From the bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet comes a powerful novel, inspired by a true story, about a boy whose life is transformed at Seattle\'s epic 1909 World\'s Fair.
Highly recommended.--Historical.
A true story from the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition inspired this very absorbing and moving novel.
Perceptive themes that run throughout culminate at the end.
It is by turns heart-rending, tragic, disturbing, sanguine, warm, and life-affirming.
Vibrantly rendered.--Booklist Combining rich narrative and literary qualities, the book achieves a multi-faceted emotional resonance. . .
A laudable effort that shines light on little known histories.--Library Journal Poignant . . .
Jamie] Ford captures the thrill of first kisses and the shock of revealing long-hidden affairs.--Kirkus Reviews Strong . . .
Praise for Love and Other Consolation Prizes Exciting .
Against a rich backdrop of post-Victorian vice, suffrage, and celebration, Love and Other Consolations is an enchanting tale about innocence and devotion--in a world where everything, and everyone, is for sale.
Fifty years later, in the shadow of Seattle\'s second World\'s Fair, Ernest struggles to help his ailing wife reconcile who she once was with who she wanted to be, while trying to keep family secrets hidden from their grown-up daughters.
But as the grande dame succumbs to an occupational hazard and their world of finery begins to crumble, all three must grapple with hope, ambition, and first love.
Their friendship and affection form the first real family Ernest has ever known--and against all odds, this new sporting life gives him the sense of home he\'s always desired.
There, Ernest becomes the new houseboy and befriends Maisie, the madam\'s precocious daughter, and a bold scullery maid named Fahn.
The winning ticket belongs to the flamboyant madam of a high-class brothel, famous for educating her girls.
The half-Chinese orphan is astounded to learn he will be raffled off--a healthy boy to a good home.
But only once he\'s there, amid the exotic exhibits, fireworks, and Ferris wheels, does he discover that he is the one who is actually the prize.
An evocative, heartfelt, beautifully crafted story that shines a light on a fascinating, tragic bit of forgotten history.--Kristin Hannah, author of The Nightingale For twelve-year-old Ernest Young, a charity student at a boarding school, the chance to go to the World\'s Fair feels like a gift.
From the bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet comes a powerful novel, inspired by a true story, about a boy whose life is transformed at Seattle\'s epic 1909 World\'s Fair