Member: JamieFord

Jamie -

I was a bookseller for 20 years here in Milwaukee until our stores closed in March. I also have a daughter from China. I have also become friends with Lisa See over the years. So being drawn to your book was a natural for me.

I just saw that you were on LT and just dropped to tell you how much I enjoyed it. And I was happy to hear it being read on Wisconsin Public Radio's Chapter a Day when I turned on the radio the other day. I recognized it immediately.

Hope you are well. I will watch for your next book.

Best,
Nancy Quinn (alphaorder)

posted by alphaorder at 10:50 am (EST) on Oct 28, 2009

I work for Borders, and your book caught my attention when I was shelving, and I'm so glad it did. Hotel is truly amazing. I loved the characters and the emotions that just leapt off the page while reading. It has been fun getting other people to also read it, and hear back on how much they too have loved it.

posted by ELBrown at 11:03 pm (EST) on Apr 15, 2009

The Mystery of Life

We walk in a world that is strange and unknown
And in the midst of the crowd we still feel alone,
We question our purpose, our part and our place
In this vast land of mystery suspended in space,
We probe and explore and try hard to explain
The tumult of thoughts that our minds entertain...
But all of our probings and complex explanations
Of man's inner feelings and fears and frustrations
Still leave us engulfed in the "mystery of life"
With all of its struggles and suffering and strife,
Unable to fathom what tomorrow will bring --
But there is one truth to which we can cling,
For while life's a mystery we can't understand
The "great giver of life" is holding our hand
And safe in His care there is no need for seeing
For "in Him we live and move and have our being."

~ Helen Steiner Rice

posted by theoldman at 8:23 am (EST) on Feb 14, 2009

I just wanted to say that I read 'Hotel...' last week and posted my review here on LT. I'll put it here as well, because I really want you to know how wonderful we readers are finding your book. This is one of those books I know I'll be suggesting to everyone!

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((summery removed, because you already know it.))

'Hotel…' creates a duel timeline, as we simultaneously follow Henry during the war and later as an adult. This tactic can sometimes give away too much of the plot, but Ford uses it to keep his audience caught up in the story- we know roughly how the childhood ends, but our emotions are so tied up in it that we read with encompassing hope that the story will somehow change. There is honestly nothing bad I can think of to say about this book. The history is accurate and the characters are so believable that you can see part of yourself, or your loved ones in each of them. If this 'Hotel…' is any indication, then I can’t wait to see what else Ford has in story for us in future novels. 'Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet' creates a thread of ache around your heart in the first chapter… one that holds tight long after the story is over. I count this as one of the best books I’ve read this year.

posted by PirateColey at 12:00 pm (EST) on Dec 26, 2008