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

Very good read. Enjoy the book and storylines.

McMorris writes a poignant tale based on a sign spotted by a young reporter: "2 children for sale."He snaps a picture of the two children playing on a decrepit property in rural 1931 Pennsylvania. He returns to his Philadelpia newspaper, pens a poignant story but somehow the picture is lost. His editor demands a new photo but when he returns, he find the house abandoned. He sees two children in apparently similar circumstances in a house across the road, and before he can think it through, he poses the two children on their own porch with the sign from across the street, persuading their reluctant mother with a few dollars. From this bit of happenstance unfurls a gripping story with well depicted characters and timeless themes. A young female reporter from his paper is drawn into the story. Together these two young people, with unresolved issues of their own, gradually become aware of the tragic consequences for the family featured in the story and set out to right the wrongs suffered. The journey takes us into the smoke-filled newsrooms of the era, into mob-infiltrated urban activities spawnedf by Prohibition, into the pain of a couple haunted by the death of a child, back into the protagonists' own troubled families complicated by an out if wedlock pregnancy, and highlights the plight of children in those difficult economic settings whether in orphanages or bought as slave labor by struggling farming families (evoking similar trafficking of children today for baser purposes.) In short this is a compelling, well researched, many layered journey through far different times than most readers experiencd. The author captures the flavor of this bygone time, most amusingly by the young reporter's repeated use of the word "swell." An author's note at the book's conclusion reveals the genesis of this novel in a similar, haunting children for sale sign she saw in 1948. All in all, the novel is an insightful glimpse into how people in a difficult time dealt with eternally human struggles.

Sadly children were put up for sale by desperately poor parents. But the book was fun to read and ends well!

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.

This book quickly captures your attention. The scene set beautifully but a shocking circumstance. Did this really happen back then? What excellent characters and expressive storytelling. I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. This author truly knows how to create a clear picture in your mind.

I really enjoyed Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris. The story was engaging, with a well-crafted plot that kept me interested throughout. I especially liked that it was inspired by a real photograph from the Great Depression. It gave the novel an emotional depth and historical weight that made it even more powerful. A touching and thought-provoking read!

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.

True history. Great read. Kids now should read how it was in history. Maybe they would appreciate what they have

Great read

This book was recommended to me and it did not disappoint! I loved the pace and all of the little twists along the way. The book is all about things that seem so evident being very different from how they appear. Great read! I will look for more by this author for future reads.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

A very different read, but interesting and eventually gripping

This book was lovely. It was Easy ready and not too intense. A great storyline and peek into the depression era. A good holiday book.