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wanderingbean's review against another edition
3.0
Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford has a lot going on in its story. It's a love story, a look at Seattle and the World's Fair during the 1910s and 1960s, and a look at the world of human trafficking. The story is interesting but not gripping. The characters particularly the secondary ones (the upstairs girls and downstairs girls) are not really well developed and in a book with so much going on, that only adds to the blur of it. Some of the plot points are not really well explained or seem to defy the logic of the situation (ex: Fahn's story line).
I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
jillblumenthal's review against another edition
5.0
This was a great first read of 2018! I love how Jamie Ford took the historical elements surrounding Seattle's two 20th Century World Fairs and wove them into a fascinating and sometimes disturbing story. In his afterword, he wrote, "my de facto muse seems to be a never-ending appetite for lost history -- the need to constantly turn over rocks and look at the squish things underneath," and he does this beautifully. I liked learning about Harris Teeter major characters, and the mystery of which woman Ernest ends up with and why. Ford's novel also raises questions about human trafficking, the rights and treatment of women, politics, and other issues.
emma_m_thomas's review against another edition
2.0
I think I would have really enjoyed this book when I was 16. It was just so “ugh,” and full of eye rolls. Not a fan.
wasupe12's review against another edition
I found the characters flat, and the story dull. Nothing like "Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet."
marvnjack's review against another edition
4.0
Easy read not without its heartaches. At first I was upset with who Gracie was but was convinced it was the only way to have ended in the final pages.
suzehint's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
wengergal's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. This book was not what I expected. Not sure what I expected from the blurb but it wasn't this book. This is not a bad thing at all.
The book alternates between time periods of Earnest's life. The first is him as a young boy through his teenage years and then as an older man. For the longest time, I was not sure who Grace was. Was Grace Fahn or Maisie? I thought this was a great idea on Ford's part to keep the reader in suspense. I was sure that I knew then I would change my mind.
This was the first of Ford's books that I have read and it won't be the last.
I received this book from NetGalley for an unbiased review.
The book alternates between time periods of Earnest's life. The first is him as a young boy through his teenage years and then as an older man. For the longest time, I was not sure who Grace was. Was Grace Fahn or Maisie? I thought this was a great idea on Ford's part to keep the reader in suspense. I was sure that I knew then I would change my mind.
This was the first of Ford's books that I have read and it won't be the last.
I received this book from NetGalley for an unbiased review.
novina_maree's review against another edition
4.0
A life left unclaimed
Conflicting desires held
And choices are made
Conflicting desires held
And choices are made
sueemmy's review against another edition
4.0
Exceptional view into a very specific time and place .... the red light district in Seattle around 1910.
A young boy of mixed Chinese heritage is raffled off at the Seattle Exposition and ends up living in a brothel.
A young boy of mixed Chinese heritage is raffled off at the Seattle Exposition and ends up living in a brothel.