Orphan Train, book review
I’m pleased to introduce Orphan Train, this month’s featured She Reads selection by Christina Baker Kline. Born in England and raised on the American East Coast, Kline is co-author of The Conversation Begins: Mothers and Daughters Talk about Living Feminism. Orphan Train is her fifth novel. She lives with her husband and three sons in Montclair, New Jersey.
About this book: Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to “aging out” out of the foster care system. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse…
As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.
Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life – answers that will ultimately free them both.
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Judge this book by its cover? A beautiful cover that ably captures a poignant story.
Reminds me of…The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler.
Buy or borrow? Buy.
Why did I read this book? It’s the She Reads Book Club selection of the month.
Would I read another by this author? Absolutely.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
My take: Double-narrative novels seem all in vogue these days; Orphan Train is the third I’ve read in as many months. As a writer, I recognize that this narrative choice take some skill to achieve. Indeed, in a post-book interview, Kline speaks of her desire to balance her parallel narratives. “Sometimes I gave myself a headache trying to figure out how it all fit together.” Fortunately for us, she artfully succeeds.
In shades of Jane Eyre and Anne of Green Gables, Orphan Train gives us a fascinating glimpse into a little-known period of American history. It is a poignant story of two young Americans, living nearly a century apart, who find themselves caught in terrible circumstances beyond their control. It’s a story of cultural identity, family history, identifying the things we value enough to take with us, and fate.
Kline’s language is flowing and evocative without being flowery. (I like that.) She’s also a very powerful writer. At times I found myself clenching my fists, enduring a swelling rage at her gripping portrayals of injustice, abuse and degradation–circumstances that often resulted from the well-intentioned but completely inept decisions of supposedly good people.
Toward the end of the novel, Molly asks this: “So is it just human nature to believe that things happen for a reason—to find some shred of meaning even in the worst experiences?”
I liked how Kline’s story answers that question. It ultimately left me with a feeling of hope, not only for these characters, but for all of us who seek meaning in our lives.
Thanks to She Reads and William Morrow for providing me a copy to review. All opinions are mine.
Kline is currently working on her sixth novel. You may visit her online at christinabakerkline.com. See what other reviewers are saying at SheReads.org (and leave a comment there for your chance to win your own copy). You can also check out the trailer for Orphan Train, below.
Loved your review and totally agree with you!
I was distressed when reading the part about Vivian living with Grote family and the conditions in which she was forced to live. Then when HE did what he did to her, I wanted so badly to reach into the pages of the book, grab her, pull her out, hug her, resuce her, and bring home with me. My entire heart and soul weeped for her. I couldn’t believe people could be soo inhumane to a mere child!
I loved this book so much that I’m keeping it as part of my permanent collection.
Thanks again for your great review!
Cheers,
Louise
(Book BagLady)
That’s awesome. What you describe is EXACTLY how I felt when reading those scenes. I too think this book is a keeper. Fun to hear from you! 🙂
I also enjoyed the book and found Vivian a strong and memorable character. Nice review.
Thank you, Cindi! Nice of you to stop by and share your two cents.
I loved this book! The Grotes were absolutely horrendous and it was hard to read, but it led to the overall amazingness of this book. I’m going to have to check out Calling Me Home because I’ve read so many great things about it.
Yes! Oh, and do check out Calling Me Home. If you loved this one, you’ll feel the same way about the other. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I agree with you about the language being evocative without being flowery—a difficult task requiring great skill.
It’s interesting—I didn’t get nearly as upset over the “rough” parts of the story as other readers. Perhaps that’s because I’m exceptionally jaded. I hear about current child abuse, neglect, and death every day through my husband’s job. That, and I knew Viv would make it through the situation strong and successful.
Wonderful review.
Thanks, Kerry Ann!
Great review, Katherine!
I loved this book and it made me want to learn more about orphan trains! I would definitely read more by this author!
Also, cute blog theme. . . looks familiar! 🙂
Here’s my review of Orphan Train!
Don’t you love it when a book surprises you? Got to be one of the best parts about reading. So happy to hear from you. (And yes, nice theme thing you’ve got going. :))
Hi, I just noticed this review and wondered if you would like to link it in to the current monthly collection of books that people loved on Carole’s Chatter. This is the link There are already over 25 books linked in that you might be interested in. It would be great if you came on over. Cheers
Thanks for the invite, Carole. Done! 🙂
Thanks, Katherine. We are now starting to get quite a collection going. I hope to see you again soon. Cheers
Straight to the top of my TBR list. Thank you!!
Excellent! Good to hear from you.
Great review, Katherine, as always! This book really intrigues me and your endorsement puts it at the top of my To Be Read list. Thank you! : )
Thanks, Jolina! I always appreciate books that do more than entertain, and this one does that beautifully. Would love to know your take when you’ve read it.
Great review! I enjoyed this book SO much more than I expected to. I thought it was amazing how restrained the author was when describing what happened to Niamh. And yes!- this does remind me of The Language of Flowers (which I also loved)
Kerri
Thank you, Kerri! Half the fun of reading is sharing the moment with another reader.
Since I am writing a novel about a foster child and foster families, I have this one on my list to read. Also I have a huge thing about orphans, orphan stories, and the plight of abandoned children in our world. Guess I better just get busy and read Orphan Train.
That’s awesome, Judy! I hope you will read Orphan Train. I also hope you’ll check back in sometime and let me know how your own book is coming. All the best to you in your writing endeavors! ~ Katherine
Thanks for recommending this book! I had to wait for it to be available at the library, but devoured it right away! This is a well written story telling about a part of history I really wasn’t aware of. Yes, there are hard parts in this book, but I thoroughly love an author who brings you through them with care. So delighted to read about friendship revisited and a feeling of hope! Kathy, I look forward to your reviews all the time. I just finished Orphan Train and found A Million Years With You A Memoir of Life Observed by, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas is now ready for check out at the library! Did I get that title from you? Haha I will see…
Thanks!
Always love hearing that a recommendation hits the spot. Thanks for letting me know, Sandi–very thoughtful of you. The memoir recommendation didn’t come from me. If you like it, you’ll have to let me know so I can add it to my list!
[…] Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. A fascinating glimpse into a little-known period of American history. It is a poignant story of cultural identity, family history, identifying the things we value enough to take with us, and fate. The author’s language is flowing and evocative without being flowery–and very powerful. At times I found myself clenching my fists, enduring a swelling rage at her gripping portrayals of injustice, abuse and degradation–circumstances that often resulted from the well-intentioned but completely inept decisions of supposedly good people. […]