Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford follows the story of a young boy living in a brothel. While the setting does sound raunchy, the story, in reality, is a beautiful love story taking place both during the World Fair in the 1900s and years later after the young boy has grown up. The young boy, Ernest, is raffled off at the World Fair to find a new family, after being taken from China to Seattle. He is won by a woman who runs a brothel and becomes a butler for the girls living in the house. He becomes good friends with many of the young maids and the prostitutes, and those friendships cause many hardships throughout his life that cultivate in one dramatic end scene. The contrast in time periods keeps you on your feet and allows you to notice similarities between the young boy and his adult self. If you want a light read that will stay with you for a long time, this is definitely the book for you.
Review Written by Katherine, 11th Grade