Orphan Train in WACKY READING CHALLENGES

Nov 03, 2013 Book Concierge rated it liked it

Shelves: new-york, racism, historical-fiction, survival, abuse, concierge, strong-women, library, social-commentary

3.5***

Seventeen-year-old Molly Ayer is a troubled teen in foster care, who has to perform 50 hours of community service helping an elderly widow clean her attic in order to avoid going to “juvie.” The two couldn’t be more different. Molly is a Penobscot Indian who has never left Maine, dresses in “Goth” attire and can fit all her belongings in two duffel bags. Vivian Daly is a wealthy, ninety-year-old woman who has traveled and is now living in a large Victorian mansion. But as they get to know 3.5***

Seventeen-year-old Molly Ayer is a troubled teen in foster care, who has to perform 50 hours of community service helping an elderly widow clean her attic in order to avoid going to “juvie.” The two couldn’t be more different. Molly is a Penobscot Indian who has never left Maine, dresses in “Goth” attire and can fit all her belongings in two duffel bags. Vivian Daly is a wealthy, ninety-year-old woman who has traveled and is now living in a large Victorian mansion. But as they get to know one another they begin to recognize that they are more similar than different. As Molly unpacks the boxes, Vivian begins to reveal her history. Orphaned as a child in New York City, Vivian was sent out with hundreds of other children on a train bound for the Midwest and with the hope they would find adoptive families. The reality of their situations was frequently very different from the hoped-for outcomes.

This was a captivating novel made richer, I think, by using two time-lines, allowing the reader to compare and contrast the stories of these two women. At heart it is about the need to belong – to a family and to a community – and how opening one’s heart to making those connections results in a richer life. Molly is at the beginning of her life’s journey and in a few months she will age out of the foster care system and be on her own. She’s an astute observer and she learns much from Vivian’s story. Guarded and abrasive at the beginning of the novel, Molly comes to realize that her own attitude and behavior more than other people’s perceptions or expectations will be what shapes her future.

Kline effectively uses Molly’s Native American heritage in exploring one of the central issues. Her American History teacher assigns the students a project based on the concept of “portaging.” In Women of the Dawn, a nonfiction book, Bunny McBride writes: “In portaging from one river to another, Wabanakis had to carry their canoes and all other possessions. Everyone knew the value of traveling light and understood that it required leaving some things behind. Nothing encumbered movement more than fear, which was often the most difficult burden to surrender.” It certainly makes me reconsider all the “stuff” I have in storage and recognize that letting go of those clippings, etc will not erase the memory of those events.

The novel also shines a light on a relatively unknown episode in American history. My edition of the novel included historical notes at the back on the real orphan trains that, from 1854 to 1929, sent some 200,000 orphaned, abandoned or homeless children from the cities of the East to the Midwest for “adoption,” which frequently turned out to be indentured servitude.
...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Dec 04, 2017 Marina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, books-to-re-read, 2017

One of my favourite genres is historical fiction. I've always enjoyed books from this genre but some of the books I remember best are those who entertain me but also teaches me something new. I have a feeling Orphan Train will be one of those books.

I had never heard of these train riders before, so from the start the story was interesting and had my full attention. I liked how the story portrayed both Vivian and Molly and their life as orphans and children in foster care.
As I see it the book gi ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Nov 17, 2014 Angie H rated it really liked it

What a beautifully written book that had me hooked right away. The characters were fabulous with very gripping stories. I felt like I was right there enduring their pain, heartaches, and triumphs.
Maybe that is a little over the top but I literally JUST finished the book and that is how I feel. :)
who knew a ninety-one year old woman and a seventeen year old girl could have so much in common.
It is sad because I know a lot of the things that happened in this book, happened in real life. These chil ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Feb 20, 2020 Tien rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, read-on-kobo, contemporary

The one annoying thing about time-slip novels, just like multiple POVs novels, is that you get to be impatient about one timeline because you really wanted to get back to the other to find out what happens next!

With Orphan Train, I was even more impatient because I just couldn't care for Molly (the present timeline). I find it hard to read angry teens, tbh, and I've even DNF books for that reason alone. Although, there is angry and there is angry. Molly has got a good reason to be angry but she ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 12, 2016 Chrystal rated it it was amazing

So I read this book as part of the Give a Gift of a book challenge and I can definitely see why its was given 5 stars. I also rated it 5 stars. The writing was beautiful and captivating. A true story of history. A history that not many know. This is why I love this site. It is quite possible that without it, I may not have picked this book up.

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 03, 2013 Debbie (Doc) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, read-in-2013, audible, around-the-states

I was not sure if I would like this or not, but I am so glad that I took the chance and listened to it. This book was amazing on audio and I loved the narrators. This definitely says something as I am not prone to listening to very many audios. I even took the time to research orphan trains and was amazed at how this process treated orphaned and abandoned children. The story took place in two different time periods, and I preferred the older piece of the story. I almost gave this only 4 stars as ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 17, 2013 Kathryn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, paid, historical-fiction, read-in-2013

I'm so glad I continued with this book. Although, I wasn't crazy about the first half of the book, while I was reading it, I ended up really enjoying it. I really liked the ending, although I wish we would have learned more before it ended. I don't want to give things away, but those of you who have read it know what I'm alluding to. I liked the belief that things happen for a reason, even if not good at the time; and if they had not happened later things in life would not have happened as they ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jun 14, 2014 Karen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

I listened to the audio version of this and really enjoyed both the narration and the story. It was an entwined story line - a turn of the century orphan train survivor and a present day teen in foster care. Vivian and Molly are brought together as if by fate and despite Molly's best effort not to connect with Vivian (or anyone else), the two form a believable bond and friendship. Many reviewers here are upset by the stereotypical characterization of adoptive and foster care parents and the auth ...more

Like · see review

Mar 22, 2013 Michelle rated it it was amazing

If your a lover of history, this is the book for you. They're not many books out there that can make me shed a tear or two (in truth their is not much that can make me cry period), but this one had the tears welling up and spilling out. All I can say is thank goodness I was sitting in my car alone while waiting for my husband to get out of work.

The orphan trains that were spoke of in the book existed between 1854-1930. These trains would take orphaned or abandoned children from the east coast to If your a lover of history, this is the book for you. They're not many books out there that can make me shed a tear or two (in truth their is not much that can make me cry period), but this one had the tears welling up and spilling out. All I can say is thank goodness I was sitting in my car alone while waiting for my husband to get out of work.

The orphan trains that were spoke of in the book existed between 1854-1930. These trains would take orphaned or abandoned children from the east coast to the Midwest. Some of the children would be adopted into loving families. Others were indentured to families to work on the farm as labor or to work in the house helping take care of the children and other household duties. Many were abused, beaten, sexually molested, raped, or thrown out to fend for themselves. The really sad part is that these children really had no rights what so ever and many times were not believed if they complained. These were the castaways that no body really wanted.

The story goes back and forth between 2011 Maine and the 1930's and 1940's in Minnesota. We have two main characters, Vivian and Molly.
In this story Vivian was one of the orphan train children. She was an Irish immigrant who was orphaned in New York City. She was handed over to what was called the Children's Aid Society for care and was then placed on one of these trains. Molly is a Native American teenager who has been tossed into bad Foster Homes since she was little. Molly tries to steal a book from the library and is given 50 hours of community service. Molly is directed towards Vivian, who is 91 at the time, to help clean out her attic.

While Molly is helping Vivian with the attic, Vivian's story about her childhood is being told. Molly comes to find out that she and Vivian are not that much different in how they grew up and an unlikely bond grows between the two ladies.

As a mother, reading Vivian's story is quite painful at times to hear. Children did not have many rights during the time Vivian grew up so they could be beaten, made to work long hours with no food, piss poor living conditions, and a host of other things. I think what really ticks me off is that the organizations like the Children's Aid Society ignored what was going on. They knew what kind of life some of these children were going to have and they had no qualms about releasing them into the care of what I would call Monsters. I understand that times were different from now, but how can you look at a child and do what some of these people did. I don't think I will ever understand.

The story is not entirely about the abuse. Vivian and Molly both have their share of some happy moments especially between the middle to the ending of the book. It shows you that even under the most dire circumstances that if you want to survive, you can. Your life is what you make it out to be. The actions in your past should not define who you are. Yes they happened, and yes they really sucked, but you can rise above all the hardships and negativity that you have suffered through. That is why I gave this 5 stars and would highly recommend it. ...more

Like · see review

Dec 05, 2017 Elle rated it liked it

This one nearly felt as if it were written by two different authors. The portions of the book written in the past were beautifully written and stripped of any awkwardness. They were well-crafted and believable. The modern portions of the novel were something else. They seemed overly corny...too juvenile. The characters weren't as rich and the storyline was jolting rather than seamless. Thankfully, there was enough of the former to keep the book on track. I enjoyed the premise of the novel and ve ...more

Like · see review

Mar 16, 2013 Nell marked it as on-my-shelves · review of another edition

Like

Mar 31, 2013 Phyllis marked it as to-read

Like

May 20, 2013 Susan C rated it really liked it

Like

Jul 06, 2013 Ruth rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-read-in-2013

Like

Nov 08, 2013 Pamela rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, fiction

Like

Dec 03, 2013 Charlene marked it as to-read

Like

Dec 20, 2013 Erin rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

Like

Mar 28, 2014 Bev(baglady) marked it as to-read

Shelves: wishlist

Like

May 07, 2014 jingles rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014

1 like · Like

May 10, 2014 Lorri marked it as to-read

Like

Jul 21, 2014 Connie N. marked it as to-read

Shelves: young-adult, realistic-fiction, recommended

Like

Jul 30, 2014 Lisa marked it as to-read

1 like · Like

Sep 05, 2014 Jillian rated it liked it

Shelves: 2014, new-books-read-2014

Like

Sep 21, 2014 Cecilia marked it as to-read

Like

Oct 05, 2015 *Dawn rated it it was amazing

Like

Oct 24, 2015 Brindi Michele marked it as to-read

Like

Nov 20, 2015 Denise rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2015

Like

Jan 23, 2017 Mary-Megan rated it really liked it

Like

Jul 07, 2017 Diane L rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, minnesota, maine

Like

May 29, 2018 Agnieszka rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, grief, z-easy-access-to-read, immigration-culture-issues, second-chance, drama, z-awards, clean-read, ya-na-youth-kids, historical

2 likes · Like

From the Bookshelf of WACKY READING CHALLENGES…

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

What Members Thought

WACKY READING CHALLENGES