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    Songs of Willow Frost: A Novel
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    Songs of Willow Frost: A Novel
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    Songs of Willow Frost: A Novel
    Audiobook12 hours

    Songs of Willow Frost: A Novel

    Written by Jamie Ford

    Narrated by Ryan Gesell

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

    From Jamie Ford, author of the beloved Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, comes a much-anticipated second novel. Set against the backdrop of Depression-era Seattle, Songs of Willow Frost is a powerful tale of two souls-a boy with dreams for his future and a woman escaping her haunted past-both seeking love, hope, and forgiveness.
     
    Twelve-year-old William Eng, a Chinese American boy, has lived at Seattle's Sacred Heart Orphanage ever since his mother's listless body was carried away from their small apartment five years ago. On his birthday-or rather, the day the nuns designate as his birthday-William and the other orphans are taken to the historical Moore Theatre, where William glimpses an actress on the silver screen who goes by the name of Willow Frost. Struck by her features, William is convinced that the movie star is his mother, Liu Song.
     
    Determined to find Willow and prove that his mother is still alive, William escapes from Sacred Heart with his friend Charlotte. The pair navigate the streets of Seattle, where they must not only survive but confront the mysteries of William's past and his connection to the exotic film star. The story of Willow Frost, however, is far more complicated than the Hollywood fantasy William sees onscreen.
     
    Shifting between the Great Depression and the 1920s, Songs of Willow Frost takes readers on an emotional journey of discovery. Jamie Ford's sweeping novel will resonate with anyone who has ever longed for the comforts of family and a place to call home.

    Praise for Songs of Willow Frost
     
    "If you liked Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, you're going to love Songs of Willow Frost. . . . tender, powerful, and deeply satisfying."-Lisa Genova
     
    "[A] poignant tale of lost and found love."-Tampa Bay Times
     
    "Arresting . . . [with] the kind of ending readers always hope for, but seldom get."-The Dallas Morning News
     
    "[An] achingly tender story . . . a tale of nuance and emotion."-The Providence Journal
     
    "Ford crafts [a] beautiful, tender tale of love transcending the sins people perpetrate on one another and shows how the strength of our primal relationships is the best part of our human nature."-Great Falls Tribune
     
    "Remarkable . . . likely to appeal to readers who enjoy the multi-generational novels of Amy Tan."-Bookreporter
     
    "Jamie Ford is a first-rate novelist, and with Songs of Willow Frost he takes a great leap forward and demonstrates the uncanny ability to move me to tears."-Pat Conroy
     
    "With vivid detail, Jamie Ford brings to life Seattle's Chinatown during the Depression and chronicles the high price those desperate times exacted from an orphaned boy and the woman he believes is his mother. Songs of Willow Frost is about innocence and the loss of it, about longing, about the power of remembered love."-Nancy Horan, author of Loving Frank
     
    "Ford's boundless compassion for the human spirit, in all its strengths and weaknesses, makes him one of our most unique and compelling storytellers."-Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
     
    "A beautiful novel . . . William's journey is one you'll savor, and then think about long after the book is closed."-Susan Wiggs, author of The Apple Orchard

    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 10, 2013
    ISBN9780307876225
    Unavailable
    Songs of Willow Frost: A Novel
    Author

    Jamie Ford

    Jamie Ford is the great-grandson of Nevada mining pioneer Min Chung, who emigrated from Hoiping, China, to San Francisco in 1865, where he adopted the western name Ford, thus confusing countless generations. His debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, spent two years on the New York Times bestseller list and went on to win the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. His work has been translated into thirty-five languages. Having grown up in Seattle, he now lives in Montana with his wife and a one-eyed pug.

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    Reviews for Songs of Willow Frost

    3.5/5

    322 ratings84 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I won this book from LibraryThing in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was sooooo excited when I received the email confirming that I had won a copy of Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford from LibraryThing. One of my favorite books (in my top 5 for sure) was Ford’s Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, which if you have not picked up yet, you MUST!As a personal fan of Asian culture, authors like Ford and Lisa See, this book is one that captured my heart.William is a 12-year-old boy who lives in an orphanage in Seattle, the only Chinese child at Sacred Heart. He has no idea who his father is, but has brief memories of his mother who possibly abandoned him at age 7.For the full review, visit Love at First Book
    • 1/5
      Gave up on this a little over half way through, just too depressing and too much emphasis on sexual abuse.
    • 5/5
      I loved every moment that I spent in the pages of Songs of Willow Frost. Both William and Willow have deep contrasts to their story, the bittersweet and the tragic the reader experiences both the berry best of their lives and the worst. It is Willow's story that I relate to more as a mother. She is a true example of selfless love.The writing style is almost poetic at times, but never forced. I love beautiful writing, but it is a real pet peeve of mine that it not be a piece if literary work for just arts sake. The writing has to be entertaining and still simplistic enough to be enjoyed, and Jamie Ford struck a beautiful balance.I have seen some reviews that have mentioned that William's story doesn't seem authentic since the vocabulary is well above a twelve year old boys. I couldn't disagree more. This is not a first person narrative, it is a story being told about both Willow and William, alternating between the two. The narrative voice remains the same and is very well done. Bravo, Jamie Ford.
    • 4/5
      For me, there was a lot to like about this story. For starters, Ford has done an excellent job portraying Seattle of the 1920s and 1930s. The story is filled with descriptions of landmarks any visitor or resident of the city will easily recognize, so I found it easy to travel Seattle’s streets with William and Charlotte and take in the sights, sounds and smells. It was also fascinating to learn a bit about Seattle’s fledgling movie industry. Against this backdrop Ford slowly reveals the story of how William came to live at the orphanage, and a heart-wrenching story it is! Ford self describes his writing style as being “beautiful melancholy” – an apt description for the muted, simplified prose of this story. As much as I loved the historical setting and the writing style, the characters came across as rather two-dimensional. The characters – in particular, Liu Song – never developed into deeply complex characters. Overall, a good narrative story of the universal search for love and family that may appeal to readers interested in a Depression-era setting told from a Chinese-American point of view.
    • 4/5
      I really, really, really liked this book, but I'm not going to give it the 5th star. Not only because of the unmitigated sadness (Yeah, I know: "Boo, Hiss"), but because it is not a book that I would read again. It is prosaic, emotional, thought provoking, evocative, and possibly romantic. Still over all it was sad and the end (no matter how redeeming) was sad.

      I am not going to rewrite this review, but I will say this is as much Willow's (William's mother) story as it is William's. And we learn about what it was like for Chinese women in the 1920's-1930's, even in California.....

      William lives in an orphanage, he has memories of his mother.... On his 12th birthday (all the boys have the same birthday) the nuns take William & the other boys for an outing to a theater, where he sees his mother on a handbill for a performance in town. William's friend, Charlotte (who is blind) encourages William to run away in order to meet his mother.......

      From that meeting we learn of William's past, his mother's past, and of Charlotte's past..... The past catches up with them all with some dire consequences....... The nun was an unmitigated bitch, and through her arrogance she gets her comeuppance, yet I felt there was no remorse only sorrow for herself.

      I found William's side thoughts tedious...... Even when free, he never gave voice to his true feelings and I found that annoying..... The book was so compelling that I read it in one sitting....... I'm not sure I'll read another by this author, as I prefer happier stories.
    • 3/5
      I heard this as an audio tape. I think my enjoyment of audio books is greatly affected by the animation of the reader's voice. In this case, I just tolerated the story. Moving back and forth between chapters focused on William (primarily 1934) and those told by Liu Song (primarily 1924-1929) we see the same history thru different eyes. A lot of the nitty-gritty of poverty which only got worse during the Great Depression.
    • 5/5
      I loved the story how young William learned about his mother and the story she tells him of her life. William learn that while his life was not easy but to know what his mother went through just to protect her son.
      well you will cry. read it you will love it to.
    • 4/5
      This was a serious and sad story. It was not difficult to read. I enjoyed the characters in this story. The story caused my emotions to go on a roller coaster ride. I sometimes cheered for William and other times cried for William. William became a real person not just a character for me. I do think the author did an awesome job telling a small piece of history in fiction form. I will be watching for future works done by this author.
    • 5/5
      I did not read Mr. Ford's first book, On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, although I have seen all of the excellent reviews so when I was offered the opportunity to read this novel I was quite happy to do so. The buzz around his first book and the storyline of this one had me anticipating a good read and I was not disappointed. Songs of Willow Frost is not a happy book by any stretch of the imagination - the tale of a young Chinese American orphan in Seattle during the depression is not going to be a tale full of joy. It was though, a story that kept me glued to its pages through all of the sadness and horror of poor Willow's life even as she found some modicum of success as a movie star.Young William is an orphan at the Sacred Heart Orphanage and while out celebrating the collective birthday that all the boys have been assigned he sees a photo of a movie star - Willow Frost - and he knows, he just KNOWS that this is his mother. The mother he last saw being carried away looking quite dead. He was left alone and no one ever came back for him which is why he has been in the orphanage for almost 8 years now. He has to meet Willow Frost to confirm what he knows in his heart. He and his one friend at the orphanage, a blind girl named Charlotte escape and conspire to meet Willow.The book is really two stories; William's and Willows. They are told in alternating chapters and the reader learns how both came to be where they are. Neither story is really easy but consider the times - we are talking 1920 Seattle and a Chinese American woman on her own. Did she really have any kind of a chance? The book does have melodramatic overtones but I think they are necessary for the telling and for the time in which the tale is told. William's story takes place during the Depression - not much happy going on then.I found the characters to be very well developed and very unique and interesting. The writing was magical. I felt myself lost in the world Mr. Ford created and could feel the damp of the atmosphere and the squalor of the inner city. When he described the theater where Willow performed I experienced the wonder along with William and his friend Charlotte due to the way it was written to me. I'll keep this one for another read.
    • 4/5
      Sad? Happy? Difficult. Written so you could vividly "see" the story.
    • 4/5
      Songs of Willow Frost- a book I ordered before its release because of Jamie Ford's first book Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I waited to read Willow almost a year after receiving it because I didn't want to compare the two stories, of the way Mr. Ford used what seemed like real memories though out the first book, though in reality it was just great historical fiction.
      I was excited to find out 12 year old William's story, to find out who Willow Frost was, to drink in the foundation of a 1920's Seattle's China Town history. I long to find a life entrenched in the pages, some chapters I did just that, others I felt like I was just being told descriptions. When the book was in the present with William as its narrator it could be far-fetched, his years were lower than his wisdom, yes, had been though some pretty tough stuff, but was he really wise beyond his years? Maybe. Maybe I'm just basing his 12 years from observing my children's life at 12 and not being fair to the fact that the times were different, he lived in an orphanage, he had to pretty much do for himself something my children never had to, maybe that made him wise... It just didn't sit right, when the story of Willow was in focus: of her past then the story soared!! The details so deliciously written that I could smell Uncle Leo's sweat and the dirt surrounding Auntie Eng. I could feel the pain, the shame and the sane steps that Willow took to care for her so deeply loved child. This was the meat to the book, the part where Mr. Ford pulled me in. When the present day came, I had to be sucked back up to the surface kicking and screaming for more of the good stuff. I didn't want to be reading the more superficial writing, I wanted to drown in the memories.

      Over all this book is well written as most of the book is steeped in the memories, I just can't give it a 5 because it didn't give me a complete escape.
      This book is tragic in a totally different way than Hotel on the Corner. It is filled with the shame a girl receives when perceived as one who has done all the wrong things. Poor Liu Song's only wrong was being born into a loving family that was destroyed and stuck in the world of an "uncle" who was a sick, twisted individual. One who raped her, threatened her and gambled away her life for his own selfishness.
      The one true disappointment I felt for this books was the finality of Liu Song's relationship with Colin. I just didn't seem his as the type of person who he ended up being. Such a horribly wrong directed twist. It would have been better if he has just never returned as it destroyed all the love story aspect of the book. In hindsight I guess we shouldn't have been so invested in the love story between two adults but only focused on the Love Story of a mother's love and a son's longing for the love he remembered. That truly is what this book is about. One of Willow's acting peers Stepin sums it up best for me, "The things that we do, that makes is so black, and leave us feeling so blue."
    • 2/5
      [Songs of Willow Frost] by [[Jamie Ford]]I probably shouldn't review this one because I couldn't finish it; but it felt like I had read a 500-pager by the time I stopped. I'm sure a lot of readers will love it, but I found it melodramatic and unrealistic, full of annoyingly stereotypical characters (the mean, tippling nun; the bully; the sweet, beautiful blind girl; etc.). The setting--San Francisco in the 1930s--was intriguing, and the author clearly did a lot of research on the time period. The problem is that it stuck out like a sore thumb rather than being subtly integrated into the story. In addition, I found much of the dialogue to be stilted and unrealistic. Perhaps I would have been more kindly inclined towards the book had I not just read a string of superb novels . . . but I doubt it. I have the author's much-loved first novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, in my TBR stacks. I'll get around to it eventually, and hopefully will like it better than his second effort.
    • 5/5
      I received an advanced reader copy via BookBrowse from Random House Publishers.

      I thoroughly enjoyed reading Songs of Willow Frost, even though the story is mostly a sad one. The author did a wonderful job of capturing the spirit and language of 1920s and 1930s America. In my opinion, this far surpasses his earlier book, On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

      This would be a great book club book because it raises so many questions about race and the roles of women in that era, including the idea that mothers were not as important as fathers. Because of the big role of the early movie industry and its depiction of the limited rights of women, it reminds me a bit of The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty.
    • 2/5
      historical fiction (20s/30s Seattle); chinese runaway orphan, accompanied by another blind girl orphan, searches for his mother (once a 'lost' lady, now a famous actress/singer).
    • 4/5
      I like this as much as Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. And I enjoyed that, though it made me cry. Even though this story is tragic, it is full of a certain kind of hope that Ford has a way of imbuing in his stories. The tale of Willow Frost and her son William, is a tragic one of a single Chinese American mother struggling to make ends meet against the difficulties of the Depression, the limitations imposed by racism and sexism, and the impacts of conflicting cultural values. It will leave you pondering chance and circumstance as two things that ultimately influence decisions that we make and the consequences of those decisions. I read this with a continual sense of umbrage at the limitations imposed on women during the 20th century, both from traditional cultural values and from the wider American social norms. Ultimately though, the resilience of the human spirit shines through as William and his mother move on with their lives with an understanding of the reasons for the way things are between them.
    • 1/5
      Interesting subject and historical details (though often thrown in as an afterthought or forced intrusion). Characters were flat, plot was predictable. Did not love Hotel on Corner of Bitter and Sweet either -- need to pay more attention to author when picking my next book!
    • 5/5

      Songs of Willow Frost is a novel by Jamie Ford, of Seattle. It is a sensationally crafted novel that follows William's search for his carefully buried roots, driven by the kind of familial longing only known as a child's unconditional love, and the ghosts of his mother's past that he discovers along the way. The narrative shifts between the Great Depression and the technological revolution of the early 1920s, offering both William's real perspective of Chinese-American life, as well as Liu Song's shining voice, and her "song".

      There are just so many things I loved about this book! I can't list them all off without being a massive bore, but I'll begin with the characters. William's naïveté is tender, and will make your heart ache. At once hopeful and painfully mature, his narrative gives glimpses of what it must have been like to be an abandoned child during the Great Depression. These children, who were dubbed "orphans" like he was and were not at all uncommon during this time, are so emotionally well rendered. Liu Song is the character who has committed a mother's worst nightmare by abandoning her child, but once her side of the story is told—and with it, William's mysterious past unraveled—we see nothing but the compromised woman with a crushing sadness, who is also the brave, beautiful performer who sacrificed everything to save her son. While William's story is profound, Liu Song's is haunting. She is so real and so human; I related to her in so many ways, which is the magic of her complex characterization in that she is exonerated because we as readers want to forgive her, since we understand her plight.

      Ford effectively evokes the glamor of pre-Depression 1921, which reveals the magic of theatre and the rise of the radio star, and while transitioning to later years, it conveys the grayness of the Great Depression in tandem with the emergence of Hollywood's Golden Era. which is to say, film over theatre, or Willow Frost over Liu Song. I am amazed at how culturally rich and historically vibrant Ford's Seattle Chinatown is; I lived, breathed, and loved these characters and this setting.

      The story is also extremely stylistically impressive; Ford writes with great sensitivity and beauty in the tenderest way possible. In Willow's painful confession, and plea for forgiveness, (and imminent personal departure,) her past's troubles, her largest of sacrifices are agonizingly revealed... all in order to give everything to the one person she will never cease to love: her son.

      His is my first Jamie Ford novel. And it will not be my last. Ford's lyrical prose and vivid characterization so were enough to rope me into the story, and keep me coming back for more. But the heart-breaking journey William and Willow have to go through, to become a family again, was what made this novel one of my favorites of this year. I did not find this novel depressing, dark, or sad; in fact, it reminded me of my struggles as a single mother of a tow-headed boy named Shawn, way too much.... And in all the best ways possible. I highly recommend this book. Five stars.
    • 1/5
      I couldn't get through this. I don't usually mind depressing novels but about 200 pages in (large print edition), there hadn't been a happy, uplifting moment or thought yet. It was also obvious it was only going to get worse. The moment Liu Song's stepfather slipped into bed with her (which was predictably going to happen), I was done.
    • 4/5
      ????

      It is 1934, and William Eng has lived in an orphanage for the past five years, the only Chinese child left who has two friends, Sunny, who is Indian, and Charlotte, who is blind. On the day when all the boys celebrate their birthday, he goes to the movies where he sees Willow Frost, who looks and sounds just like his long, lost mother, Liu Song Eng. Liu means Willow, and thus William begins his quest to reunite with her. Charlotte convinces him that they must run away to find her, because there is nothing good ahead for either of them if they stay in the orphanage. The Depression is raging, overt racism very much in existence, and they are scarcely noticed as they make their way through the city to the theatre where Willow will be appearing the next day. They find Willow, and it doesn’t take long for William to learn that their past is very complicated and not what he’d thought.

      This is a well written novel told in two points of view that are very well done. It starts with William, and we only see Willow’s when it is time to learn of their tangled past. It is poignant, haunting and a book that will stay with you after you read it. I didn’t love it enough to give it five stars, but it is definitely better than many of the books I’ve read so far this year and well worth a read. This is one book I’m very happy fit into so many of my challenges, because I might never have read it otherwise.
    • 4/5
      It is 1934 and the people of Seattle are suffering through the Great Depression. Twelve year old William lives in the Sacred Heart Orphanage with an assortment of other children who have been placed there for a variety of reasons. William has lost his mother, but not to death. He knows she is still alive and he will find her some day because she wouldn't have left him without a good reason. After seeing a movie featuring an actress named Willow Frost, he recognizes her as his mother. Setting out with his best friend, a blind girl named Charlotte, he searches to find her and why she abandoned him.

      The story takes us back and forth from the perspective of William (1934) and Lin Song (1921). It is a touching story about family love and loyalty and the pursuit of one's dreams. It also had an authentic feel to both the time period and the struggle of Chinese Americans. It also showed us how difficult it was for a single woman with a child. I think this book will appeal to a lot of readers for its mix of history and fiction.

      My only criticism was that, at times, the plot was fairly predictable and that it tended to slow down in spots. The story gains momentum as it narrates the heart-breaking decisions we sometimes are forced to make. I didn't feel drawn into the world of Liu Song but I did feel for her and the mistakes she made along the way to becoming the movie star, Willow Frost. Most of the characters were sad and unhappy, and even though the story was very enlightening I didn’t feel as engaged as I would have liked. I think the characters could have been more fully developed. I do believe, though, that the author exposed the atmosphere that existed in this country during the time period and also emphasized both Willow and William's refusal to give up the hope of having their dream come true. I didn't like it as well as Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet but it was still a worthwhile read.
    • 5/5
      A heart wrenching book, beautifully written. The audio was wonderful.
    • 5/5
      The author of [On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet] takes us back to the Asian community in early 20th century Seattle where we meet William Eng, a 12-year old resident of a Catholic orphanage. William has been there for 5 years and has memories of his mother and things that happened which caused him to be in the orphanage but the memories are fuzzy and incomplete. As the book progresses we learn the mother's story. Both William and his mother, Willow, are sympathetic characters facing prejudice (both race and gender based) and hard times. It's an engaging story.
    • 3/5
      I absolutely loved The Corner of Bitter and Sweet so I was highly anticipating his second novel. It did not disappoint but I missed the type of characters that were in the first novel. Secondly, it was so sad. How come Nuns are so mean? Oh, I get it now - lol.
    • 5/5
      William Eng is a twelve-year-old orphan at Seattle's Sacred Heart Orphanage during the Great Depression. Life is hard for the orphans, who have little to eat and who receive little love, but things are even harder for William, the only Chinese-American boy at the orphanage. But when the orphans are taken to the movies to celebrate their birthdays (which they all celebrate on the same day), we get a glimpse of the world outside the orphanage and realize that the orphans are better off than many of the people who are starving in the streets of Seattle. Still, William dreams of his mother, who he believes dead. Because of this, he can hardly believe his eyes when he sees her on the movie screen. The remainder of the book involves William's search for his mother and flashbacks to his mother's life before William was brought to the orphanage. I enjoyed this book for several reasons. William is a charming boy. He won my heart from the very beginning, and I rooted for him against all odds. I was willing to overlook some major coincidences in the plot because I was so enthralled by William's story. William's relationship with his best friend at the orphanage, a blind girl named Charlotte, made me like William even more, and I loved how their relationship grew as they searched for William's mother. Ford also does an excellent job weaving in the historical context, providing details that bring the story to life without overusing the research. There is a note at the end of the book about how Ford came to write this book, and I wished I had read it first. The book is not autobiographical, but it pulls in threads from his own family in a way that brings another dimension to the book. Ford also clearly knows Seattle. (His first book, [Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet], was also set there.) Some of his best writing are descriptions of the city. For example:"William woke to another gloomy, drizzly morning, the sun hidden beyond an overcast sky, pale and cadaverous. He shivered as he peered through the October mists of Puget Sound. The horizon was a wet blanket of gray, without any real definition. Just fog and haze. The inverted weather system was perpetually coiled up, ready to sneeze." In all, I recommend this book, especially for fans of well-written historical fiction.
    • 3/5
      Similar to the works of Amy Tan, without the mystical elements. It's also reminiscent of some John Irvings. An investigation of mother- child relationships. Issues of parental surrender, sacrifice, abuse and rejection told in a very nonjudgemental voice.
    • 4/5
      The story of a Chinese American orphan and his quest to re-unite with his mother, who has become a movie actress and singer by the name of Willow Frost. A blind caucasian orphan girl named Charlotte is William Eng's best friend, and they run away from the orphanage together to search for William's mother after he glimpsed her on the silver screen at the annual birthay celebration for the orphan boys. Set during the depression in 1930's Seattle the book gives a good look at the lives of Chinese Americans.
    • 4/5
      This is a wonderful story about an orphan's quest to find his mother set against the great depression in Seattle. It is also about a mother's sacrifices for her child I would highly recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      Songs of Willow Frost is a riveting story of an orphan's quest to find his mother set against the Great Depression in Seattle. At times heart breaking, and others nerve wracking, the story is beautifully written with unforgettable characters and unimaginable choices. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      A delight follow-up to Ford's wonderful debut novel, this story continues some of the same themes. I loved the insights into life in the Pacific Northwest in the early part of the century. The characters are well-drawn and the writing lyrical. A great read!
    • 3/5
      In Songs of Willow Frost, we follow William, a young orphaned boy in the 30s who knows full well that he's unadoptable because he's Asian. His life at the orphanage is lonely, and his only two friends are Charlotte, a blind girl with a dark family history, and a Native American boy. William and Charlotte embark on a quest to escape the orphanage so that William can find Willow Frost, a new star who William swears is his mother.

      In between following William on his quest, we have chapters telling of Willow's background, and how she moved up from being a poor girl singing for tourists at a sheet music shop to being a sought after actress and singer. William's story is sad, seeing the discrimination he faces and the harsh treatment he endures at the orphanage, but Willow's is downright tragic. I don't want to spoil the story with details, but let's just say that I felt so sad for her when I was reading her story, as she really did have everything going against her.

      One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was that it was about a period of time (the '20s and '30s) and a group of people (Chinese-American immigrants) that I don't frequently find myself reading about. I felt like I got a lot of insight into how tough their lives were, and how some people still managed to find the good in terrible situations. It's a glimpse into a very ugly part of American history, and it was interesting to see much of it through the eyes of a child who doesn't always understand why things happen the way they do.

      I do feel like this could have been a little more tightly edited in some place. Much of the writing was beautiful while being very sparse, but there were some times where the dialogue seemed more stilted than others, which was somewhat jarring. Overall, though, it is a sad story but not without its silver lining by the end -- you just have to endure a lot of heartbreak for William, Willow, and everyone else before you get there..

      While there's nothing too graphic in the book, themes do include racism, ableism, sexual assault, physical abuse/punishment, and suicide, so it may be better for more mature readers.