Lost Roses: A Novel

Lost Roses is primarily an exploration of the class divides present in Russia during the time of the revolution and World War I, and the ways in which these class divides affected a wide range of people living different lives. By giving the novel three different perspectives, the author is able to explore these conflicts through numerous lenses, rather than just presenting one singular truth.

The novel follows an “old money” member of the extended royal family, a “new money” philanthropic American family, and a struggling member of the peasant class. The juxtaposition between these perspectives illustrates the immense inequality in the Russian world of the early 20th century and the social, political, and emotional consequences of that inequality. The first two chapters, told from Eliza and Sofya’s points of view, unfold in a world of quiet luxury, prestige, and comfort. Chapter 1 begins, “It was a spring party like any other held in Southampton, with the usual games. Croquet. Badminton. Mild social cruelty” (9).

In Chapter 2, Sofya narrates as she and her sister Luba show their American friend Eliza around St. Petersburg. The city as seen from Sofya’s