and the story line, and it seemed to me that it would have been more cohesive if each character’s background had been more fully established first before they were merged.

Eventually, however, I became invested in Sofya’s quest to find her son and the fate of her husband. I wondered if “Inka” would ever escape Taras’ grasp, even though it meant leaving loved ones behind. I marveled at Eliza’s charitable work; would she also find love again in her personal life?

The characters themselves are memorable. One of my favorite moments is when Caroline's mother Eliza, whom we know from the previous book is a dedicated Good Samaritan, lectures her “friends” when they criticize her for taking in so many Russian refugee women into their elite community. She tells them that while they are different, they will be the redemption of those who fear them because they will shake up the safety of their insulated society. She vows to support them for all she is worth. This sounds like a message for us all.

We also get a sense of the clash between the classes – the privileged vs the downtrodden – and what the truly desperate will do to survive.

If only this book had grabbed me from the very beginning, I’d be raving about it. Still, for those who love historical fiction, it is a worthwhile read. My thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

Martha Hall Kelly wrote a prequel to the bestselling Lilac Girls and it features Caroline’s mother, Eliza! Set against the backdrop of WWI, this story once again features three narrators. This time the characters are American Eliza, Russian aristocrat Sofya, and Varinka a Russian peasant. It spans across New York, Paris, St. Petersburg, and the Russian countryside. I knew little of Russia during WWI going into this book, so I was startled at just how much destruction and turmoil took place during that time period. If you are a historical fiction lover, this is the book you’ll want to read this spring break! This book has some character overlap with Lilac Girls but it is a stand-alone novel.

Lost Roses is a beautifully written work of historical fiction by Martha Hall Kelly. It’s the prequel to The Lilac Girls. The story is told from three points of view that followed friends, Eliza Ferriday (a New Yorker), and Sofya Streshnayva (from Russia) during turbulent war-torn times in Russia. The story also follows the story of Varinka who is interwoven within the paths of these two friends in epic ways.

What a tale about staggering injustice, unwavering friendships, death, murder and the resilience of the human spirit even under the most unbearable of circumstances. Lost Roses will have you on the edge of your seat waiting to see how the story turns out. Great characterizations, well-developed characters, and brilliant prose all set to a heart-wrenching period of time where you’ll find yourself yelling at some characters and wanting to embrace others. Lost Roses is brilliantly done and an instant FAV!

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Synopsis from the Publisher/NetGalley.com
It is 1914, and the world has been on the brink of war so often, many New Yorkers treat the subject with only passing interest. Eliza Ferriday is thrilled to be traveling to St. Petersburg with Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Romanovs. The two met years ago one summer in Paris and became close confidantes. Now Eliza embarks on the trip of a lifetime, home with Sofya to see the splendors of Russia: the church with the interior covered in jeweled mosaics, the Rembrandts at the tsar’s Winter Palace, the famous ballet.

But when Austria declares war on Serbia and Russia’s imperial dynasty begins to fall, Eliza escapes back to America, while Sofya and her family flee to their country estate. In need of domestic help, they hire the local fortune-teller’s daughter, Varinka, unknowingly bringing intense danger into their household.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Eliza is doing her part to help the White Russian families find safety as they escape the revolution. But when Sofya’s letters suddenly stop coming, she fears the worst for her best friend.

From the turbulent streets of St. Petersburg and aristocratic countryside estates to the avenues of Paris where a society of fallen Russian émigrés live to the mansions of Long Island, the lives of Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka will intersect in profound ways. In her newest powerful tale told through female-driven perspectives, Martha Hall Kelly celebrates the unbreakable bonds of women’s friendship, especially during the darkest days of history.

Following her breakout bestseller, LILAC GIRLS, author Martha Hall Kelly returns with a prequel set a generation before the events of her debut novel and World War II. Like her previous book, LOST ROSES is inspired by true events and introduces readers to a younger version of Caroline Ferriday’s mother, Eliza, another indomitable Woolsey woman, as well as two new characters from St. Petersburg, Russia. Combined, these three women reveal an under-discussed but fascinating portion of Europe’s history, from the Bolshevik uprising to the start of World War I and so much more.

LOST ROSES kicks off in 1914 at the Woolseys’ beloved Gin Lane home, where Eliza, a young, happily married mother, is preparing to send off her Russian friends, the Streshnayvas, at a lavish party thrown by her mother. Sofya Streshnayva, Eliza’s dearest friend, is a cousin of the Romanovs, Russia’s royal family (yes, those Romanovs), and her husband, Afon, is a soldier in the Russian army; the two are also expecting their first child. With her 11-year-old daughter, Caroline, and scores of family and friends in attendance, Eliza observes the party and makes small talk, though it is clear that the long journey to Russia is on her mind. Readers of LILAC GIRLS will immediately recognize Eliza’s sense of global awareness --- she is tremendously excited to travel to St. Petersburg with Sofya, yet she is fully aware of the unhappiness of its people and lavish spending of its tsar. Still, she craves adventure and new settings, and is thrilled to be able to spend more time with her friend.

Of course, no party is complete without a surprise, and the Streshnayvas are certainly in for a shock when Sofya goes into labor prematurely and delivers a beautiful baby boy they name Maxwell. After a brief respite in America, the Streshnayvas and Eliza set off for St. Petersburg, where Hall shifts the perspective to Sofya’s eyes. Sofya and her younger sister, Luba, are still mourning the loss of their mother, but they share a closeness that makes their family feel whole. Together they laugh at their stepmother Agnessa’s complaints and criticisms, show Eliza the glamourous and historical parts of St. Petersburg, and try to remain true to their values, even while straddling the difficult line between the lifestyle to which they have grown accustomed and the reality of the peasants dying of starvation and revolution-fueled violence in their beloved city. As Sofya holds her infant son, she often marvels at his luck for being born to her and her family. She is fully aware that it is only timing that has spared him from being born destitute and destined for a life of hopelessness.

Through Eliza and Sofya’s eyes, Hall reveals a Russia full of tension and discontent. The wealthy are constantly being robbed and bullied, but it is the poor who are truly at risk of dying out. With violence becoming the norm, several of Russia’s most prominent families are considering fleeing to the countryside, though the tsar and his tsarina continue to act as though nothing is wrong. Unsurprisingly, their flamboyant demonstrations of wealth and luxury add a whole new layer of complexity to the mix, and poor Eliza falls victim to a mugging before heading back to America to reunite with her husband, Henry, and young Caroline. Though their time together in Russia was a bit chaotic, Eliza and Sofya remain the dearest of friends and vow to write to one another every single day they are apart.

As Eliza and Sofya settle back into their respective homes (tragedies, joys and all), Hall introduces another new character: 16-year-old Varinka, a peasant girl living just outside of St. Petersburg with her ailing mother, a fortune teller. In Hall’s deft hands, Varinka becomes the real voice of the uprisings we have already witnessed through Eliza and Sofya. We watch as she is bullied and threatened by Russian government workers and stripped of everything she holds dear, simply for being born to the wrong family (or rather, the wrong wallet). But poverty is not all Varinka is facing: she is also tormented by Taras, a young man who was once employed by her father, but now lives in a shed behind Varinka and her mother’s house. Taras has a dark, ominous energy, and though it is clear that he and Varinka share a complicated history, Hall reveals their story slowly and carefully. What is immediately obvious, though, is that Taras is trouble, and Varinka is torn between wanting to please him and wanting to stand up for herself and her mother.

These three storylines converge seamlessly when the uprisings in St. Petersburg reach an all-time high, and Sofya and her family set off for their country estate. While she is there, she continues to write letters to her American friend, Eliza, as she, her son Maxwell, her sister Luba, her stepmother Agnessa, and her father settle into their new normal. Varinka soon joins their household as hired help in the kitchen, but when toddler Maxwell takes a liking to her, she becomes his caretaker. Desperately lonely and terrified of returning home to Taras, Varinka becomes obsessed with Maxwell, even as she has trouble separating the Streshnayvas’ kindness from the clear divide in their socioeconomic classes. With tensions growing and Taras breathing down her neck, Varinka makes a choice that puts the Streshnayvas and herself in grave danger. When communication from Sofya ceases, Eliza --- who has been following the news from afar as more and more Russian elite (“White Russians”) begin to travel to America for safety --- vows to find her friend and make sure that she and her family are safe.

Once again, Hall takes her readers on a breathless, heartfelt journey through one of the greatest conflicts in history, exposing the truths of the past through the eyes of its unsung women. Keen readers will note that Hall follows a similar formula with LOST ROSES as she did with LILAC GIRLS: one fierce main character, a woman living through the historic event, and another character on the other side of the conflict. Her style, while perhaps a bit formulaic at first glance, feels fresh and new in her tender, steady hands. Her pacing is carefully plotted --- at no point will you have trouble keeping each storyline straight, even with the abundance of Russian names and phrases to learn --- and her ability to end each chapter on an exciting but not at all unrealistic cliffhanger is unparalleled. I won’t give any spoilers, but I can confirm that the conclusion is deeply, exhilaratingly satisfying, which is yet another area where Hall shines.

It is difficult to put my finger on what exactly makes Hall’s writing so uniquely beautiful when she has so many talents, but in the end, I think it is her treatment of female characters. The women she writes are never perfect, nor are they ever wholly evil. Instead they are as complex as the women you know off the page, and every bit as relatable. Although Hall writes about real women, she does not simply tick off the facts; she fleshes out every complicated decision and every relationship as if they are real. Simply put, Hall loves her female characters, and although she never shies away from the realities of war --- violence, murder and heartbreak --- the pains enacted upon her female characters always serve a purpose and are never gratuitous or voyeuristic. Hall is a masterful author, and I am so thrilled that she has continued to share the Woolsey women’s stories in LOST ROSES.

I received an Advanced Review Copy of Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly from the publisher Random House Publishing Ballantine through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I also want to clarify that I read Lilac Girls and LOVED it. I also was able to get the audiobook from the library and listened as well.

What It’s About: This is the story of three young women whose lives are intertwined and we follow them from right before the start of World War One to the end of the war and a little after. The three women are Eliza Ferriday, who is the mother of Caroline from Lilac Girls and a New York socialite; Sophia, a cousin of the Romanovs in Russia; and Varinka, a peasant girl who is struggling in Russia. The book follows their journey through the war and the consequences of the Russian revolution.

What I Loved: Martha Hall Kelly is a very good researcher. She really educates you on the historical period she is looking at and so I love the detail she brings, I really learned a lot. I also really enjoy seeing the Ferriday's activism, it makes me really happy to see a privileged family give back especially against the setting of the Russian revolution and talk about the importance of accepting immigrants and refugees, I cried, the section she spends focusing on this really reminds me of what America is about.

What I didn’t like so much: This book was eh for me. I didn't like the characters as much as Lilac Girls or feel as captivated by the story, so the book kind of dragged for me. I just didn't find this book as compelling as the previous one. The other thing was that the Eliza story reminded me a lot of the Caroline story in Lilac Girls, so it might have made it more repetitive.

Who Should Read It: People who love well researched books and really like the Romanov family.

General Summary: A story of three women whose lives are interconnected during the Russian revolution.

I absolutely loved the authors first book, Lilac Girls, so I was ecstatic to get my hands on an early copy of her newest book. Lost Roses is a prequel to Lilac Girls but definitely works as a stand alone. ⁣
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This is the story of three women in Russia on the brink of World War 1. This is rich in history and I loved learning more about the Russian Revolution during this time period. As is true to the culture during that time, there are many disturbing and shocking events. ⁣
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This is a slow burn and I did not connect with it until about halfway through the book. I blazed through the last half and I loved the ending. There’s a lot of characters to keep track of during the beginning and I think that’s why I had a hard time connecting with it. Ultimately, I felt it was missing the magic that was prominent in Lilac Girls. For me, Lost Roses was ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. Thank you @randomhouse for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review. ⁣

The storyline was promising, but I found the plot slow and the characters not engaging. It was not to my liking.

#NetGalley #Lost Roses #Random House Publishing Group -Ballantine

Martha Hall Kelly has written another great book! Lost Roses is the prequel to her book The Lilac Girls. This story is sent during WWI. It follows Caroline Ferriday's mother Eliza, Sofya a cousin to the Russian Tsar and his family, and Varinka a peasant girl whose Mamka is a fortune teller. I didn't want the story to end, can not wait for the next story by Martha Hall Kelly.

Lost Roses is fraught with danger and terrible loss as we follow Sofya and Eliza's struggles in pre-World War I and the Russian revolution. A story with palpable angst and heart-rending sadness, both women fight to bring their families together in completely different ways. You'll find yourself hoping right along with them for reunion within their own relatives and with each other.

I’m disappointed in myself for not liking this book because it seems like something I’d love. More often than not, the novel is disconnected and clumsy as it tries to weave several years’ worth of three different women’s stories together. If each of these characters had had their own standalone novels, it might’ve been more successful, but it just feels very jumbled and rushed all throughout. That being said, I’m excited to learn that Eliza and Caroline were real people, and I look forward to learning more about them!

Lost Roses, by Martha Hall Kelly, is a prequel to Lilac Girls. Set during the period just before and during WWI, it is the story of Eliza Ferriday, Caroline’s mother. Eliza is wealthy, privileged and friends with a cousin of the ill-fated Romanov family, Sofya. A peasant, Varinka, is sent to work in Sofya’s home. It is these three women whose experiences drive the story.

Much of the first part of this novel tried my patience as it focused on the hardships of the Russian aristocracy as the people rebelled against the Tsar. Frankly, the Romanovs and the aristocracy never struck me as the aggrieved in this struggle. Nonetheless, war is always horrific, dehumanizing and brutal. Seeing it through the eyes of Sofya helped me to understand the human suffering inflicted on the individuals, regardless of their politics.

Martha Hall Kelly is a gifted writer whose characters are very authentic, and the book is meticulously researched. The Ferriday family is tenacious in their commitment to their causes, and I look forward to reading more about them. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for giving me the opportunity to read an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from the author, Netgalley.com and Ballantine Books. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review.

Lost Roses is set in WWI, but it is really about the strength of women living and surviving traumatic conditions. Noble women who are preparing themselves to lose everything. Peasant women trying to survive while being threatened by their own neighbors.

It is a lush story, full with details and expertly researched.

5 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.

Another incredible historical fiction book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly. This story was even more unique for me because it had more of the Russian history during the turbulent time of the last Tsar of Russia and his family and what the villagers and aristocrats went through. I haven’t read any historical fiction of the fall of the Russian Imperial Romanov family and the Russian aristocratic society. This book has everything you want from a historical fiction book! I will be recommending this one to everyone.

Devastated by her husband's death, New York socialite Eliza Ferriday throws herself into helping the city's newly arrived White Russian refugees. It’s not just a distraction, it’s personal: her friend, Sofya (the tsars’ cousin) and godson are caught up in Russia’s violent regime change, as is Varinak, the young woman who cares for the child. Kelly’s prequel transports.

Eliza and Sofya are schoolmates who are now adults with their own families. Eliza, an American, lives in New York and Sofya, a Russian aristocrat, lives in St Petersburg with her family. The Russian Revolution and World War II is looming in 1914 when Eliza and Sofya last see each other. Varinka is a peasant girl trapped in a bizarre arrangement with her mother, father and her father's young apprentice who is newly returned from prison and involved with the Russian rebels.

These three women live through tragedy and loss over the next six years all the while trying to reach their final goals - Eliza to find Sofya and reconnect with her daughter, Sofya to find what is left of her family and Varinka to find freedom. It wasn't always pretty and some terrible things had to be done along the way but they make it the other side.

I loved this book. Much like Lilac Girls, I sympathized with all of the characters even when one was clearly not doing the right thing. The story started off slow for me, especially Eliza's story, but picked up midway and I couldn't put the book down after that.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2716426135
https://www.bookmovement.com/memberProfile/152341

During WWI, the lives of do-gooder Eliza, Russian aristocrat sisters Sofya and Luba, and Russian pheasant Varinka cross paths. Eliza lives in New York and keeps herself busy with husband, Henry, 11 year old daughter, Caroline (find out more about her life in the author's previous work, Lilac Girls ), and charity work. Sofya and Luba are Eliza's friends and also Russian aristocrats, so what will happen to them and the rest of their family after the Romanov family is overthrown during the revolution? Varinka is a Russian pheasant whose life is forever altered after she's hired to care for Sofya's baby son, Max. What happens to each of the characters during the course of WWI? Will they all survive?

I very much enjoyed the author's first book, Lilac Girls (4 stars) based on the real-life Caroline Ferriday, but this one just didn't hold my attention and I never felt a connection to any of the characters... except that I did really admire Luba's intelligence and will to survive. I also found it interesting that Eliza's character was based on the real life Eliza Ferriday and Sofya's on the real life Countess Edith Sollohub.

Location: New York (Southampton), Russia (St. Petersburg), and France (Paris)

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

In Lost Roses Martha Hall Kelly brings us back to the characters in her Lilac Girls. I thoroughly enjoyed this prequel which centers on Eliza the mother of Caroline Ferirday who was the main character in Lilac Girls. These books are interesting especially since they are based on real people and events. The women’s sense of responsibility to help others and loyalty to friends are inspiring. This will be a definite recommendation to my book clubs.

This book is billed as a prequel to Lilac Girls, which I read when it first came out, but that almost feels misleading, as this is a totally separate book bearing no real relationship to Lilac Girls other than one common character. I had a hard time getting into this one. It was partly the time period in Russian history, which I had little knowledge about, but I am sure it was very accurately portrayed. The other problem was that I just couldn’t relate to these incredibly rich and indulged women. Their life style was so strange to me. I persevered, however, and came to enjoy it more as I came to understand the three narrative views. Eliza, the link between the two books, was the easiest as she was the American. Sophya, Eliza’s friend from boarding school, was part of the Russian aristocracy (cousin to the Tsar), and got caught up in the revolution and the danger that ensued. Varinka, the Russian peasant girl, provides the reality check of the horrible price of the social breakdown. It is a rather epic book, but gives a very interesting picture of the time. Kelly does a great job of taking us into the mindset of each of the three narrators, and of creating suspense about the outcome for Sophya and Varinka.
Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest revie

The prequel to Lilac Girls was an interesting read. It was a little slow start for me, but I finally was sucked into the story and could not put it down. I love Martha Hall Kelly’s historical fiction and am looking forward to her next book. I’m already anxiously waiting for the opportunity to devour the next Woolsey tale.

What a captivating story of life during the Bolshevik revolution. You will travel from the US to Russia to Paris…entrenched in the horrors of the Great War and the lives affected by war, atrocities, and many dangers. There are moments of holding your breath as you wait to discover what will happen next. There are many threads woven throughout the pages…love, loss, loyalty, faith, hope, altruism, danger, selfishness.

I am not as familiar with the First World War but the author does a great job of making you experience the emotions from the various corners of the world. The chapters of this book are presented from the viewpoint of three main characters. And the stories flow smoothly as you discover the richly drawn aspects of their lives and how they end up colliding in an astonishing way. You will be cheering on some of the characters while wishing others would meet with an unfortunate ending. Either way, you will be deeply invested in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Martha Hall Kelly, and Random House for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.