Lost Roses: A Historical Fiction Novel by Martha Hall Kelly Featuring the Woolsey-Ferriday Family

Anna: This is one of three books based on the Woolsey-Ferriday family. The family had an interesting life and all were determined to help the less fortunate during times of war.

United States on Oct 14, 2023

Sandy: My favorite character was Varinka. What horrible times she lived in. Her life was so very different from the other two main characters. She was so young and in a dire situation ,her age went from 14 to 19. ( spoiler alert). I wish the writer would do a follow up on her life. With all the history at that time

United States on Sep 01, 2023

Suzanne Fortier: Implication

Canada on Aug 08, 2023

Barbara Layton: Clean,easy to read and fair time for delivery.

Canada on Jul 07, 2023

Cliente Amazon: Retrata bem a ruina de um sistema de governo, da nobreza, a renúncia do tzar e consequentemente a sua condenação, o distanciamento do povo com a nobreza. O início penoso do regime comunista. A perseguição dos bolchevics no sentido de apagar qualquer vestígios da nobreza
Um novel muito bom prende bem sua atenção e o desejo de não parar de ler.
Eu recomendo para quem gosta de um romance da história

Brazil on Jun 03, 2022

Peter mcDonald: Excellent .....

Canada on Apr 25, 2022

Sapna_Dreamz_Foreva: This book is the second book in a series after Lilac Girls but I didn't know until now, but it can be read as a stand-alone book without any problem in understanding and enjoying the book. Lost Roses was a big hit last year or the year before I think and I can now understand why.

Basically, the Lost Roses are Eliza, Varinka, Sofya and Luba. Later on the book makes Sofya and Luba the two royal girls the actual Lost Roses, more than the other two. Basically, Eliza is from USA and Sofya and Luba are sisters of tsarist blood. Eliza and Sofya are close friends. The book is set under the shadows of WWI and the fall of tsarist rule in Russia. When the Bolsheviks start their uprising to remove tsarist rule Eliza flees back to America and Sofya and her husband, Afon, son Max and her sister Luba and stepmother Agnessa and her father who worked in a ministry for the Tsar try to get safety in their rural house. They unwittingly hire a village girl Varinka to work for them and look after Max and thereby the end of the good days start. What happens is Varinka stays with her father's love child Taras who is slightly deranged and her mother, called Mamka. Taras had murdered her dear father...

India on Oct 04, 2021

Marion Marchetto, author: Lost Roses is, at its core, a story of undying friendship between three women. It is set against the backdrop of Imperialist Russia and the turmoil created by the Bolshevik revolution – the Whites against the Reds.

The story opens in 1914 (pre-World War I) at Southampton, Long Island, NY. It is the home of Eliza Mitchell Ferriday where a farewell party is in full swing for her guests from Russia, Sofya Streshnayva and her husband along with Sofya’s younger sister Luba. Sofya and her sister are cousins to the Tsar’s children and after a lengthy visit to America are about to leave for home, accompanied by Eliza Ferriday who is anticipating seeing the sights of Petrograd. But when the very pregnant Sofya goes into labor, the trip is postponed. Young Max is born. He soon becomes the center of attention. In time, and after planning on a visit of several months, Eliza is content to leave her daughter Caroline in the care of her husband and Caroline’s grandmother.

In Russia, Eliza is aware of the unrest of the populace but her friend Sofya and the rest of her family is in denial. Surely the Imperial Troops will quell the unrest and life will go on as before. But...

United States on Oct 07, 2019

Shelby Taggart Reads: A prequel to Lilac Girls, Lost Roses takes us back a generation to the start of WWI, following three different women: Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka.

Eliza Ferriday is excited to visit Russia with her best friend—a cousin of the Romanovs—Sofya Streshnayva. Eliza has always dreamed of visiting Russia from her home in the US, but not long after she arrives, political tensions are high in Russia and she departs back home to her husband and daughter, Caroline. But not long after her return, she becomes a widow and is forced to find something else to occupy her grieving mind. And what better way to occupy herself than help a cause she is passionate about: helping Russian refugee women.

Meanwhile, Sofya and her family leave the city to find a safe shelter in the countryside. Sofya’s husband is enlisting in the Russian army while Sofya takes care of their toddler son, Max. But as WWI breaks out, bandits are overtaking estates of the bourgeois. The Bolsheviks are overthrowing the royalty, putting Sofya and her family in danger.

A Russian peasant, Varinka Kozlov, took a job at Sofya’s estate to care for Max. Varinka needs to the money to care for her sickly mother....

United States on Apr 23, 2019