Name: Barbara Williford's review of Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris
Item: Sold on a Monday
Rating: 5
Author: Barbara Williford

Kristina McMorris

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A USA TODAY BESTSELLER A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER A NATIONAL INDIEBOUND BESTSELLER An unforgettable historical fiction novel by Kristina McMorris, inspired by a stunning piece of history from Depression-Era America. 2 CHILDREN FOR SALE The sign is a last resort. It sits on a farmhouse porch in 1931, but could be found anywhere in an era of breadlines, bank runs and broken dreams. It could have been written by any mother facing impossible choices. For struggling reporter Ellis Reed, the gut-wrenching scene evokes memories of his family's dark past. He snaps a photograph of the children, not meant for publication. But when it leads to his big break, the consequences are more devastating than he ever imagined. Inspired by an actual newspaper photograph that stunned the nation, Sold on a Monday is a powerful novel of love, redemption, and the unexpected paths that bring us home. Kristina McMorris's poignant historical novel will capture fans of Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate and The Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly and inspire any book club.

A Novel

Sold on a Monday

Melissa Deitrick

From New York Timesbestselling author Kristina McMorris comes another unforgettable novel inspired by a stunning piece of history. 2 CHILDREN FOR SALE The scrawled sign, peddling young siblings on a farmhouse porch, captures the desperation sweeping the country in 1931. It's an era of breadlines, bank runs, and impossible choices. For struggling reporter Ellis Reed, the gut-wrenching scene evokes memories of his family's dark past. He snaps a photograph of the children, not meant for publication. But when the image leads to his big break, the consequences are devastating in ways he never imagined. Haunted by secrets of her own, secretary Lillian Palmer sees more in the picture than a good story and is soon drawn into the fray. Together, the two set out to right a wrongdoing and mend a fractured family, at the risk of everything they value. Inspired by an actual newspaper photo that stunned readers across the nation, this touching novel explores the tale within the frame and behind the lens -- a journey of ambition, love and the far-reaching effects of our actions.

Barbara Williford

This was a great read! Full of excitement and twist. A story of one misconstrued newspaper article/photo completely turning several families world’s upside down. Both heartwarming and heart wrenching.

Ashleigh 

Very slow read. Didn't turn out to be what I thought it was going to be about.

Elize van Heerden

I've seen a photograph like the one described floating around Pinterest, It always made me look twice, what were those families thinking when they went as far as putting their children up for sale? Then I read this book, talk about judging a book by its cover, the cover is stunning and draws you in, the book did not disappoint. I read until late at night, not being able to put it down. 
The characters was brought to life and they crept into my heart, haunting my thoughts. 
Definitely a wonderful read

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

Written by Kristina McMorrin, this novel follows Ellis, a reporter trying to move up in the world, and Lillian, the secretary at Ellis’ newspaper who also wants to become a reporter but struggles juggling her secret with her career goals.

Sadly, I could not get an image uploaded, but this novel begins with a photo that Ellis happens to take that Lillian sees and brings to the big boss for a story. In this picture, two boys are sitting in front of a sign saying 2 Children for Sale. And, with the novel set during the Great Depression, this makes headlines and goes around the US, elevating Ellis up in the world. However, that original picture was destroyed and he had to recreate the photo, which brings a whole set of problems of their own.

The biggest thing that surprised be was that Ellis was not, by a long shot, my favorite character. Ellis had flaws, and at points his morals were flexible to get where he wanted to go. On the other hand, the supporting character Clayton, who knows Lillian’s secret and never tells a soul, is honestly my favorite. He has morals, and he isn’t willing to budge on those just to get a story. But, he doesn’t judge Lillian for her secret, and even understands. I just adored him.

This novel is INSPIRED by a true store that ran the papers at the time, and turned out to be a hoax.

This novel take a look at that and what if it had been based more in real life. As a discussion novel, this brought up a lot of things that did happen to children at that time when their parents honestly couldn’t afford to feed them.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. This author did a great job and took a hard look at what it really would have been like back then.

Abigail F

I liked this book, however, with all the craze I expected more, I guess. It was well written and an interesting story, but the ending was unbelievable to me and that’s what dropped it down to 3 stars.

Melissa Deitrick &
Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

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Melissa Deitrick &Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

Reviews

Join the club

Melissa Deitrick &
Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris