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There are currently 31 member reviews
for Songs of Willow Frost
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Florence K. (Encino, CA)
Songs of Willow Frost
I read this book as part of the First Impressions group. Jamie Ford averted the sophomore jinx that besets so many writers. It is a good book but falls short of being a great one. The author does capture the deprivations of the Great Depression and the mood of the country at that time. The Dickensian orphanage where much of the story takes place had a chilling effect on me. I felt that some of the characters verged on stereotypes. Nonetheless it is a good read and would make a good selection for a book club.
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Celia A. (Takoma Park, MD)
Songs of Willow Frost
I read and enjoyed Jamie Ford's first novel, The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, so I was set to enjoy his second one as well. He did not disappoint. He drew me into the world of immigrant and native-born Chinese Americans in the 1920s and 1930s. I found myself getting angry at and for characters. When events unfolded in ways that went against my modern sensibilities, I had to remind myself that things were a lot different then, especially for women. And if you were a Chinese woman... Ford does a great job of evoking the boom times of the 20s and the early days of the Depression. I defy folks who read this book to not be moved.
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Marjorie W. (Bonita Springs, FL)
Songs of Willow Frost
Overall, this was a good read. How difficult it must have been for Willow to have such hardship thrust upon her. It is hard for one to imagine how the times dictated the way in which one was perceived. Jamie Ford successfully shows the bias of the period and the difficulties of life in the depression. I would recommend this book - good plot for discussion.
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Cam G. (Murrells Inlet, SC)
Jamie Ford's second book
Jamie Ford has written another excellent book. That being said, however, it was one of the saddest books I've read...the poverty in the time of the Great Depression, the prejudices that existed against the Asian American communities, the cruelty of the step father of Willow, the main character, all made it a rather depressing book to read.
It took the tenacity of Will, a twelve year old boy, who lived in an orphanage, to search for his mother that finally brings hope into his life and that of his mother.
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Teresa M. (Naples, FL)
songs of willow frost
I really wanted to like this book, as I loved the author's first book, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. However, I had a hard time getting into and finishing the book. Ford obviously did his research on Seattle in the 20's and 30's, but I felt all the details bogged down the story. There were too many historical flourishes. I loved the character William and learning about orphanages, but this book just didn't flow for me. I didn't dislike the book, but didn't love it either.
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Carole R. (Burlington, WI)
Some reservations
I really wanted to like this book as much as Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet which I selected for two different book clubs. However, this book just did not click with me. Don't get me wrong, the story line is great and it is evident that Jamie Ford loves Seattle. I guess my reservation is so much history was crammed into the story that it seemed like a history lesson at times. Somehow the facts and the fiction just didn't blend into a readable story for me. If you liked Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and the backdrop of Seattle history with the Chinese population then you will enjoy this book. The movie making history of Seattle will be interesting too. There's romance, the wicked stepfather and stepmother, adventure, eternal hope and dreams-all ingredients for a good story.
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Linda S. (Oceanside, NY)
Disappointing
In 1934 William Eng has been in a Seattle orphanage 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.
The premise of the story is good the execution is not. The book is filled with stereotypical villains; a cruel nun, a vicious stepfather, uncaring stepmother and more. The story was melodramatic and it was so bleak it was hard to read and then 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 young boy and his blind companion could roam the streets of Seattle without attracting attention.
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.
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