This is a heartbreaking and poignant story, especially because it is based on an actual photograph taken during the great Depression. The author did a great job of melding this tragedy with the lives of the fictitious photographer and budding journalist. The plot was well paced with outstanding descriptions of desperation and hopelessness. .

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this book to me for review.

Set during the Great Depression, a young reporter for a newspaper, Ellis Reed, captures a picture of two children for sale that captures the hearts of readers. Through a lapse in judgement and a series of unexpected events, this results in unexpectedly consequences.. Ellis befriends secretary Lillian Palmer, who feels some responsibility for Ellis' plight having recommended his picture to the chief. Together the two try to undo the damage caused by the photo and along the way better understand themselves.. This story captured my interest and transported me to an interesting historical time period. It felt like watching an old black and white movie as the story, setting, characters, and the language all fit together.

Sold on a Monday is one of my favorite types of books; it both entertained me and taught me something new. The book takes place during the Great Depression. I’ve read other books with this era as a setting, but not one that so clearly showed me what lengths people may have to go to in order to survive. Can you imagine what it would be like to feel that your only option would be to sell your children?
Alongside this historical setting was a great story that included suspense, action, and a bit of romance. What a joy to be along for the ride as Ellis and Lillian try to right a wrong that was done to a mother and her two vulnerable children. Just when you thought it couldn’t get anymore exciting, it did! I highly recommend this book.

Historical fiction inspired by a true story of hard times and children sold for money. Sold on a Monday seemed a little slow in the beginning but quickly turned into a fast very paced story with exciting twists and turns. Set in 1931 in Philadelphia and New York area this story is full of crime, poverty, evil, life during the depression, gangsters, and a few decent people. Well worth the read for the historical perspectives but the thrills and suspense just make this book a very good read. My thanks to the author, the publisher and netgalley for making this book available for me to read and review.

I was very much looking forward to reading this and it did not disappoint!
The past was filled with incredible true stories that are sometimes far more incredible than fiction ever could be, Kristina McMorris did such a beautiful job of turning this true story into an inspiring novel that taught many about the tragedies of the past during The Great Depression, a time where we, as a country were at our lowest and so many parents, chose to do the unthinkable and 'sell' their children. I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Kristina McMorris has written an engaging story about what happens when a well-meaning reporter resorts to staging a photograph to save his job. The story perfectly captured the desperation of many families in the 1930’s as they struggled to earn a living and raise a family.

Reporter Ellis Reed took a photograph of two boys for sale, which illustrated the drastic measures some families had to resort to during the depression. As luck would have it, the photograph was damaged before going to press and Ellis was sent out to take another one. But when Ellis returns to the home, the family is nowhere to be found. What Ellis decides to do next will have devastating consequences.

Ellis joins forces with his friend and co-worker, Lily, and together they set out to right the situation at great expense to their own jobs and personal safety. With mob connections, a deranged farmer and a mentally unstable woman, Ellis and Lily prepare for possible disaster.

A very enjoyable read and one that I highly recommend to historical fiction lovers.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

Apparently this story was inspired by a newspaper photograph in the Great Depression of 1931 featuring two children on a porch with a sign ‘Children for sale’.

The plot centres on Ellis Reed who is a journalist and Lily Palmer who aspires to be a journalist but is employed as a PA for the ‘Chief’. Times are really hard; wages low; jobs scarce and for many life is a struggle to survive – particularly those with children and no job. Ellis’ relationship with his father is difficult and he struggles to make his father proud of him. For Lily, a single mother, there are many difficulties. Her son lives with her parents and she hides the fact that she is a mother from her work colleagues and only sees him on weekends.

One day whilst looking for a ‘news item’ Ellis discovers the children for sale and takes a photograph for his own collection. Lily discovers this when it is being developed and shows it to the Chief who recognises the quality of the image and the possibilities it offers. From here the plot develops and we are introduced to the reality of poverty and desperation of the poor, and the power and corruption pervading those who have influence, and money, and the ‘mob’.

Well written and evocative this is quietly powerful prose which illustrates the dilemmas of those whose ethics are challenged due to the conflict between what they know to be correct and how circumstances dictate their actions.

I was somewhat surprised (pleasantly) as to how the plot developed in places because at times I thought it would all be so predictable.

Despite the pathos, a thoroughly good read.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book (from NetGalley). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a very good book! A roller coaster of emotions covered the whole spectrum a few times over. I cried on several occasions from the possible devastating realities unfolding in Sold on a Monday. I definitely enjoyed the telling of this historical fiction, but I think I was maybe expecting the story would be told in a way that integrated the children's paths more right from the start or even from the perspective of the children themselves--rather than the reporters/newspaper employees. (I think because I was expecting that, I didn't really become invested until after the first third of the book--around chapter 15 or 16--when the children became the focal point of the novel. My recommendation is to hang in there, though because the novel in its entirety is well worth the acquiring the background information in Part 1.). Part two and three were certainly attention grabbing, suspense filled and action-packed enough to satisfy!!! For the sake of everyone involved, I am glad this one was not a true story!

A picture is worth a thousand words. The truth of this saying is depicted in Sold on a Monday. Years before the Internet, a heart-wrenching photo of a poor family in post-Depression America goes viral in newspapers across America and brings with it unexpected consequences.

Photographer/aspiring-reporter Ellis Reed experiences his big break as a reporter because of a photograph he took. Unfortunately, when the story runs, it is not with the photograph he originally took but with a staged version thereof taken by him in an effort to recreate the pathos of the original one. Subsequently, when asked by his boss to do a follow-up story on that family, Ellis learns the devastating repercussions of his deception. Together with a former co-worker, Lily Palmer, Ellis is determined to reunite the family torn asunder as a result of his actions.

For the most part, Sold on a Monday presents characters who are believable and true to their natures while depicting the difficulties of life for the many people left jobless as a result of the Depression. It appears to be historically accurate, presenting an authentic portrayal of life in America in the early 1930s.

My main complaints: I found the parts about Ellis’s interactions with the mob to be somewhat unrealistic. Additionally, I felt that the ending was a bit too pat, too predictable, and too sudden, leaving several story lines unresolved. I would have liked to have learned more about what ultimately happened to some of characters involved in the plot.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ellis Reed is a struggling reporter trying to break the story of his career takes a seemingly harmless picture that leads to unintended consequences. Lilly Palmer is working hard to make her dream of becoming a columnist despite her own personal challenges as well as the challenges that society presents. They both learn a lot about choices and what’s important over the course of the story as they help the Dillard family.

I had high hopes for this one but it was just okay for me. Sold on a Monday takes place in 1931 amidst the Great Depression and Prohibition, the author does a nice job of touching on the important issues during this time in history, such as the proliferation of organized crime, unemployment and underground speakeasies, to name a few. The basis of the story and what happens to the children is tragic and it’s crazy to think that this story came about as a result of an actual photograph that the author had tripped over. Unfortunately, I never really felt engaged with the appalling situation the children were in throughout this novel. I think maybe the story was too focused on Ellis and Lilly and not enough on the children who were the center of these heartbreaking circumstances. The whole novel was quite slow paced with very little action and it seemed like all the troublesome situations that Ellis and Lilly got caught up in were straightened out quickly, conveniently and all too smoothly. It didn’t make for a very interesting story overall.

I want to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Good and bad things seemed to happen on Mondays for Ellis Reed, but more bad.

The day Ellis was biding time until a scheduled meeting, happened to be the day his career changed, but it also was the day that would change his life and the life of the Dillard family.

Ellis’s story about a family who had their children for sale turned out to be something more than a story. It really happened, and when Ellis found out, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Meanwhile Lily worked at the paper as a secretary and had a part in this story even though she didn’t write the story. Lily had a secret about the story and her personal life that she hoped would never be revealed, but you know how things work with secrets.

Ellis wanted to be successful, but once he was, he still held back because he felt his success was based on the misfortunes of the family he had taken a photo of and had written a story about.

Ellis and Lily worked together once they found out what happened to the Dillard’s after the publication of the story and the sign that said: 2 Children for Sale.

They both felt responsible for the outcome, and it haunted both of them. Neither Lily or Ellis wanted to rest until they found out where the children were and what happened to their mother.

Set during the depression, you can feel the troubles and worries families had and the desperate measures some of them took.

SOLD ON A MONDAY has wonderful, lovable characters. Ms. McMorris marvelously portrayed characters you would want to know. You will be with them in their pain, their indecisions, their decisions, their love for each other, and their feelings.

Ms. McMorris knows how to tell a story and keep you interested. SOLD ON A MONDAY is a beautiful story about caring and compassion.

SOLD ON A MONDAY was absolutely wonderful and heartwarming as well as heartbreaking.

It is a book women’s fiction fans won’t want to miss. 5/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher and NETGALLEY. All opinions are my own.

I received this book "Sold on a Monday" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own.
As they say one decision can change your life and the lives of those around you. I thought this was a great book. I liked the characters and the setting. This book was a page turner for me and I couldn't wait to read each day. I haven't read much historical fiction but I will from now on. Heartbreaking story and you really feel the pain the characters are going through.

I received a free e-copy of Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris from NetGalley for my honest review.

I don't normally read Historical Fiction books, but this one caught my eye. I am so glad it did. What an exceptional read.

Sold on a Monday takes place during the depression in 1931. Ellis, a newspaper reporter for a Philadelphia newspaper, is out taking pictures of the countryside. She stumbles across a heartbreaking scene. Two boys that are being sold by their mother. Lillian, a secretary at the paper turns it into the editor who publishes it. Then things go terribly wrong.

I love how the story is told in third person with the points of view being told by Ellis’s and Lilly’s points of view. This book portrays a realistic view of the depression when people did whatever they had to to survive. This included selling their own children. Children were often sold by their parents in hopes that they could have a better life. A very vivid and heartbreaking read. I highly recommend this book.

Kirstina McMorris, in “Sold on a Monday,” has written a heart tugging historical fiction novel. During the Great Depression, a wooden board with “2 children for sale” scrawled across it sits on a dilapidated farmhouse porch beside two forlorn children. A struggling reporter spots and photographs it, starting an amazing adventure.

Starting with an early fascination for photography, author McMorris transitioned to a writer in 2011 with a WWII love story and has since has penned a couple of highly acclaimed novels and anthologies. In Sold, she has written a novel that explores the depths of despair that leads people to drastic measures for survival, and then the equally anguished attempts at rectifying a horrible decision.

Any further descriptions of the book would not be proper because they would expose the author’s imaginative plot. But it is important to describe the writing as intricate with a clarity that keeps the reader entranced. The characters are widely diverse; with descriptive details that envelope the reader into an anxious search for answers that will both dismay and soothe. The author has the remarkable ability to weave her words into a narrative that never ceases to magnetize a reader’s attention.

I am both enthusiastic and somewhat reserved in my praise for this book. The words and writing skills used by McMorris are stirring. The story, based on a true event, is riveting. But the premise is hard to accept in that it involves the emotions of tender children torn from their mother. That makes it tough for me to read. My opinion: You must think about it and read this book.

An interesting read based off a picture from 1948 where four children were allegedly for sale. A roving reporter Ellis digs into this story along with working mother Lilly to retrieve two children who have been taken. The narrative shows what happens when times are stressful, tough decisions that have to be made, and a story that certainly would never be condoned in contemporary society.

Simply put I.LOVED.THIS.BOOK..If it weren't for the hour I would have read it straight through the night but still ended up finishing this within 24 hours. Heartwarming and all the more poignant as the impetus for the story was based on a real photograph that the author discovered on the computer. In this page turner of the highest order, the action begins 1n 1931 when a young reporter happens upon a house where two young boys are sitting. Near them scribbled in chalk was a sign, 2 children for sale. Horrified by the ramifications of this he snapped the picture, beginning the unraveling of what was to unfold. Enter Lily the Philly Examiner's secretary who saw the picture in the darkroom and brings it to the boss's attention. Lily has her own secrets that she has fought hard to keep from the general public, becoming another side issue to the unfolding story. When the photograph's original is destroyed, the reporter ends up staging the photo, leading to a domino effect that affects all participants.A wonderful story of family, a mother's love and the many paths to healing.

In her new book, Sold on a Monday, due out August 28, 2018, Kristina McMorris delivers her readers right smack into the middle the Great Depression of the 1930s. In doing so, she shows us how one small decision can change not only our lives, but the lives of others in ways we never imagined.

Just as reporters’ articles triggered our child labor laws, and novels of the past triggered safety regulations for meat packers, coal miners, and others, the characters in this novel expose for their audience the desperation of many families.

Sold on a Monday examines the cruelty of some adoptive “parents”, the mental illness of those who buy or steal children to replace a deceased child, and the double standard of that era for unmarried women with children. Through Lily Palmer, who has exemplary writing skills, but is kept in a secretarial position, McMorris also takes a look at the discrimination of women in the workplace that continues to this day.


Ellis reed is a young, yet-to-be-recognized reporter in 1931 Philadelphia. While out in the countryside, he sees two barefoot little boys in patched overalls sitting on the porch of a dilapidated house, playing a game. Above them, nailed to the front door is a sign that reads, “2 Children for Sale”. He quickly snaps a photo of the scene.

A co-worker, Lily Palmer sees the photo in the developing room, and shows it to their boss. The story Ellis writes to accompany the photo launches his career in ways he couldn’t imagine. When young man spills ink on the photo and its negative, Ellis tries to take another, but the family is gone. Taking the sign from the trash, he stages the photo with different children, and inadvertently creates a series of events for those children and their mother that he must make right.


The reader is reminded in a touchingly poignant way of the desperation felt by all but the very wealthy during those years. I highly recommend this book. You won’t be sorry you took the time to read it.

What Makes This Book Reviewer Grumpy?

The usual things:
• confusing bring with take;
• multiple split infinitives;
• beginning sentences with conjunctions.

Look for me online as The Grumpy Book Reviewer.

If you love historical fiction like I do, you will want to read Sold On A Monday by Kristina McMorris. The cover reminds me of The Orphan Train, one of my favorite books ever. When I read the plot of this book, I knew immediately it would be one to read and savor! HIGHLY recommended!

Synopsis:

Philadelphia, 1931. A young, ambitious reporter named Ellis Reed photographs a pair of young siblings on the front porch of a farmhouse next to a sign: “2 children for sale.”

With the help of newspaper secretary Lily Palmer, Ellis writes an article to accompany the photo. Capturing the hardships of American families during the Great Depression, the feature story generates national attention and Ellis’s career skyrockets.

But the photograph also leads to consequences more devastating than ever imagined—and it will take jeopardizing everything Ellis and Lily value to unravel the mystery and set things right.

Inspired by an actual newspaper photo that stunned readers throughout the country, Sold on a Monday is a powerful novel of ambition, redemption, love, and family.

Ellis Reed is waiting for his big chance at getting a lead story for the newspaper. A wonderful photographer, he takes a picture 0f two children in front of a shack with a sign that reads "Two children for sale". Itr is 1931 and the depression looms large with people unable to get work or put food on the table. W.hen the photo is damaged, Ellis takes another picture, same sign. different children. The story is published causing terrible consequences to the substitute family.

The story is also about Lily who works with Ellis. She is a single mother who longs to be with her son who is staying with Lily's mother except for weekends. Ellis and Lily join forces to find the missing children.

Sold on Monday is a suspenseful story about a brother and sister heartbroken by losing their mother and don't understand what happened to separate them. Ellis and Lily are strong, resourceful characters. I would have liked to connect to them more forcefully and known more about the mother and children in this heartbreaking tale.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing the ARC for this book.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Ellis Reed means well. He just needs to recreate a photo that he has already taken. No internet in those days.

Lilly Palmer knows what he did, but she has a secret of her own, so she won't tell.

Complications arise because they are both desperate and they are both attracted to one another, and mostly because they both don't want anyone else to get hurt.

Historical fiction at its' finest. Thanks to Kristina McMorris, author, Sourcebooks and NetGalley for allowing an advanced read in exchange for an honest review.