Orphan Train.

☆☆☆☆

orphan train.
Christina baker Kline.

Publisher  William Morrow

Publication Date: April 2,2013.

Genre: Historical Fiction.

Format|Pages: EBook|278.

 Source:  Goodreads|Library.

 CONTAINS SPOILERS

The author of Bird in Hand and The Way Life Should Be delivers her most ambitious and powerful novel to date: a captivating story of two very different women who build an unexpected friendship: a 91-year-old woman with a hidden past as an orphan-train rider and the teenage girl whose own troubled adolescence leads her to seek answers to questions no one has ever thought to ask.



Nearly eighteen, Molly Ayer knows she has one last chance. Just months from "aging out" of the child welfare system, and close to being kicked out of her foster home, a community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping her out of juvie and worse.



Vivian Daly has lived a quiet life on the coast of Maine. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a turbulent past. As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly discovers 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.



The closer Molly grows to Vivian, the more she discovers parallels to her own life. A Penobscot Indian, she, too, is an outsider being raised by strangers, and she, too, has unanswered questions about the past. As her emotional barriers begin to crumble, 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. 

 ✎

Tragic. Powerful. Engaging.



Another historical fiction that I could not pull myself away from. The two-point of views, Molly and Vivian, worked great with this story. I felt as I was reading two different stories, and in a way, I was. I liked both Molly and Vivian; however, reading Vivian’s story was a bit more interesting for me. Vivian, she has gone through so much, and yet not once did she give up. Right from the start, I wondered how she got the name Vivian since that is not her real name. I do think that was one of the reasons that Molly and Vivian connected so well, and they were both Orphans, even if it was different. I was fascinated by Vivian’s story from the start, wondering what will happen with her next, if she will finally find a family that would care about her. I was hoping that she would get her happily after, especially after going through so much. I cannot even imagine having deal with all those horrible people that Vivian had to put up with. I felt for her. There was a part of me that wanted to hug her, to hold just, so she knew that she was loved. My heart ached for Vivian multiple times, as I read her story. My emotions felt like a roller coaster through it all. ORPHAN TRAIN is a book that will be hard to read at times, on the other hand, a book that you will keep on reading until the last page.





ORPHAN TRAIN is the type of historical fiction that I love. I did feel that the beginning was slow but it did not take long to pick up. Once it picked up the pace, I was hooked and there were days where I spend hours, reading. Molly, she changed and I think it was because of Vivian. I loved the bond that the two of them created, it just what the two of them needed. I loved the ending; I could not help but smile. However, I could not help but wonder what happened after. I have never heard about the orphan train and I love books that teach you something new. ORPHAN TRAIN featured many descriptions and made it easier for me everything that was happening as I read the book. The emotions that Vivian was feeling through everything, they were so vivid that I felt as I was feeling them along with Vivian. It was…magical.



This is the first book that I read by CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE. I came across this book at the library, both the title and the cover catching my attention. It’s one of those books that I am glad I decided to check out. If you love historical fiction with some action, be sure to check out ORPHAN TRAIN . A beautifully written novel about family, love and hope.