We are thrilled to welcome New York Times bestselling author and Great Falls resident Jamie Ford, who will read from his new novel, Love and Other Consolation Prizes, at Elk River Books in Livingston on Wednesday, October 18.
Like Ford’s other fiction, Love explores Asian-American experiences in the early 1900s, in a rich blend of character, place and time:
“For twelve-year-old Ernest Young, a charity student at a boarding school, the chance to go to the World’s Fair feels like a gift. But only once he’s there, amid the exotic exhibits, fireworks, and Ferris wheels, does he discover that he is the one who is actually the prize. The half-Chinese orphan is astounded to learn he will be raffled off—a healthy boy ‘to a good home.’
“The winning ticket belongs to the flamboyant madam of a high-class brothel, famous for educating her girls. There, Ernest becomes the new houseboy and befriends Maisie, the madam’s precocious daughter, and a bold scullery maid named Fahn. Their friendship and affection form the first real family Ernest has ever known—and against all odds, this new sporting life gives him the sense of home he’s always desired.”
Ford, who grew up near Seattle’s Chinatown, is the great-grandson of Nevada mining pioneer and Chinese emigrant Min Chung. He mined his childhood and his family’s heritage for his first two books, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, and Songs of Willow Frost. His debut novel won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature for adult fiction, and was a runner-up for the Langum Prize for historical fiction. It was also named the #1 Book Club Pick by the American Booksellers Association.
Love has been listed by PopSugar as among the “25 Books You’re Going to Want to Read This Fall.” Author Kristin Hannah calls it “An evocative, heartfelt, beautifully crafted story that shines a light on a fascinating, tragic bit of forgotten history, this is Jamie Ford at his storytelling best.”
The free event begins at 7 p.m. upstairs at Elk River Books, 120 N. Main St. in Livingston, and will be followed by a book signing and reception. For more information, call 333-2330.
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