Songs of Willow Frost: [a novel] (Large Print edition.)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFrom Jamie Ford,author of the beloved Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, comes a much-anticipated second novel.

Set against the backdrop of Depression-era Seattle, Songs of Willow Frost is a powerful tale of two soulsa boy with dreams for his future and a woman escaping her haunted pastboth seeking love, hope, and forgiveness.

Twelve-year-old William Eng, a Chinese American boy, has lived at Seattle's Sacred Heart Orphanage ever since his mother's listless body was carried away from their small apartment five years ago.

On his birthdayor rather, the day the nuns designate as his birthdayWilliam and the other orphans are taken to the historical Moore Theatre, where William glimpses an actress on the silver screen who goes by the name of Willow Frost.

Struck by her features, William is convinced that the movie star is his mother, Liu Song.

Determined to find Willow and prove that his mother is still alive, William escapes from Sacred Heart with his friend Charlotte.

The pair navigate the streets of Seattle, where they must not only survive but confront the mysteries of William's past and his connection to the exotic film star.

The story of Willow Frost, however, is far more complicated than the Hollywood fantasy William sees onscreen.

Shifting between the Great Depression and the 1920s, Songs of Willow Frost takes readers on an emotional journey of discovery.

Jamie Ford's sweeping novel will resonate with anyone who has ever longed for the comforts of family and a place to call home.Praise for Songs of Willow Frost ';Arresting . . . You can't blame Willow for weeping, and you will likely weep along with her as you come to understand how she made the choices she did. . . . [Songs of Willow Frost has] the kind of ending readers always hope for, but seldom get.'The Dallas Morning News ';A story of determination and resourcefulness, and of finding the right family . . . Jamie Ford's new novel, Songs of Willow Frost, is set during the 1930s, the era of the Great Depression and the explosive growth of the movie industry.

Both play a part in the book's poignant tale of lost and found love that reads like a heart-on-its-sleeve plot for one of the black-and-white films of the day.'Tampa Bay Times ';I could not turn away from the haunting story or the stunning historical details that bring Depression-era Seattle to cinematic life.

Ford's boundless compassion for the human spirit, in all its strengths and weaknesses, makes him one of our most unique and compelling storytellers.'Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand ';Beautifully told . . . [Songs of Willow Frost] offers us hope that even in hard times, love wins out.'Missoula Independent ';Ford is a first-rate novelist whose first book, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, was a joy to read.

With his new book, he takes a great leap forward and has the uncanny ability to move me to tears.'Pat Conroy, author of South of Broad ';[A] forthright, affecting second novel . . . a fine-textured study of human loss and, finally, triumph.'Library JournalFrom the Hardcover edition.