I am conflicted. The writing was good, character development was good, it was an interesting story, even if a bit too long. And I did look forward to discussing it (I read it for my book club). Despite all this, I would *not* recommend it to a friend. If I had a time machine, I wouldn't even recommend it to myself. Ugh, what a horrible group of people in a horrible time.

One anecdote that I will comment on: The episode where she haunts her stepfather was exciting and interesting but was entirely out of character for her. I was hoping it was the start of some growth in a new direction but it went nowhere. I found it puzzling that she thought of it and did it and puzzling again that nothing more came of it. ( )

The plot is predictable, the characters are one dimensional .IIThe writing is not particularly good.I was relatively bored most of the time while reading this book. I gave it 2 stars, not 1, because I like the ending. ( )

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.
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It was well written, had a believable story line, but was so depressing all through it until the very end, that I can't say I enjoyed reading it. ( )

Loved this historically accurate fiction book. This is a story that needs to be read. ( )