Songs of Willow Frost

by Jamie Ford

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 on the silver screen who goes by the name of Willow Frost. Struck by her features, William is convinced that the movie star is his mother, Liu Song.

Determined to find Willow, and prove his mother is still alive, William escapes from Sacred Heart with his friend Charlotte. The pair navigates the streets of Seattle, where they must not only survive, but confront the mysteries of William’s past and his connection to the exotic film star. The story of Willow Frost, however, is far more complicated than the Hollywood fantasy William sees onscreen.

Shifting between the Great Depression and the 1920s, Songs of Willow Frost takes readers on an emotional journey of discovery. Jamie Ford’s sweeping book will resonate with anyone who has ever longed for the comforts of family and a place to call home.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club, Historical, Audiobook, Adult Fiction, Adult

319 pages, Hardcover

First published September 10, 2013

About the author

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 web-content, just little ol’ me, the author, sitting here in my favorite Batman pajamas (yes, I have several pairs) writing this note in my cozy home office, dog at my feet. Her name is Lucy and she’s twitching right now, obviously chasing squirrels in her dreams.

While we’re chatting, I should mention that my latest novel novel, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, is now available for pre-order :)

If you’re looking for more things that have spilled out of my brain, I have steampunk storiess in The End is Nigh, The End is Now, and The End Has Come (The Apocalypse Triptych). Also a tale in Stories from Suffragette City.

Lest I forget, I have a story in Anonymous Sex, but I'm not allowed to say which story is mine.

Reviews

[Fiona Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[☮Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

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, which was cliché and tiresome -- He felt like, He thought that, She felt as if…. Please show me, don’t tell me. I’m hoping a good editor can fix these flaws in the final version as this is history that should be told. It also could have been much shorter and concise, with less of Willow’s rambling and repetitive chapters. I did appreciate the Author’s Notes at the end, where Ford summed it all up.

[Dianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 checklist of “Trials and Tribulations” at his side as he wrote. He missed nothing – orphans abandoned by their parents, orphanages run by cruel nuns (oatmeal with weevils! Cue Charles Dickens!), plagues, incest, rape, spousal abuse, murder, suicide, racism, poverty, sexual harassment, miscarriage, forced sterilization, uncaring social workers...I honestly think he tagged all the bases.

“Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” was one of my very favorite books in 2009. I was so looking forward to Jamie Ford’s next book, but this is a melodramatic miss. Hoping his next book will be more like the first.

A 1.5. Will round up to a 2 for the 1920-1930's atmosphere.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 these children must have felt losing their parents or parent.

The two different sides of his mother seemed almost impossible. How does a person change so much? I know they can become bitter when life doesn't turn out the way they expected, but his mother does a complete 360.

So I liked it, it was a good story, I just wanted to feel a little more involved in these character's lives.

[Marcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 outing, William saw a poster with a Chinese "star" of movies, named Willow. Convinced that Willow was his mother, he and Charlotte hide in a book mobile, and travel to the city in search of Willow. Willow is indeed William's mother. From then on, the story becomes William's and Charlotte's in the present, and Willow's story of the past, trying to explain to William why she had been forced to abandon the one person she loved in the world the most.

Willow's story is one of unhappiness. Her father died of influenza. Her life became unbearable when her mom remarried and got sick. Leo, Willow's stepfather, uses "Liu Song," to make money off of her beautiful voice, and abuses her, raping her, leaving her pregnant with William. A young girl, unmarried, Chinese, and pregnant, did not have a chance to make ends meet. Liu Song's life was filled with low self esteem, her dignity and hopes dashed time and time again.

This story is heartbreaking and painful on many levels. Willow, William, and Charlotte felt betrayed by their families, through not fault of their own. They lived with hope, only to have life's ugly reality rear its head throughout the story. I could not stop reading...I look forward to more novels written by Jamie Ford.

[Joy D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in Seattle during the Great Depression, twelve-year-old William Eng has been living in an orphanage since age seven, when his mother, Liu Song, was discovered in the bathtub, listless and bleeding, and taken away. William believes she is still alive. When the children are treated to a movie, he sees a woman on the screen, Willow Frost, who resembles her.

The book contains two storylines – William’s and Willow’s (via flashbacks). Both are extremely sad, reflecting the difficult lives led by many Chinese and Chinese Americans during the time period. I enjoyed it but found it too melodramatic in places. I have read two other books by this author. My favorite is Love and Other Consolation Prizes. I also very much enjoyed Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I listened to the audio book, read by Ryan Gesell. He reads well – his style is fluid, and he provides the characters with distinct voices.

[Ladyslott · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 stereotypical villains; a cruel nun, a vicious stepfather, uncaring stepmother etc. The story was frequently melodramatic and was so bleak at times it was hard to read; after a time I became inured to all the terrible things that happened to Willow.

William is supposed to be 12 years old, but he often thought and spoke as an adult and that was off-putting. I also found it hard to believe that a boy and his young blind companion could roam the streets of Seattle for days without arousing suspicion.

It’s clear that a lot of research went into this book and a lot of the information about the movie business at that time was very interesting, but overall the book fell flat for me.

[Amanda B · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5🌟 A heart tugging and tear jerking read.

[Vonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

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!

[Marissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 mother. He sees a movie star and thinks "yup, that's her." And then he meets her and he was right. So then we hear her side of the story. This idea is interesting, but could have been done so much better. I'm picturing more of a plot out of Murakami's 1Q84 where the characters know each other and are destined to meet through their shared histories, and they finally FINALLY meet near the end and it's beautiful. I would have liked the mystery of this actress to have been kept a little longer. Or it could have taken more time to develop her character and the audience could have deduced on their own whether she was William's mother or not. Aside from improvements that could have been made in the plot/timeline, the writing was pretty terrible. The orphans did not sound like 12-year-olds. And the writing was just clumsy and awkward in general. The characters are completely flat and there was no deep understanding of their motivations. There also could have been more cultural exploration of the Chinese-American experience in 1920s/30s Seattle or more exploration of that historical setting. I expected a lot more from this author after the success and acclaim of his first book.

[Camie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 women and also that she was from a culture that had very strong expectations of acceptable behavior. I was glad that as the book progressed she was more able to make better choices and gain enough strength to fight for the future of both herself and her son . My favorite line by Liu Song "I just realized that I am perfect for you.......It's just that you are not perfect for me." You go girl. !!! 4 stars.

[Jennifer Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 depression and focuses on a Chinese mother and son that have been torn apart by excruciating circumstances. I absolutely could not put this book down. Ford’s prose is beautiful and evocative. He expertly pulls readers into the story right from the first pages. I identified with this young abandoned son as we came to know him in his orphanage home. I felt his sadness as it was recounted by Ford; my heart welled up with anticipation and hope as his heart pounded with excitement of the same. Buoyed by a startling appearance of of a woman that looks and sounds much like the mother he presumed to be dead, our protagonist, William Eng, teams with his friend Charlotte to escape the orphanage and find Liu Song, who he believes is now entertaining audiences under the name Willow Frost. When he finally stands face to face with Willow, the information she conveys changes his life and outlook forever. In Songs of Willow Frost the question on every human heart – Am I truly loved – is asked and answered to a satisfying conclusion.

This is one of the best reads of 2013 so far. Recommendation: Strong buy.
Songs of Willow Frost: A Novel

[Connie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

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, and why she signed away her parental rights to the orphanage.

The history about the film industry, the difficult economic times, and the discrimination faced by the Chinese added interest to the book. Although I enjoyed this novel, it didn't have quite as much of an emotional impact on me as the author's first book, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. However, Songs of Willow Frost should be another book group favorite since there would be many areas for discussion--motherhood, orphanages, Chinese culture, the Roaring Twenties, the Depression, and historical changes in the opportunities available to women.

[Jamise · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Yolanda Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Olivermagnus · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 with his best friend, a blind girl named Charlotte, he searches to find her and why she abandoned him.

The story takes us back and forth from the perspective of William (1934) and Lin Song (1921). It is a touching story about family love and loyalty and the pursuit of one's dreams. It also had an authentic feel to both the time period and the struggle of Chinese Americans. It also showed us how difficult it was for a single woman with a child. I think this book will appeal to a lot of readers for its mix of history and fiction.

My only criticism was that, at times, the plot was fairly predictable and that it tended to slow down in spots. The story gains momentum as it narrates the heart-breaking decisions we sometimes are forced to make. I didn't feel drawn into the world of Liu Song but I did feel for her and the mistakes she made along the way to becoming the movie star, Willow Frost. Most of the characters were sad and unhappy, and even though the story was very enlightening I didn’t feel as engaged as I would have liked. I think the characters could have been more fully developed. I do believe, though, that the author exposed the atmosphere that existed in this country during the time period and also emphasized both Willow and William's refusal to give up the hope of having their dream come true. I didn't like it as well as Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet but it was still a worthwhile read.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 was most interesting.

My writing career began when I wrote my parents' eulogies. I was an aspiring writer, fumbling for years with this thing call fiction, but too often I had nothing to substance to write about. It was only after I'd collected enough scars that I found the expository canvas on which to paint my stories, like the one of Willow Frost.

[Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

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. Also, William seemed way too mature for a child of his age, and his raising up in the orphanage had a very Oliver vibe to it. Willow, I had a hard time following and connecting with until the middle portion of the story. This may be because of the structure of the book... The novel starts off with William but then switches into memories of Willow and goes back and forth between the two.

I had a slight pet peeve with the Cantonese in the book, too. William keeps calling his mother "ah-ma," which is a bit confusing, because the phrase for paternal grandmother can also be called that. There is also one important scene where Willow asks for help. Instead of using the gentle phrase of "please, can someone help me?," I thought she would have used something more like "gao meng" to save herself. Also, I noticed at least one place ("Merry Christmas") where it seemed like Mandarin was swapped in for the Cantonese.

Overall, I felt that this novel was too melodramatic (certain set-ups also seemed almost too unbelievable, like the uncle Leo situation), and there was a very depressing feel to it through the majority of the scenes. Also, with the ending (despite it being slightly alluded to in writing and therefore justified), I still wondered why Willow hadn't made her decision regarding William earlier since she had achieved fame for many years.

[Paul Pessolano · Rating 5 out of 5]

“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 around Chinese mores and superstitions that collide with the American way of life. Liu Song, a beautiful teenager, is the daughter of parents who were involved in Chinese theater. When her father dies her mother marries unwisely and Liu Song pays for this unwise decision. A young Chinese boy, William Eng, due to the depression has been put into an orphanage. He like so many orphans at the time lived with the hope of their parents coming back for them when the economy improved. Sadly, for most, this never happened. William sees a movie and believes that one of the actresses, Willow Frost, may be his mother. Willow Frost is coming to town for a performance and William must find a way to get out of the orphanage and confront Willow.

The novel moves between the years 1921 and 1934 and relives the lives of Liu Song and William.

“Songs of Willow Frost” contain an emotional upheaval that moves from joy to sorrow and everything feeling in between. A superb novel that will thrill the readers of “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” and will have those reading “Song of Willow Frost” running to their favorite bookstore for a copy of “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet”.

[Claire · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 does find her, and we hear the tragic tale of how he came into existence and how she had to give him up. These two characters have never done any wrong, and always made decisions for the right reasons. But bad people have done bad things to them and they have also had some bad luck along the way. This is just the sort of writing I dislike, and the kind of one-dimensional characters that leave me cold.

The book was depressing and rather dull from the outset, and as the story unfolds, the characters' lives go from bad to worse. There is at least a happy ending, although a disappointingly predictable one.

click here to read the rest of my reviews

[Book Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 apple doesn't fall far from the tree and makes the most difficult decisions of her life.

I really enjoyed this story. I became quite taken with William, and my heart poured out to Willow.

What would have made this book a 5 star for me:

1) The nuns. I couldn't decide if I hated them or not. I don't know if the author meant for them to be horribly mean, or just stern and protective. I was at a loss for how bad to feel for William.

2) William is so amicable. Even though Willow's story is horrible, he never once had a moment of melt down. He was far too agreeable, especially for a 12 year old hormonal boy.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 triggers here rape and suicide , so sensitive people be aware.

All in all, it was a good story that gave me hope in the end that things would work out for William and his mother.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Set in Seattle in the 1920s and 30s, about a 12 yr old Chinese boy who lives in a horrible orphanage but thinks he’s seen his mother in a film. He’s determined to find her. I am a huge fan of Jamie Ford.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

DARK AND DEPRESSING.

"The things that we do, that make us so black, and leave us feeling so blue."—page 314

Dark and depressing is not my favorite flavor of novel. And, yet, I couldn't put it down…

After reading his second novel, SONGS OF WILLOW FROST, I just want to say, "shame on you, Jamie Ford." Shame on you for treating such wonderful characters, in such a cinematic setting, so shabbily—and filling their lives with such desolation, desperation, and despair. These are the (fictitious) folks who put the food on your table, after all. They deserve better. You really do need to change your breakfast menu.

Ford's first novel, HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET, as I remember it, was a delightful, engaging, life affirming, love story. SONGS..., by comparison, has all of the unloved, 'life's a bitch...,' bitter; and little of the sweet.

And, yet, I couldn't put it down...

Recommendation: I just don't know... To whom could I recommend so much sadness? (Albeit well researched and well written sadness.)

" 'We don't get to choose our parents,' Sunny said. 'If we did, some of us might choose never to be born at all.' "—page172

NOOKbook edition, from Barnes and Noble, 331 pages.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book which was set in 1920s an 30s Seattle and dealt with the plight of Chinese Americans at that time and place, especially women. The storyline involves a young boy, William Eng, who had been abandoned to an orphanage but has memories of his mother. On a rare trip to the outside world, he is shocked to recognize her on stage as the beautiful star, Willow Frost, and sets out to reunite with her. The rest of the story is Willow's.

In spite of a promising start and some nice historical details of the period, the book was hugely disappointing. The writing was melodramatic and repetitive and the characters were one-dimensional caricatures. I made it through, but just barely.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 tears!