Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
Synopsis
Molly Ayer, a 17 year old foster child, has been through twelve families in the last nine years. After stealing a library book, she is ordered to do 50 hours of community service. She is led to Vivian Daly, a 91 year old widow who needs help sorting through boxes in her attic. Molly learns that Vivian also had a rough upbringing; an Irish immigrant, orphaned in New York City when she was 9, she was put on an "orphan train", or trains that took orphans from the crowded Eastern cities out to the Midwest where they would hopefully be adopted, but were usually used as unpaid laborers. As Molly and Vivian learn more about each other, they realize they're not so different.
Review
This book started out a little slow, but picked up once we started hearing Vivian's story. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's a fascinating window into a not very well known part of American history and a story of courage and resilience in the face of awful circumstances.
The book starts in the present day and is from Molly's point of view. Vivian's story is intermixed as chapters told from her point of view from when she was younger. I loved how well the two stories intertwined. We see how Molly and Vivian, though facing slightly different situations, develop similar coping mechanisms. They don't feel safe or secure, they learn to smile when they should, even though they feel numb. They constantly live on the edge, having seen the worst of people and not trusting the kindness they receive, never quite feeling like they belong.
It was honestly a very heartbreaking topic to read about. Having experience working with kids who were in the foster system, I saw many of the character traits of Molly in them. It also made me sad for Vivian and the way orphans in the past were treated--basically like scum, like it was their fault their families had died and they had been tossed on the street. They had no rights and no one to care for them. My own great-grandfather was orphaned as a young child at the turn of the 20th century. He went through a couple adoptive families and spent many years in an orphanage. It gave me some insight into what his life may have been like and the feelings and emotions he would have experienced.
I liked the ways the characters complemented and reflected each other, with Molly going through a cycle of growth and coming into herself, while Vivian reflects on her own from the position of seventy years of hindsight. They both help each other not feel so alone in the world, and also expand each other's world views.
A powerful read, emotionally heavy, but with a good uplifting ending.
Rating
I give this book 4 stars
Details
Genre: Historical Fiction.
Sex: There is a scene of attempted rape involving a young girl. There are a few graphic details.
Language: Some language.
Violence: No violence.
Synopsis
Molly Ayer, a 17 year old foster child, has been through twelve families in the last nine years. After stealing a library book, she is ordered to do 50 hours of community service. She is led to Vivian Daly, a 91 year old widow who needs help sorting through boxes in her attic. Molly learns that Vivian also had a rough upbringing; an Irish immigrant, orphaned in New York City when she was 9, she was put on an "orphan train", or trains that took orphans from the crowded Eastern cities out to the Midwest where they would hopefully be adopted, but were usually used as unpaid laborers. As Molly and Vivian learn more about each other, they realize they're not so different.
Review
This book started out a little slow, but picked up once we started hearing Vivian's story. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's a fascinating window into a not very well known part of American history and a story of courage and resilience in the face of awful circumstances.
The book starts in the present day and is from Molly's point of view. Vivian's story is intermixed as chapters told from her point of view from when she was younger. I loved how well the two stories intertwined. We see how Molly and Vivian, though facing slightly different situations, develop similar coping mechanisms. They don't feel safe or secure, they learn to smile when they should, even though they feel numb. They constantly live on the edge, having seen the worst of people and not trusting the kindness they receive, never quite feeling like they belong.
It was honestly a very heartbreaking topic to read about. Having experience working with kids who were in the foster system, I saw many of the character traits of Molly in them. It also made me sad for Vivian and the way orphans in the past were treated--basically like scum, like it was their fault their families had died and they had been tossed on the street. They had no rights and no one to care for them. My own great-grandfather was orphaned as a young child at the turn of the 20th century. He went through a couple adoptive families and spent many years in an orphanage. It gave me some insight into what his life may have been like and the feelings and emotions he would have experienced.
I liked the ways the characters complemented and reflected each other, with Molly going through a cycle of growth and coming into herself, while Vivian reflects on her own from the position of seventy years of hindsight. They both help each other not feel so alone in the world, and also expand each other's world views.
A powerful read, emotionally heavy, but with a good uplifting ending.
Rating
I give this book 4 stars
Details
Genre: Historical Fiction.
Sex: There is a scene of attempted rape involving a young girl. There are a few graphic details.
Language: Some language.
Violence: No violence.
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