What I’m Reading: Lost Roses

I just finished up the book Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly.  I had recently read Lilac Girls by the same author and several of you suggested reading this book as it was a prequel of the Lilac Girls.  I put myself on the waiting list and it wasn’t too long before the book came available.

I ended up liking the book..I think better than the first one.  This one focuses around WWI.  Oh my…listening to these always reminds me of how fortunately we are that we have the modern conveniences of telephones and regular correspondence.  How the circumstances could have easily changed in this book if only there were telephones.

Another thing I think Americans take for granted is not living in Europe during war times.  I think things there were so much worse.  I enjoy reading books and listening for these simple reasons…I learn so much more than just the story.  I learn what life was like…I learn the landscape and survival skills of war as well.  Historical fiction will always be my favorite genre.

Here’s what Amazon had to say:
“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.”

Amazon readers give the book 4.2 stars.  Hmm.  That surprised me.  I’d say 4.5 stars.  I really thought it was a pretty good book.