Reviews for Lost roses: a novel

Library Journal
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Kelly's prequel to her hugely successful Lilac Girls again tells the story of three women tested by dramatic historical events. This time the chaos of the Russian Revolution takes center stage as Sofya, a Russian aristocrat, fights to survive and to recover her missing child while her friend Eliza Ferriday (mother of Lilac Girls' Caroline) strives to discover Sofya's fate while welcoming other desperate Russian refugees to the United States. Meanwhile, peasant girl Varinka is closely connected to those committing terrible deeds in the name of revolution. Sofya has by far the most compelling story line, and some readers may get restless when reading about Eliza's relatively low-stakes activities. Varinka's tale largely feels like a missed opportunity for a more nuanced exploration of the forces behind the 1917 uprising, as the revolutionaries we get to know best through her are unquestionably irredeemable creeps. VERDICT Overall, this novel builds to an emotionally satisfying conclusion, and readers who loved Lilac Girls will likely be keen to learn more about the -Ferridays. Also suggest to fans of recent Russian historical fiction hits such as Amor Towles's A Gentleman in Moscow and C.W. Gortner's The Romanov Empress. [See Prepub Alert, 10/29/18; an editor's pick, LJ 2/19.]-Mara Bandy Fass, Champaign P.L., IL © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

On the brink of World War I, three women fight internal battles on the homefront.Novelist Kelly (The Lilac Girls, 2016), who offered the perspectives of three women during World War II in her bestselling debut novel, turns back the clock to examine the lives of another female trio as the world enters the Great War. Connecting the two novels is Eliza Ferriday, the New York socialite with a heart for social justice, who is the mother of real-life Lilac heroine Caroline Ferriday. The book is a prequel, though it is a silk thread that binds the two stories. Eliza is enjoying the high life with her Manhattan and Southampton social set, making regular visits to Paris and St. Petersburg to sightsee with close friend and confidante Sofya Streshnayva as the world buzzes with talk of impending war. Eliza takes the threat more seriously than beautiful Sofya, a cousin of the Romanovs who, like most of her ilk, is living in a bubble of denial about the danger that lies ahead. When Sofya's stepmother hires Varinka Kozlov, the daughter of a local fortuneteller, she unwittingly brings trouble into their home. Although young Varinka is a kind soul, her family is closely connected to a pair of local thugs leading Bolshevik uprisings against the bourgeoisie White Russians. Soon, Sofya's family is caught in the crosshairs of a revolution, Eliza is powerless to help from New York, and Varinka must make a choice about where her loyalties lie. Though the writing is rich and vivid with detail about the period, the storytelling is quite a bit slower than in Kelly's captivating debut, and both the plot and relationship development feel secondary to the historical scene-setting.A nuanced tale that speaks to the strength of women. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

How Caroline Ferriday, the real-life character featured in Kelly's Lilac Girls, was inspired to become an advocate for Polish refugees who survived WWII comes to light in this lively, well-researched prequel in which she appears as a child. Here the story focuses on her mother, Eliza, who set an example for her daughter by being a champion for Russian nobility brutalized during WWI. Just as the author focused on three strong women surviving a war in her previous novel, she does the same here: in addition to Eliza, there is her aristocrat friend Sofya Streshnayva (cousin to the tsar) and a Russian peasant girl, Varinka. The author follows the trajectory of their lives from 1914 through WWI and then the Russian Revolution and its aftermath with page-tuning brio. Interweaving three story lines (Varinka ends up working for the Streshnayva household) where all three are emotionally and physically put to the test, the author depicts Eliza's upper-class life in America and how, despite personal loss, she throws herself into helping Russian emigres; Sofya's tragic circumstances when a rowdy, dangerous mob takes over the family's country home; and Varinka's struggles as a peasant girl at the mercy of a man who is both abusive and protective toward her. Some story lines strain credibility (coincidences and melodramatic cliffhangers abound) or are questionable (the prurient element involved with Varinka's protector/abuser falls flat). Nevertheless, Kelly memorably portrays three indomitable women who triumph over hardships and successfully brings a complex and turbulent time in history to life. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Kelly is back with another epic tale of three women's lives overlapping against the backdrop of history, this time a generation earlier than and starring the mother of a heroine from her debut, The Lilac Girls (2017). The setting is WWI and the Russian Revolution; the stories are inspired by true events. New Yorker Eliza Ferriday returns home when her tour of Russia with her school friend Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Romanovs, is cut short by the outbreak of war in Europe. Sofya's family retires to their country estate to wait out the troubles, while Eliza works to find refuge and employment for displaced Russians in America. Sofya hires a local peasant girl, Varinka, to help with her small son, unaware of the danger that Varinka's revolutionary connections pose to her family. Kelly's gift is bringing to life and to light the untold stories of women and families far away from the war front yet deeply affected by the decisions of leaders and the efforts of fighters. Fans of historical fiction like the works of Marie Benedict and Lisa See, and viewers of period dramas, will want to clear their calendars when Lost Roses comes out.--Alene Moroni Copyright 2010 Booklist

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