About the book:2 CHILDREN FOR SALE
The sign is a last resort. It sits on a farmhouse porch in 1931, but could be found anywhere in an era of breadlines, bank runs, and broken dreams. It could have been written by any mother facing impossible choices.
For struggling reporter Ellis Reed, the gut-wrenching scene evokes memories of his family’s dark past. He snaps a photograph of the children, not meant for publication. But when it leads to his big break, the consequences are more devastating than he ever imagined.
At the paper, Lillian Palmer is haunted by her role in all that happened. She is far too familiar with the heartbreak of children deemed unwanted. As the bonds of motherhood are tested, she and Ellis must decide how much they are willing to risk to mend a fractured family.
Inspired by an actual newspaper photograph that stunned the nation, Sold on a Monday is a powerful novel of love, redemption, and the unexpected paths that bring us home.
The Depression is a time in history that is as fascinating as it is appalling. It's hard for me to understand it and how people were forced to live. Mobsters and prohibition make it mysterious and beckon the reader forward. Yet for most who lived during the Depression, it was a time simply of surviving in any possible way. And too many mouths to feed sometimes meant that children were given away for adoption, or in the case of this story, sold.
I loved these characters. Ellis and Lily. Sylvia, Ruby and Calvin. The writing is detailed and vivid. The rush of the newsroom; Ellis' surprise and fear when he discovers his photo is going to be published; Lily's desperate need to keep her secrets; the house where the children are playing when Ellis arrives, and so much more.
Kristina McMorris has an innate ability to capture the intimacy of any given setting and situation and the story moves quickly, weaving your emotions in and out of the character's own.
I could not read this book fast enough. To call it compelling is a vast understatement. Compulsory or irresistible is a better description.
Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to review this book. You can learn more about Kristina McMorris on her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
Read 8/2018
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5/5 Stars
I keep reading good things about this book. My sister has a copy - I'll have to see if she'll lend it to me.
ReplyDeleteI have this book on hold at my library...and am just waiting (anxiously) for my copy to come in. :)
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