As soon as I saw Martha Hall Kelly had written another book, I knew I had to read it. Lost Roses takes place a generation earlier than Lilac Girls (during WWI), and it follows Caroline’s mother Eliza Ferriday. At first I wasn’t sure if I would connect with the characters as much as I had in Lilac Girls, but I found myself reading any chance I could get. I loved getting to know these deep characters and learning about a time and place that had little knowledge of.

You don’t need to read Lilac Girls to love this book, but I can almost guarantee—if you’re like me—you’re going to want to read anything Martha Hall Kelly writes!

(Also another little gem at the end of the book says there will be another book about Caroline’s great-grandmother during the Civil War. I can’t wait!)

Loved Lilac Girls... this also was an amazing novel. I was savoring the last few chapters, for I didn’t want the book to end.

Lost Roses is an amazing journey through time, and the upheaval Russia went through during the Bolshevik revolution. Martha Kelly does an absolutely wonderful job connecting Lost Roses and Lilac Girls, and making sure the reader falls in love with the characters. I was curious to see if the reader would need to read Lilac Girls first or not. I do not think so, I think a person should read Lost Roses first, and then slip right into Lilac Girls. During the book there was a constant love/hate relationship going on with the characters. I wanted to dislike Sofya and her family, because they were so rich and not really aware of how poor their country men were. But I also wanted to dislike Varinka after her actions towards Sofya’s son. She meant well, but made poor choices along the way. Also, you get a better understanding of why Caroline Ferriday was the way she was, after growing up with Eliza, I absolutely loved the back story of Caroline’s life. Just an absolutely remarkable read, and one that will stay with me for a long time.

Ohhhh my goodness!! If you are a historical fiction fan, Lost Roses should be required reading!! I haven’t read Lilac Girls, but when I was only 20% into the Lost Roses, I went onto Amazon to 1-click Lilac Girls because I was that wow’ed by Martha Hall Kelly’s writing style! And if you find yourself in the same boat, no worries because Lost Roses is a prequel to Lilac Girls — Lost Roses takes place 1912- 1920 (WWI) and Lilac Girls takes place during WWII. In all honesty, I haven’t read a ton of books that takes place during WWI and of course the brilliant plot hooked me, but also I felt I learned a lot more about that time period because we get 3 very different character perspectives—loved that! Before going into Lost Roses, I knew it wasn’t a short read, but trust me every page is necessary and after finishing I wish there was another couple hundred more pages because I truly didn’t want it end (ever lol)! This novel is both heartwarming and heartbreaking and everything in between! Lost Roses is 5+++ star novel that will stay with you! This book is absolutely a 2019 favorite!

Excellent novel about three young women: a White Russian struggling to survive the Communist Revolution, a Russian peasant struggling to find her way in a new world order, and an American socialite in New York City. The differences in the circumstances of these three women is vast, and it's amazing that they lived at the same time and that their lives intersect. I really enjoyed this novel. It moves quickly and keeps your attention until the end.

I actually liked this novel much, much better than its sequel, Lilac Girls. Although a zillion books have been written about the Holocaust and World War II (the subject of Lilac Girls), stories of the Russian Revolution are just now being told here in the West.

Well written, great characters, great plot!

This engrossing historical fiction is billed as the prequel to Lilac Girls, a breakout hit of 2016. Martha Hall Kelly introduces readers to another generation of the Ferriday family, this time featuring Eliza Ferriday and her dear friend Sofya. These young women are set to take on the world, daring travelers with enough wealth and connections to satisfy their wanderlust. World War I looms, and cuts short a visit to Russia by Eliza. The women separate, with promises to write often and resume their friendship once the dust settles on turbulent times.
Sofya and her family leave the city of St. Petersberg for their summer estate. Once there, another strong willed woman enters the Sofya's life and changes it dramatically. Varinka is hired as kitchen help for the family, but her involvement with radicals endangers Sofya and her family.
Across the Atlantic, Eliza has taken up championing the cause of female Russian emigres as she waits to hear from Sofya. She suffers personal losses during this time as well, and finds comfort in providing for the Russians as she awaits word from her friend. All three women converge in Paris, where wrongs are made right and as the war ends they can move on with their lives.
This beautifully written story unfolds with rich detail and finely drawn, strong female characters. While told from multiple viewpoints, it progresses steadily to a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you, NetGalley and Ballantine Books, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. And if anyone has ever wondered whether these "honest" reviews are truly honest, this one is proof. Because I hated this book.

Where to begin? The pedestrian writing. The slopping timekeeping (for instance, a character notes that it had been two years since she'd seen her American friend, then a few paragraphs later says her son is 16 months old... except the son had been two months old when she'd last seen said friend. I wasted way too much time trying to figure out how old the kid throughout the rest of the book). The cardboard characters. The pile-up of coincidences that outnumber those in the entire oeuvre of Charles Dickens. The informed attributes (we're repeatedly told how smart Sofya is, but she does some amazingly stupid things. The classism that is seemingly condoned; when the White Russian emigrees are forced to live in the Bowery, Eliza springs into action to help them, because living there is too, too horrible. Not too horrible for the poor Irish, Italians, and Russian Jews who've been suffering there, but definitely too awful for the cosseted Russian nobles. The hand-waving of implausible events.

Perhaps my biggest beef, though, is the use of three narrators, given that every one of them tells her tale in the same voice with the same plodding sentences, limited vocabulary, and frame of references. Sofya was a star botany student, but she describes the scent of incense as "sweet and flowery." Someone with her background would not use "flowery" but would instead detail which floral notes made up the fragrance. The young peasant narrator would use different points of comparison than the privileged cousin of the tsar and maybe would speak in shorter or even fragment sentences.

If you'd like to read a truly evocative novel set during the Russian Revolution, choose The Revolution of Marina M. by Janet Finch instead (which I'd also received from NetGalley, fwiw).

A strong novel about the white Russian emigrees and the Bolsheviks. through the three main characters all sides including the Americans is represented. There are a few twists and surprises and the Afterword is interesting. A prequel to Lilac Girls, this author proves herself in historical women's fiction.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

This story begins at the brink of the first World War, a New Yorker named Eliza goes to St. Petersburg Russia to visit a friend, who is a Romanov cousin. Once war breaks out and the Romanov dynasty falls, Eliza is able to return to America while Sofya and her family flee to their country estate. Eliza tries to help her friend and other Russians, and when she stops hearing from Sofya she fears the worst.

Lost Roses is a beautifully written novel. Lilac Girls was one of my favorites of 2018, so I was very excited to get an early release of Lost Roses. In the beginning, the characters are somewhat confusing and hard to keep straight, but as you keep reading, it all becomes more clear as the story unfolds. 1/4 of the way through, I literally could not put this book down and read for hours straight. It is beautifully written and I highly recommend.

Martha Hall Kelly has delivered another powerful story of loss, love, and resilience. Lost Roses is set during World War I, and is the prequel to her novel Lilac Girls. The three main characters all have different perspectives and experiences, and each an important place in history. Their stories are intricately woven together with superb writing, and fascinating detail. Once again, Hall Kelly has given us Historical Fiction at its finest!

Lost Roses is a prequel of sorts to Lilac Girls. In Lilac Girls we met Carolyn Ferraday, Lost Roses is the story of Carolyn's mother, Eliza Ferraday and two other women. Sofya Streshnayva is a Romanov cousin and friend of Eliza's, and Varinka is a young peasant girl that ends up working for Sofya. These three ladies have very differing paths through World War I and the Russian Revolution. Lost Roses travels from the US and Russia to Paris at the end of World War I. It is mainly the story of the Russian Revolution and how the tide turned against Little Father and anyone associated with him. In the chaos that ends at the end of the war and the revolution some friends are mourned and some are found. Another beautiful story By Martha Hall Kelly.

Martha Hall Kelly has done it again with Lost Roses. It took me a couple of chapters to get the relationships down between the three main characters and their relationships. during the Great War. Sofya, Russian aristocracy and her loss of status without understanding completely why but knowing change must be made. Varina, Russian peasant, being caught up in the Revolution through her relationships and then Eliza, the wealthy New Yorker being life long friends with Sofya and how this change affects her life. This is about amazingly strong women who deal with death, hardship and come out on top through hard work and standing up for what is right. #LostRoses, #NetGalley.

Eliza Ferriday and Sofya Streshnayva have been friends since girlhood, meeting in Paris and spending months at a time visiting each other in St. Petersburg and New York. On her last visit to Russia, Eliza feels the discontent of the Russian people and sees signs of brewing unrest to which her Russian friends seem completely oblivious. Eliza and Sofya have written each other daily since school and once WWI breaks out, followed by the Russian Revolution, the two lose contact. In the US, Eliza sets up refugee centers for Russians fleeing their homeland, hoping that Sofya will have fled. In Russia, Sofya fights to survive and find refuge somewhere. From there, she can contact Eliza and escape Russia.

Martha Hall Kelly writes a compelling story of a friendship tested through adversity and world uproar. There's lots of action and excitement with minimal horror in a time of widespread terror. She keeps the story taut until the end, when it slumps to a resolution.

However, "Lost Roses" will inspire me to seek out "Lilac Girls." Using the example of multiple strong women in one family to explore seminal events in history is certainly appealing. I look forward to more from Martha Kelly.

First, Thank you to the publisher and author for gifting me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am in the minority with my review of this title. I liked it, but I didn't love it like everyone else has so far. I really wanted to love it. I did love Lilac Girls and was so excited about the opportunity to read the newest novel by Martha Hall Kelly. I had a hard time getting in to the story and feeling a connection or interest in the characters. I felt like the main characters were a little shallow and flat in the beginning. I was enjoying the history, but wasn't sure why I cared about these characters and what happened to them particularly. I really did not like Varinka and her creepo "guardian". He was so disturbing and I couldn't figure out why there story was being included. I am glad I didn't quit from my first impressions. You do see how Varinka becomes entwined with the family and how her choices greatly affect their lives. I did grow to like an respect the other two female characters more as well as we saw them grow and stand taller through very difficult times. I liked them a lot more by the end of the book and was pleased to see how they turned to look towards others and how they could benefit those in need. I was glad to see Eliza become a better role model and support to her daughter Caroline as the novel wrapped up. It still was not my favorite read, but I did like it more after seeing how the characters and the story developed.

This story takes place during the time of the Great War, WWI, but the focus is primarily on Russia and the Revolution. This beautifully written and oh so riveting novel is based on true characters and actual places although it is a far cry from being a history book or diary.

The three main female characters include Eliza Woolsey Ferriday, who lives in Manhattan – along with her mother, Caroline, and her daughter, Caroline. There is also Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Russian Romanovs, who has become very close friends with Eliza, and Varinka, who becomes a nanny to Sofya’s son, Max, and eventually kidnaps him.

When the Russian dynasty falls, Sofya and her family flee but are seized and imprisoned. After a year Sofya manages to escape and, amid endless mayhem and danger, is determined to find her way to Paris, which is some 1400 miles away. Her hope is to find her son who has been taken to Paris. All the while, Eliza is relentless in her attempts to find Sofya and to aid Russian female emigres to the United States.

What to me is so fascinating about this story is that there truly was a real life Eliza Ferriday, a Sofya, the two Carolines, Henry Ferriday, actress Julia Marlowe and her beautiful home Wildacres, The Romanovs, The Hay in Bethlehem, CT, the American Central Committee for Russian Relief and its bazaars held at the Plaza Hotel, Hildreth’s Store in Southampton, and even the centuries old A la Mere de Famille candy store in Paris.

What a story! I am ever grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Lost Roses. It was truly my pleasure, and I highly recommend it. Well done, Ms Kelly. I look forward to your next book which will take us back in time to the Civil War and Jane Eliza Woolsey.

If you loved The Lilac Girls, you will love Lost Roses (by the same author). Set in New York just before America enters the so-called Great War, it's the story of Eliza Ferriday, her best friend, a Russian named Sofya Streshnayva, and a Russia peasant girl named Varinka. We see the impact of the war on Russia from Sofya's point of view, an aristocrat and relative of the Romanov's, but also from Varinka's point of view, as someone who sees Sofya's family as a servant, and later as an oppressor. As the war drags on, Eliza does her best to help the Russian refugees who make their way to America, continuously seeking to maintain contact with her Russian friend through the chaos and death of war.

The story is told from the individual points of view of the three women. We see the difficult choices they have to make to survive the brutality of war, especially for women, and at the same time maintain their humanity, and compassion. Its a wonderful story, with well written characters, easy to read and hard to put down. Highly recommended!

Lost Roses is an engrossing read. I liked it even better than The Lilac Girls. What I really liked the most was so much of the content dealt with Russia and the Revolution. The characters are engaging, the settings are vividly described and readers feel as if the events were happening to themselves. The one character I did not care for was Varinka, she made my skin crawl. I admired her mother, Zina, and her pluckiness and craftiness. Lost Roses surpassses Kelly's first book and I look forward to her next prequel installment.

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Relly
Since I enjoyed Lilac Girls very much, I appreciated receiving this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lost Roses is a prequel to Lilac Girls and it takes place from 1914 to 1920 and centers around WWI and the Russian Revolution. It follows Eliza, an American woman (Carolyn ‘s mother) Sofya, a relative to the tzar’s family and Varinka, a Russian peasant girl hired to take care of Sofia’s son, Max. Chapters alternate from each of these women’s point of view. The horrors of the war, the Russian revolution and its effects on three families are authentic and true to history. Of the three women, I liked Eliza and Sofya most, less so Varinka. I found the author’s note at the end very helpful and made me appreciate the novel more as it was based on real persons and events. Overall, an excellent read, strongly recommend. I took off one star, as I found the events after he war in Paris a little contrived, too many coincidences that were not believable for me.
Thanks NetGalley, Random House and the author for this advanced copy.

I loved this authors first book and loved this one too.
This author has a way of writing historical fiction that draws you in and makes you love the characters.
I loved this one as much as the first book and loved learning about this time period
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book