The #1 New York Times BestsellerNow featuring a sneak peek at Christina’s forthcoming novel A Piece of the World, coming February 2017.Christina Baker Kline’s #1 New York Times bestselling novel—the captivating story of 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 long-buried questions…now with an … leads her to seek answers to long-buried questions…now with an extended scene that addresses the number one question readers ask, and an excerpt from Kline’s upcoming novel A Piece of the World.
“A lovely novel about the search for family that also happens to illuminate a fascinating and forgotten chapter of America’s history. Beautiful.”—Ann Packer
Between 1854 and 1929, so-called orphan trains ran regularly from the cities of the East Coast to the farmlands of the Midwest, carrying thousands of abandoned children whose fates would be determined by pure luck. Would they be adopted by a kind and loving family, or would they face a childhood and adolescence of hard labor and servitude?
As a young Irish immigrant, Vivian Daly was one such child, sent by rail from New York City to an uncertain future a world away. Returning east later in life, Vivian leads a quiet, peaceful existence on the coast of Maine, the memories of her upbringing rendered a hazy blur. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a turbulent past.
Seventeen-year-old Molly Ayer knows that a community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping her out of juvenile hall. But as Molly helps Vivian sort through her keepsakes and possessions, she discovers that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they appear. A Penobscot Indian who has spent her youth in and out of foster homes, Molly is also an outsider being raised by strangers, and she, too, has unanswered questions about the past.
Moving between contemporary Maine and Depression-era Minnesota, Orphan Train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, and unexpected friendship.
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I loved this book so much and didn’t want to put is down. I have told everyone I know to read this, and they thank me. You will love it.
I loved this book. It revealed a little known facet of American history and was fascinating both as a story and as a history lesson. The characters were realistic and unflinching in their descriptions of their experiences both good and bad. Highly engaging to read. I did not want to put it down.
Read Orphan Train for our book group, after receiving many recommendations from others in different book groups. None of us knew about the adopting of orphans by farmers and not so nice people in the mid-west (along the Orphan Train route). Guess their lives may have been about 1% better than if they had stayed in the NY area, but unsure. The …
A wonderful book I’ve recommended to several of my friends. The characters are great and believable, and I learned things from reading this. Loved it and recommend it to everyone.
Though this book is tremendously sad, I couldn’t put it down! There is an inspirational quality to many of the characters and the fact that this is a true story makes it even more heart wrenching.
Highly recommend this incredible book to all! It’s history to be remembered!
This book was chosen for my book club for June. I have to admit to thinking I would not like it. It’s not the kind of book I normally would have picked up, and I was afraid I would be bored. That could not have been farther from the truth. I was drawn in from the very first page and had a hard time putting it down. I loved how the stories of both …
I have read a history of orphan trains and as I read this novel realized how accurate the fictional events and chacters were. I greatly enjoyed both books but likely would have read this one first and used the history a a device to frame the well-written story of the same events
I did not know the story of the orphan trains — what potential for sadness and mistreatment of children. The novel is well-done, and of course, Kline is a skilled writer. The convention of having a contemporary story alternating with a historical one can be problematic, and there are some places where the two stories don’t quite balance; overall, …
I have been on a long non-fiction bender this fall, and have been looking for a good fiction read, when one of my colleagues recommended Orphan Train. It’s premise is that Niamh Power is nine years old when she is orphaned and sent west by a children’s aid society to a new life in Minnesota. (These orphan trains were real and Christina Baker Kline …
I loved this book. The friendship that builds between Molly and Vivian goes to show that it doesn’t matter how old you are you can still have parallels in your life that can bring you together. The Orphan Train is powerful when you think about all the emotion that comes when these children board the train hoping to find that family that will …
One of my favorite books with an historical background that tugs at your heartstrings.
This was a fantastic piece of historical fiction. It’s set in the 1800’s when there was an influx of orphans in the NE. The solution was to ship them on the orphan train to the midwest to be adopted. This book is the fictional story of orphans making this journey and growing up in their new home.
EXCELLENT!!!!!
I knew nothing about this, until the book.
What a historic novel. I either give my books away or donate them but this one stays on the shelf to be read again.
Eye opening piece of historical fiction which portrays a troubling practice in American history.
Loved the characters.
Good story, kept me interested.
Held your interest but shows how badly children were treated years ago
Based on history, it is the tragic story of orphans and what happened to them. Everyone should read this piece of history.