A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WITH MORE THAN A MILLION COPIES SOLD—Sold on a Monday is the unforgettable book-club phenomenon, inspired by a stunning piece of Depression-era history.
"A masterpiece that poignantly echoes universal themes of loss and redemption...both heartfelt and heartbreaking."—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan's Tale
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 has celebrated five months on the New York Times bestsellers list and continues to especially captivate fans of Lisa Wingate's Before We Were Yours and Kristin Hannah's The Four Winds.
Look for the new novel by Kristina McMorris, The Ways We Hide, a sweeping World War II tale of an illusionist whose recruitment by British intelligence sets her on a perilous, heartrending path.
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WITH MORE THAN A MILLION COPIES SOLD—Sold on a Monday is the unforgettable book-club phenomenon, inspired by a stunning piece of Depression-era history.
"A masterpiece that poignantly echoes universal themes of loss and redemption...both heartfelt and heartbreaking."—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan's Tale
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 has celebrated five months on the New York Times bestsellers list and continues to especially captivate fans of Lisa Wingate's Before We Were Yours and Kristin Hannah's The Four Winds.
Look for the new novel by Kristina McMorris, The Ways We Hide, a sweeping World War II tale of an illusionist whose recruitment by British intelligence sets her on a perilous, heartrending path.
Reviews-
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June 25, 2018
The sale of two young children leads to devastating consequences in this historical tearjerker from McMorris (The Christmas Collector). In 1931, struggling society writer Ellis Reed spots two children on the porch of a farmhouse in Laurel Township, Penn., with a sign that says “2 Children for Sale.” Ellis snaps their picture before developing it in his newspaper’s darkroom, where it’s found by Lillian Palmer, an editor’s secretary. Lily shows the photograph to her boss, who then orders Ellis to write a story to accompany the photograph. The photograph and negative, though, are inadvertently destroyed before the story runs, forcing Ellis to shoot a staged photograph with different children. Ellis’s story creates a sensation that launches his career, but when the children in the staged photograph are actually sold by their mother after she receives an incorrect terminal diagnosis, Ellis and Lily feel responsible and set out to reunite the family. Set against the hardscrabble backdrop of the Great Depression, McMorris’s altruistic and sometimes damaged characters have moral compasses that realistically waver. A tender love story enriches a complex plot, giving readers a story with grit, substance, and rich historical detail. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, the Book Group. -
August 1, 2018
In Depression-era Pennsylvania, a romance develops between two lonely people fighting for the rights of an impoverished family. When reporter Ellis Reed sees two children up for sale, he is reminded of his own difficult childhood, and he snaps a photo. His editor publishes the photo unexpectedly and assigns Ellis, who has no idea what happened to the children, to write a feature article. Secretary Lily Palmer volunteers to help Ellis with his assignment but won't talk about her own family. Their relationship is shaky at first, but as the children remain unfound, concern for their welfare trumps Ellis and Lily's budding love story. The pair must fight ignorance, prejudice, and criminal activity to unravel the network of lies that hold the children prisoner, all to reunite them with their mother. Despite the sensitivity of the subject of missing children, McMorris' (Letters from Home, 2011) latest is touching and never maudlin. This book may appeal to fans of Lisa Wingate's Before We Were Yours (2017).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.) - Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author "Kristina McMorris does what few writers can-transport me right into the middle of the story."
- Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan's Tale "In Sold on a Monday, Kristina McMorris has written a vivid and original story, set against the harsh landscape of the Great Depression. McMorris brilliantly chronicles the way in which a moment's fateful choice can result in a lifetime of harrowing consequences. A masterpiece that poignantly echoes universal themes of loss and redemption, Sold on a Monday is both heartfelt and heartbreaking."
- Sarah McCoy, New York Times and international bestselling author of Marilla of Green Gables and The Baker's Daughter "With her signature style, Kristina McMorris once again plucks a devastating heartstring. Readers are transported through time and place to the desperate days of the American Great Depression. A real-life photograph stands as evidence to the heart of this novel: truth revealed, forgiveness found, and a story never to be forgotten."
- Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author of America's First Daughter and My Dear Hamilton "McMorris shines in this poignant and compulsively readable novel about how one reporter's seemingly small mistake in judgment leads to utter catastrophe for children caught in the jaws of the Great Depression. Based upon a haunting historical photograph, and told with finesse and compassion, this story will linger long after the pages have all been turned."
- Publishers Weekly "The sale of two young children leads to devastating consequences in this historical tearjerker from McMorris... Set against the hardscrabble backdrop of the Great Depression, McMorris's altruistic and sometimes damaged characters have moral compasses that realistically waver. A tender love story enriches a complex plot, giving readers a story with grit, substance, and rich historical detail."
- Historical Novels Reviews "[A] finely told, emotionally satisfying gem of a novel."
