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Orphan Train Christina Baker Kline 9780061950728 Books

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Orphan Train Christina Baker Kline 9780061950728 Books

Note: This review, as well as many more, can also be found on my blog, The Baking Bookworm (www.thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca).

My Review: I loved this book and I'm going to try to not gush too much but this is one of the best books that I've read in a long time. For readers who adore historical fiction this is the book for you. It's an emotional story set in an interesting era about circumstances that I (sadly) knew nothing about.

Right from the beginning I knew that this was going to be a book that I was going to take precedence over laundry and any other non-essential home chores that I had to get done. Who needs clean jeans when Mom has a great book in her hand?! I was pleasantly surprised to find that the stories of a 17 year old orphan and a 91 year old orphan train survivor would grab me from the beginning with its wonderfully well developed characters and its dual storylines in two different eras.

There are so many things that I loved about this book. The writing was so clear and honest that the fear of these orphaned children was palpable as they were treated no better than merchandise to be given away to anyone who was interested in either (hopefully) adopting a child or, more often, free labour. The author deftly handles writing two storylines in two different eras. Her writing was so engaging and I found myself needing to find out what happened to Vivian.

But without interesting and well written characters great storylines can often fall flat. That is not the case here. The characters were well fleshed out and believable -- especially Vivian's story which helped me to get engrossed into the book. My heart went out to this young girl who is thrust into a situation she could never have expected.

My only criticism is that, at times, Vivian felt like she was much more mature than her 9 years of age. I realize that it was a different era but when I think about what my 10 year old can do and how she speaks it isn't in sync with little Vivian. There were a few scenes where Vivian came off as more of a teenager than a young girl of nine.

This is a book about the unexpected bond between two very unlikely friends and it's an emotional look at how the orphan trains impacted these young children. I'm thankful to Ms Kline for educating me to a part of history that I knew nothing about.
In the end, this is a book about resilience, people's need for love, acceptance and how the feeling of belonging is so essential to everyone. It's about the importance of sharing our personal stories with others and asking to hear other people's stories so that we're not forgotten. Orphan Train was wonderfully and emotionally written about a time that I'm thankful that I now know more about. This is a truly compelling and emotional read.

Highly recommended.

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars


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Orphan Train Christina Baker Kline 9780061950728 Books Reviews

This historical novel was well written as the author describes the journeys of many orphaned children in New York City that were sent by train to other states for adoption and the horrific processes these children experienced during the earliest adoption runs. This book was an eye opener for me because I didn't know anything about this happening until reading this book. The author also published the names of these children and the families who adopted them in the counties surrounding where I now live. This list provides people with the ability to track their ancestry if they were related to these orphaned children. The story really touched my heart.
I noticed all the good reviews and publicity surrounding ORPHAN TRAIN when the book was first published a few years ago. I had ORPHAN TRAIN on my To Be Read list but never got around to reading the novel. I knew the book was based on true stories of children shipped across America in the early part of the last century. When I saw the book was available for review, I signed up pronto, wondering why the publisher was sending it on tour again years later.
I learned on the very first page entitled “Dear Reader” that Christina Baker Kline decided to revamp the book (or a certain situation in the book) slightly due to reader feedback. As she says, she “would have the chance to fix small errors, update factual information, clarify and sharpen the language in places, and – most important – add a scene that I’ve long regretted not including.” Ms. Kline even mentioned Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory in her letter to the reader.
The book was definitely a “could not put down” experience for me. I read it over the course of three days only because I had events to attend over a weekend or I probably would have finished it half that time.
ORPHAN TRAIN was a mix of favorite childhood books of mine such as ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, HEIDI, and UNDERSTOOD BETSY, and Ms. Kline used the L.M. Montgomery Anne book in her story. Niamh (pronounced Neev) was an Irish immigrant girl sent on an orphan train from New York City to Minnesota in the late 1920s. At the same time, the book is the 2011 story of Molly, a high-school teen getting ready to age out of foster care in New England. Niahm, changed to Dorothy and then to Vivian, and Molly meet unexpectedly when Molly is tasked with helping 91-year-old Vivian clean out her attic to get in community service hours for stealing a library book. This situation proved to be cathartic and affirming for both Molly and Vivian.
I thought Ms. Kline presented a wonderful story of historical fiction using flashbacks of Vivian’s life intertwined with a believable foster child in today’s system.
At the end of the new version, an author interview and reading group guide are presented, as well as a short history on the orphan trains.
ORPHAN TRAIN is now a personal favorite and one of my most highly recommended book I have reviewed.
Note This review, as well as many more, can also be found on my blog, The Baking Bookworm (www.thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca).

My Review I loved this book and I'm going to try to not gush too much but this is one of the best books that I've read in a long time. For readers who adore historical fiction this is the book for you. It's an emotional story set in an interesting era about circumstances that I (sadly) knew nothing about.

Right from the beginning I knew that this was going to be a book that I was going to take precedence over laundry and any other non-essential home chores that I had to get done. Who needs clean jeans when Mom has a great book in her hand?! I was pleasantly surprised to find that the stories of a 17 year old orphan and a 91 year old orphan train survivor would grab me from the beginning with its wonderfully well developed characters and its dual storylines in two different eras.

There are so many things that I loved about this book. The writing was so clear and honest that the fear of these orphaned children was palpable as they were treated no better than merchandise to be given away to anyone who was interested in either (hopefully) adopting a child or, more often, free labour. The author deftly handles writing two storylines in two different eras. Her writing was so engaging and I found myself needing to find out what happened to Vivian.

But without interesting and well written characters great storylines can often fall flat. That is not the case here. The characters were well fleshed out and believable -- especially Vivian's story which helped me to get engrossed into the book. My heart went out to this young girl who is thrust into a situation she could never have expected.

My only criticism is that, at times, Vivian felt like she was much more mature than her 9 years of age. I realize that it was a different era but when I think about what my 10 year old can do and how she speaks it isn't in sync with little Vivian. There were a few scenes where Vivian came off as more of a teenager than a young girl of nine.

This is a book about the unexpected bond between two very unlikely friends and it's an emotional look at how the orphan trains impacted these young children. I'm thankful to Ms Kline for educating me to a part of history that I knew nothing about.
In the end, this is a book about resilience, people's need for love, acceptance and how the feeling of belonging is so essential to everyone. It's about the importance of sharing our personal stories with others and asking to hear other people's stories so that we're not forgotten. Orphan Train was wonderfully and emotionally written about a time that I'm thankful that I now know more about. This is a truly compelling and emotional read.

Highly recommended.

My Rating 4.5/5 stars