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Love and Other Consolation Prizes

Written by Jamie Ford Review by Cynthia Slocum

A few years after being transported to Seattle, Ernest Young, a mixed-race orphan from China, finds the course of his future altered dramatically when he is given away as a prize at the 1909 World’s Fair. The raffle winner turns out to be Madam Flora, well-known proprietress of the city’s poshest, most exclusive and refined house of ill repute. Despite protests from upstanding civic leaders who offered the boy to strangers for the price of a ticket, she takes him to his new home at the Tenderloin, and Ernest joins her serving staff as a houseboy. At first, he adapts well to this peculiar environment, glad to escape the school where he never fit in and the meddlesome plans of a condescending scholarship sponsor. He becomes friends with the kitchen maid and with Madam Flora’s daughter, soon falling in love with each in a different way.

However, as his innocence erodes, Ernest begins to perceive the harsh, unsavory realities beneath the illusion of elegance at the Tenderloin, as well as the equally unpalatable hypocrisy and callousness of the society outside.

Alternating between the early 1900s and 1962, when a second World’s Fair takes place in Seattle, this story interlaces the two fairs as turning points in Ernest’s life. His daughter, an investigative reporter, prods him into wading through memories and past events that still impact his family more than 50 years later.

Abundant historical and sensory details vividly recreate both eras. Combining rich narrative and literary qualities, the book achieves a multi-faceted emotional resonance. It is by turns heart-rending, tragic, disturbing, sanguine, warm, and life-affirming. Perceptive themes that run throughout culminate at the end. A true story from the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition inspired this very absorbing and moving novel. Highly recommended.

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Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, love and other consolation prizes.

It’s not too much of a stretch to say that author Jamie Ford has put historical Seattle on the literary map. In previous novels HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET and SONGS OF WILLOW FROST, Ford has taken people back to World War II-era and Depression-era Seattle, respectively. In both cases, he has explored the lives and legacies of the Asian immigrants who made their homes in this American city. Now he adds a new chapter to this exploration, with LOVE AND OTHER CONSOLATION PRIZES.

The action in Ford’s latest novel is bookended by two World’s Fairs held in Seattle --- the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition and the 1962 Century 21 Exposition (the one that brought us the iconic Space Needle). At the center of his narrative are three people whose lives are changed irrevocably by the AYP fair in 1909. Yung, the young son of a Chinese woman and a white missionary, is sent to the United States by his impoverished single mother early in the 20th century. By a twist of fate, he escapes the gruesome fate of many of his shipmates and finds himself renamed Ernest, living in an orphanage run by a sanctimonious activist, Mrs. Irvine. During the 1909 fair, when Ernest is 12 years old, Mrs. Irvine decides to stage a publicity stunt in conjunction with President Taft’s visit to the fair, raffling the boy off as a son --- or servant --- to the lucky winner.

"Jamie Ford is a skillful storyteller... [H]is latest also shares its predecessor’s cinematic descriptions and vivid evocations of a Seattle most readers probably didn’t know anything about."

But imagine Mrs. Irvine’s horror when the winning bidder is none other than Madame Flora, the famous madam of the most celebrated brothel in all of Seattle’s quite extensive red light district. Madame Flora hires Ernest to be a houseboy (and eventually her driver). Ernest is immediately entranced by the glamorous house over which Madame Flora presides, the glittering parties and, of course, the beautiful women. But most of all, he becomes intrigued by two girls who are a little older than himself (they are not the “upstairs girls” who entertain men). One is Fahn, a Japanese girl who coincidentally traveled to Seattle on the same ship as Ernest himself. The other is Maisie, known as Madame Flora’s little sister but in actuality is her daughter. The two very different girls are friends, and Ernest is fascinated by --- and soon besotted with --- both of them.

Scenes from Ernest’s youth are interspersed with scenes of him in 1962. Now a senior citizen, he is dealing with his wife’s dementia and with his journalist daughter’s desire to write a story about him in conjunction with the new World’s Fair. Naturally, her inquiries dredge up memories of the past, some of which he would just as soon forget. But perhaps his memories can help prompt his wife to remember as well --- even if those memories might be painful for them both.

Jamie Ford is a skillful storyteller, and if at times the events of LOVE AND OTHER CONSOLATION PRIZES rely a little too heavily on coincidence, those coincidences work in service to the story. His debut novel, HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET, is currently under development as a motion picture, and his latest also shares its predecessor’s cinematic descriptions and vivid evocations of a Seattle most readers probably didn’t know anything about.

Readers should be sure to peruse Ford’s afterword, in which he explains the historical roots of his inspiration and gives suggestions for further reading. His books offer the very best kind of historical fiction, with accounts that not only bring to life specific stories from the past but also excite readers’ imaginations and enthusiasm for the boundless possibilities of historical inquiry.

Reviewed by Norah Piehl on September 14, 2017

Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford

• Publication Date: June 19, 2018
• Genres: Fiction , Historical Fiction
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• ISBN-10: 0804176779
• ISBN-13: 9780804176774

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Love and other consolation prizes.

From the bestselling author of  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet  comes a powerful novel, inspired by a true story, about a boy whose life is transformed at Seattle’s epic 1909 World’s Fair.

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 life gives him the sense of home he’s always desired.

But as the grande dame succumbs to an occupational hazard and their world of finery begins to crumble, all three must grapple with hope, ambition, and first love.

Fifty years later, in the shadow of Seattle’s second World’s Fair, Ernest struggles to help his ailing wife reconcile who she once was with who she wanted to be, while trying to keep family secrets hidden from their grown-up daughters.

Against a rich backdrop of post-Victorian vice, suffrage, and celebration,  Love and Other Consolations  is an enchanting tale about innocence and devotion—in a world where everything, and everyone, is for sale.

Praise for Love and Other Consolation Prizes

“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.”

Kristin Hannah author of The Nightingale

“In this sweeping, big-hearted novel—inspired by the true story of a twelve-year-old boy raffled off as a prize at the 1909 Seattle World Fair—we encounter a cast of colorful characters, fascinating historical details, and (in typical Jamie Ford fashion) insights about morality, race, and culture that deepen and expand the story. Utterly charming.”

Christina Baker Kline author of A Piece of the World and Orphan Train

“Ford is a master at shining light into dark, forgotten corners of history and revealing the most unexpected and relatable human threads. . . . A beautiful and enthralling story of resilience and the many permutations of love.”

Jessica Shattuck author of The Women in the Castle

“All the charm and heartbreak of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Based on a true story, Love and Other Consolation Prizes will warm your soul. ”

Martha Hall Kelly author of Lilac Girls

“A gripping story about the unpredictability of life and, above all, the incredible power of love to heal even the most shameful wounds . . . Ford has created a fascinating world, bookended by Seattle’s two world fairs, and peopled it with colorful, brave characters we care deeply about in this masterful job of storytelling.”

Melanie Benjamin author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue

“Irresistibly magnificent . . . How does a novel genius top himself? Jamie Ford’s newest takes an extraordinary moment in history, where vice lives alongside innocence, and transforms it into a dazzling, hold-your-breath story about the families we make and the ones we are thrust into, about who we are, and who we dreamed we could be.”

Caroline Leavitt author of Pictures of You and Cruel Beautiful World

“Soaring, heart-wrenching, troubling, funny . . . Ford has masterfully used a strange, tragic footnote from history to transport the reader back in time.”

Karen Abbott author of Liar, Temptress, Solider, Spy

“Only Jamie Ford could take a snippet of a true story about a child offered as a raffle prize at the 1909 Seattle World’s Fair and spin it into a dazzling tale of love and family and ultimately hope. Love and Other Consolation Prizes has the big generous heart Ford always brings to his novels and fans will rejoice in it.”

Ann Hood author of The Book That Matters Most

“Heartbreaking, wondrous, triumphant.”

Ken Liu author of The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories

“An epic and touching love story of a raffled-off orphan boy named Ernest and the two girls he loves—one for now, one forever. Set against the backdrop of old Seattle, Love and Other Consolation Prizes is a tenderly defiant testimony to the soaring value of a human being, even the most forgotten among us.”

Kathy Hepinstall author of The Book of Polly

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Summary  |  Excerpt  |  Reading Guide  |  Reviews  |  Beyond the book  |  Read-Alikes  |  Genres & Themes  |  Author Bio

Love and Other Consolation Prizes

by Jamie Ford

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• Historical Fiction
• Wash. Ore. Idaho
• Early 20th Century
• 1960s & '70s
• Coming of Age
• Adult-YA Crossover Fiction
• Asian Authors
• Top 20 Best Books of 2017

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• Cassandra E. (Fort Myers, FL) Love and other consolations Awesome story. I had no problems when the story went back and forth in time frame. Mr. Ford did a wonderful jobin his research in that time era of Seattle. I know everyone will love this book.
• Shawna (TX) "People ....can affect our gravity" Engrossing story set in a little known era in Seattle 1910's and also in the 1960s. Historical fiction lovers will enjoy this novel. Themes to discuss include what makes a family, human trafficking, who we choose to love and why we make those choices. Don't miss the author's note at the end of the novel. My favorite line is "There are people in our lives who we love, and lose, and forever long for. They orbit our hearts like Halley's Comet, crossing into our universe only once, or if we're lucky, twice in a lifetime. And when they do, they affect our gravity."
• Amber B. (East Sparta, OH) Sweet, provoking must-read Love and Other Consolation Prizes describes a world most readers could never imagine... a world in which the most loving home for a preteen boy is a brothel where he works odd jobs, a world in which dementia is perhaps the most gracious gift for an elderly woman. I found this engrossing book difficult to put down. It expertly examined issues of friendship, love, feminism, survival, and the worth of a human being. The dual timelines add much to the story in that the 1960s era teases readers with a happyish ending for Ernest and Fahn/Gracie, but you learn that there's so much more to the story. I'm eager to read more by Jamie Ford.
• Amy P. (Boulder City, NV) A Pleasure to Read It was a pleasure to read Love & Other Consolation Prizes, historical fiction based on true events. The story alternates between early and mid-century Seattle Worlds Fairs, following the main characters from childhood to their golden years. Author Jamie Ford vividly describes the despair of a young orphan sold into slavery, the sights and sounds of the wondrous Worlds Fair five decades apart, and the tender love story of friends, family, and the fragile threads that intertwine their lives and their loyalties. This book covers a myriad of topics including medical treatments, immigration, Suffragette movement, in addition to the deeply moving descriptions of each character; their emotions and motives. It was a double pleasure to be able to read this book during a return visit to Seattle. Ford's eloquent style of writing and attention to detail makes one forget this is a work of fiction!
• Deanna W. (Port Jefferson, NY) Bitter& Sweet Another historic novel that reflects the history and society of its times. This excellent novel was inspired by true events that occurred at the 1909 Seattle World's Fair. Through flashback and flash-forward chapters the reader follows the life of a boy that is raffled off at the fair. The story deals with themes of family, prejudice, identity, and fitting in. This is a poignant and subtle novel that is perfect for book groups.
• Wanda T. (Garnet Valley, PA) Love and Other Consolation Prizes I was looking forward to reading another novel by Jamie Ford, author of "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet". He did not disappoint. "Love and Other Consolation Prizes" was a journey of a young boy through his later life that included sadness, fear, happiness, heartbreak, love, history - a little bit of everything! Similar to "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet", Ford has two narratives. This story starts in 1962, goes back to 1902 and continues to alternate following the life of Yung Kun-ai later known as Ernest Young as he struggles to make the best of the life he was dealt. I don't want to give the impression that this is a depressing story. It is not! It is a heartwarming story of a young child's journey through life and I loved every minute of the journey!
• Carol (Pawleys Island, SC) Thread of Life Jamie Ford is a favorite author and I was excited to preview "Love & Other Consolation Prizes." I'm always interested in his historical and personal stories of the Asian immigrant community in the U.S. This third novel is the account of a young Chinese boy Ernest who becomes the prize in a raffle at Seattle's worlds fair in 1909. The story begins in1962 with Ernest's reminiscences from early childhood in China to his life in Seattle, before and after the fair, and the two girls he came to love. I especially liked that the reader doesn't know the identity of "Gracie" until the last. Great ploy! Ernest is told that "the threads of happiness and sadness, joy and grief" are intertwined. And so it was. As always, Jamie Ford told a heartfelt story.

Beyond the Book:    170 Years of World's Fairs

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Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford

• Publication Date: June 19, 2018
• Genres: Fiction , Historical Fiction
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• ISBN-10: 0804176779
• ISBN-13: 9780804176774
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LOVE AND OTHER CONSOLATION PRIZES

by Jamie Ford ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 12, 2017

A lively history of romance in the dens of iniquity, love despite vice.

Too old to dream of being adopted, Ernest Young is raffled off at the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific World Exposition to Madame Flora, who runs a notorious brothel. His adventures have just begun.

Ernest has already lived a lifetime of surprises and indignities. After his starving Chinese mother secured her only son a spot on a freighter to America, Ernest, only 5 years old, had to learn swiftly how to navigate a world that denigrated him not only for being an orphan, but also, and perhaps worse, for being of mixed blood. Ernest never knew his white father, but his youth and mixed heritage enabled him to make friends with both the Chinese girls on the ship and the lone Japanese girl, Fahn. Once Ernest survived a month captive in the hold of the ship, not to mention a near drowning, he became a ward of the state in Seattle and eventually attracted a wealthy sponsor, who sent him to an exclusive boarding school, where he endured racism and discrimination, and then, when he has the temerity to tell her he would rather go to another school, she has him raffled off at the World's Fair. Surprisingly, life in the bordello is exciting, not least because there Ernest meets Madame Flora’s tomboyishly charming daughter, Maisie, and reunites with Fahn. Falling in love with both, however, can only lead to heartache, since life in a brothel exacts certain prices. Ford ( Songs of Willow Frost , 2014, etc.) casts this complex love story against the backdrop of the little-known history of Chinese and Japanese orphans, who found slavery and indentured servitude rather than opportunity in America. Now in his 60s , Ernest faces his wife Gracie's declining control over her memory, which endangers the secrets he has kept from their daughters. But now their eldest, an investigative reporter, has begun to discover some potentially scandalous secrets. Alternating between Ernest’s past and present, Ford captures the thrill of first kisses and the shock of revealing long-hidden affairs.

Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-8041-7675-0

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Ballantine

Review Posted Online: July 16, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017

LITERARY FICTION | HISTORICAL FICTION

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More by Jamie Ford

BOOK REVIEW

by Jamie Ford

THE SECRET HISTORY

by Donna Tartt ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 16, 1992

The Brat Pack meets The Bacchae in this precious, way-too-long, and utterly unsuspenseful town-and-gown murder tale. A bunch of ever-so-mandarin college kids in a small Vermont school are the eager epigones of an aloof classics professor, and in their exclusivity and snobbishness and eagerness to please their teacher, they are moved to try to enact Dionysian frenzies in the woods. During the only one that actually comes off, a local farmer happens upon them—and they kill him. But the death isn't ruled a murder—and might never have been if one of the gang—a cadging sybarite named Bunny Corcoran—hadn't shown signs of cracking under the secret's weight. And so he too is dispatched. The narrator, a blank-slate Californian named Richard Pepen chronicles the coverup. But if you're thinking remorse-drama, conscience masque, or even semi-trashy who'll-break-first? page-turner, forget it: This is a straight gee-whiz, first-to-have-ever-noticed college novel—"Hampden College, as a body, was always strangely prone to hysteria. Whether from isolation, malice, or simple boredom, people there were far more credulous and excitable than educated people are generally thought to be, and this hermetic, overheated atmosphere made it a thriving black petri dish of melodrama and distortion." First-novelist Tartt goes muzzy when she has to describe human confrontations (the murder, or sex, or even the ping-ponging of fear), and is much more comfortable in transcribing aimless dorm-room paranoia or the TV shows that the malefactors anesthetize themselves with as fate ticks down. By telegraphing the murders, Tartt wants us to be continually horrified at these kids—while inviting us to semi-enjoy their manneristic fetishes and refined tastes. This ersatz-Fitzgerald mix of moralizing and mirror-looking (Jay McInerney shook and poured the shaker first) is very 80's—and in Tartt's strenuous version already seems dated, formulaic. Les Nerds du Mal—and about as deep (if not nearly as involving) as a TV movie.

Pub Date: Sept. 16, 1992

ISBN: 1400031702

Page Count: 592

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1992

LITERARY FICTION

More by Donna Tartt

by Donna Tartt

More About This Book

SEEN & HEARD

OF MICE AND MEN

by John Steinbeck ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 26, 1936

Steinbeck is a genius and an original.

Steinbeck refuses to allow himself to be pigeonholed.

Pub Date: Feb. 26, 1936

ISBN: 0140177396

Page Count: 83

Publisher: Covici, Friede

Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1936

More by John Steinbeck

by John Steinbeck & edited by Thomas E. Barden

by John Steinbeck & edited by Robert DeMott

by John Steinbeck & edited by Susan Shillinglaw & Jackson J. Benson

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Look Inside | Reading Guide

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Love and Other Consolation Prizes

By jamie ford, by jamie ford read by emily woo zeller and jamie ford, category: historical fiction | literary fiction, category: historical fiction | literary fiction | audiobooks.

Jun 19, 2018 | ISBN 9780804176774 | 5-3/16 x 8 --> | ISBN 9780804176774 --> Buy

Sep 12, 2017 | ISBN 9780804176767 | ISBN 9780804176767 --> Buy

Sep 12, 2017 | 689 Minutes | ISBN 9780525492573 --> Buy

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Jun 19, 2018 | ISBN 9780804176774

Sep 12, 2017 | ISBN 9780804176767

Sep 12, 2017 | ISBN 9780525492573

689 Minutes

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About Love and Other Consolation Prizes

From the bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet comes a powerful novel, inspired by a true story, about a boy whose life is transformed at Seattle’s epic 1909 World’s Fair. “An evocative, heartfelt, beautifully crafted story that shines a light on a fascinating, tragic bit of forgotten history.”—Kristin Hannah, author of  The Nightingale 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. But as the grande dame succumbs to an occupational hazard and their world of finery begins to crumble, all three must grapple with hope, ambition, and first love. Fifty years later, in the shadow of Seattle’s second World’s Fair, Ernest struggles to help his ailing wife reconcile who she once was with who she wanted to be, while trying to keep family secrets hidden from their grown-up daughters. Against a rich backdrop of post-Victorian vice, suffrage, and celebration, Love and Other Consolations is an enchanting tale about innocence and devotion—in a world where everything, and everyone, is for sale. Praise for Love and Other Consolation Prizes “Exciting . . . [Jamie] Ford captures the thrill of first kisses and the shock of revealing long-hidden affairs.” — Kirkus Reviews   “Strong . . . A laudable effort that shines light on little known histories.”— Library Journal   “Poignant . . . Vibrantly rendered.” — Booklist    “Combining rich narrative and literary qualities, the book achieves a multi-faceted emotional resonance. It is by turns heart-rending, tragic, disturbing, sanguine, warm, and life-affirming. Perceptive themes that run throughout culminate at the end. A true story from the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition inspired this very absorbing and moving novel. Highly recommended.” — Historical Novel Society (Editors’ choice) “Ford is a master at shining light into dark, forgotten corners of history and revealing the most unexpected and relatable human threads. . . . A beautiful and enthralling story of resilience and the many permutations of love.” —Jessica Shattuck, author of  The Women in the Castle “All the charm and heartbreak of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet . . .  Based on a true story, Love and Other Consolation Prizes will warm your soul.” —Martha Hall Kelly, author of Lilac Girls

From the bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet comes a powerful novel, inspired by a true story, about a boy whose life is transformed at Seattle’s epic 1909 World’s Fair. “An evocative, heartfelt, beautifully crafted story that shines a light on a fascinating, tragic bit of forgotten history.”—Kristin Hannah, author of  The Nightingale 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. But as the grande dame succumbs to an occupational hazard and their world of finery begins to crumble, all three must grapple with hope, ambition, and first love. Fifty years later, in the shadow of Seattle’s second World’s Fair, Ernest struggles to help his ailing wife reconcile who she once was with who she wanted to be, while trying to keep family secrets hidden from their grown-up daughters. Against a rich backdrop of post-Victorian vice, suffrage, and celebration, Love and Other Consolations is an enchanting tale about innocence and devotion—in a world where everything, and everyone, is for sale. Read by Emily Woo Zeller, with a note read by the Author Advance praise for Love and Other Consolation Prizes “Ford is a master at shining light into dark, forgotten corners of history and revealing the most unexpected and relatable human threads. . . . A beautiful and enthralling story of resilience and the many permutations of love.” —Jessica Shattuck, author of  The Women in the Castle “All the charm and heartbreak of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet . . .  Based on a true story, Love and Other Consolation Prizes will warm your soul.” —Martha Hall Kelly, author of Lilac Girls

Listen to a sample from Love and Other Consolation Prizes

Also by jamie ford.

About Jamie Ford

Jamie Ford is the great-grandson of Nevada mining pioneer Min Chung, who emigrated from Kaiping, China, to San Francisco in 1865, where he adopted the Western name “Ford,” thus confusing countless generations. Ford is an award-winning short-story writer, an alumnus… More about Jamie Ford

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“Exciting . . . [Jamie] Ford captures the thrill of first kisses and the shock of revealing long-hidden affairs.” — Kirkus Reviews “Strong . . . A laudable effort that shines light on little known histories.”— Library Journal “Poignant . . . Vibrantly rendered.” — Booklist “Combining rich narrative and literary qualities, the book achieves a multi-faceted emotional resonance. It is by turns heart-rending, tragic, disturbing, sanguine, warm, and life-affirming. Perceptive themes that run throughout culminate at the end. A true story . . . inspired this very absorbing and moving novel. Highly recommended.” — Historical Novel Society (Editors’ choice) “Another winner . . . Ford has a wonderful gift. He nimbly takes the reader into forgotten pieces of history . . . with characters so real they will stay with you for some time to come.” — Fredericksburg Free Lance–Star “An evocative, heartfelt, beautifully crafted story that shines a light on a fascinating, tragic bit of forgotten history, this is Ford at his storytelling best.” —Kristin Hannah, author of The Nightingale “In this sweeping, bighearted novel—inspired by the true story of a twelve-year-old boy raffled off as a prize at the 1909 Seattle World Fair—we encounter a cast of colorful characters, fascinating historical details, and insights about morality, race, and culture that deepen and expand the story. . . . Utterly charming.” —Christina Baker Kline, author of A Piece of the World and Orphan Train “Ford is a master at shining light into dark, forgotten corners of history and revealing the most unexpected and relatable human threads. . . . A beautiful and enthralling story of resilience and the many permutations of love.” —Jessica Shattuck, author of The Women in the Castle “All the charm and heartbreak of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet . . .  Based on a true story, Love and Other Consolation Prizes will warm your soul.” —Martha Hall Kelly, author of Lilac Girls “A gripping story about the unpredictability of life and, above all, the incredible power of love to heal even the most shameful wounds . . . Ford has created a fascinating world, bookended by Seattle’s two world’s fairs, and peopled it with colorful, brave characters we care deeply about in this masterful job of storytelling.” —Melanie Benjamin, author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue “Irresistibly magnificent . . . How does a novel genius top himself? Jamie Ford’s newest takes an extraordinary moment in history, where vice lives alongside innocence, and transforms it into a dazzling, hold-your-breath story about the families we make and the ones we are thrust into, about who we are and who we dreamed we could be.” —Caroline Leavitt, author of Pictures of You and Cruel Beautiful World “Soaring, heart-wrenching, troubling, funny . . . Ford has masterfully used a strange, tragic footnote from history to transport the reader back in time.” —Karen Abbott, author of Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy

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Love and Other Consolation Prizes: A Novel

$ 28.00

As a child in China, Ernest Young witnesses a horrific event that wrests his life in an unimaginable new direction. Given up by his mother, he is sent to the United States with other children, who–if they survive–will be sold to American families. Ernest is better off than many others, with a patron who pays for schooling, but he never could have guessed his fate: he is awarded as a prize at the 1909 Seattle World’s Fair and goes to live and work at a brothel called the Tenderloin. He becomes close friends with two young girls, Fahn and Maisie, and finds that the brothel is a true home–the first he’s ever had. When the madam’s health deteriorates, however, the brothel family is threatened, and Ernest’s loyalty faces the ultimate test.

Interspersed with this storyline from the early 1900s is a parallel story from the 1960s, at the time of the second World’s Fair, when Ernest is struggling with the mental illness of his wife. She and Ernest have secrets to keep, but their grown daughters’ questions are intensifying. As the family secrets unravel, Ford examines how love and loyalty can bind friends across decades and how the bonds forged in childhood can shape a lifetime. A beautiful tale deepened by arresting historical detail.

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Love and Other Consolation Prizes (Ford) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions 1. The story of Ernest starts off on a very sad note. Do you condemn Ernest’s mother for her actions, and if so, what were her alternatives? 2. The early suffrage movements in the U.S. all took place in what were regarded as frontier territories in the west. Why do you think the trends of suffrage and vice emerged at the same time, in the same places? (Like Wyoming, where women first got the vote in 1869). 3. Those suffrage campaigns were often intertwined with religious movements. When did women’s rights diverge somewhat from a religious underpinning and why? 4. This book ultimately deals with prostitution. Is there an intersection between prostitution, personal agency, and feminism? Or are these mutually exclusive concepts? 5. Caucasian prostitution in the early 20th century has often been glamorized, while Asian prostitution has been demonized. Is there truth behind those cultural tropes? Are our historical perceptions off? What’s the reality of those perceptions then—and now? 6. Madam Flora and Miss Amber have a unique relationship. Do you see this as one born of love, of shared business interests, or a bit of both? 7. Speaking of business interests, do you see Madam Flora and Miss Amber as two people exploiting young women, or benefiting them? 8. Early world’s fairs often had ethnographic exhibits — human zoos, if you will. When did this stop being socially acceptable and why the change? 9. World’s fairs also try to be predictive of the future. The 1962 World’s Fair boasted the latest technology and hinted at a grand technological leap. Were those predictions right? 10. At the Tenderloin (and in the character of Turnbull) we see wealthy, successful men breaking rules and social conventions. Is there a modern analog? Are wealthy men today able to live above and beyond the margins of law and civil discourse and if so, who, and how are they able to get away with such behavior? 11. For much of the book, the reader is wondering whom Ernest will ultimately end up marrying. Did he make the right choice? Why or why not? 12. Lastly, Ernest and Fahn read a certain book by Henry de Vere Stacpoole. How does that novel reflect the innocence and tragedy of their relationship? And do you know what that book is? (Hint, it was made into a somewhat cheesy movie in the 80s). ( Questions issued by the publisher .)

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Love and Other Consolation Prizes: A Novel Kindle Edition

• Print length 321 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publisher Ballantine Books
• Publication date September 12, 2017
• File size 5666 KB
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

About the author, excerpt. © reprinted by permission. all rights reserved., product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01N5GV31V
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books (September 12, 2017)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 12, 2017
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 5666 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 321 pages
• #173 in Asian American Literature & Fiction
• #424 in U.S. Historical Fiction
• #522 in Historical Literary Fiction

About the author

Jamie Ford is the great grandson of Nevada mining pioneer Min Chung, who emigrated from Hoiping, China, to San Francisco in 1865, where he adopted the western name "Ford," thus confusing countless generations.

His debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, spent two-and-a-half years on the New York Times bestseller list and went on to win the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. His work has been translated into 35 languages. Jamie is still holding out for Klingon (that's when you know you've made it).

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Rising Oil Prices Reignite Inflation Fears

The price of Brent crude rose to a six-month high on Friday, a potential dose of bad news for central bankers and for the White House.

By Andrew Ross Sorkin ,  Ravi Mattu ,  Bernhard Warner ,  Sarah Kessler ,  Michael J. de la Merced ,  Lauren Hirsch and Ephrat Livni

Oil spike ripples through global markets

The price of Brent crude rose again on Friday, at one point topping $91 a barrel. Growing tensions in the Middle East have pushed the global benchmark to levels last reached in October.

That poses a potential problem for President Biden ahead of the election and raises new questions about when the Fed will start cutting interest rates.

Some analysts believe the oil rally is just beginning , creating a fresh inflation risk for central bankers who are struggling to keep price-increases in check. JPMorgan Chase forecast last week that oil would climb above $100 by September. And, in a bad sign for motorists, gasoline prices in the U.S. have climbed 6 percent in the past month just ahead of the North American summer driving season.

Market watchers have been concerned about a wider Middle Eastern conflict after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7. Most recently, oil traders have been bracing for Iranian retaliation after an Israeli airstrike on Tehran’s consulate in Damascus, Syria.

“If we get a direct conflict between Israel and Iran, that’s something that will likely restrict the supply of oil coming from the Middle East,” Matt Maley, an analyst at Miller Tabak + Co., told Bloomberg .

That edginess was evident on Thursday. Stocks fell and crude prices jumped after the White House disclosed details of Biden’s tense phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, in which the president demanded that more be done to protect civilians and aid workers in Gaza.

The S&P 500 is on pace for its worst weekly performance since October , according to Deutsche Bank data. Investors are fretting about how rising energy prices could mess up the Fed’s outlook on cutting interest rates.

Another big factor to watch: The jobs report comes out at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, which is likely to reveal new clues on wage growth.

HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING

Is Alphabet weighing an advertising mega deal? The parent company of Google has discussed a takeover bid for HubSpot , a maker of online marketing software whose market value is more than $33 billion, according to Reuters. An acquisition would be Alphabet’s biggest ever — and a rare example of a tech giant pursuing a giant takeover while facing tough antitrust scrutiny in Washington and abroad.

Ford delays production of several electric vehicle models. The carmaker said it would focus on making more hybrid cars and trucks , as it stalls manufacturing at least two fully electric lines. It’s the latest auto company to pull back from E.V.s amid slower-than-expected sales because of cost, range anxiety and more.

Nelson Peltz is said to claim a hefty consolation prize from his Disney fight. The activist investor earned a paper profit of about $300 million from his 16-month battle with the media giant, The Wall Street Journal reported. That may reduce the sting from Peltz failing to win any Disney board seats, though the roughly 40 percent gain in the share price it represents is about equal to the S&P 500’s return for the same period.

A “chess game” at Paramount

When a company evaluates a deal involving management or a controlling shareholder — think RJR’s acquisition of Nabisco — it usually appoints a special committee of board members to weigh what to do.

That’s the case in Paramount’s talks to merge with the studio Skydance. The assembled group faces competing demands , The Times’s Ben Mullin and DealBook’s Lauren Hirsch write: agree to a deal that its controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone wants, but also balance that against what’s best for other shareholders.

Paramount’s complex ownership structure makes things tricky. Redstone controls the media giant via her holding company, National Amusements, which owns a supervoting class of stock. But National Amusements owns just a small fraction of Paramount’s overall shares.

Redstone has endorsed a deal with Skydance, which would also buy out National Amusements, likely for a premium. But Paramount also received an overture from the investment firm Apollo Global Management about buying the whole company for $26 billion — which Paramount ignored, amid questions about how it would be financed.

Many investors seem unhappy with how things are going. Paramount’s shares tumbled 8.5 percent on Thursday, after CNBC reported that a Skydance deal might require the company to raise more equity . “It is beyond baffling to see the Paramount board of directors ignore an all-cash offer for 100 percent of Paramount,” the media analyst Rich Greenfield told The Times.

Some prominent shareholders have already weighed in:

Mario Gabelli, whose asset management firm owns 10 percent of Paramount’s voting stock, says he doesn’t favor a sale now because he believes the company is undervalued.

John Rogers Jr., whose firm owned 1.8 percent of Paramount’s stock as of Dec. 31, says he’s open to a transaction with Skydance.

The fate of Paramount will come down to its special committee, composed of independent directors. Such a group, at least on paper, has a lot of power, since it can decide not to recommend the Skydance bid.

Those directors have to play a game of chess, according to Jim Woolery, a veteran deal maker who runs the advisory firm Woolery & Company. That may mean using Apollo’s interest as leverage to extract more favorable terms from Skydance.

The committee also could negotiate a low breakup fee in any deal agreement, as well as a so-called go-shop provision to allow it to seek higher takeover bids elsewhere.

A big goal is to avoid long and costly litigation. The activist investor Carl Icahn tied up the sale of Dell for months in 2013 by arguing that the transaction was unfair to most shareholders.

Redstone appears aware of that risk, leaving deliberations about Paramount’s future to the special committee. But it’s clear she’s a seller in any case, even if the board opposes the Skydance bid.

Pressing pause on climate rules

The S.E.C. has been under fire from red states and business lobbying groups since approving new rules last month that require companies to disclose their climate risks.

The future of the green mandates, a big piece of President Biden’s policy agenda, look less certain after the agency took the unusual move of halting them on Thursday.

The growing legal risk may have left it little choice, according to Joseph Grundfest, a Stanford law professor and former S.E.C. commissioner. “The commission has likely smelled the coffee” and voluntarily stayed its rules before being ordered to, he told DealBook.

More than 30 parties are challenging the new rules , which call for greater transparency about the climate risks facing companies. (Opponents include energy companies and industry groups.) When the rules were first introduced, Gary Gensler, the S.E.C. chair, said they would help protect trillions in investors’ money.

A group of Republican state attorneys general subsequently sued the agency , arguing that it had overstepped its authority and that companies already disclose enough climate-risk data to investors. Their counterparts in Democratic-controlled states have defended the rules .

The S.E.C. says it isn’t backing down. “In issuing a stay, the commission is not departing from its view that the final rules are consistent with applicable law and within the commission’s long-standing authority,” the agency wrote in its order. It added that it “will continue vigorously defending the final rules’ validity in court.”

Meanwhile, companies already face heightened climate disclosure requirements in the E.U. and California. Similar mandates are pending in New York and Illinois.

Politics could muddle the future of such mandates. If Republicans regain the White House, expect an unwinding or watering down of the S.E.C. rules, said Jane Norberg, a partner at Arnold & Porter who formerly worked at the commission.

Who will pay for the collapse of the Baltimore bridge?

President Biden is set to visit the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Friday, to look at the damage caused by a deadly accident that will cost billions to fix. Biden pledged that the federal government would pay the “entire cost” after a cargo ship rammed into the bridge, but the fight over insurance claims has started — and could take years to sort out.

The shipping channel will be partly reopened by the end of the month, officials said on Thursday. They added that they hoped the lane would be fully cleared by the end of May, easing pressure on companies that have had to find alternatives to one of the biggest ports on the East Coast.

Figuring out who has to pick up the tab will be expensive and messy. Insurers and reinsurers could be on the hook for up to $4 billion, industry experts told The Times.

The legal wrangling started this week when the ship’s Singapore-based owner and the operator filed a U.S. court petition to limit their liability to $43.7 million. They cited an 1851 law that allows shipowners to largely cap financial damages to the value of a ship after a crash, provided the owner isn’t at fault.

If the shipowner were found to be liable, the calculation would change:

The first $10 million of claims would be covered by its insurer, a mutual association called Britannia P&I Club. This could include coverage for deaths, debris removal, property damage and cargo damage.

Costs after that and up to $100 million would be shared by members of the London-based International Group of P&I Clubs, an association that insures about 90 percent of the world’s oceangoing tonnage.

Beyond that, dozens of reinsurers would cover costs up to about $3 billion. Some reinsurers expect that businesses looking to file claims could use that widely publicized figure as a target.

The costs are big but not a death knell for the reinsurance industry. The sector has faced much bigger claims in recent years — in 2022, Hurricane Ian caused more than $50 billion in insured losses — and policymakers hope it will be able to cover the payouts without requiring government support.

The White House said responsible parties would be held accountable but it wasn’t going to wait to start rebuilding.

THE SPEED READ

The small activist hedge fund Bluebell Capital is proposing to unseat Larry Fink as BlackRock’s chairman . (WSJ)

The F.T.C. warned hundreds of companies, including Pfizer and Thermo Fisher Scientific, that it may challenge their acquisitions even after a review deadline has passed. (Bloomberg)

“Want to Invest in SpaceX or Stripe? There’s a Fund for That. ” (NYT)

Inside the campaign by allies of President Biden to win the endorsements of anti-Trump Republicans like Nikki Haley — and their donors. (CNBC)

The Biden administration wants for-profit space companies to start paying for their use of government resources like air traffic control. (NYT)

Best of the rest

The C.E.O. of YouTube warned that any efforts by OpenAI to train its artificial intelligence tools using videos on its platform would violate its terms of service . (Bloomberg)

Apple plans to lay off 614 employees in California after shutting down its car project, its biggest round of job cuts since the pandemic. (CNBC)

We’d like your feedback! Please email thoughts and suggestions to [email protected] .

Andrew Ross Sorkin is a columnist and the founder and editor at large of DealBook. He is a co-anchor of CNBC’s "Squawk Box" and the author of “Too Big to Fail.” He is also a co-creator of the Showtime drama series "Billions." More about Andrew Ross Sorkin

Ravi Mattu is the managing editor of DealBook, based in London. He joined The New York Times in 2022 from the Financial Times, where he held a number of senior roles in Hong Kong and London. More about Ravi Mattu

Bernhard Warner is a senior editor for DealBook, a newsletter from The Times, covering business trends, the economy and the markets. More about Bernhard Warner

Sarah Kessler is an editor for the DealBook newsletter and writes features on business and how workplaces are changing. More about Sarah Kessler

Michael de la Merced joined The Times as a reporter in 2006, covering Wall Street and finance. Among his main coverage areas are mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcies and the private equity industry. More about Michael J. de la Merced

Lauren Hirsch joined The Times from CNBC in 2020, covering deals and the biggest stories on Wall Street. More about Lauren Hirsch

Ephrat Livni reports from Washington on the intersection of business and policy for DealBook. Previously, she was a senior reporter at Quartz, covering law and politics, and has practiced law in the public and private sectors.   More about Ephrat Livni