Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford

Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford

Since I loved Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, I knew that I would love Songs of Willow Frost. I was right.

Many of the elements are the same, Chinese Americans living in Seattle during the Great Depression.  William Eng is a 12 year old boy who has been sent to a Catholic orphanage.  He remembers his mother and struggles to understand why he's been sent away from her.  The nuns only share information about families on the saint's day in November that has been declared the boys birthday.  Girls share a birthday in the spring with another saint.  But what the nun chooses to reveal is never enough to satisfy William. 

Songs of Willow Frost is a beautifully woven story of William and his mother, Willow's lives.  The novel seamlessly flows between the past and the present, from Willow's point of view, to William's. Willow had two strikes against her from the start, being a woman of Chinese decent and a single mother. In the 1920's she had little chance to keep a child no matter what the circumstance.  But she can sing.  And sing she does to create a better life for herself. 

When William finds a flyer announcing a performance, he sneaks out of the orphanage to find her.  Their reunion is not easy but only Willow can heal William's heart. 

Songs of Willow Frost will take you back in time and immerse you in a different era.  It's an emotional story that will hold your heart.  I couldn't put it down and neither will you.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Sometimes a love story has the ability to touch my heart in a very special way.  Henry and Keiko did just that.

After Pearl Harbor, Henry who is Chinese meets Keiko of Japanese heritage while both are on scholarshipping (as Henry's father calls it) at an all white school.  Japanese families were being rounded up and set to internment camps.  Henry's father forced him to wear a button, 'I am Chinese' for protection.  Keiko's family accepts Henry for his kindness in their time of need.  Henry's father refuses to even speak to Henry after he discovers Henry is associating with a Japanese girl.  He is Chinese and hates what the Japanese have done to his beloved country.

The author does an excellent job of moving the story from 1942 to 1986 and back again.  Henry's wife has died and he struggles to find his place in life.  He can't let go of the thought of Keiko and a long lost record of their song.  Henry is guy who has lived in the same neighborhood all his life.  His friend Sheldon, has been his guide through life since Henry was ten.  Sheldon is able to die peacefully once Henry finds the long lost record that leads him to Keiko.

I love stories the evoke emotion.  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is full of love, hate, and prejudice.  Henry and Keiko had a love that was able to stand the test of time against all odds.  What a wonderful story that left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

I rate this story 5 out of 5.  I loved it.