This is the first time I have read anything by Jamie Ford but I plan to change this pretty quickly. This book has so many layers to it that I am not sure how to begin. It is a romance, a drama, and a glimpse into American history in the early 1900's. The book is based on the true story of a boy named Ernest who was raffled off at the 1909 World's Fair.

The story starts with a 5 year old half Chinese boy witnessing his mother commit a truly violent act. The boy and his mother are starving. She wants to give her son the chance to have a better life so she sends him to America with a group of human traffickers/slave traders. Ernest finds himself on a boat with other Chinese and Japanese boys and girls on their way to be mail order brides, laborers, and some other very unsavory positions. He meets the first girl he will ever love on this boat. Once in Washington, Ernest finds himself bouncing from 1 boarding house to another. He has a benefactor at his last boarding house and he decides that he should ask her if he can be released to make his own way in the world. She has other plans and Ernest finds himself at the 1909 World's Fair being raffled off like some sort of prize. He is taken in by a madame at a very high end brothel in the red light district. Ernest begins to embrace and even love his new life as a driver for the house. He also has 2 girls that he has fallen deeply in love with. Ernest, Fahn, and Maisie form an unbreakable bond that helps them navigate through some pretty tough scenarios.

This book is so well written that the reader begins to feel what the characters do as the author tackles tough subjects like human trafficking, physical abuse, mental illness, and prostitution. The chapters are set up so that each one just about is set in a different time period ranging from Ernest in the present (1960's) to Ernest in his childhood/teenage years (1900's). The fact that a lot of places and events in the book are real as well as the overall treatment of immigrants speaks volumes on the American mindset at the time. I enjoyed this book very much. I actually plan to add a physical copy to my bookcase.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this novel, more so than his last one. I found the characters really well developed, both engaging and realistic, and the story itself was well done. The historical setting really came alive for me with his writing. The story moves between two time periods - early 1900 and then the 1960's, but it's done well and the transitions help move the story along. It's always interesting to read what was acceptable at different times in history - imagine trying to auction off an orphan in current times! Even though I didn't enjoy Ford's second novel as much as his others, after this one I will definitely look for more from him.

I am voluntarily submitting my honest review after receiving an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley.

Since reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, I have had high expectations of Jamie Ford. His latest novel, Love and Other Consolation Prizes, delivers in a big way. Ford masterfully weaves together the story of two young immigrants in the US at the time of the 1910 World's Fair with their twilight years at the time of the 1962 World's Fair. From despair and moral outrage to joy and triumph, this book inspires a range of emotions, but overall, it is a heartwarming and uplifting read while remaining dutifully cognizant of the injustices and hypocrisy of the society and time period of the setting. This is a must read for fans of historical fiction, as well as fans of women's fiction.

I am never let down by the writing of Jamie Ford. I loved Hotel on the corner of Bitter and Sweet and I loved this new book. No emotion is left unfelt and remnant thoughts of characters stayed with me long after the back cover closed.

The Chinese Exclusion Act(s) were aimed at curbing Chinese immigration into this country. In light of today’s ant-immigrant sentiments, this is well worth reading. A chilling look at our discriminatory past that still haunts us.

Leaving your mother at age five, going with a stranger, and living in the bowels of a boat to America was not something anyone would wish for a child but what was done back in 1909.

Yung had to leave his mother because they both were starving, and her hope was for a better life for her son.

When Yung got to America, his name was changed to Ernest, and he spent his first few years at a school where he was always the underling even though a rich woman, Mrs. Irvine, was paying for his room and board.

One day Mrs. Irvine told Ernest she was taking him to the World's Fair. She didn't take him to enjoy it, but to be auctioned off in a raffle as a strong, healthy boy.

Ernest ended up being won by the owner of a brothel as a houseboy, and the place he met his wife.

Now his childhood and his life before children and marriage were coming to light. His daughter is a reporter and is investigating the World's Fair and stories she heard about those who attended. She knew her father had been there and wants to know everything.

Ernest didn't want to tell his daughter his story because then she would find out about her mother's life at that time. It was a life that wasn't anything to be proud of. Gracie was now suffering from dementia, and Ernest was hoping she wouldn't accidentally remember the life she led when she was young and tell her daughter.

We follow Ernest from his childhood to present day and learn what life was like for him in both times. We get a well-researched glimpse into everyday living during the early 1900’s as well as the life in a brothel.

LOVE AND OTHER CONSOLATION PRIZES is another marvelous, stunning, beautifully told story by Jamie Ford with characters that will steal your heart.

Mr. Ford knows how to tell a story and keep your interest with his meticulous historical research, his history lesson, and his superb writing style.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - I hope you are able to also read it. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher and Net Galley in return for an honest review.

This is another well done historical fiction by Jamie Ford. In 1962, the World's Fair is in Seattle. Earnest, in his mid 60s, is looking back on his life. His wife is suffering from a rare form of dementia. Like Ford’s other books, this one focuses on Americans of Chinese descent and employs a back and forth narrative between two different times.

Ford draws you into his story immediately. It's always a bit of a shock what was considered acceptable in the old days. Raffling off a child at the 1909 World’s Fair with the President pulling the winning ticket? No problem. And in case you doubt it could really happen, this episode is based on a true story.

Ford definitely has a gift. He manages to combine a winning story with amazing characters. This story describes how a family can be formed anywhere and love does triumph. Ford describes how limited the choices are for those in the Tenderloin and how necessity makes it easy to trump virtue. As Earnest says “he was caught up in the blatant, unrepentant honesty of the Tenderloin- as naked and bare as the girls upstairs”.

Ford tugs at your heartstrings. Earnest is determined to keep his wife’s background hidden, even from their prying reporter daughter. This, despite the fact his wife barely knows who he is most days.

It's been awhile since I've seen the movie, but a large part of the book put me in mind of Pretty Baby. And I could see this book being turned into a movie as well.

My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

Jamie Ford has produced another readable story that will be book club gold with Love and Other Consolation Prizes. Ernest's story of finding home, family, and love after a difficult start in Seattle is by turns heartbreaking and sweet. He's fiercely protective and loyal to those who give him a home, and his devotion shows in the scenes that take place in his later years as he is confronted with his history (and that of his wife) by his journalist daughter. Jamie Ford excels at writing historical fiction with heart, crafting characters that are deeply intriguing and vividly described places. This was a pleasure to read.

Jamie Ford certainly has another winner with this one! Beautifully written historical novel tells the story of Ernest, a Chinese orphan who is raffled off at the Seattle World's Fair in 1909 to the Madame of a well-know brothel as a house boy. While living and working there, Ernest meets and falls for two women - Maisie, the Madame's daughter, and Fahn, one of the servants.

The story is not only a historical fiction romance, it is a commentary on the times. Morality, religion, lifestyles, are all wrapped up with this story reflecting on the period and shading the characters. The characters are lovely and well-developed. It's a great story!

Thanks to Jamie Ford and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If I were to give a one-word description of the feel of this book, I'd probably say "nostalgic". We follow Ernest Young back to his past, as he is sent from China to America on basically a slave ship, rescued, and eventually auctioned to a brothel. Several times I looked up some of the historical events on Google and learned that they (or something very similar) really happened - incredible. Seattle at the turn of the century was quite an interesting place! Ernest was a great character. He was tender and kind, and his friendships and family will stick with me. 4.5 stars.

“There are people in our lives whom we love, and lose, and forever long for. They orbit our hearts like Halley’s Comet, crossing into our universe only once, or if we’re lucky, twice in a lifetime. And when they do, they affect our gravity.”

I loved The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and Songs of Willow Frost’, so I was thrilled to snag an ARC Jaime Ford’s latest novel Love and Other Consolation Prizes. Once again Seattle is the vivid backdrop for the tale that travels between the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific exposition in 1909 and the World's Fair of 1962. Three rich characters take the reader on a journey that pulls at your heartstrings. How coming-of-age choices impact a lifetime. Complete with love and intrigue, this expertly written historical fiction shines light on a little-known period in time. Read this book - your heart will thank you.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Jamie Ford has a formula, and it works for him. If you loved "The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet", you'll enjoy this book. If you're looking for something more -- something deeper, something different -- you'll do better finding another title.

Fans of Jamie Ford’s previous novels will not be disappointed with his most recent work, Love and Other Consolation Prizes. Based on a true story, Ford weaves the tale of Yung, a young boy born into extreme poverty, who is also an outcast because he is half-Chinese, half-American.

In desperation, his starving mother sends him away on a ship, hoping that he will have a better life. She gives him one parting gift--a hairpin. This gift becomes his good luck charm and he carries it with him throughout his life.

After arriving in America, he is renamed Earnest Young and is bounced around from one orphanage to another until one “benefactor” has the idea of raffling him off at the first Seattle World’s Fair in 1909. Much to the benefactor’s dismay, the winning ticket holder is the madame of the classiest brothel in town.

Ernest begins his life in the brothel by running errands and other miscellaneous tasks for the women who work there. It is here he meets the two loves of his life -- Maisie, the precocious daughter of the owner, and Fahn, a girl who came over from China on the same ship with him.

The story moves back and forth in a dual timeline as Ernest tells his daughters the story of his life and the life of their mother, Gracie, who is ill with a form of dementia. Even though much of the story takes place in a brothel, readers are not privy to the closed door activities of the working girls.

Set amidst the backdrop of amusement parks and social upheaval, Ford successfully gives readers a sweet story of love and hope in spite of difficult circumstances. I enjoyed the characters, loved the ending and found this a pleasure to read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

Fantastic! This is my favorite of Fords novels to date. I adore stories that allow elderly characters to revisit their pasts. So many amazing events happen during lifetimes that we take it for granted to ask our elders about there own experiences. This is perfect historical fiction... I feel confident that this novel will be a huge success. 5 stars.

A good book. Jumping back and forth from the past to the present in the lives of these people was very effective. Believable.

“There are people in our lives whom we love, and lose, and forever long for. They orbit our hearts like Halley’s Comet, crossing into our universe only once, or if we’re lucky, twice in a lifetime. And when they do, they affect our gravity.”

Jamie Ford’s latest novel, Love and Other Consolation Prizes weaves a story of love, loss, and redemption, as it tells the story of a young man and his search to belong.

In the early 1900s, young Ernest (at that time, Yung Kun-ai), was taken from his homeland of China after witnessing a horrific act from his mother. As a five-year-old with a mother unable to care for him, Ernest is taken to America, desperately in hope of a “better life.” He became a charity case at a boarding school, but as a half-Chinese boy, he didn’t quite fit in. In 1909, during a visit to the breathtaking Seattle’s World Fair, he is raffled off as a prize to the person with the winning ticket. It is here that he finally finds what he’s always wanted – a place to belong.

The cathartic nature of memories was also important. Gracie had been diagnosed with neurosyphilis, which had been latent since contracted in her days working as a prostitute. Neurosyphilis can present Alzheimer-like symptoms in patients, like in Gracie. It wasn’t until she started to come to terms with her past, subconsciously wrestling with the idea that she wasn’t good enough, that she was finally able to start to heal.

What I really like about Jamie Ford’s writing is he has a way of drawing the reader in. He alternated between 1909/1910 and 1962 in a way that, although over 50 years apart, seemed to be running side-by-side, slowly closing the gap and leading to the “big reveal.” Although the identity of Gracie (Fahn? Maisie?) was a major plot point of the story, it wasn’t the main point. It didn’t matter who Gracie was, what mattered was Ernest’s love and devotion toward her, even when she didn’t remember her love toward him; what mattered was the life they built together, the legacy they would pass onto their daughters; what mattered was their survival in a world that wasn’t always kind or fair, but their eventual triumph.

And that was both beautiful and poignant.

I really enjoyed Love and Other Consolation Prizes. It was beautiful and surprising and poignant and captivating, all rolled into one. I look forward to reading more of Jamie Ford's books in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for an advanced copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review!

VERY VERY good book. I was a little concerned that it was going to be dry since this book is supposed to be based on a true story, but the opposite was true. I really truly liked this book and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen to all of the characters. We have Ernest who is really the main character and what he sees and goes through. This book switches between around 1909 and 1965 so when Ernest is young/teen and when he is older and has a family of his own.

Ernest gets sold by his mom after he watches his mom bury his alive sister. He is then almost drowned, tranfered to numerous homes he ends up getting "won" at the first World Fair in Washington. He works for an upscale "whore house" and meets a lot of interesting people.

4 1/2 Stars
Jamie Ford has written another wonderful
Historical novel set in Seattle between the years of the 1909 Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition World's Fair and the 1962 World's Fair. The early years take place in the Tenderloin District and Ford does a remarkable job of bringing that era to life with a colorful cast of characters and his accurate accounting of history. The story of the later years revolves around his wife and the loss of her memory. Ford weaves these two time frames together seamlessly, while breathing life into a history most of us know little about. A poignant love story is in the midst of this novel, but there is so much more to this beautiful story.

Oh, my! Such a sweet story! I love that Ernest was based on a real boy who was auctioned off at the fair- I wonder what became of him?
Story, Ernest, was raised in a turn of the 20th century brothel. The story goes back and forth between the past and present, but wasn't confusing at all. It tells the story of Ernest, Gracie, and Maisie, their lives and history together and apart. Ford is a really great writer. I got sucked into the story and read the whole book at one sitting (that doesn't happen very often!) but I had to read it! It's a good summer read. Wonderful story!

The book is an emotional roller coaster ride. The book follows Ernest Young when he was sold or given away in China to come to the US. Once he reaches the US, he is almost killed and then put in foster care. From there, he gains a wealthy patron, who becomes a thorn in his side. Once he loses favor with the wealthy patron she raffles him off at the Worlds Fair to a brothel in Seattle.
Once at the brothel, he falls in love with two girls with opposite personalities. The book is a love story but you don't know which girl he chooses to be with till the very end of the book. Ernest is very likable and the author made a great book even better by leaving the reader in suspense on who did Ernest marry! Overall, a wonderful tale of love and loss.