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Songs of Willow Frost

Jamie Ford (Goodreads Author)

3.66 · Rating details · 18,782 ratings · 2,830 reviews

Twelve-year-old William Eng, a Chinese-American boy, has lived at Seattle’s Sacred Heart Orphanage ever since his mother’s listless body was carried away from their small apartment five years ago. On his birthday—or rather, the day the nuns designate as his birthday—William and the other orphans are taken to the historical Moore Theatre, where William glimpses an actress o ...more

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Hardcover, 319 pages

Published September 10th 2013 by Ballantine Books

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Nov 08, 2013 Fiona Leonard rated it really liked it

Books are made to be read from front to back, I get that, but can I just ask you to do me a favour? When you buy Songs of Willow Frost - and buy it you should - turn to the Author's Note. Read this first, then, and only then, should you return to the first page.

I make this demand because Songs of Willow Frost deserves to be read in context. Set in Depression era Seattle, this is the story of a young boy, William, who has spent the last five years living in an orphanage and longs to find his moth Books are made to be read from front to back, I get that, but can I just ask you to do me a favour? When you buy Songs of Willow Frost - and buy it you should - turn to the Author's Note. Read this first, then, and only then, should you return to the first page.

I make this demand because Songs of Willow Frost deserves to be read in context. Set in Depression era Seattle, this is the story of a young boy, William, who has spent the last five years living in an orphanage and longs to find his mother. And find her he does, quickly and remarkably easily, barely a quarter of the way through the book. This was the point when I went in search of the author's note. I confess I wasn't entirely trusting of Jamie Ford's story telling skills, after all, why would you send a boy on a quest, only to have him achieve his goal with 75% of the book left to go? The truth of the matter is, that finding his mother is a two-fold process. Finding her in person is one thing, catching hold of the spirit of his mother is an entirely different thing.

In flashback, the novel tells the story William's Chinese mother, Liu Song Eng, growing up in Seattle and dealing with poverty, racism and a violent home life, all the while longing for a life on the stage and then the silver screen. It is a time of prejudice and superstition, both within her own culture and beyond. For me, Ford's Author's Note brought the real life context alive. In some way, knowing that it was drawn so directly from the experiences of people from that period - including his own family - somehow lent greater credence to the story and made it a far more enjoyable read.

As an overall comment, I enjoyed the chapters told from William's perspective more. The opening of this novel I think is some of the best writing I have ever read. Four pages in I posted on my Facebook page - go and buy this book. I highlighted so many passages in those first few pages; delighting in the beautiful and clever turn of phrase. It is in these chapters that we really see the incredible strength of Ford's writing.

"Home is a fairy tale, the kind where children are lost in the woods, found, cooked and eaten."

The chapters from Liu Song Eng's point of view had a very different feel and they didn't speak to me in the same way. I think this is partly because Liu Song Eng is such a struggling character - she has so much going against her, and ultimately you know the way things are going to turn out. It is not revealing any spoilers to make the observation that her back story is not going to end happily. After all, we begin with her son in an orphanage! In a way she reminded me of Frank McCourt's mother in Angela's Ashes; a woman who is just so beaten down by circumstance that she can't take another step forward. These are honest characters (McCourt's obviously so as he was writing about his own mother), but they are difficult to relate to in a story. You keep wanting them to reach a point where they pick themselves up and turn their lives around, but sometimes acts of strength and redemption are neither simple nor heroic.

On balance though it's a great read and a fascinating subject to learn more about. If nothing else you should buy it just to read those first few chapters.
...more

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Jul 01, 2013 Robert rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, robert-s-reads

Worthless, spineless, gutless, emotionless, insignificant, cowardly evil bastards filled this novel to the point that my world overflowed with a god-awful stench that smelled worse than elephant dung and monkey poo and singed every last nose hair. This tale burst forth with enough villains to occupy an entire wing of the county jail and had a few folks that might need to sit in the electric chair. Spitting fire and spewing smoke, I finished SONGS OF WILLOW FROST while cursing social workers with Worthless, spineless, gutless, emotionless, insignificant, cowardly evil bastards filled this novel to the point that my world overflowed with a god-awful stench that smelled worse than elephant dung and monkey poo and singed every last nose hair. This tale burst forth with enough villains to occupy an entire wing of the county jail and had a few folks that might need to sit in the electric chair. Spitting fire and spewing smoke, I finished SONGS OF WILLOW FROST while cursing social workers with no social skills; a stepfather and father that proves any man filled with semen can knock up a woman, but the term father is earned through hard work and dedication to the cause; an aunt with high and mighty airs that needs a firm dose of reality along with a side helping of a smack down by The Rock; a lily-livered, pussy-footed halfwit who focuses more on tradition and not disappointing his family than following his heart…and fuck me I need a drink. Or better yet just leave the bottle of Jose Cuervo Gold and a wastebasket, and I’ll see you in the morning.

If our country ever becomes overrun by Uncle Leo and Auntie Eng and Colin Kwan and Mrs. Peterson and Charlotte’s pathetic excuse for a father, I’ll defect to Australia and commune with the crocodiles and probably double my happiness quotient. But William Eng and Liu Song carried this tale with pomp and plenty of charm and charisma. These two proved beyond tragic, as the world stomped on each of them time and time again. I constantly found myself asking how much worse could it get, and this question was followed by yet another tragedy. If I could have found a way, I would have asked the bad man to leave. The disasters were so profound I found myself wondering if I might benefit from the addition of prescription medication or electroshock therapy while clenching a piece of rubber between my teeth.

But like William and Liu, I wouldn’t give up, and I wouldn’t give in, and I wouldn’t let the bad man win. Reading this story proved a study in perseverance and courage and profound dedication, because every time the nail dropped my foot exploded in a white light of pain, and I cursed a blue streak loud enough to resurrect a Chinaman from his grave. But what kept me reading as much as the wonderfully drawn characters was the beautiful prose and animated spirit that flowed out of this novel and tickled my senses. Even if I had tried to pull myself away, I wouldn’t have made it far.

Disappointment rained down on me, and the characters, with hail the size of golf balls and clouds as dark as sin. In the end, though, there’s a positive message here: Pure beauty can come from the most horrid experiences. And on that note we shall depart, as I seek out a pumice stone to rub my entire body and cleanse my tainted aura.

I received this book for free through NetGalley.

Cross-posted at Robert's Reads ...more

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Jun 02, 2013 ☮Karen rated it liked it

Shelves: giveaways-librarything

I just loved Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Now I won an ARC of Songs of Willow Frost, but did not find it as engaging as the first. Let me first say that there is a good book lying beneath the surface here. However, the writing felt inconsistent to me, alternating from seemingly effortless and tidy, to some very choppy, awkward sentences and flow. The author seemed to struggle with the ability to convey the characters’ feelings. Instead he often spelled them out in too many words, whi ...more

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Sep 04, 2013 Dianne rated it it was ok

Disappointing, soap opera-y tale of an orphaned 12 year old boy, William Eng, trying to reunite with the mother who abandoned him at the Sacred Heart Orphanage in 1934 Seattle. The characters are one-dimensional and cartoonish - the bad people are so very, very BAD and the good people are long-suffering, heroic and wise beyond their years (William and his friend Charlotte talk and act like mature adults). As I forced myself to finish the book, I got the distinct feeling the author had a checklis ...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Diane S ☔ rated it liked it

I think I expected more from this novelist. Which probably is not fair, because this was a good book in its own way. I just never quite connected with the characters as much as I wished, felt almost a remove from them.
The story was okay but at times seemed forced and the dialogue just didn't flow. The main bones of the story is fascinating. I did feel for all the little children abandoned to the nuns in the orphanage. Believe me, these nuns could have been a little more caring, knowing how thes ...more

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Jul 08, 2013 Ladyslott rated it liked it

Shelves: family-relationships, friendship, relationships, fiction, coming-of-age, abuse, immigrant-experience, play-book-tag, survival, motherhood

I loved Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, so I was looking forward to Jamie Ford’s new book. However I was disappointed in Songs of Willow Frost.

It’s 1934 and William Eng is living in Sacred Heart Orphanage in Seattle. He has been there since his mother died 5 years earlier. When William sees a movie starring Willow Frost he is convinced that the actress is his mother, so he sets out to find her.

While the premise of the story is good the execution is not. There are a number of stereotypi ...more

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Aug 02, 2013 Camie rated it really liked it

Set in the depression era in Seattle this is a heartbreaking tale of a 12 year old Chinese boy William ,who lives in the Sacred Heart Academy orphanage ,wondering why he is there, and his mother who is desperately trying to escape her past and the reasons she is not able to raise her son. Throughout this book I was a little disappointed with the way William's mother Liu Song seemed to accept the horrible things that happened to her, but I kept remembering that these were different times for wome ...more

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Aug 07, 2013 Marcy prager rated it it was amazing

I LOVED this book by Jamie Ford, the author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. William is an orphan at Seattle's Sacred Heart Orphanage. He is the only Chinese child at the orphanage. No one would adopt a Chinese child. He continued to wonder why he was abandoned and left to stay in an orphanage where the porridge was gruel and the nuns strict and uncaring. William's friend was a girl named Charlotte. She was blind, and she truly cared for William, and he for her.

On a once a year outin ...more

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Jul 01, 2013 Jennifer Stephens rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, favorites, reviewed

One of the best aspects of being a book reviewer is the exposure to authors with whom I was not previously familiar. Instead of choosing books to read through my normal method - perusing the shelves at Barnes and Noble and admittedly judging by the covers – I’m voluntarily reading pretty much every book that comes my way via publishers seeking feedback.

This weekend I started and finished Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford. It’s set in the early 20th century against the backdrop of the great de ...more

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May 04, 2016 Pamela rated it it was ok

Shelves: washington-state, orphans, great-depression, controversial-topics, poverty, book-club, drama-noir, asia, historical-fiction

Utterly and totally, depressing! Oh, such dismal melodrama madness! A far cry from the praiseworthy excellence of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. And certainly not the best book to have read right before Mother's Day.

Egad!!!

Except for young Will, and his blossoming friendship with Charlotte, there wasn't much joy to be found; and even that glimmer of brightness was dashed horridly to pieces mid-book. What on earth???? I'm still mad about that!

Not a single member of book club had much ...more

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Sep 10, 2013 Jamise // Spines & Vines rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, kuyh-botm

Jamie Ford is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. He delivers a compelling story surrounding family, love, loss and reconciliation. The author has a way of writing that pulls the reader into the story and you feel that you are transported to the era which he is describing. His attention to detail and character development makes you feel each and every word.

I enjoyed all of the characters, even the not so likable ones.

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Aug 02, 2014 Olivermagnus rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, opi, historical-fiction

It is 1934 and the people of Seattle are suffering through the Great Depression. Twelve year old William lives in the Sacred Heart Orphanage with an assortment of other children who have been placed there for a variety of reasons. William has lost his mother, but not to death. He knows she is still alive and he will find her some day because she wouldn't have left him without a good reason. After seeing a movie featuring an actress named Willow Frost, he recognizes her as his mother. Setting out ...more

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Jun 07, 2013 Kathryn rated it liked it

Shelves: 2013

Sometimes volunteering at the library has added perks as it did this week when I was giving Jamie Ford's new book to read. This was a sad story taking place during very hard times in China town Seattle. Living in the Seattle area for most of my adult life I always learn so much from Jaime's books. Just when I thought this book had such a sorrowful ending I found there was one more chapter that brought things to a much better place.

I also thought the Author's Note where Jamie said the following ...more

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Jun 26, 2019 Yolanda Smith rated it it was amazing

Shelves: finished-in-2019, my-five-star-list

I loved Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, but Songs of Willow Frost has made me a die-hard fan of Jamie Ford. The story screams of injustice and gross misunderstanding, but it sings of the beauty of culture and depth of relationships. Ford writes in a captivating style that drew me in and made me feel like I was truly glimpsing the lives of William and Willow and forget I was a mere reader of their story.

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Aug 01, 2013 Vonia rated it liked it

Shelves: coming-of-age, entertainment-industry, historical-fiction, romance, chinese, ghosts-spiritual, orphans, suicide, feminism, friendships

Ford's two novels thus far are both engaging, creative, well-researched, unique time settings, layered yet relatable characters. So why are they not all-time-favorites for me? A little difficult for me to put into words, but something about his writing is still a little amateur. At least could use refining. He tells a little more than shows; is a little unnecessarily dramatic at times (i.e., "Willow prepared for the biggest performance of her life [saying goodbye to Colin]", "Charlotte's confess Ford's two novels thus far are both engaging, creative, well-researched, unique time settings, layered yet relatable characters. So why are they not all-time-favorites for me? A little difficult for me to put into words, but something about his writing is still a little amateur. At least could use refining. He tells a little more than shows; is a little unnecessarily dramatic at times (i.e., "Willow prepared for the biggest performance of her life [saying goodbye to Colin]", "Charlotte's confession... more heartfelt than anything William had been told before... "). Although these sentiments may sometimes be accurate, overuse naturally leads to undervalue. That being said, while reading this, I thought several times that this would play well as a film; the over dramatic scenes would translate well.

A novel about many things, but at its heart is abandonment, reconciliation, forgiveness between two deeply traumatized people. A mother and son whom both had their share of hard times, finding each other again, persevering with love. Sentimental as it should be, but Ford manages to not make it easy, nor overly sentimental. William, the orphan, has at least two valuable friends at Sacred Heart Orphanage that fully support him, Charlotte (a blind girl, his first friend with whom he escapes the first time & has a quasi romantic relationship with), and Sunny (his only male friend). On a birthday outing, William sees a preview with a beautiful Chinese singer he is somehow convinced is his mother, whom he has been told is no longer alive. Encouraged by Charlotte, he listens to his heart, leaving the orphanage with Charlotte in the back of a bookmobile, to find her. The woman in question, Lin Hung, known as Willow Frost these days, although very much alive, has her own dark story; unfortunate yet valid reasons that she has been unable to return for the son she loves more than her own life. Interwoven with this redeeming plot is that of William & Charlotte's friendship and/or romance, and Charlotte's own secrets when her father returns for her. All this is set against a very real illustration of Depression-Era Seattle; the historical significance of films, the history of Seattle's grandest theaters, Speakeasys, The Wah Mee, Chinatown in the early 1920s-1930s, the disadvantages & culture for women during that time, & how technology, radios, talking films were making their place, changing history along with lives.

Ford's historically accurate settings intertwined with complex characters as well as intriguing stories are things I have come to expect. I look forward to his next novel, rumored to be about The Seattle World's Fair! ...more

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Aug 01, 2013 Connie G rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, family, washington-state

Set in Seattle in the 1920s and 1930s, this is a story about the love between a mother and her son during desperate times. When the boys at Sacred Heart Orphanage celebrate their communal birthday, they are treated to an afternoon at the movies. Chinese-American William Eng recognizes the actress on the screen as his mother who abandoned him five years earlier. He decides to sneak out of the orphanage with a friend to search for his mother, Willow Frost. Eventually, Willow tells him her story, a ...more

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Aug 27, 2013 Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews rated it it was amazing

William lost his mother but not to death. He knew in his heart that she was still alive and he would find her some day, but he had to escape from the orphanage to do that. He knew that there was a reason she abandoned him because his mother wouldn't have left him without a good reason.

William knew nothing of his mother's past but it didn't matter. He had to find her. He and his friend Charlotte planned how to escape from the orphanage to find her. William was a kind, sweet boy just like his moth William lost his mother but not to death. He knew in his heart that she was still alive and he would find her some day, but he had to escape from the orphanage to do that. He knew that there was a reason she abandoned him because his mother wouldn't have left him without a good reason.

William knew nothing of his mother's past but it didn't matter. He had to find her. He and his friend Charlotte planned how to escape from the orphanage to find her. William was a kind, sweet boy just like his mother. You will feel so sorry for Liu Song and William as well since he had to live without his mother for five years when she was actually alive and close by. Most of the characters were sad and unhappy, but the book is exceptional.

SONGS OF WILLOW FROST tells the tale of Liu Song and her life of sadness, loneliness, and betrayal. Her life was not pleasant. Liu Song had to endure hardship and a cruel stepfather who made her call him Uncle because he was disappointed and embarrassed that she wasn't a boy. She also had to live with the stigma that her mother who was onstage was deemed no better than a prostitute.

You will feel Liu Song's pain, hopelessness, and humiliation ooze through the pages as Mr. Ford beautifully weaves between past and present. Beautiful like the good heart of Liu Song.

You will be immersed in old-world traditions as you follow Liu Song through her day being treated as a slave instead of a daughter. You will feel her pain as the inevitable happened to her because of her step-father's visits at night and her sadness as she had to give up happiness. You will HATE Uncle Leo because he is the one who caused all of Liu Song's problems.

SONGS OF WILLOW FROST was skillfully written in Mr. Ford's descriptive, flowing style and also very heart wrenching. I felt myself wanting to push Liu Song to tell the truth about what really happened to her and to move on so she could have some happiness in her life instead of despair. Mr. Ford allows you to feel as though you are right there feeling the emotions and living the lives the characters are leading.

SONGS OF WILLOW FROST was about making decisions, living with regrets, and longing for what some folks have and what you were deprived of.

SONGS OF WILLOW FROST is haunting, heartbreaking, and hard to believe yet mesmerizing. Mr. Ford’s marvelous talent won’t disappoint in his second book. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.
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Jun 15, 2013 Kathy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-authors, setting-as-a-character, historical-fiction, favorite-covers, highly-recommend

At first, I was tempted to compare Songs of Willow Frost with the much-loved Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, but, fortunately, I only held onto that temptation briefly. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet dealt with favorite subject matter for me, the tragic Japanese internment during WWII, and then introduced me to the Chinese element of that turbulent time in Seattle history. But, Songs of Willow Frost should be judged on its on merits, as it is a different story, although in the At first, I was tempted to compare Songs of Willow Frost with the much-loved Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, but, fortunately, I only held onto that temptation briefly. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet dealt with favorite subject matter for me, the tragic Japanese internment during WWII, and then introduced me to the Chinese element of that turbulent time in Seattle history. But, Songs of Willow Frost should be judged on its on merits, as it is a different story, although in the same setting. Writing a successful second novel must be one of the hardest accomplishments for an author, especially after the stunning popularity of the first, and, yet, Jamie Ford has done just that. He has dug back further into the Seattle history of the Chinese, both immigrants and those born in the United States, and given readers another engaging story of heartache and struggle, with the element of hope that Ford seems to employ as essential and authentic to his main characters. And, hope is hard to come by when choices only exist in the forms of different levels of hell.

It is 1934, and William Eng is having his twelfth birthday, to be celebrated along with all the other boys in the Sacred Heart Orphanage on September 28th, the designated day for all boys' birthdays at that institution. The celebration includes a trip for all the boys to a movie theater, a treat highly anticipated in the depression era of sparse meals and few possessions. This particular birthday turns out to offer up the gift that William has wished for during everyday of his past five years at Sacred Heart. He sees his mother again, not on the street or in a visit to the orphanage, but on the movie screen as an actress. His shock turns into determination to find her when he discovers that she is visiting the city. Of course, nothing is simple in a landscape of a penniless twelve-year-old orphan. That he does find her is only a small part of this complex story. With chapters going back to 1921 and forward to the present 1934, the woeful tale of Willow Frost, William's mother, is revealed, and his placement in it is unraveled.

Jamie Ford is an expert at creating empathetic characters and stories into which the reader becomes completely ensconced. That he imparts history at the same time is second nature, and smoothly interwoven into the narrative. I had been looking forward to Ford's second book for a while, and I'm delighted to report that it was well worth the wait.
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Jul 14, 2013 Anne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle

Jamie Ford does it again. I adored Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet, Jamie Ford‘s first novel, with its tender love story holding its own against a vividly drawn background of war and racial tension. I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but this novel steps it up another gear – if I wept at the first book, this one really had me in pieces. Again, the background is vast, but the focus is on a small story in the middle of it all.

There are two linked story threads, separated by time. In 1931 Jamie Ford does it again. I adored Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet, Jamie Ford‘s first novel, with its tender love story holding its own against a vividly drawn background of war and racial tension. I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but this novel steps it up another gear – if I wept at the first book, this one really had me in pieces. Again, the background is vast, but the focus is on a small story in the middle of it all.

There are two linked story threads, separated by time. In 1931, William is 12 and a long-term resident at the Sacred Heart orphanage near Seattle. This is a harsh environment of beatings and grub-ridden food: but this is the children’s birthday (an arbitrary one, based on the Pope’s birthday), so the children are given a present from home and a trip to the movie theatre. William’s “gift” is the news that his mother was taken to a sanatorium when doctors refused to care for her – both William and his mother are Chinese. At the theatre, William recognises the singer on the screen – known as Willow Frost – as his mother, and so begins his search for her, accompanied by his blind but clear-sighted friend Charlotte. The other thread is Willow’s story - one of persecution, prejudice, and survival by any means available.

This is a really heartbreaking read, told in a simple and straightforward storytelling style that I found quite mesmerising. It’s an easy read in some ways, but in others extremely difficult – there are some moments almost too painful to read on. William is a brilliantly drawn character – engaging and old beyond his years, but vulnerable and loveable too. Willow is also a strong character, singing at a sheet music store to support her child and surviving the most dreadful privations at home.

Despite the immense sadness the book manages to tread a difficult line to remain well on the right side of desperation, and Jamie Ford’s wonderfully simple prose and rich descriptions - that bring 20s and 30s Seattle to life - shine throughout. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is one of my books of the year so far – don’t miss it.

My thanks to netgalley and Random House/Ballantine for the advance reading e-copy. This book is published in the UK on 10th September.
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Oct 21, 2013 Jenny rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 2.75 stars. I really enjoyed Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, but this book was very different. Ford did an excellent job of research. He had many details sprinkled into this book about the Seattle area and its historical times. I also liked his theme of mother-child love.

For some reason, though, I didn't really connect with the two primary characters of William and Willow. Perhaps it was the almost stereotypical plights of the two: the poor orphan and the struggling female immigrant. A ...more

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Jul 23, 2013 Paul Pessolano rated it it was amazing

“Songs of Willow Frost” by Jamie Ford, published by Ballantine Books.

Category – Fiction Literature Publication Date – September 10, 2013

It is not often that a writer will have a successful first novel and follow it up with an even better one. Jamie Ford who had remarkable success with his first novel, “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” has put together a second novel that, in my opinion, will even be more successful. Ford has a remarkable talent in putting together stories that revolve ar ...more

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Mar 03, 2014 Marissa rated it did not like it

Shelves: i-quit

For the first time in a long LONG time, I quit a book. Even if I hate a book, I'll make it through to the end to give it a fair chance. But this one was giving me physical discomfort to continue reading. I agree with other reviews that it's like the author had a list of all the terrible clichés and events to put in this book- dirty orphanages, sad orphans, mean nuns, a little blind girl, rape, dead parents, sexism, racism, etc. We meet William Eng, a sad little orphan who only wants to know his ...more

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Sep 09, 2013 Book Mitch rated it really liked it

Shelves: my-book-club-choices-2013

4.5

A touching tale set in the Seattle area in the 1920's/30's, of a young Chinese girl named Willow coming from meager beginnings. She is shown love through the act of sacrifice from her mother. You are helpless as you read her story of pain, loss, and humiliation. Through the midst of all of this she shows her own ultimate act of love/sacrifice, which brings us to meet William, her son who lives in an Orphanage desperately looking for his mother. Willow finally sheds her acceptance that the app ...more

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Dec 31, 2014 Stephanie rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction

Story of a young boy, William Eng, growing up in an orphanage after being abandoned by his young, unwed Chinese mother. The setting is pre- and post-Depression era Seattle.

I really liked the story but I found that I would have liked it more if it were told completely from William's perspective, or completely from his mother, Liu Song's, perspective. The atrocities committed against young women and children by well-meaning (judgmental and ignorant) people made me so angry at times. There are some ...more

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Sep 04, 2013 Pamela rated it it was ok

Shelves: book-club, 2015

I really don't like giving bad reviews, but I so did not like this book. I find it to be overdramatic and melodramatic in the extreme. Example: "The brick facade looked a bit smaller, but the tall brick building still stood out like a tombstone, marking the death of everything he'd known." Or "Now devoid of the tokens and touchstones of life, the place felt like a mausoleum, a rotting cavity, mirroring the pit in his stomach. the only home he'd ever known was now a forgotten void where even the ...more

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Dec 30, 2013 Claire rated it did not like it

This is a very sad story of sad things happening to unlucky people. Just the sort of novel I do not usually like. I would not have picked this up ordinarily, but not one but two of my book clubs chose this so I gave it a go. And, book clubs are a great way to open your mind to new writers, you never know what you might find.

This is the story of a twelve-year old Chinese-American boy who grew up in an orphanage in Depression-era Seattle. He sets out to find his mother, who is a movie actress. He ...more

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Aug 19, 2013 Brooke rated it it was amazing

Wow!! There have been a lot of books that are centered around orphanages, but none come close to this book in my opinion.

Jamie Ford has a wonderful talent for describing in vivid detail the depression era in Seattle and took a some what simple story about love and turned it into one of the most touching and beautifully written stories I have ever read.

I loved the classic feel of the theatre and the trueness of life behind the stage lights. This book is rare, haunting, and will move you to tear ...more

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Dec 20, 2013 Lianne rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

I have to agree with my friend, Barb, who just reviewed this. I'm sure authors hate when their new books are compared to their previous books, but it just can't be helped. "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" was such a powerful book. This book has an okay storyline but it had a hard time holding my interest. The story had good characters, but somehow I wanted more.

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Nov 04, 2019 Jenny rated it liked it

I think the premise of this book was better than the execution. The synopsis makes it out as if the main plot of the story is 13 year old William finding Willow Song while navigating the streets of Seattle. That part of the story actually comes to a climax so early into the book that the pacing was very confusing. The rest of the story was basically a heartbreaking list of bad things that can happen to people. This book wasn't bad, but I didn't connect with it because it just felt like the entir ...more

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Sep 26, 2013 Kirstin rated it really liked it

www.justtoomanybooks.wordpress.com

Ford's first book, The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, was on my Top 10 list the year I read it. I did not like Willow Frost as much. Its a good book, and an enjoyable read- I just wasn't able to connect with it as much.

William is the only Chinese boy in a San Francisco orphanage in 1934. On their one outing a year, he sees a beautiful Chinese movie star on the big screen, and becomes convinced she is his long-lost mother. This is the story of William's www.justtoomanybooks.wordpress.com

Ford's first book, The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, was on my Top 10 list the year I read it. I did not like Willow Frost as much. Its a good book, and an enjoyable read- I just wasn't able to connect with it as much.

William is the only Chinese boy in a San Francisco orphanage in 1934. On their one outing a year, he sees a beautiful Chinese movie star on the big screen, and becomes convinced she is his long-lost mother. This is the story of William's search for Willow Frost. It is also the story of Willow herself- how she went from being the daughter of a penniless widow to being a movie star.

Both stories are well-drawn. They incorporate the historical climate of racism, war, and one of film's golden eras. Through their eyes, the past comes alive in colorful- if oten sad- detail.

I felt like William's story was strongest regarding his friends at the orphanage who became his partners in his search for Willow Frost. Sunny, another boy at the orphanage, is marginalized like William because he is Native American. Charlotte is a blind girl who still seems to have the clearest glimpse of William's dreams for the future.

The strongest part of Willow's story was the few chapters when she was happily in love- in between yeats of humiliation and abuse by her stepfather, and years of suffering and sacrifice as a single mother.

What made me most sad- and even angry- was not the people who outright abused the less powerful in this story- minorities, women, children, single moms, and the disabled- but those who saw the abuse and did nothing. For me, in the end, that's what came through the strongest. Oh, it was a story about family, and love, and heritage. It was a story about what people will do for the people they love. But it also felt like a cautionary tale, about what can happen when we turn a blind eye to those in need around us.

Did William find his mom, and was she Willow Frost? I'll let you read the book to find out. But William discovers that he was always loved- by his friends, his mother, and even the nuns at the orphanage. Willow discovers her own capacity for strength, beauty and love. ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Play Book Tag: Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford 3 stars	8	24	Sep 18, 2016 12:50PM
general	11	87	Jan 07, 2015 05:43PM
Goodreads Authors...: Songs of Willow Frost	1	10	Nov 08, 2014 09:17AM
Casual Readers: Songs of Willow Frost	2	26	Jan 01, 2014 10:04AM

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About Jamie Ford

Jamie Ford

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Jamie Ford’s debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, spent two years on the New York Times bestseller list and went on to win the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. Jamie’s work has been published in 34 languages. Also, because Jamie feels weird writing about himself in the 3rd person, he’s going to say…

Hi, this is me.

Not a publicist. Not some weird aggregated bit of ...more