Skip to main content

Friday Reads Book Rec: Lost Roses


I'm behind with my #reading and reviews (when am I not really?!) thanks to round one of the crud. So before round two takes me out, I wanted to share my thoughts on this 5 Star read, #LostRoses by @marthahallkelly (author of #LilacGirls also a 5 Star read).

Synopsis from NetGalley:
"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. 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."

My (spoiler free) thoughts:
WWII #historicalfiction is one of my favorites, and now the setting of WWI is becoming a favorite as well. This is a beautifully written novel which transported me on an emotional journey with Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka. These women are given genuine voices for their stories, the settings vivid in my mind as I read, and I found this book to be "unputdownable." While technically a prequel to Lilac Girls, you can read either as a stand alone, or in whichever order you suits you. (I would still start with Lilac Girls - after reading it I think you'd be that much more interested in Caroline's mother Eliza's story but that's my humble opinion - to each reader their own).

Lost Roses comes out in April. Have you added it to your TBR yet?

#ThankYou to @randomhouse #BallantineNooks and #NetGalley for this e-ARC! 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

An Enchanted Garden Party

Welcome to my post! To visit other participants, please head over to the Practical Magic Blog Party 2010 blog. I must say that while I think Practical Magic the movie is adorable, I think the novel is incredible. And that is where I gleaned my inspiration from for these festivities. Gardens are mysterious, magical and enchanting, don't you think? Now follow me out into the garden, I have everything all ready for you, including music! (Turn your volume on). *Update: Music has reverted to my regular Fall soundtrack, 9/28/2010* For all of you non Practical Magic Blog Party folks, head on over to NJ Through My Eyes where I've posted 2 new slide-shows today; one is a preview of a new project I'm working on!

A Walk Through The (Dis)Enchanted Forrest (Halloween Party Post)

Welcome & thank you for visiting my post! For more Halloween fun today & throughout the weekend, visit A Fanciful Twist . For more Halloween & Autumn Fun, check out my "Autumn Tuesday" & "Halloween Thursday" posts by clicking on their labels in the left hand column. ~Happy Halloween & Pumpkin Blessings! *Update for those friends wondering, I put this together prior to surgery yesterday to make sure I would be able to post it for today! (Though it didn't post at 12:01am like it was supposed to). Anyhoo, I'm home and resting (uncomfortably). Surgery went well, my kidney tube and stone are gone! I have an internal stent on the left hand side but I'm okay with that because it comes out in the doctor's office in 2-3 weeks (no back to the hospital) and especially because it meant they could take that nephrostomy tube out! (The last nearly 2 weeks of that 15 weeks was rough with that thing, my body was simultaneously trying to heal aroun...

Not Exactly Music To My Ears and Acceptance

Went to my 'every 6 weeks' follow-up doctor's appointment with my Rheumologist yesterday morning. Apparently my heart palpitations/racing (not often, though enough to be noticeable), vision issues (blurriness and discomfort) and muscle cramps (too often & not dehydration) are "disease progression." Not exactly music to my ears I can tell you that much. We discussed my pain & swelling levels (back on the rise through the last 2 iv treatments) and agreed that my iv med should be increased from 400mg every 8 weeks to 500mg every 8 weeks. (This brings me closer to the area of 800mg, which Dr. A feels would be the max dose for me, and the fact that I'm getting closer to that mark scares me). One good thing to note, my blood pressure was "normal" for (at least) the 3rd follow-up in row and without meds, so at least that's one less thing for me to worry about (though it's like a needle in a hay stack really). I'm always on the verge ...