Lost Roses - Martha Hall Kelly

Lost Roses

By Martha Hall Kelly

  • Release Date: 2019-04-09
  • Genre: Historical Fiction
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 924 Ratings

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The million-copy bestseller Lilac Girls introduced the real-life heroine Caroline Ferriday. Now Lost Roses, set a generation earlier and also inspired by true events, features Caroline’s mother, Eliza, and follows three equally indomitable women from St. Petersburg to Paris under the shadow of World War I.

“Not only a brilliant historical tale, but a love song to all the ways our friendships carry us through the worst of times.”Lisa Wingate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours

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.

Reviews

  • Lost Roses

    5
    By snbisw
    I have really enjoyed reading about Eliza, Soyfa, and Varinka. I enjoyed reading all 3 stories about the Woolsey family. Thanks for bringing to life the women during these times of war. They are a true inspiration for us today.
  • Lost Roses

    3
    By beeguh
    This book would have been better concentrating on one character rather than three. The connection between the characters seemed contrived. The characterization of Ferriday should have been expanded. The part on her was interesting but too short. Thanks.
  • Book

    5
    By Sisaacks
    Pretty good
  • Very good book

    5
    By Ranger Ann
    I loved this book so much I had a hard time putting it down. I knew little about the Bolshevik revolution other than the tsar was overthrown and the Reds came into power. I learned a lot in this book and understand a little more about what the Russian people went through.
  • Lost Roses

    5
    By LilacMarie
    Loved, couldn’t put down. I had already read Lilac Girls and cannot wait for Martha Hall Kelly’s next book. Highly recommend - I got lost in the culture and time, on an amazing journey back in time.
  • Common Sense

    1
    By hotc0ck007
    Just buy new roses. (duh)
  • Another winner

    5
    By patsy s2
    Lost Roses is a prequel to the wonderful Lilac Girls. Both are historical fiction novels by Martha Hall Kelly. Lost Roses centers on three very different women during the Russian Revolution and the First World War. These women are from different countries and have vastly different backgrounds but their lives become intertwined. You see excess wealth and devastating poverty. You travel the globe from the United State to Russia to Europe. I felt like a time traveler witnessing this time from three very different perspectives. I think you will enjoy the travels as much as I did. Then if you have not read Lilac Girls, I suggest you read it to see how someone from the next generation experiences the next World War. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy from netgalley. It did not influence my review since I already loved this author and Lilac Girls.