Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly

This was my beach read.  I didn't realize there was a category of "beach reads."  This one, I don't believe, actually qualifies as a "beach read."  I believe those are to be more fun, but I think this book is so good it could be read just about anywhere!  I previously read Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly, which is another book in my top 5 favs.  So, it was an easy choice to read Lost Roses.

Hall Kelly tells the story of three women during WWI.  Eliza, a wife and mother in the United States, experiences the war from the sidelines at first.  Eliza's daughter, Caroline, is actually one of the main characters in Lilac Girls.  Eliza finds herself doing advocacy and relief work amongst Russian refugees to the U.S.  In Lilac Girls, Eliza's daughter Caroline follows in her mother's footsteps of advocacy work.  It's so interesting to read about the grassroots efforts to support women and children fleeing from Russia.  Often, these women have come to the U.S. with absolutely nothing, many ill.  In Russia, they were often elite, even women of royal status.  

Sofya is a close friend of Eliza's, often visiting Eliza in the U.S. from Russia.  Sofya's family is related to the tsar and tsarina.  This story tells of Russia's political unrest and revolution, sending Sofya and her son, sister, dad and step-mother into first running and escaping, and then capture/hostage. Sofya escapes but finds herself alone, freezing cold, and half starving.  To read about her journey through Russia and France to find her son and safety is inspiring. 

Varinka is a Russian peasant, residing with her mother in what they call an izba, which sounds like a run-down shack in the woods.  Varinka is entrusted to Taras, a very dark and sinister man.  Varinka becomes household staff for Sofya's family, then the mansion is overrun by revolutionists and Varinka is caught up in this. She ends up with Sofya's son and truly gets mixed up about what is right and wrong.

This story is set between the United States and Russia.  It is intriguing to think about all of the fears and potential harm people faced.   At first, Eliza describes the war as being a far-off thought for the U.S. and then it came closer and closer until the U.S. was involved and men were enlisting.  Hall Kelly describes the fear of war, unrest of society and any number of illnesses that could take someone's life.  The families in this novel face all of these fears head-on.  Hall Kelly wrote another captivating, page-turner.  What I loved about Lilac Girls also was true in Lost Roses - the characters all eventually crossed paths and were a part of each other's stories.  

Each character was inspiring in their own way.  Eliza standing up to residents of her town, their aristocracy held above her.  She continued to fight and advocate for women and children who otherwise had no hope, even when doing so meant she was often shunned from her own friends.  Sofya had the determination to keep going, to survive in conditions I couldn't.  I cannot imagine experiencing the losses she did but to know she had such unconditional love for her son, Max, that she would do anything for him was inspiring.  I thought of Varinka as a villain in the book but maybe she was just so young that she didn't know any different. She didn't know she deserved the chance to love and be loved.  

I love the connection of the title to the book.  There were certainly many lost roses (and many other heirlooms) but even more so there were the losses of the beautiful women of Russia.  This is definitely a "would recommend" book!

Here's the links to buy both Lost Roses and Lilac Girls from Amazon:

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