An achingly sad read based on a true story. Ernest Young, now in his his 60's recounts to his daughter Juju his tragic, poverty filled young life as a half Chinese orphan who was sold to the highest bidder at The World's Fair in Seattle 1909. His mother dying of starvation one day gives Ernest away to a man who bounds him on a ship to America where one day he finds himself being auctioned off to Madame Flora. Once settled in the Madame's house of ill repute Ernest begins to finally experience the safety that a family can bring and the first stirrings of love as he falls for Fahn and Maisie, the Madame's daughter. While he recounts his life he has also copes with the loss of his wife Gracie, though still alive she suffers the cruelty of dementia and harbors secrets of her own that have been kept from their children. A touching read, recommended.

Similar in many ways to The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, this is another excellent story of love, lost and found, in difficult times.

Finding out the truth is hardly ever easy, This statement is illustrated more than once in Jamie Fords novel Love and Other Consolation Prizes. I think this book is extraordinarily well written and you really get involved in the lives of Ernest, Maisie and Fahn. It is disturbing to think of a child being raffled off, that slavery practices hadn't quite escaped from the collective social consciousness. The idea that prevails though is how strong Ernest is and the fact that he makes the best out of the family and home he is given. There isn't a legitimate definition anywhere of what a family HAS to be. In Love and Other Consolation Prizes we are lucky to witness another definition of family, strength of character and a book that will stay with the reader long after you read the last page.

Another good book by Jamie Ford. Really enjoyed this one!

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is one of my favorite books so when I saw that Jamie Ford had another book coming out, I had to get it! Love and Other Consolation Prizes did not disappoint. Jamie Ford's ability to transport a reader to another place is magical. The background of the characters and the details of where the story is set always makes me feel like I know them and this book, of course, was no exception. I couldn't wait to see what happened to Ernest (I felt so bad for young Ernest that I wanted to adopt him!), Fahn, and Maisie. Such a good read!

I was very excited to have the opportunity to read Jamie Ford's newest book as I loved his first book, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. And this book didn't disappoint! This is going to be a book everyone reads and I am already looking forward to his next book - I hope he is working on one!

From the very beginning it was an intense and engaging tale. I learned history and culture from the early 20th century that I had never heard before about Seattle and early Chinese immigrants. It created a colorful depiction of the early 1900s while telling a fascinating story. It is a fast read, entertaining and even contains some intrigue. I highly recommend this book and I thank NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of this book.

I love this book. It had me doing a ton of soul searching and trying to find out the capacity of human greed. Earnest was a kid and he started out rough but he made a way even though people counted him out he didn't count himself out. He was a great friend and I was glad he finally found his place In this Big wide world. He lost, then found, then lost, and found again. He never gave up and fought for what he knew to be right even in the circumstances he was given. He learned real quick that life comes at you fast and you had to prepared for it. He also learned how cold and heartless some people could be. This book really touched my heart. It helped me to see that no matter how dark it gets there is always a brighter day ahead. And the old saying is true. If you love something let it go, if it comes back to you it was meant to be.

I just had to read this as soon as I was approved for the ARC. I read “Songs of Willow Frost” and “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” and really enjoyed both of them, I was hoping this book was another winner. It is!!

One of the first really good historical fiction reads of 2017, the characters that Mr. Ford creates are so well developed, they are unique and yet relatable and believable. The novel is written between dual timelines.

The first introduction into the book starts with Ernest’s life and how his mother sold him because she couldn’t take care of him. He is boarded on a large ship destined for Seattle with many other boys and girls. Many of them ended up as servants or other unpaid help. The time is 1909 and Ernest ends up being raffled off at the Seattle World’s Fair, hard to believe but the author states this is true. The winning ticket holder is a Madame from the most well known house of ill repute and Ernest is treated very well. He gets to know the downstairs women, those that do the cleaning, cooking, etc. as well as the upstairs girls, those who are selling their sexual favors. He is very young and is very much influenced by this early life. Without giving away the plot I’ll just say that you should pay close attention to all of the characters because they may appear much later in the book.

The other viewpoint is once again in Seattle during the 1962 World’s Fair. Ernest is with “Gracie” and they have two daughters. Lately Gracie has been forgetful and somewhat remorseful and suffering bouts of melancholy. Ernest and the girls are trying to find out what they can do to help her through this. Again there is a lot going on here, one of their daughters is writing an article for a paper comparing the two World Fairs and she knows her parents met around that time. What she discovers as she researches and talks with her father is a revelation that neither of the girls saw coming.

The story unfolds at a steady pace and I enjoyed all of the details that were included about the World’s Fair which at that time was actually called “The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909”. There was so much new at the fair, incubators for premature babies, wireless phones and electricity used for so many new devices and an entire village with people from the Philippines.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys well written historical fiction with some wonderful romance woven into it. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and NetGalley

Will post to Amazon etc upon publication.

Although this book is a work of fiction, the settings are two historical periods bridged by the main characters: the 1909 World's Fair in Seattle, Washington and the 1962 World's Fair, also in Seattle. What happens to the main characters in between those two events is a history of the Pacific Northwest that may surprise some. Human trafficking and indentured servitude was alive and well the northern United States of America nearly 40 years after slavery was officially abolished. Dealing with this subject could have made this a grim read through and through, but it was actually uplifting in many ways. The author portrays the characters as real people with real emotions including happiness, "love, and other consolation prizes," which includes a prosperous lifestyle in spite of the unsavory source of that wealth. Although it's a bit heavy handed with the historical references and Seattle landmark name-dropping (something I personally don't care for, but other locals may get a kick out of) I would recommend it as an enjoyable way to get an education about this murky part of our history.

Love and Other Consolation Prizes (great title) takes place in Seattle at two World's Fairs, one in 1909 and one in 1962. The story follows Ernest, first as an orphan from China who is raffled off to a brothel at the World's Fair in 1909 and later as an adult with two daughters and an aging wife.

Through most of the book, we know that the wife is someone Ernest knew from his childhood, but not who she is, since her name changed at some point (which, if this was explained somewhere, I missed). I enjoyed this aspect, since sometimes knowing too much of what happens in the future can make the getting there not quite as fun. I loved the atmosphere in Seattle painted in the book, from the boat across the Pacific to the crowds of the World's Fair. I didn't know much about this time period, and I love when historical fiction opens up a new window for me.

Ford does a fantastic job of drawing you into the book and making you sympathize with the characters. I found Ernest, Fahn, and Maisie to be relatable characters whom I liked and rooted for. I also liked Ernest's daughters and the note of hope the book ended in, especially after all the difficulties Ernest faced. My only hesitation with this book- I wonder if it glamorized life in a brothel too much?

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

Ernest Young has had many hardships in his young life. He and his mother lived in dire poverty. He saw his infant sister die and his mother starving. When his mother, having no other choice, finally sent him away on a ship, he wondered what his future held.

For a time, he was the ward of a wealthy woman, until she took him to the world’s fair one day. What a surprise it was to learn that he was being raffled off as a prize! Who held the winning ticket? He discovered that the madam of a thriving brothel won him. His life was about to change.

This wonderful story of Ernest takes place in the 1960’s. Little-by-little, Ernest flashes back to his childhood, sharing his story with the reader. Tender and authentic, this is a beautiful story about life and its often very unexpected twists and turns. It is about survival, love and life and the surprising way that things often turn out.

I received this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I was quite enchanted by the setting of this book and the amount of historical knowledge I gained reading about the World's Fair.

Especially as Ernest is an immigrant coming from nothing, Seattle is mystical to read about and I very much enjoyed all of the details of the politics of the time and the influence that various people from different backgrounds had, especially when hypocrisies were exposed and future implications highlighted.

The timeline worked quite well. The book is in a manner a mystery, as our view of Ernest's wife flipflops and evolves. One of Ernest's daughters is a journalist which adds a fascinating aspect also. While the meat of the story is in the 1910s, the elements from the present day that are included serve to give the book a little more momentum.

I felt like most of the characters had their own motives and desires which made the story all the more intriguing to read. I loved how characters that I thought I would never read about popped up again and grew up in their own manners.

At points this was a slow read, but it was solid nonetheless. This book was worth reading simply for the historical aspects and for the way that the World's Fairs were brought to life, and that an intriguing exploration of characters and growing up was included made it even better.

To know this was based on a true story makes it all the more charming and romantic.

4.5 stars

Inspired by a true story, Jamie Ford has written a wonderfully moving historical novel about a boy who is auctioned off during Seattle's 1909 World Fair. Ernest was born in China to a Chinese Mother and Western Missionary Father. His Mother, unable to care for him, sells him to a man who places him on a ship with other sold or unwanted children. Eventually he reaches American and is extremely lucky to be alive - not all children survived the trip. Through a course of events, Ernest is enrolled at a charity school and is very excited at the opportunity to attend the World Fair where he will get to see and experience many new and exciting things. Imagine his surprise when he learns that he is to be auctioned off as the main prize. The winning ticket goes to a madam of a high class brothel. He is to be the house boy at the brothel- running errands and basically doing any chores that are needed. In the brothel, he eventually makes friend's with the Madam's daughter Masie and is re-connected with Fahn - a Japanese girl he met on the boat to America. Life in the brothel is not bad for Ernest; in face he is treated quite well. Ernest gets a sense of family for the first time in his life. He is eating real meals, has a purpose and has made friends.

This book goes back in forth in time. We see Ernest as a young boy but we also see Ernest 50 years later as an older man with grown daughters and a wife who needs special care. Ernest is content with his life until one day, his daughter who is an investigative reporter begins asking him questions about a boy who was auctioned off at the World Fair so long ago. That her Mother, who is not always coherent, told her about the boy. Ernest's daughter puts two and two together and asks Ernest if he is the boy in question. Ernest then looks back on his life and realizes that he can't keep the family's secrets a secret any longer. But his secrets are not his own. There are also things about his wife that their daughters do not know about.

Jamie Ford has written a beautiful historical novel touching on so many subjects: poverty, first love, human trafficking, prostitution, culture, belonging, family, family secrets, loyalty and devotion. I could gush for a long time about this book. Jamie Ford has painted a very vivid (and sometimes heartbreaking) picture of one boy's/man's life. This book oozes with history and atmosphere. There are certain things a reader can depend upon, one of them is that Jamie Ford will write books that cause one to think, feel, and learn. He has a gift for writing characters that readers care about. He transports us to another time and other cultures. Not only does he dazzles us with his writing skills, he educates us on culture and history. Ernest goes on a journey in this book and I felt like I went on that journey with him.

I highly recommend this book!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In LOVE AND OTHER CONSOLATION PRIZES Jamie Ford gives us what he does best: human, relatable characters with interesting stories against the backdrop of Seattle’s Word Fair in 1909. And Ernest’s story was even loosely inspired by an actual event! All in all, it was quite an engaging read. My thanks to NetGalley for the advance reader copy…

Thanks to NetGallery and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy of this book for an unbiased review.

Life takes you in many different directions and it is often how you take to its direction that determines the path you will follow. In Jamie Ford's new novel Love and Other Consolation Prizes, this is so evident. In it we follow the life of a young Chinese boy Ernest Young, who is transported to America, on board a ship destined to land in Seattle. Aboard the ship are other children being brought here to work as indentured servants or for other various occupations many of which are nefarious. There Ernest meets Fahn, the lovely Japanese girl who eventually becomes a major part of his life.

Life takes a definite turn when Earnest is raffled off at the Seattle's World's Fair and the winning ticket is held by a madam. Earnest winds up in a house of ill repute where he meets Maisie, the lovely young daughter of the madam. Ironically Fahn winds up there as well and the three young people embark on a journey of learning, loving, and binding themselves together. Ernest falls in love with both of the girls as he finds within that brothel the family he never had.

Fifty years later, there is a new World's Fair and we find Ernest grappling with his life experiences and a wife who is ill and losing her mind. He endeavors to keep secrets from his grown daughters but as is often the case the truth wells out.

This was a wonderful story told through the backdrop of two World's Fairs during the time of the post Victorian era, a time of budding sexuality and suffrage. This was definitely a story of love and compassion, one that showed that life in the many avenues it often travels gives us all that opportunity to find goodness and devotion and most importantly love. Living in a world where everything was for sale, Ernest was able to find that his value was the one thing that wasn't.

Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford has a lot going on in its story. It's a love story, a look at Seattle and the World's Fair during the 1910s and 1960s, and a look at the world of human trafficking. The story is interesting but not gripping. The characters particularly the secondary ones (the upstairs girls and downstairs girls) are not really well developed and in a book with so much going on, that only adds to the blur of it. Some of the plot points are not really well explained or seem to defy the logic of the situation (ex: Fahn's story line).

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review. The story of Ernest Young was incredible. I'd read and loved "On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet", so I should have been prepared, but wasn't. This story takes you back and forth between Ernest's childhood in 1902 China, crossing to America, being won (yes as a prize) at the World Fair, working in a brothel as a sort of jack of all trades, and falling in love with two very different women. As we learn of his youth we are also in his current 1962 time as the World Fair is once again back in Seattle, and his oldest daughter has found out he was a prize. The story is not a sappy love story, but takes you through time and shows you times and events one doesn't necessarily think of as occurring in 20th Century America. (less)

My Thoughts:

I love Ford's books. Seeing that he has this coming out soon just makes my heart happy and makes me want to go back and read his others again (See my review for Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet). I think he is the perfect writer for book clubs because his writing is well thought out, engaging and definitely prompts discussion.

Ford is able to weave in between times perfectly. I can have difficulty with authors trying to go back and forth in time - it can seem disjointed, or the future thinking colors the past and it's just not great - also it is difficult to avoid plot twists because you think you have it figured out but Ford does it masterfully in this novel. Going back and exploring the lives of these poor children who are given up because they are either unwanted, or the parents can't take care of them any longer just breaks my heart. But seeing their resilience was beautiful.

A big point to touch on was the suffragettes and their insistance on the morality of Seattle. I am not in any way shape or form an advocate for prostitution, but I am not in favor of marching around telling anyone forced into that kind of life that they are all going straight to hell. I think Ford did a good job of making me pause and think of how there is a need to see the people behind the actions that offend us and that we need to see how we can help others rise rather than look at their failures with the mindset of "I told you this would happen."

Really there is too much going on in this story for me to discuss it all here. Go and get it for book club, your group will not be disappointed.

**Copy given to me in exchange for an honest review**

I adored this book. Very well written and it covers some interesting and often ignored parts of our American history. A fantastic read!

A poignant story of a young boy in china given away for money and taken to Seattle Washington. He was raffled off to a madame in the tenderloin and there continues the story. Falling in love with two young girls and trying to be a good person he struggled through life. Believable characters and life situations keeps you turning the pages.