Sold on a Monday: A Novel
4.2
56
5
1
Paperback
USD
13.05
$13.05
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781492663997 |
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| Publisher: | Sourcebooks |
| Publication date: | 08/28/2018 |
| Pages: | 352 |
| Sales rank: | 400 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d) |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Sold on a Monday: A Novel
4.2 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
56 reviews.
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This is such a great book. Loved all the characters in the book and it was so interesting I did not want to put it down. It will tug at your heart strings and you will be rooting for a happy ending.. Definitely will recommend to friends. 5 stars all the way.
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I finished this incredible book with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. It all started with a picture...Sold on a Monday Is a riveting tale of desperation, the consequences of even the most seemingly innocent decision and the ripple effects that follow, and loss and family and ultimately doing what’s right. The most wonderful characters live in the pages of this book; people who are shaped by circumstances and choices in their past, looking for a future which will bring them happiness, love, fulfillment, and redemption. The backdrop of the Depression adds so many layers to this story, and provides readers with an understanding of how and why the events in this story unfold. This wonderful book is written with warmth, heart, compassion, and deep emotions. This book will be published late summer, be sure to add to your wish lists!
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A great historical read.
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This is a very slow burning, but surprisingly endearing, romance, with the added moral dimension of children for sale.
Reporter Ellis comes across two young boys sitting outside a farmhouse next to a sign saying “Two children for sale”. He takes a photo, which has far reaching (and completely unintended) consequences for all the characters in this story.
There is no mention of who is doing the selling, or why, but Ellis – while troubled – is not entirely surprised. America is in the depths of the Depression, and many families have no money, no food, and no prospects. Children from desperately poor families are often given away in the hope of them having a better life, with those who can afford to feed and care for them. But, to sell your child – to put a price on their life – is another matter entirely. It begs the question of whether the sale is in aid of the child’s welfare – or only for the benefit of the seller? Is the money needed for the succour of other siblings? We never really find out. And what about the person who would buy a child? In those days, legal adoption would have been relatively easy – so why pay, unless the child is to be (ab)used for nefarious purposes?
The photo might have been forgotten, if not noticed by Lily in the newspaper’s dark room. She encourages Ellis to write a human interest story about the two boys, which catches his editor’s attention. Unfortunately, the photo is destroyed just as the story is ready to publish, and Ellis has to replace it. The two boys are no longer to be found, so Ellis persuades two other children to pose for his photo (with the original sign), which now includes their mother.
Years pass, Ellis moves on, and Lily is courted by the kind and courteous Clayton Brauer. Lily had made a mistake in the past – one whose consequences she does not regret, but which has radically changed the priorities in her life, and also the way in which she views the world. For her, family is all important, and she cannot forget the photo. When she and Ellis meet again, they both feel the need to discover what became of the children in the second photo, and to do everything in their power to bring about a happy ending.
The romance angle is very understated. Will Lily plump for the security that the dependable Clayton offers, or risk everything on the wilder Ellis?
One thing that strikes you about this book, is that (with one minor exception) there are no villains. The characters are (almost) all nice, and trying to do the right thing – however misguided that may turn out to be. They are well portrayed and develop with the story, and you can empathise with most of them.
This book is not fast paced, but does keep your attention throughout. I would definitely recommend it.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and for Kristina McMorris this certainly holds true. Inspired by a poignant, tragic photo, the author has written a heart-wrenching tale about a reporter who snaps a photo much like the one that inspired McMorris which ultimately will alter the lives of the family in the photograph and many others as well.
Sold on a Monday is a historical fiction book based on the a very real photograph. The story is set against the backdrop of the Great American Depression, an era that many Americans have chosen to forget. In creating this tale, McMorris brings the horror, pain and suffering of that time back to life again and in such beautifully written prose that it will carve this moment in time forever in your memory.
This is exactly the type of historical fiction that I enjoy - it's fiction, yes, but there is so much truth, research and heart-wrenching details that the story comes to life before your eyes. In Sold on a Monday, McMorris tells the story primarily from the view point of two newspaper workers, one a reporter, the other is a woman who desperately wants to become one. Their lives intertwine over the photograph of two children who were for sale, a last act of depression that often occurred during the depression. As we learn more about this pair, their own personal histories, as well as what ultimately happens to the children, we discover the heartbreak, shame, the struggle of every day life during The Depression and the pain that everyone suffered just to survive.
While Sold on a Monday is very heartfelt and at times it borders on despair, McMorris does not give us a maudlin book but rather one of courage, hope, love and friendship. In her own words, she gave the happy ending that she wished the children in the photograph could have had.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Regardless of your typical genre themes, this is a book that will cross those barriers and grab you into its soul from the first page to the very last.
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An actual photo discovered from 1948, led to this story of a news photographer and a newsroom secretary set this depression-era story off, with several side trips to explore a relationship that frankly, felt disruptive and unnecessary to the plot. Ellis Reed is a newly-minted employee of a newspaper in 1931 – it’s the Depression, jobs, money and opportunity are hard to find and he’s determined to make his mark. When he’s chasing a story in a small town, his car breaks down… it is then that a decision he makes with a photograph that he snaps of two young boys sitting on a rundown porch holding a sign, 2 Children for Sale. The instant implications and questions of that scene are somewhat blithely pushed aside by a quote from Elliott Erwitt, “Photography is the art of observation. It has little to do with things you see and everything to do with the way you see them”, a bit of this remove from the scene is transferred almost subconsciously into Ellis, and that remove informs near every move, mistake, and interaction he has from that point forward for me.
Back in the newsroom there is Lillian, the secretary and single mother, struggling to keep a roof and outshine the stigma of her own mistakes and missteps, she’s intrigued by Ellis and while the two have huge obstacles of trust, truth and purpose that they approach from different ends of the spectrum, the photograph both separates and brings them together. However, from my perspective, while I could grab onto their questions that Ellis’ photograph (and his subsequent spin into a story of the times with all of the associated questions about loss, choice and never-before experienced hardships seemed to fall to the side as they explored their “relationship’ and often dropped their focus on the actual and very real crisis at their doorstep, in fact, at the doorstep of near everyone at the time.
What started as a story that should have produced a never-ending series of questions, emotional and complex choices, and perhaps some information about where the children went, if they went, and were they able to find some improvement in their own circumstances? These are questions, and choices, that could have had some sort of resolution and connection, actual palpable connection, to the couple that is so forcibly placed at the center of the story, without really ever seeming as if their story was enough: bold enough, dramatic enough, or even intriguing enough to overshadow the crisis in the photograph – or the many instances of similar ‘Sophie’s choice’ decisions made by parents hit hardest by the poverty, famine and weather that conspired against them.
I was disappointed that this story didn’t hit harder where the heartbreaking and often last-choice options were taken by those who literally ripped their lives and families apart to provide some nebulous something for children they couldn’t afford to feed, house or care for – and just where (and how) those traumas effected those children. Intriguing if you want the lighter and fluffier sort of ‘pass over something you weren’t aware of’ moment in history to provide a backdrop for a romance, but for me, this was a miss – a decent story that could have been a favorite had the focus been on the history unfolding in a photograph rather than the steps and missteps of a newly developing relationship because of the changes and upheavals.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not c
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Haunting actual photograph spurs McMorris to pen a tale cast during the Great Depression about desperation, love, loss, and ambition in SOLD ON A MONDAY.
It's 1931 and Ellis Reed is a journalist working hard to get the big scoop on local (Philadelphia) stories. He's killing time one afternoon when he stumbles across a pair of siblings on a farmhouse porch with a sign nearby, "Two children for sale." Stunned, he snaps a photo, and with the help of newspaper secretary. Lillian Palmer, they craft a story to go with the photograph. It's a feature and national attention is drawn to the tale...after all, it's the depression and folks are drawn to stories of desperation.
BUT. Might that photo have been staged? What about journalist integrity?
McMorris does a fabulous job of placing me smack in the middle of the story. And the cover is absolutely gorgeously arresting--plus, own grandfather was 'sold' during this period in history. The man who 'purchased' him decided he no longer wanted my grandfather when he learned the boy had lice. Heartbreaking as that is, I wanted to learn more about what that experience might have been like.
While SOLD ON A MONDAY is tangentially about the effects on children during the Depression, it is mostly about journalism and family secrets--and it's not just the photograph of the children--Ellis has secrets, so does Lily. There are plenty of layers of plot and intrigue (prohibition is touched on, mobs, illness, and more), but SOLD ON A MONDAY becomes more of a saga of Ellis and Lily's ambitions (love?) and less about the children, though they're present, too. The tale ends with a healthy dose of redemption.
SOLD ON A MONDAY is a relatively fast-paced, historical read that will appeal to fans of Jamie Ford (especially LOVE AND OTHER CONSOLATION PRIZES), with a touch of Christina Baker Kline's THE ORPHAN TRAIN and similar to BEFORE WE WERE YOURS (Lisa Wingate). It also reminded me of the YA title, THESE SHALLOW GRAVES (Jennifer Donnelly).
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“Sold on a Monday” caught my attention by its cover. And the read did not disappoint. The characters were likable. The setting, of depressed Pennsylvania in the 1930s, informative enough. Heart breaking story, based on true to life situations. A plot well developed with twists and turns and enough suspense to keep the reader interested and intrigued. A thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
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Kristina McMorris never fails to deliver emotionally gripping, thought-provoking stories based upon actual historical events. Her latest book, Sold on a Monday, was inspired by a 1948 photo that appeared in a newspaper of a mother and her 4 children who were sitting next to a sign that read "4 children for sale; inquire within." That photo inspired McMorris, herself a mother, to ponder just how desperate a woman would have to be in order to offer her children up for sale.
In the book, a similar sign, "2 children for sale," is seen on a farmhouse porch in 1931 by a reporter. He snaps a photo, never intending for it to be published. However, through the intervention of a well-meaning coworker, it is published. And the sensational newspaper story provides the big break that Ellis Reed has been hoping for. He moves up in the world of journalism, but cannot forget the children he saw that day or their mother. America is in the throes of the Great Depression. Just two years earlier, the stock market crash brought runs on banks, unemployment, suicides, and desperation to a once-prosperous nation. Ellis is haunted by his own past, as well as what the publication of his photo may have done to an innocent family.
Lillian Palmer played a role in what transpired. She contends with her own past -- the choices she made, the secrets she keeps. It falls to her and Ellis to learn what really happened to the children in that photo -- and whether they have the strength of character and resilience to do what is right.
From the very first page, McMorris transports readers back to the grim realities of Depression-era America. Employing her signature style, she utilizes events and the circumstances in which her characters find themselves to challenge readers to ponder what they would do if presented with similar obstacles. Sold on a Monday is nothing less than a morality play about choices made, the consequences thereof, and the human need for redemption. McMorris is a master at breaking readers' hearts and Sold on a Monday is no exception. However, she is also adept at crafting moral dilemmas that test the very fiber of her characters, who often rise to the occasion.
Sold on a Monday takes readers on just such a journey from despair to forgiveness and new beginnings. It has rightly been called "a masterpiece" and "stunningly moving." The praise is deserved. McMorris again delivers a poignant, moving story that will resonate and remain with readers long after they finish reading the last page.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
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Ellis Reed is a Depression-era reporter who also enjoys photography for fun. One day he comes across a peculiar, heart-wrenching scene—two forlorn children beside a sign: “two children for sale.” He snaps his photo but can’t get them out of his mind, and rightly, because their story will become even more tragic than it appears.
Lily is merely a secretary to the editor, but her discovery of the photos in the lab, and Ellis’ revelation of the story to her will entangle her as well.
Sold on a Monday is part thriller, part historical drama, and entirely addicting as both main characters and the children earn your empathy and a desire for a happy, hopeful reunion for each of them.
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Once again, I relied on reviews and really wanted to love Sold on a Monday. Especially since I'd never read anything by Kristina McMorris. The history being told in this book is absolutely heartbreaking, and needs to be told. However, I found the writing to be somewhat tedious, the outcomes predictable, and several loose threads in the telling. I do believe it is a story that needs to be told, and for that reason I do not feel it was a waste of my time.
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Most of us studied it in school. Some of us listened to stories from our grandparents. Luckily, the Great Depression is something that none of us ever had to live through. We heard the stories of extreme poverty, vacant lots of cardboard boxes used for shelter, soup kitchens, worn out clothing, despair and dejection.
Calvin Coolidge in 1932 said “in other periods of depression, it has always been possible to see some things which were solid and upon which you could base hope, but as I look about, I now see nothing to give ground to hope - nothing of man.”
None of us could fathom the idea of what it must’ve been like for a parent to “sell” their children because they didn’t have the money to feed them or even themselves.
Kristina McNorris’ novel, sold on a Monday, is the fictional story of Ellis and Lily. It is the story that puts us the reader smack dab in 1931 during The great depression and the struggle of two individuals whose lives are forever in twined by one photo.
Struggling for that one great story, reporter Ellis read heads out to the outskirts of Philly and sees it. The sign in front of a house that 2 children are for sale. This photo is the start of something big for society fill-in reporter, Ellis, as he writes a heart wrenching piece about the photo.
Newspaper secretary, Lily Palmer, is the one that sees the photo and gives Ellis the soulful inspiration to write his career making story. She is moved by the photo because her own story she has to tell.
McNorris’s novel reminds me of watching my grandmother crochet. I used to watch her take the yarn and ever so gently move It around her needle and then weave it Up and over until a beautiful blanket appeared.
Sold on a Monday was mesmerizing to me that McNorris’s book Was subtle in the way she wove the story. It started out with the photo and Ellis’s story but in the end was so much bigger than that.
I won’t forget this journey that Kristina McNorris took me on in Sold on a Monday. I will think of it years from now, when as I get older and reminisce about all of the great books I was lucky enough to read, her book will be one that will bring a tear to my eye and a wistful smile to my face.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. #netgalley #soldonamonday
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Absolutely captivating book. Truly gives the picture of life in the depression, not just for the destitute but for those employed and still struggling to survive. The stories woven in under the main theme were so well done. The book just flows beautifully and is hard to put down. Hardship and love and honesty and kindness are written into every page. Recommended reading for anyone who loves a story that will capture your heart.
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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.
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I read this book not sure of what was coming, but being familiar with the time period, knew it would be heart-wrenching.
I loved the characters, with their particular problems. They were a large part of the story, aside from the journalistic issues. They were lucky to be employed and they knew it. They also discovered that there were things going on in the world of which they had been unaware. When they found out some of the problems concerning children, it's as though they had to intervene.
Great writing, great characters, great storyline. The era was not a happy one for most by any means, and yet this book had feelings of family, of support, of love, and of appreciation of the little things. I would definitely recommend this book as it has it all.
This book was provided to me by NetGalley.com and the publisher.
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thank you, Net Galley, for the book in exchange for an honest review.
This is an Historical book set in the 1930's Ellis a photographer takes photos of a sign 2 kids 4 sale. The photo ends up on the editor’s desk. Lillian, the secretary writes a story about the photo.
The mother thinks she is dying and selling her kids into a better life.
Both Ellis and Lillian are haunted by the story, which is shaded from the truth.
they set out to find the two children to make sure they are okay. This story is heart wrenching but very good.
The writing flows and I read it in two days. (life got in the way)
a good read
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Thank you to Net Galley and the author for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
This was a heartbreaking story. Ellis sets out to find a headline for a story for the newspaper, and the picture he takes ends up leading him down a path that he wasn't prepared for. With the help of his friend Lily, he is able to help a family piece themselves back together after a heart wrenching time apart.
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Sold on a Monday is based on a real-life photograph that was taken during the Great Depression. Kristina McMorris uses this jumping off point to pen a story of newspaper employees, Ellis and Lilly. When Ellis takes a picture of two boys sitting on a porch with a sign, children for sale, Lilly sees it by mistake. Showing it to the editor of the newspaper they work for, sets in motion a story of 2 children, their mother and what happens to their lives based on a decision Ellis makes to get ahead in the news business.
Ellis and Lilly were both flawed characters. Ellis had a strained relationship with his parents, his father being disappointed with Ellis' career choice. He also makes decisions in his life that affect others, but he does not consider that affect until it is too late. Lilly was an unwed mother. If you know about the moral beliefs and standards at that time, unwed mothers were not accepted by society. Jobs were not made available to them. Lilly kept her son Samuel a secret to those in her city life, while her parents took care of him during the week. She was a loving mother and spent as much time as she could with him though. The main storyline was quite good and kept my attention. There were parts in the middle about the relationship between Lilly and Ellis and another reporter (read triangle here), that did not keep my attention as much and it was a bit slower, but keep going. The response from Ellis and Lilly when they find out that the children had been sold made them heroes in my eyes. Lilly, being a mom, followed her heart and Ellis, having so much guilt about what happened, could not rest until he rectified the situation, often taking risks that could have cost him so much. The end of Sold on a Monday is heartbreaking. There is a twist in the plot that I did not see coming, until right near the end. I was both surprised and happy with the ending.
If you read the notes from the author at the end of the book, you will find out why she wrote this story as well as finding out what happened to the four children in the original photograph. It was not a happy ending for them. The author played the "what if" angle of that photograph. What if the mother had second thoughts? What if the photographer had remorse over publishing the picture? She also explored the reasons why a parent would choose to do something like that. The story that she created out of that photograph was heartbreaking.
This was an interesting and well-written story set during the Great Depression. This book was historically accurate and told about part of history that I was not really aware of. To think that parents were that desperate is heartbreaking. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Historical Fiction, especially stories from the U.S. or Canada. The publisher, Sourcebooks - Landmark, generously provided me with a copy of this book to read. The rating, ideas and opinions are my own.
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I did not expect to love this book as much as I did. Sold on a Monday is the story of a small deception with chilling ramifications. Ellis is an aspiring photographer and journalist who captures a photo of two "children for sale" during the Great Depression. Historically, this photo, and stories like the one it captures, happened more often than is comfortable to acknowledge. Desperate times cause people to act in ways they may not normally act. At least, this is the case for Ellis and for the unfortunate family who agrees to go along with his deception when the original photo is lost.
Once events were set in motion, I could not stop reading this book. As Ellis and Lily begin the heart-rending search for two children separated from their mother and each other, I was swept into a story that was at once terrible and hopeful. McMorris's characters are complex and interesting even when they aren't likable. Her ability to weave together multiple stories to form a plot with depth and nuance was very well done. Most of us have stories that are less black and white than the photo which might be taken of them, McMorris has created a well-wrought tale that proves this truth exactly.
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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.
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This is a well-written historical novel that will keep you guessing until the very end. McMorris's characters are very believable, and I cared about what happens to them. She does an excellent job of revealing bits and pieces of the backstory of the two main characters, as well as throwing in plot twists to keep up the suspense. It's not necessarily an enjoyable read, as the historical setting is the years of the Great Depression, with injustice, poverty, and difficult times for many. The author's treatment of forgiveness, honesty, and other such issues makes it a memorable and challenging read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sourcebook Landmark through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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I know I have mentioned this before but I tend to stay away from reading historical fiction. I don't have anything against historical fiction, I don't like to read it. In my experience, I have found that fictional retellings of famous events aren't as good as I want them to be. There is always something left out. I liken it to books made into movies/TV series. 99% of them do not follow the book but there's that 1% that not only follows it but is fantastic. Sold on a Monday is that 1% for me.
Sold on a Monday is based on a real-life photograph that was taken during the Great Depression. If you have followed the story of the 4 children in that photograph, you know that they didn't have a happy ending. That they were abused by the people who bought them. The author played the "what if" angle of that photograph. What if the mother had second thoughts? What if the photographer had remorse over publishing the picture? She also explored the reasons why a parent would choose to do something like that. The story that she created out of that photograph was heartbreaking.
What I liked about this book is that the main characters, Ellis and Lilly, were not perfect. Ellis had a strained relationship with his parents. His father was disappointed with the career choice that Ellis chose. Ellis believed that his father didn't love him. That it should have been Ellis that died instead of his brother. Lilly was an unwed mother. If you know anything from that time, unwed mothers were not accepted by society. Jobs were not made available to them. Those women and their children were shunned, by family and strangers alike. Lilly couldn't mention her son. If her boss found out, he would have fired her.
The main storyline was fantastic. That picture was not supposed to be published. When Lilly (yes, Lilly) saw it in the darkroom, she knew that it was something. She turned it into her boss, who in turn told Ellis to write the story about it. I was a little miffed at Lilly at that point. I was thinking to myself "Why can't she mind her own business!!". But, she knew it was something and that could push Ellis's career into the spotlight.
I felt awful that Ellis had so much guilt over the children being bought. So much guilt that he tracked them down to make sure that they were alright. He earned hero status in my eyes when he rescued Calvin from that farm. It made me angry to think that children were treated like that back then. But in hindsight, they were considered property....like the women were. So, I shouldn't have been so surprised.
The storyline with Lilly, her parents and Samuel were sweet. It was refreshing to read a book where the daughter was loved regardless of what she did. I liked that her parents 100% stood behind her with keeping Samuel. For that era, they were an anomaly. How Lilly was with Samuel touched my heart also. She loved her son and would do anything for him. That meant weeks working in the city and weekends home with him. Everything she did was for him.
The storyline with Ellis and his family annoyed me, to be honest. Ellis came across as a petulant little boy, not a grown man. The whole dinner scene left a bad taste in my mouth. Instead of reaching out, Ellis thought it was because his father thought Ellis should be dead instead of his brother. When his father finally told Ellis the true reason why he didn't like his career choice, Ellis was like "Oh, ok". He did apologize but it came across as insincere.
I was surprised that th
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They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and for Kristina McMorris this certainly holds true. Inspired by a poignant, tragic photo, the author has written a heart-wrenching tale about a reporter who snaps a photo much like the one that inspired McMorris which ultimately will alter the lives of the family in the photograph and many others as well.
Sold on a Monday is a historical fiction book based on the a very real photograph. The story is set against the backdrop of the Great American Depression, an era that many Americans have chosen to forget. In creating this tale, McMorris brings the horror, pain and suffering of that time back to life again and in such beautifully written prose that it will carve this moment in time forever in your memory.
This is exactly the type of historical fiction that I enjoy - it's fiction, yes, but there is so much truth, research and heart-wrenching details that the story comes to life before your eyes. In Sold on a Monday, McMorris tells the story primarily from the view point of two newspaper workers, one a reporter, the other is a woman who desperately wants to become one. Their lives intertwine over the photograph of two children who were for sale, a last act of depression that often occurred during the depression. As we learn more about this pair, their own personal histories, as well as what ultimately happens to the children, we discover the heartbreak, shame, the struggle of every day life during The Depression and the pain that everyone suffered just to survive.
While Sold on a Monday is very heartfelt and at times it borders on despair, McMorris does not give us a maudlin book but rather one of courage, hope, love and friendship. In her own words, she gave the happy ending that she wished the children in the photograph could have had.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Regardless of your typical genre themes, this is a book that will cross those barriers and grab you into its soul from the first page to the very last.
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In 1931, struggling reporter Ellis Reed comes across 2 little boys on a porch next to sign that says "2 children for sale". He takes a picture which gets submitted to the editor. He writes an article about the face of poverty to go with the photo and it causes his career to skyrocket. It also creates a domino effect of unforeseen consequences and Ellis will have to go to great lengths to set everything right again.
This story was in turns heart-wrenching and exhilarating. The characters were ones I was rooting for and the story was so captivating I didn't want to put it down. This is definitely a must-read!
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Cub reporter, Ellis Reed is out looking for a story. When he least expects it, he finds an unusual and disturbing sign, “2 Children for Sale”. Seated beside the sign are the two children. How could that be? How could a parent sell a child? It is, however, 1931, after all, and the bread lines are long, and food is in short supply for many. Ellis snaps a picture out of habit, not intending to use it for a story.
Soon, Lillian Palmer, secretary at his newspaper, chances upon the photo, which embroils her in the story. Together, Ellis and Lillian discover how an innocent picture can trap them into an unforgettable adventure and a life-risking struggle to do the right thing.
In this story based on an actual photograph, Kristina McMorris realistically portrays an unfathomable time in our nation’s history. She peoples her story with unforgettable and realistic characters, making her tale both exciting and memorable. She explores how our actions often effect the outcome of events. She also investigates how a person’s desperation can allow the unthinkable to occur.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
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