From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books…

Orphan Train

Christina Baker Kline

Start date: September 1, 2014

Finish date: September 30, 2014

Discussion: Group Reads Discussions

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What Members Thought

Nov 22, 2017 Ra rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scribd

This book reads like a YA novel. It is funny that I read it right after I finished the Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and these two books couldn't be more different. Where the Russian tome is extremely long, thin on events and heavy on character dialogue, conversation and study, this one is short, and the "event" features as the main driver of the story while the characters are just serving as its results.

The history about the Orphan Train is interesting but I found the characters a b ...more

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Oct 17, 2014 Jana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: brain-expanding-project

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.

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Jul 12, 2014 Katy rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

Apparently I am getting soft in my old age, because this is the second “feel good” book this winter that I have loved. Orphan Train is a story within a story – the frame story is that of Molly, a 17 year old foster child who ends up having to do community service in the house of 91 year old Vivian Daly. The main story is that of Vivian, who as a child rode the orphan trains out west to Minnesota and experienced various hardships and challenges along the way. At first, when I saw where this was g ...more

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Jun 12, 2015 Beth rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, audiobooks

Nice story. Follows two separate time lines. One works better than the other one. Started the book and lost it. Then, I listened to the audio version and don't recommend it. There are two voices on it and one of them can be a bit irritating at times. Read the book. ...more

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