Songs of Willow Frost
mamagonza says:
William Eng is living at the Sacred Heart Orphanage, where he's been for many years. He's different than a lot of the kids there - he's Chinese. His best friends are Sunny, who's Native American, and Charlotte, who's blind. It's the yearly celebration of the boys' birthdays, and they are being treated to a movie in town. As they watch the movie, William is shocked to see an advertisement for his mother, going under the name of Willow Frost, and that she will be performing in town ...for a week. Determined to see her, William shares the information with Charlotte, who insists on going with him on his journey. They manage to sneak away in the back of a library truck, and have many adventures while trying to reach the theatre where Willow Frost is performing. They manage to get tickets, and watch the show, and William confirms it is his mother on stage. Unfortunately, when he gets a chance to meet her, things go askew, and William and Charlotte are taken back to the orphanage. Within the next few days, their fortunes change again - Charlotte's father has been released from jail, and wants her back. Charlotte, on the other hand, doesn't want to go with him. She's happy here at the orphanage, or happy as she can be. But the sisters insist she go, and the last part of the book deals with William's loss of his best friend - and why his mother left him in the orphanage so many years ago.The story is told in a back and forth manner, from William's POV to his mother's in flashbacks. The story itself is bittersweet, taking place during the time shortly after the Wall Street Crash. The characters are well-written and sympathetic. Willow's choices which lead her to turning William over to the orphanage are shown in great detail, as well as the sorrow and loneliness the kids feel in the orphanage. I enjoyed this novel very much.
klarenzeldrin says:
This is an extremely compelling but profoundly sad story. Almost a melodrama, but in Jamie Ford's capable hands, it is a very readable and gripping tale set in Seattle's Chinatown in the 1920's and 30's, a "ramshackle, tar-paper, threadbare landscape" as the author describes it in his author's notes. The story centers around 12 year old William, a Chinese boy whose mother placed him in an orphanage when he was about 7. William and his mother were very close and he is haunted by the question of why she would abandon him. We eventually learn her reasons as her secrets are gradually revealed. This story describes the incredible hardships and cruelty endured by so many poor minorities in that era; it also shows the strong bonds between mother and son, bonds that force this young mother to take drastic measures to try to do what's best for her child. If you're looking for a tearjerker that will restore your faith in (some of) humanity, and that is also extremely well written and hard to put down, this one's for you.MoreLess
William Eng is living at the Sacred Heart Orphanage, where he's been for many years. He's different than a lot of the kids there - he's Chinese. His best friends are Sunny, who's Native American, and Charlotte, who's blind. It's the yearly celebration of the boys' birthdays, and they are being treated to a movie in town. As they watch the movie, William is shocked to see an advertisement for his mother, going under the name of Willow Frost, and that she will be performing in town ...for a week. Determined to see her, William shares the information with Charlotte, who insists on going with him on his journey. They manage to sneak away in the back of a library truck, and have many adventures while trying to reach the theatre where Willow Frost is performing. They manage to get tickets, and watch the show, and William confirms it is his mother on stage. Unfortunately, when he gets a chance to meet her, things go askew, and William and Charlotte are taken back to the orphanage. Within the next few days, their fortunes change again - Charlotte's father has been released from jail, and wants her back. Charlotte, on the other hand, doesn't want to go with him. She's happy here at the orphanage, or happy as she can be. But the sisters insist she go, and the last part of the book deals with William's loss of his best friend - and why his mother left him in the orphanage so many years ago.The story is told in a back and forth manner, from William's POV to his mother's in flashbacks. The story itself is bittersweet, taking place during the time shortly after the Wall Street Crash. The characters are well-written and sympathetic. Willow's choices which lead her to turning William over to the orphanage are shown in great detail, as well as the sorrow and loneliness the kids feel in the orphanage. I enjoyed this novel very much.
klarenzeldrin says:
This is an extremely compelling but profoundly sad story. Almost a melodrama, but in Jamie Ford's capable hands, it is a very readable and gripping tale set in Seattle's Chinatown in the 1920's and 30's, a "ramshackle, tar-paper, threadbare landscape" as the author describes it in his author's notes. The story centers around 12 year old William, a Chinese boy whose mother placed him in an orphanage when he was about 7. William and his mother were very close and he is haunted by the question of why she would abandon him. We eventually learn her reasons as her secrets are gradually revealed. This story describes the incredible hardships and cruelty endured by so many poor minorities in that era; it also shows the strong bonds between mother and son, bonds that force this young mother to take drastic measures to try to do what's best for her child. If you're looking for a tearjerker that will restore your faith in (some of) humanity, and that is also extremely well written and hard to put down, this one's for you.MoreLess
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