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bookherd's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Niamh Power was born in Ireland, immigrated with her parents to New York as a young girl in the 1920's, and then lost her parents and the rest of her family in a fire when she was 9. The Children's Aid Society took her in and then shipped her and other orphaned children out to the Midwest to be "adopted." In Niamh's case, and others', adoption meant being brought to someone's farm, home, or place of business to work.
Niamh's story is told alongside Molly's, a 17 year old modern day foster child who is having conflict with her foster mother. When Molly steals a copy of Jane Eyre from her high school library, she has to do community service. The mother of her boyfriend arranges for her to help the elderly lady she works for clean out her attic, and Molly and the elderly lady strike up a bit of a friendship.
The two stories illustrate the vulnerability of foster children, and how, although the surrounding culture has changed, many things about being a foster child have not. Although this is not specifically marketed as a YA book, it is empathetic about the issues that young adults face, especially in a foster family. It might be a good choice for a teen.
Niamh's story is told alongside Molly's, a 17 year old modern day foster child who is having conflict with her foster mother. When Molly steals a copy of Jane Eyre from her high school library, she has to do community service. The mother of her boyfriend arranges for her to help the elderly lady she works for clean out her attic, and Molly and the elderly lady strike up a bit of a friendship.
The two stories illustrate the vulnerability of foster children, and how, although the surrounding culture has changed, many things about being a foster child have not. Although this is not specifically marketed as a YA book, it is empathetic about the issues that young adults face, especially in a foster family. It might be a good choice for a teen.
shubbard116's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed how the author interwove the two stories of Molly and Vivian. Fast read and found Vivian’s story powerful.
whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
3.0
I want to give this a higher rating quite badly. It was sweet and at times poignant, but it suffered pacing issues and occasional pandering to thrill-seeking. It could have been better.
reader4evr's review against another edition
4.0
I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I really enjoyed reading both parts but I felt like the chapters with Molly moved faster because the parts with Vivian were super sad. Foster kids have it rough now but I can't even imagine what it would be to go through the foster care system back during the Great Depression. I never knew about the orphan trains but I think this would be an interesting read aloud in a Social Studies class.
I'll be interested to see if students will enjoy this.
I'll be interested to see if students will enjoy this.
schofield24's review against another edition
3.0
True to form, I liked the flashback story much more than the modern story. I just struggle when the expletives come out. Otherwise it was a fascinating, educational read.
bandgeek3997's review against another edition
4.0
Really, it was a 3.5, but I was being generous and rounded up.
This book has two different narrators. One is the story of a young immigrant from Ireland whose family perishes in a fire. This girl is then put on a train that would stop in various places in the Midwest and drop them off with families wanting a child. The other narrator is a gothic teenager living in a foster home and hates everything/everyone.
I was annoyed by one of these narrators. I'll give you a guess which one it was.
The recount of the orphan train and the young girl's life unfolded naturally like a storybook. I cared about her— despairing in her hardships but rejoicing in her hard-won victories. It set a mood that transported me back to 1930.
The modern narrator was nowhere near as enlightening. And quite frankly, the writing became shallow during those chapters. Kline wrote masterfully in the other chapters, but here, she succumbed to cliche situations (a foster home where the evil mother is portrayed as the dumbest person alive) and foul language. There was such a disconnect between the two narrations that I often had to take a few seconds at the start of a new chapter and regroup.
Overall, I see the importance of the two narrations. The story needed it to work, and by the end, the two came together nicely. It would have been a much stronger book, though, if Kline had spent as much time transporting us to another world with the modern teenager as she did with the young immigrant of the past.
This book has two different narrators. One is the story of a young immigrant from Ireland whose family perishes in a fire. This girl is then put on a train that would stop in various places in the Midwest and drop them off with families wanting a child. The other narrator is a gothic teenager living in a foster home and hates everything/everyone.
I was annoyed by one of these narrators. I'll give you a guess which one it was.
The recount of the orphan train and the young girl's life unfolded naturally like a storybook. I cared about her— despairing in her hardships but rejoicing in her hard-won victories. It set a mood that transported me back to 1930.
The modern narrator was nowhere near as enlightening. And quite frankly, the writing became shallow during those chapters. Kline wrote masterfully in the other chapters, but here, she succumbed to cliche situations (a foster home where the evil mother is portrayed as the dumbest person alive) and foul language. There was such a disconnect between the two narrations that I often had to take a few seconds at the start of a new chapter and regroup.
Overall, I see the importance of the two narrations. The story needed it to work, and by the end, the two came together nicely. It would have been a much stronger book, though, if Kline had spent as much time transporting us to another world with the modern teenager as she did with the young immigrant of the past.
heyitsa_ashley's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jessikkaha's review against another edition
4.0
This was a beautiful but heartbreaking book. I loved every second of it.
readingonmountains's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. I loved the two main characters and their unlikely friendship. I enjoyed reading about their parallel stories, their struggles, their hardships and watching both women come out the other side with an admirable positivity & resilience. I also enjoyed reading about a subject I was not aware of before now. I will be recommending Orphan Train to my book club.
jrmarr's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book - probably closer to 3.5 than 4, but I found it pretty compelling and read through it quicker than normal at the moment.