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To me Christina Baker Kline is absolutely a story teller.
This book is very touching and tells an terrible truth happened around a century ago. Between 1854 to 1929 nearly 200,000 were transferred from East Coast to Midwest by so called Orphan Trains to be fostered or if they were lucky adopted by new people.
Things happened to those children was determined by their luck and who took them in.
This book is very touching and tells an terrible truth happened around a century ago. Between 1854 to 1929 nearly 200,000 were transferred from East Coast to Midwest by so called Orphan Trains to be fostered or if they were lucky adopted by new people.
Things happened to those children was determined by their luck and who took them in.
I learned about an aspect of U.S. history that I hadn't known before. I knew nothing of the orphan trains. It was eye-opening to see how little oversight was given to the protection of these children. This was fascinating and, at times, heart-breaking.
Vivian (the character who rode the orphan train) had a very interesting plot and character development. And a key strength of this book is that the author labels each chapter with a date. This way, you know whether you are about to read Vivian's ta ...more
Vivian (the character who rode the orphan train) had a very interesting plot and character development. And a key strength of this book is that the author labels each chapter with a date. This way, you know whether you are about to read Vivian's ta ...more
This was a really great book. It drew me in with the first chapter and I was reluctant to put it down after that. Now that I am finished, I will have to get caught up with chores.
This historical fiction tale, with its parallel modern embedded narrative, tells the story of a young girl sent off on one of the Orphan Trains that carried abandoned children of NYC to Midwest farms. I learned so much about what I thought was a short-lived limited endeavor, but was really a huge, long-running strategy to move hundreds of thousands of unwanted American children out of the city, where they were underfoot, into the country where they could work for a living. The story is jaw-dropp
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Very readable. Covers an interesting aspect of American history. The author did a lot of research, which she discussed in an afterword in my edition.
I enjoyed the interweaving of the two stories: that of the now-old woman, Vivian, who was sent west on an orphan train and that of the young woman in foster care who becomes involved with Vivian as she performs community service as a way to avoid juvenile hall.
The writing was good, not great. A positive was the amount of detail included.
I enjoyed the interweaving of the two stories: that of the now-old woman, Vivian, who was sent west on an orphan train and that of the young woman in foster care who becomes involved with Vivian as she performs community service as a way to avoid juvenile hall.
The writing was good, not great. A positive was the amount of detail included.
I really liked this book. It has interesting history and I liked the way it went back and forth between a modern day character and a historical character. Good pick Tiff!
Highly recommended. I loved the blend of contemporary and historical story lines.
Jan 21, 2015
HeatherLynn
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Jul 26, 2015
Kate
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Sep 14, 2016
Jocelyn
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Jul 24, 2018
Melissa
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Sep 01, 2018
laurie
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Apr 19, 2019
Susan
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Jun 27, 2020
Laurel Kristick
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