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szirbel's review
5.0
Loved the prequel to the Lilac Girls story! I didn’t know much about Russian and US relations during The Great War so enjoyed learning more about The Whites and Reds. Can’t wait for her next book on The Civil War!
katiegilley's review
5.0
“Sadly, today authority, not truth, makes law,” Father said.
This is the second book in the Lilac Girls series and centers on Eliza Ferriday, the mother of Caroline Ferriday in Lilac Girls. Set in 1914 in New York, Paris, and St. Petersburg, we get up close with the Romanovs before their assassinations and watch the Bolsheviks move in and drastically change life in Russia. Eliza, like her daughter Caroline, has a deep feeling of duty and a responsibility for helping others and does everything she can to help her innocent friends in St. Petersburg escape unharmed. I found the characters and storylines compelling and beautifully drawn and thought this was even better than the first in the series.
It was fun seeing how Lost Roses connected with Lilac Girls – the similar settings at different points in history, a closer look at characters only hinted at previously, a deeper understanding of the Ferriday family history. I’m on the waitlist for the next book in this series, Sunflower Sisters, which is set during the Civil War. I cannot wait!
This is the second book in the Lilac Girls series and centers on Eliza Ferriday, the mother of Caroline Ferriday in Lilac Girls. Set in 1914 in New York, Paris, and St. Petersburg, we get up close with the Romanovs before their assassinations and watch the Bolsheviks move in and drastically change life in Russia. Eliza, like her daughter Caroline, has a deep feeling of duty and a responsibility for helping others and does everything she can to help her innocent friends in St. Petersburg escape unharmed. I found the characters and storylines compelling and beautifully drawn and thought this was even better than the first in the series.
It was fun seeing how Lost Roses connected with Lilac Girls – the similar settings at different points in history, a closer look at characters only hinted at previously, a deeper understanding of the Ferriday family history. I’m on the waitlist for the next book in this series, Sunflower Sisters, which is set during the Civil War. I cannot wait!
serendipity730's review
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jaymeee's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
panda58's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
pam2375's review
1.0
I am sorry to say that this was just a chore to get through. I really did not like any of the characters and there were many times that I was lost about who was who. For instance, when Eliza is talking in the beginning of the book, we have no idea that she is married with a child. At some point a few pages (or a hundred, who knows) in she is talking about Henry and Caroline. Then, even later, we discover that she is married to Henry and Caroline is her daughter.
Timing is off throughout the book. It seems as if whoever was assisting Ms Kelly edit, they fell asleep while reading.
Because I enjoyed Lilac Girls so much, I really wanted to like this. I just couldn't.
I do thank Netgalley and Ballentine Books for this advanced readers copy.
Timing is off throughout the book. It seems as if whoever was assisting Ms Kelly edit, they fell asleep while reading.
Because I enjoyed Lilac Girls so much, I really wanted to like this. I just couldn't.
I do thank Netgalley and Ballentine Books for this advanced readers copy.
libvin96's review
5.0
MHK does it again! Loved reading this suspenseful yet satisfying book and filling the gaps in my knowledge about WWI and the Bolshevik Revolution.
bmhbooks's review
4.0
Lost Roses is a remarkable story about three indomitable women. I feel very lucky to have the chance to read about each of them. What a beautiful book.
chris10b's review
4.0
4 1/2 stars. I listened to the audio book and thought it was very well done.
Lilac Girls was my favorite read of 2018, so I was excited to read Kelly's second novel, Lost Roses. I never really connected with these characters on the same level as Lilac Girls, but it was still a very enjoyable read. I feel like switching from multiple points of views can be risky, but Kelly does it well, and I appreciate the amount of research she puts into her novels.
I will say that I found Varinka's story hard to listen to, to the point where I often dreaded it. I loved her character but hated the situation she was in, and some of it was hard to stomach. Maybe I would have been able to deal with this better if I had been reading the book and could breeze through it instead of having to listen. I don't know.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and am looking to the next one by Kelly!
Lilac Girls was my favorite read of 2018, so I was excited to read Kelly's second novel, Lost Roses. I never really connected with these characters on the same level as Lilac Girls, but it was still a very enjoyable read. I feel like switching from multiple points of views can be risky, but Kelly does it well, and I appreciate the amount of research she puts into her novels.
I will say that I found Varinka's story hard to listen to, to the point where I often dreaded it. I loved her character but hated the situation she was in, and some of it was hard to stomach. Maybe I would have been able to deal with this better if I had been reading the book and could breeze through it instead of having to listen. I don't know.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and am looking to the next one by Kelly!
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review
4.0
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.
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.