Lost Roses: A Novel

It is 1914, and the world has been on the brink of war so many times. Eliza Ferriday is thrilled to be travelling to St. Petersburg with Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Romanov’s; they met each other two years ago during a summer in Paris. But when Austria declares war on Serbia, Eliza escapes to America, while Sofya and her family flee to their country home, and Varinka unknowingly brings intense danger to their household. From the turbulent streets of St. Petersburg to the avenues of Paris and the society of fallen Russians that lives there, the lives of Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka will intersect in profound ways.

It is clear from the start of Lost Roses that the story is one well-researched piece of historical fiction, and the author does such a wonderful job of molding characters who could have actually existed during that time period. The writing was absolutely wonderful, and I could not help but get sucked into the time period and all that happened within these ladies’ lives. I found it hard to keep track of what exactly was happening to who, especially toward the beginning, but as Lost Roses continued on, I seemed to get the hang of knowing what everyone was up to.