Sold on a Monday: A True Story of Heartbreak and Resilience

Before I begin the actual review, I have to say this story broke my heart in so many ways. It all began with a photojournalist seeing a sign reading “children for sale” on his way back to the Philadelphia Examiner, where he worked as a society reporter. Although uneasy, he continued on his journey. However the sign stayed in his thoughts. With the Great Depression barely over, he could not imagine what that family was going through. Although the story he had written about the sign and the children had given him a huge break in his career, he knew it was wrong. He knew he had to go back. What he found when he returned shocked and horrified him. He made a split second decision which changed his life forever. Placing his career at risk, he took bold steps to correct his mistake, along with Lily, secretary to his boss. She refused to allow Ellis to give up. Lily had her own secret for wanting to help him. About parentsʼ love for their children and the way they will do anything, even putting their own lives in jeopardy, is a major theme of the book. At the soul of the story is the love of a mother for her children. More than one mother in this case. And a father, whose own grief almost kept him from having any kind of life. Although Ellis was (mostly) blameless as the result of his story, his efforts to rectify his error came to the point where I truly feared for Ellis's life. The characters all seemed very real, even those who barely had a few brief passages. I did not detect a single doubt about any of the motivations of any of them. (Even the Model T Ellis drove was a cantankerous character.) The journey taken by the book gave me great joy and great sadness. There are thrills here you will never see coming. It gives me happiness to highly recommend this book. All through those sad times there are also happy times that creep in, sometimes making the reader finding unexpected tears. Cherish both as they will make your life much richer for having read this book, rightfully on best seller lists (and a movie). I am looking forward to finding the rest of this author's books and reading them as quickly as I read this one.

This wasn’t what I originally expected it to be about but it ended up being exactly what I needed and more. The writer was so compelling and great on character development and description. Love this book!

am drawn to books set in the Great Depression, my mother and father told me about their experiences which were very different. My mother grew up on a farm and had plenty to eat but could not buy anything. My father grew up in a small town and his father deserted his family of four, his mother had to send the children to live with different relatives for survival. Ellis Reed, a society page reporter, who wants the opportunity to\o report real news, goes into the county with his camera seeking solace in nature, He stumbles up a pair of young boys beside a sign, children for sale! He thought about the future of the boys if they were sold and then thought what would the brother died young, be like had he survived. He took a picture of the boys and the sign without even thinking about it. The picture was developed by Lillian Palmer, who also worked for the paper but was never given a chance to write because she was a woman. The picture gets noticed and a story behind it is requested and sets off an explosion of interest across the country. I loved learning more details about the Great Depression and I was immediately drawn into the story which turned into a mystery, and two people drawn together to find some lost children and the relationship that evolves between the two. I loved this book, it was the first one that I have read by Kristina McMorris and now I want to read all of her books!

The story is fine, but pages kept falling out of the book. It was stored in a bedroom bookcase for a few years before I read it.

A novel that is taken from actual facts. It follows all emotions, love, tragedy, hope, in the lived of the children taken and sold. It was a good read and hard to put down. After the end, the real facts are told about the actual case that the story was written about.

It was not actually apparent until I finished the book that Sold on a Monday is a romance novel; it follows the same boy meets girl plot with the predictable ending. It wasn't apparent because it has a great deal more depth of relationship and moral teaching than you normally find in this genre. For one thing, the author took the time to develop the relationship between the two main characters. It isn't an unrealistic love at first sight, three day marathon and we are all in plot. I appreciated that; it kept me reading. The story also demonstrates that the human conscience is still alive and motivating people towards goodness. I write from a Christian perspective and while the author did not reveal any religious leanings, the concept of caring enough about other people to inconvenience yourself is definitely Biblical and badly needed in today's world. It was refreshing that the main characters were hard working, honest, caring people as too often our "heroes" are just the opposite. The book was well written and easy to read but had enough twists and turns to keep me interested and wondering how it would end.

One day Ellis stumbles upon a scene that rocks him. In a rural Pennsylvania farm area he sees a sign that says "Two Children for Sale." He also sees a young girl and boy playing in the yard. He snaps a picture. Another person finds it in the darkroom at work and takes it to the editor, who invites Ellis to write it up. This story of Depression Era desperation is Ellis's opportunity to make it to the big time. Just before publication, the photo and negative are destroyed. All Ellis has to do is go back and take another picture, but when he gets to the farm, the family has moved. In clear defiance of all journalistic ethics, Ellis resorts to staging another photo with the children next door along with the sign he found in the yard at the original house. The rest of the book deals with the unintended consequences which follow. Without giving spoilers, let me say that whatever harm you might be imagining that could result from Ellis's reckless decision probably happens in this spellbinding story. Chapters alternate from the viewpoint of Ellis and Lilian, who has her own secrets beyond her nine-to-five life at the newspaper. Major characters include Ellis's and Lilian's families, the newspaper staff, a prominent banker, and a mobster. No depression era story would be complete without a trip or two to a speakeasy, where liquor flows despite Prohibition. If you are looking for a book club selection, author Kristina McMorris includes a bonus section of discussion questions and a link to her website, featuring recipes for food and mixed drinks that were popular in the 1930s. For book club or not, this is a fascinating book, which I recommend.

Fast moving easy read. Worth the read

I really enjoyed this book. Would recommend

Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I found myself thinking about these characters throughout my days, after gulping up page after page each night into the wee hours! Beautifully written strong female characters, full of depth, and complication, men who are fare more than what they reveal on their surface, and a story of hope, fear, erred logic, and moral duty. Set a in the 30’s the novel is full of great historic references that make the story and situation very plausible. It was a thought provoking read, and one that I believe will stay with me

A very different read, but interesting and eventually gripping

This is a very good read. The storyline is solid with enough intrigue and interesting characters to keep a reader interested. It speaks to hard times during the depression and what people did to survive.