Instant New York Times BestsellerFrom the internationally bestselling author of What She Left Behind comes a gripping and powerful tale of upheaval—a heartbreaking saga of resilience and hope perfect for fans of Beatriz Williams and Kristin Hannah—set in Philadelphia during the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak—the deadly pandemic that went on to infect one-third of the world’s population… the world’s population…
“Readers will not be able to help making comparisons to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how little has changed since 1918. Wiseman has written a touching tale of loss, survival, and perseverance with some light fantastical elements. Highly recommended.”
—Booklist
“An immersive historical tale with chilling twists and turns. Beautifully told and richly imagined.”
—Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author of America’s First Daughter
In the fall of 1918, thirteen-year-old German immigrant Pia Lange longs to be far from Philadelphia’s overcrowded slums and the anti-immigrant sentiment that compelled her father to enlist in the U.S. Army. But as her city celebrates the end of war, an even more urgent threat arrives: the Spanish flu. Funeral crepe and quarantine signs appear on doors as victims drop dead in the streets and desperate survivors wear white masks to ward off illness. When food runs out in the cramped tenement she calls home, Pia must venture alone into the quarantined city in search of supplies, leaving her baby brothers behind.
Bernice Groves has become lost in grief and bitterness since her baby died from the Spanish flu. Watching Pia leave her brothers alone, Bernice makes a shocking, life-altering decision. It becomes her sinister mission to tear families apart when they’re at their most vulnerable, planning to transform the city’s orphans and immigrant children into what she feels are “true Americans.”
Waking in a makeshift hospital days after collapsing in the street, Pia is frantic to return home. Instead, she is taken to St. Vincent’s Orphan Asylum – the first step in a long and arduous journey. As Bernice plots to keep the truth hidden at any cost in the months and years that follow, Pia must confront her own shame and fear, risking everything to see justice – and love – triumph at last. Powerful, harrowing, and ultimately exultant, The Orphan Collector is a story of love, resilience, and the lengths we will go to protect those who need us most.
“Wiseman’s writing is superb, and her descriptions of life during the Spanish Flu epidemic are chilling. Well-researched and impossible to put down, this is an emotional tug-of-war played out brilliantly on the pages and in readers’ hearts.”
—The Historical Novels Review, EDITOR’S CHOICE
“Wiseman’s depiction of the horrifying spread of the Spanish flu is eerily reminiscent of the present day and resonates with realistic depictions of suffering, particularly among the poorer immigrant population.”
—Publishers Weekly (Boxed Review)
“Reading the novel in the time of COVID-19 adds an even greater resonance, and horror, to the description of the fatal spread of that 1918 flu.”
—Kirkus Review
“An emotional roller coaster…I felt Pia’s strength, courage, guilt, and grief come through the pages clear as day.”
—The Seattle Book Review
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Book Review: The Orphan Collector by author, Ellen Marie Wiseman
ARC
Where do I begin…
The Orphan Collector broke my heart in two. It stirred emotions within me right from the start that far reached what I could’ve imagined. A completely immersive narrative that has left me in awe as to the authors ability to pull me into what was a time of utter hopelessness, and in turn, allowing the experience of that time period to be felt as if I were truly there…
The Orphan Collector is the type of story that will dig in its heels and hold firmly until the very end as it leads you on a dramatic journey of heartbreak, survival and resilience.
Philadelphia, 1918-1919. As the Spanish Flu Pandemic (a profoundly traumatic event and known as “the year of forgotten death”) casts it shadow and shows no remorse as to whose path it darkens. Pia Lange, a 13 yr.old girl, is about to learn that her life is going to change in ways she’ll never be prepared for.
What starts out as a celebration in the streets of Philadelphia, all comes to a screeching halt within the blink of an eye, as this lively community is about to be brought to its knees, and without warning. Blindsided.
Pia, a German immigrant, now finds herself in an impossible situation… With her father off fighting the war, and her mother now dead in the most horrific of ways, Pia is left with the care and responsibility for her twin infant brothers, and forced into making choices and decisions no 13 yr. old should have to make. With barely enough food for one, let alone three, their mere survival depends on sheer desperation as life continues to push against them with all it’s might. As she grips to the now tattered threads of hope, courage against the villainous, and the fight for survival through fear, shame and guilt, prove to be a battle she’s not only unsure of, but one Pia is not sure she can win against.
Although this can be a difficult read at times, and in addition it’s parallels to our current world-wide situation, The Orphan Collector is that one story that will consume your every thought..
Through bravery and the persistence of one little girl and her willingness to fight for light in a world of darkness, author, Ellen Marie Wiseman has crafted an amazing story that will move you to tears, yet fill you with a new understanding of how the human spirit can grow even through the most difficult times of conflict and struggle~ with strength.
I thank the author for allowing me the opportunity to read and review The Orphan Collector, a story I highly recommend~ a story I won’t soon forget.
5 Stars
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Wild Sage Book Blog
Ellen Marie Wiseman’s skill is to transport you into a dark moment in history and take you on a suspenseful journey set against tragedy and brutality, but filled with hope and courageous characters. Thirteen-year-old Pia Lange, the heroine of THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR, might be the bravest of them all. Even when she has lost everything, and is filled with self-recrimination, she never sees herself as a victim. She is a true survivor with a huge heart.
When we meet Pia, she has already learned to conceal her difference, both as an immigrant and as someone with an unwanted, clairvoyant gift that means she avoids touching people.
Pia and her mother are trying to raise Pia’s baby twin brothers in the slums of Philadelphia while her father is away fighting the war (to prove his patriotism as a German immigrant). But it’s September 1918, and when the Spanish flu ravages the city and takes her mother, Pia is forced to shelter-in-place and care for her brothers with no help. When supplies run out, she makes the life-altering decision to venture beyond their tiny apartment in search of food, but leave the babies behind–somewhere safe.
Unbeknown to Pia, her bitter and grieving neighbor, Beatrice, who is mourning the death of her family and blames Pia’s father for taking her husband’s job, watches Pia leave. What kind of mother would let her child go out alone? Where are the babies? As Beatrice investigates, she makes her own life-altering decision: to collect immigrant orphans and children and turn them into true Americans. She starts with Pia’s brothers.
The two storylines cross and collide as Pia refuses to give up the search for her brothers, despite the brutality she faces in an orphanage, and Beatrice will go to any lengths to protect her own secrets. Especially from Pia. Tension builds to a heart-thumping, emotional climax that leaves you with an unforgettable story. I would give this more than 5 stars if I could.
The Orphan Collector is an immersive historical tale with chilling twists and turns. Set during the Spanish Flu epidemic in Philadelphia, this atmospheric novel explores the depravity to which some will sink in adversity, but it also illuminates the strength of family bonds and the resilience of the human heart. Beautifully told and richly imagined.
This is the story of a 13-year-old girl as she navigates her way through the 1918 pandemic and faces loss, discrimination, and life in an orphanage all the while longing to find her missing twin baby brothers. At the same time a bitter, miserable, grief stricken woman takes it upon herself to rid the city of immigrant children and “save” babies by kidnapping them.
The description for this book was misleading and does not do this book justice. I was expecting more of a cat and mouse game with suspense as the main character tried to find her missing twin brothers. Even so, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author masterfully conveys empathy for the characters. I cried, I laughed, and it was an emotional roller coaster that was eerily similar to today’s events. I felt Pia’s strength, courage, guilt, and grief come through the pages clear as day. At first I was sympathetic to Bernice Groves, but then realized she was just evil and full of hate. I felt the ending was a bit rushed, but overall I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical dramas. Although this could be a trigger for anyone currently experiencing grief and loss.
An astounding story that will pull your heart into a vortex of emotions. You will be affected deeply; grabbing a tissue to wipe away your tears. You feel the strength of the characters as they try to survive in a world facing despair and tragedy. A difficult read because of the truly terrifying subject.
“… : .”
Trying to survive during the Spanish flu pandemic could bring on some difficult challenges for anyone. When 13-year-old Pia is left to be the caregiver of her twin infant bothers; her fear rises as she tries to cope with more and more challenges. What measures will Pia have to take in order for them to survive?
Even though the novel “The Orphan Collector” was profoundly sad, it was so beautifully written. The author, Ellen Marie Wiseman did an impressive job in her research to give the readers a deep look into what the people endured during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. In a way, it parallels the current pandemic of 2020-2021. I will remember this moving story for a very long time.
This is the latest historical novel from one of my favorite authors, and it’s both deeply compelling and disturbing.
Set in Philadelphia during the influenza pandemic of 1918-19, it’s the story of a sensitive, 13-year old German immigrant named Pia Lange, who helps her mother care for her infant twin brothers while their father is away fighting in World War I. It’s about the poverty that was so common among immigrants, about the prejudice they encountered, about the overcrowded and crime-ridden neighborhoods where they could barely afford to live.
It’s also about the tragic figure of one of Pia’s neighbor, Bernice and how both the war and epidemic impact her life and change her forever. How their two stories intersect is the foundation of this novel. And I suspect will make you glad you did not live through this period.
This is NOT an easy book to read. In fact, it’s quite bleak! Although I found myself caring deeply for the characters, I often found after reading just a few chapters, I then had to take a break from my own emotions. Learning about the devastating impact of the flu on families, the speed with which it spread, the primitive treatment options, and the overwhelming demand on a limited health care system make for sobering reading. Children who lose their parents too often wind up in orphanages where rules are strict and punishments are harsh. Teens are sometimes forced to become unpaid servants. Kindness and help can be difficult to find.
At the same time, the book is a well-researched, page-turner— full of drama, plot twists, and a deep and growing need to know what happens next. Though not necessarily enjoyable at every moment, I strongly recommend it.
Oh. My. Gosh! I had no idea that I would love this book as much as I did. Did I really want to read this daunting book about a pandemic, when we are living in one right now?
Let me tell you, I was sucked in from the very first chapter and I couldn’t stop. I continued reading in disbelief as the author wrote about this historic time in our history—wearing masks, remaining in their homes to stay safe from the virus (sound familiar?)—with so many people dying horrible deaths within hours of falling ill.
The Orphan Collector story is centered around Pia, an immigrant who, at the age of thirteen, finds her life starting to fall apart. Hunger and death are everywhere and she is just trying to survive and find food for her brothers. Then things start spiraling downward for her
It was gut-wrenching to read one thing after the other go wrong for this strong, resilient girl. It just never seemed to stop for her. But I couldn’t look away. I had to keep reading to make sure Pia was going to be okay. The drama of her life is what made this wonderful book a page-turner for me.
I highly recommend The Orphan Collector. You will not be able to put it down!
It’s 1918, and the Spanish flu is running rampant. Family members are passing away right in front of their loved ones’ eyes, food is scarce, and the living conditions in the tenement and slums are deplorable.
The flu took Pia’s mother, and then Pia is left with the care of her twin infant brothers since her father was fighting in the war. Pia was doing well until she needed to leave the house to find food. She didn’t take her brothers because they would be too much to carry, but she wouldn’t be gone long.
We then meet Bernice. Bernice is a distraught mother in another building whose baby had passed away from the flu and who saw Pia leaving without her twin brothers and decided she would take them for her own.
We follow Pia as she struggles with her life and the guilt about leaving her brothers. You will feel sorry for Pia.
You will not feel sorry for Bernice because of her deceitful, unethical, uncaring ways.
Ms. Wiseman’s description of the plight of the people of Philadelphia during the pandemic is exceptional. You will feel every emotion the characters are feeling.
THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR is an outstanding novel that touches on human empathy as well as people taking advantage of others.
You will see the similarities to the pandemic of 2020 but hope something good happens to Pia.
THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR is heart wrenching but will have you glued to the pages as well as have you wondering what evil deed Bernice will do next.
A highly recommended book for historical fiction and suspense fans. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Readers can always depend on Ellen Marie Wiseman to bring them a emotional, well researched novel with characters so well written that they aren’t soon forgotten. Her newest book checks off all the boxes and her exquisite writing takes us to a time in history that will be new to many people.
The year is 1918 and the people of Philadelphia are all crowded together to see the Liberty Loan Parade, where overwhelming crowds of over 200,000 are gathered in Center City to cheer their WWI veterans, buy war bonds and show their patriotism. Pia didn’t really want to go to the parade with her mother and infant twin brothers but at 13, she was too young to stay home alone in the rough part of town they lived in. Pia and her parents had immigrated from Germany several years earlier and there was currently a very strong sentiment against Germans. Her father had joined the army to show his patriotism and her mother believed that they needed to show their patriotism by going to this parade. Many of the people of Philadelphia had heard about the flu but the newspapers had assured them that the influenza posed no danger to them as long as they “kept their feet dry, stayed warm, ate more onions and kept their bowels and windows open.” The crowds weren’t aware that the flu was ramping up and that it would spread quickly and many of them would get sick and die. Soon after the parade, Pia’s mother died of the flu and Pia was left to take care of her infant brothers. She waits as long as she can, but they are out of food and she must get some food to keep them alive. She wraps her brothers in blankets and leaves them behind to try to find food. While Pia is struggling, her neighbor Bernice, is mourning the death of her infant son. Bernice is a critical, mean hearted woman who hates immigrants and she reasons by stealing the young bothers, she can raise them as good Americans. The lives of Pia and Bernice intersect several times over the years as Pia continues to look for her missing brothers.
Pia is a wonderful character. Despite the hardship that she faced, she remained brave and determined to find her brothers. At the extreme opposite is Bernice, a hateful and prejudiced woman who doesn’t care how many people she hurts. Pia was one of those characters that you think about long after the last page of the book.
The Orphan Collector is a wonderful book. It has love and family, hate, mystery and romance. It’s a book that I wanted to read fast to find out how it ends but I also wanted to read it slowly to enjoy the exquisite writing. I can’t wait until it is published in July to discuss it with more people. In my opinion, this book is going to be one of the most popular books of the summer.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Set in the fall of 1918 when the Spanish flu breaks out and running rampant, thirteen-year-old Pia Lange experiences what no young child should ever have to. The war is finally over, but her father is still stationed in France. Living with her four-month-old twin brothers, Ollie and Max, and her mother in a tenement in Philadelphia, these very poor German immigrants find life extremely rough, but their family bonds are very strong. Unexpectedly, Pia’s mother becomes ill with the flu and tragically takes a turn for the worse. Leaving her children, it is now up to Pia to carry on and raise her brothers.
Bernice Groves, aka Nurse Wallis, lives in the same tenement housing as Pia and her family. As no one is allowed outside, she notices Pia leaving and asks herself why her mother would let her daughter out when there are strict orders in place not to. She takes it upon herself to visit their apartment, and there she falls upon the twin boys. Bernice just lost her infant son and husband to the flu, and she’d rather die than go on. But then her thoughts get the best of her, and what happens next is unconscionable. When Pia returns, her baby brothers are gone, and she’s desperate to find them.
THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR is a roller coaster full of raw emotion that will sweep the reader away. My heart ached for Pia and for such a young girl, she made adult decisions and kept a cool head while hurting emotionally. All I can say is buckle up and get ready for a ride you won’t believe. Be prepared to spend many hours reading this historical fiction novel that you won’t be able to put down.
THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR is the second book I’ve read by Ellen Marie Wiseman, and I must confess that her books grab me and pull me in instantly. She had me on the first page, and by the second and third, I was already hooked as the pages turned very quickly. She is a true storyteller who has honed her craft, and now I need to read her other novels. This book deserves more than five stars, and I will definitely be recommending it to anyone who asks if I know of a really good book.
A meticulously researched historical novel that unfolds with the pace of a thriller, The Orphan Collector features a main character, a 13-year-old daughter of German immigrants named Pia Lange, who grabs a reader heart and soul. As the flu epidemic hits Philadelphia with savage fury in 1918, Pia’s world becomes a nightmare and she uses every ounce of intelligence, resilience, and instinct to not only protect her family but also stay alive. You will be riveted by this story up to the very last page.
While I didn’t love everything about this story, it was still very good and I liked the similarities to what we went through in 2020 with covid.
This captivating historical novel takes place in the waning days of World War I. The Langes are a German immigrant family living in a Philadelphia tenement. After Vater (father) enlists in the Army to demonstrate loyalty to his adopted country, Mutti (mother), thirteen-year-old Pia and her infant twin brothers struggle to subsist.
When Spanish influenza is unleased on the city following a Liberty Loan parade, Mutti dies, leaving Pia the sole responsibility for the infant boys. One day in a desperate attempt to locate food, Pia hides the twins in a small concealed space in the apartment and sets out on her search. Before she can return, she succumbs to influenza and wakes up some days later in an orphanage.
Unbeknownst to Pia, she has been observed leaving the apartment without the twins by another tenement dweller, Bernice. Bernice is grieving the loss of her husband to the war and her infant son to influenza. Judging Pia unworthy to care for the twins, she steals them for her own.
Posing as a nurse, Bernice embarks on a ruthless and malicious scheme to steal orphans and essentially, sell them to couples who have lost children.
In addition, she gets rid of immigrant children by sending them on orphan trains without any adoptive sponsors at their destinations. (The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is an excellent treatment of this topic.)
The novel is well-researched, contains interesting and informative background and is written with a strong sense of time and place.
Wiseman deftly weaves the alternating stories of Pia and Bernice as they intersect. Juxtaposed to Bernice’s cruel and xenophobic plan is Pia’s devoted and unrelenting search for her lost brothers. An intriguing element is Pia’s gift of sensing illness or defect through physical contact with others. This figures prominently in the book.
My review of The Orphan Collector by Ellen Marie Wiseman
Living with guilt is in itself a travesty. Add the horrors of our world in strife and you’ve got the makings of an incredible must read story. This book hits home in so many ways, (I keep thinking about my own roots with my mother’s maiden name having one letter removed so it wouldn’t be misconstrued as a German name). Ellen Marie Wiseman has an uncanny ability to weave a story of immense passion pulling your heart strings until they practically snap apart. My anger, nor my feelings of distress, never left me throughout the entire time I was reading this book. It is unimaginable how so many of our children endured such turmoil physically and emotionally. As with all of Ellen Marie Wisemans’ books, she delves deep into real life situations making you ponder the complexities of the world we live in. The Orphan Collector released at a time when our current world is in an upheaval; however, this story embraces the strength and compassion that our human race embodies. I highly recommend this book not just because it’s a great read, but because it’s important.
Such a sad state of affairs in this book but well written and easy to read. I liked the ending.
The Orphan Collector
By Ellen Marie Wiseman
This book could not have come at a more opportune time as we deal with the current pandemic we are in and the effects of the Spanish Flu during 1918 Philadelphia in the story. So many of the issues they were dealing with at the time will resonate with you as you read this book and start drawing parallels – wearing masks, quarantining, escalating death rates, and unfortunately issues of racism and anti-immigrant sentiments.
The story is set in 1918 Philadelphia, and centered on 13 yo Pia, a German immigrant suffering through not only the pandemic but also the racial injustice going on – to show patriotism, her father enlists in the US Army and her mother insists on going to a very crowded parade with her twin brothers. She loses her mother and she is left to feed her starving family.
Wiseman deftly writes a courageous historical fiction story that is not only truly immersive but rich in accurate historical details. This one broke my heart as you read about some people’s motives, and bad intentions who are swallowed by their own grief.
This is a book that is a must read for HF lovers and really anyone going through the pandemic, and that is all of us. I highly recommend this amazing and exceptionally written book.
This story takes place in Philadelphia during the 1918 pandemic and the parallels to today’s virus are disturbing. Pia, her mother, and her baby twin brothers live in an apartment in the poorest part of Philadelphia. Illness surrounds them and her mother succumbs to the virus. Pia’s next decision will have continuing repercussions throughout the rest of the story. The descriptions of conditions during that time are heartbreaking and the hardships Pia goes through are devastating. Another character named Bernice becomes involved with Pia and reflects some of the same heartlessness that is seen in today’s world. The story provides insight into how people coped with an unknown virus a century ago and gives us lessons on how we can survive today.
Exceptionally well-written and timely, The Orphan Collector, by Ellen Marie Wiseman, is a must-read. For the complete review, please go to https://kindredconnection.wordpress.com/2020/11/28/orphan-collector/.
Alone and desperate trying to survive the terrible pandemic of the Spanish Flu, a young teen does everything she can to make it through in Ellen Marie Wiseman’s book “The Orphan Collector”.
Surviving by her wits, aided by her amazing natural abilities, a young girl does what she can for her life and the lives of her infant twin brothers. She gets swept away by the events of her day and finds herself where she never thought she’d be! And then life takes a different turn, will it be one for her benefit or another road block in a long line of ones?
This is a book that will take your heart and fill it with emotions of grand proportions! Wiseman has an amazing ability to make the reader feel everything her characters go through. Words wrap themselves around your brain to make the world of 1918 come roaring to life and the plight of the characters feels like your own!
If your wise decision is to get this book, your in for a wonderful read of a life time!
It was a little slow for me at first. Picked up towards the middle and more so in the end.
Reading a book about a pandemic during a pandemic was a little off. However The Orphan Collector endured much more than we are this current moment.
I really didn’t like Nurse Wallis, or Mother Joe. I understand the situation they were in, however you don’t treat children that way.
Was kind of hard to read especially now during the time of covid-19. This took place during the Spanish flu, it makes today seem like a piece of cake. The way nurse Wallis wasn’t my favorite character and I was about to stop reading once I found out what she was doing. I needed to know if Pia ever found her brothers.
Great read in all!