Sold on a Monday

Title: Sold on a Monday
Author: Kristina McMorris
Series: Stand-Alone
Genre: Historical Fiction (secular)
Publishing Date: August 28, 2018

About the Book:
A picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes the story behind the picture is worth a thousand more…

Philadelphia, 1931. A young, ambitious reporter named Ellis Reed photographs a pair of young siblings on the front porch of a farmhouse next to a sign: “2 children for sale.”

With the help of newspaper secretary Lily Palmer, Ellis writes an article to accompany the photo. Capturing the hardships of American families during the Great Depression, the feature story generates national attention and Ellis’s career skyrockets.

But the photograph also leads to consequences more devastating than ever imagined—and it will take jeopardizing everything Ellis and Lily value to unravel the mystery and set things right.

Inspired by an actual newspaper photo that stunned readers throughout the country, Sold on a Monday is a powerful novel of ambition, redemption, love, and family.

Review:
Sold on a Monday is another one of those stories that’s sure to tug at your heartstrings. The 1930’s are certainly known as a difficult time for many in this country due to the Great Depression. Families had to make desperate choices in order to survive. This story was written from the point-of-view of two people who worked for the newspapers. What started out as a simple photograph quickly turned into much more, and Ellis and Lily seek to discover just how much of an impact it made on a small family.

To be honest, this story started out as one that was difficult for me to get into. After the initial photo was taken, part I of the story followed Ellis and Lily as they become more established in their careers. It wasn’t until Part II that things really started getting interesting for me when the children were mentioned again. For me, I would have preferred that the story center around the children instead of also following the careers of Ellis and Lily.

Once the children became the focus once again, the story quickly gained momentum and I was anxious to find out what would happen. I was pleased that the answers weren’t always easy for the characters, and that they had to actually work for the information they were able to gain. I was also glad that it was also unpredictable. There were moments when I had no idea what would be happening next. I like it when I can’t figure everything out before it happens!

I understand that this was a secular book, and therefore had the chance of having some foul language, but I never find it appropriate to use the Lord’s name in vain which happened several times throughout the story. I found it unnecessary and offensive.

Overall I enjoyed most of the story, and was even able to be surprised by several of the events. Once the children returned to the story it was one I didn’t want to put down. As usual, I strongly recommend reading the author’s note at the end. I was shocked how the author got her inspiration. While this story was completely a work of fiction, I was surprised that it was inspired by an actual photo that had circulated the newspapers in the past. It often adds more emotion to a story when you realize it’s not entirely made up.

*I received a complimentary copy in hopes of an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.

Rating: 

Age Appropriateness/Content Warnings: There is some occasional cursing in the story along with using the Lord’s name in vain. There is also some mild violence. The romance doesn’t go above kissing. Other than the language there isn’t too much that would prevent younger readers. With parental discretion I could recommend for 14 and up.