A Riveting Look at the Orphan Train from Historical Novelist Jody HedlundWhen a financial crisis in 1850s New York leaves three orphaned sisters nearly destitute, the oldest, Elise Neumann, knows she must take action. She’s had experience as a seamstress, and the New York Children’s Aid Society has established a special service: placing out seamstresses and trade girls. Even though Elise doesn’t … though Elise doesn’t want to leave her sisters for a job in Illinois, she realizes this may be their last chance.
The son of one of New York City’s wealthiest entrepreneurs, Thornton Quincy faces a dilemma. His father is dying, and in order to decide which of his sons will inherit everything, he is requiring them to do two things in six months: build a sustainable town along the Illinois Central Railroad, and get married. Thornton is tired of standing in his twin brother’s shadow and is determined to win his father’s challenge. He doesn’t plan on meeting a feisty young woman on his way west, though.
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I always love Jody Hedlund books. She is a master storyteller. Don’t miss this one.
Fantastic read. I live in Illinois so the tidbits about Quincy and how the town started were interesting.
This was a different take on the Orphan Trains that I expected making it a nice change from the sadness of the orphans. Not that there aren’t sad situations mentioned–there are plenty so you’ll get your Orphan Trian feels from this read.
I liked this book so much I grabbed the next two in the series.
Enjoyed this book and the second in the series and waiting for the third to come out in Dec. I especially liked it because it speaks of a time when morals were high and family love endures even tho not related by blood. It is an adventure of a young woman that strikes out on her own to bring help to those she had to leave behind.
With You Always (2017) by Jody Hedlund is the first novel in her Orphan Train series. This novel comes in all forms including eBook, and is 359 pages in length. With a full-time job and a precocious five-year old at home, With You Always took me three days to read. I purchased an eBook copy of this novel on June 23, 2017 from Amazon to review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. I give this novel 5+++ STARS. With You Always is a Christian Historical Romance.
With You Always is the 9th novel I have read by Jody Hedlund. It will definitely not be the last! Jody Hedlund is a phenomenal writer and storyteller. I was captivated by Elise and Thornton’s story from chapter one, and struggled hard to put this book down. With You Always is incredibly fast-paced and thoroughly engaging. It has everything a reader looks for in great historical fiction: characters dealing with really difficult choices, witty banter, gritty historical accuracy, amazing romance that made my heart SO happy, a few villains who made my blood boil, some really excellent secondary characters, and a great message.
I love when I pick up a historical novel and actually walk away from it having learned something. Before this novel, I had never heard of The Children’s Aid Society, Charles Loring Brace, or the Orphan Trains. What a shocking, awful time in our history! From 1854-1929, children were removed from tenements and the streets of New York, and other slum areas, and shipped off to homes out “West” in an attempt to give them a better life. Some of these children were orphans who had no adults in their lives. Some of these children were given up by their parents who could no longer afford to feed and care for them, most of the time through no fault of their own. There are a few moments in With You Always where characters discuss the potential of having to give up their children, or do give up children, to The Children’s Aid Society. These moments really made my heart hurt. The pain the characters feel as they attempt to make the decision to leave their families behind to find work, or to give up children, is so real and palpable. There were several moments I had to work to keep the tears at bay. And, I made my daughter give me lots of extra cuddles. I can’t imagine having to make the decision to leave my family, or to give my daughter away. I am so grateful to God for my family’s protection from these truly awful and painful decisions.
Elise is 18, orphaned, and trying to keep her siblings safe and alive. She does make the decision to leave her siblings in the care of someone she trusts so she can move to where employment is. Hedlund does an excellent job of portraying Elise’s sense of guilt and failure at having to leave her siblings in order to find work elsewhere. Elise is an extremely hard worker, so she puts herself into the tasks given to her at her new job, but the niggling sense of guilt that she couldn’t be superwoman and work and care for her family all at the same time overwhelms her. Elise’s feelings are so true to life. I’m in a completely different situation and time period, but I often feel like a failure as a woman because I can’t do it all. Whether you are woman from 1410, 1854, or today, the world tells us we should be able to do it all. When we can’t — because it’s physically impossible! — we take it really hard. I appreciate Elise so much because I totally relate to how she feels in this book.
Thornton is wealthy beyond anything Elise, or I, can imagine. He is handsome, kind to a point, and totally “upper-class” brained. At first, I didn’t like Thornton too much. He is “silver-spoon” arrogant, and he treats humans below him in social stature as cheap labor. But, all this changes when he meets Elise. The BEST part of Thornton’s character is that he is willing to change. Watching his transformation over the course of the story is one of the best parts of this book. Elise holds no punches. She is witty and is not afraid to speak truth to Thornton even at the expense of her job. As he gets to know Elise better, she opens his eyes to the men and women who are in his employ. Instead of a cheap labor force, he begins to see just how hard they work for him and he realizes that he needs to become not just a better boss, but a better man. Of all the fictional relationships that I have read in my time, Elise and Thornton may be my most favorite fictional couple. They are sweet towards each other, which made my romance-lovin’ heart happy, but what I really love about them is that they make each other better humans. Isn’t that really the goal every couple should strive for?
There is SO much more to discuss with this book — I barely scraped the surface in this review! There is Thornton’s desperate need to please his father, and his eventual realization that the only father he needs to worry about is his Heavenly Father. There is Elise’s trust issues, and her ultimate awareness that running to God is the best option because running from God just makes life, which is already hard, that much harder. And, I didn’t even get to talk about the secondary characters. They are so multifaceted and wonderful. With You Always is jammed-packed with excellent things to discuss!!!
With You Always is an AMAZING story. I am so sad that my time with Elise and Thornton is over. I am really going to miss them! If you are looking for an excellently researched, beautifully written historical fiction to devour, then I HIGHLY recommend With You Always. You will not be sad you picked this book to read.
WOW! An amazing historical romance!
The characters are incredibly well developed and I was able to really connect with them on an emotional level. The heartache and anguish that Elise and her sisters experienced was palpable. Many times throughout this book I wanted to just gather them into my arms and take care of them.
The historical setting and details were clearly presented and I was able to visualize the scenes as they were happening. This book taught me about an aspect of the orphan train period that I had never known about. I absolutely love it when I can learn about history in the pages of a fictional story. This period has now come alive for me.
The maturing process that Thornton traveled was fantastic. From the beginning of the book to the end he truly grew up and became a man. I thoroughly enjoyed the emotional journey to trusting God that both Elise and Thornton went on.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. I have chosen to write this review to express my personal opinion.
Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion – which I’ve done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*
If you enjoy historical fiction, you’ll enjoy Book 1 in Author Jody Hedlund’s Orphan Train series. I learned several things I had never heard about, including women being moved west to help settle new towns along the rail line by becoming seamstresses, cooks, etc.
Hedlund does a very good job of portraying the tough time of the late 1800s, especially for immigrants, while showing that there is always hope and that God is always present. There were a couple of surprising twists in this story and it doesn’t wrap up neatly at the end, as most books do, leaving some things open for Book 2. I can’t wait to read that one! A page turner, I highly recommend With You Always.
I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a positive review.
The book I read just prior to this one was complicated and dark, though well written, but I knew I needed to follow it with something entirely different. This book was everything that book wasn’t (though still well written), and precisely what I was needing: a sweet and wholesome romance interwoven with some historical fact.
What I liked about “With You Always”:
Predictable but satisfying – It is true that a work of Christian fiction is likely going to be predictable, with specific qualities and pattern. This was exactly that — and given what I was hoping to read, I appreciated that predictability — but despite knowing how it would finish even before I started, the way the story unfolded is what made it all so satisfying. A nice slow build…a little back and forth…some plot tension…and the rush of relief when it all plays out the way you expected all along. By the final third of the book, I was so entranced, I could not turn the pages quickly enough to see what would happen next.
Unexpected twists – Even though the story followed a predictable path, there were a couple of twists that caught me completely unaware, enough that I sucked in a breath of surprise when they took place. They were fitting to the story being told, and I enjoyed them immensely.
The personality – While I often find the characters in Christian fiction to be likeable, moving, and inspirational, it is rare that they possess real personality. In this case, Elise and Thornton shared some witty repartee, which brought some lightness to some of the heavier issues being broached, and also some true humanity which made them feel more real. In addition to that, though they conducted themselves properly, I enjoyed that the undercurrent emotions were believable and realistic.
What I didn’t care for:
The ending – This is more of a wistful “complaint” than anything. I really just wanted more time with our main characters than we received after the “big pivot point.” I realize there are more books in this series but my suspicion is that these may work like Tamera Alexander’s trilogies where you will only get glimpses of the friends you made elsewhere in the series.
Elise’s name – This is not a criticism of her beautiful name but rather my inability to convince my mind that her name was not, in fact, Elsie, regardless of my brain’s best attempts at reading it as such.
This was my first experience with Jody Hedlund’s writing, but it will not be my last. I am looking forward to the other books in this series, and will look into some of her other writing in the future as well. She has shown a talent for compelling characters, historical events that are not overly common, and a comfortable writing style. Faith was interwoven effortlessly, though it does not beat the reader over the head, and some solid faithful reminders are put forth. This was enjoyable historical Christian fiction for anyone drawn to this subgenre.
Enjoyable
Nice story about the settling the western states and the people who were part of it. Also relayed the sad conditions that new immigrants to America had to endure and how they struggled to survive. Also showed how hard work and dedication to oneself and family pays off.
Going to read the second book in series
I really liked this book. It was interesting, and had some romance in it, too!
A well-written historical romance set in the 1850s. I’m a fan of opposites attract stories, and Elise and Thornton certainly are opposites. Recommended for readers who enjoy romance with a strong sense of place and feisty heroines.
This story was delightful. Thornton was a great character that I almost immediately fell in love with. Elise was absolutely perfect for him, and their story was excellent. It was fun getting to see especially Thornton grow and change as the book progressed.
I usually enjoy historical romance books written by this author. I was not impressed with this book. It was much more focused on the romance than the history. The author chose to focus on a little known aspect of orphan train history—that women also took these trains west in search of employment. I feel that there was more about that perspective that could have been addressed in this book. Instead, the author chose to construct a romance. I say construct as a play on words. The male lead was competing with his twin brother to construct a town in six months, as well as find a wife. Their father pitted them against each other in a contest over his estate (what a guy!).
The plot was too predictable. Sometimes authors overuse a word or phrase. In this book, there were three words I got really tired of hearing: groan, moan, friend.
The historical setting was the 1850’s. I find it hard to believe that a man and woman who kissed at least twice were trying to convince themselves they were just “friends”. In that era, two kisses and you were somewhere beyond engagement. Their mindsets were way too 21st century. I’ve had at least two strong male friendships in my lifetime. Not once did I ever kiss my male friends. If I had kissed one of them, or if either one of them had kissed me, then I wouldn’t be trying to convince myself that it was just a friendship. There would’ve been a serious discussion about feelings. The friendship would’ve either been over, or it would’ve been acknowledged for what it had become. Anything less is disingenuous for either side. The flirtation, handholding, hugging, kissing, incessant thinking of one another is cute and romantic—but friends don’t do that! Having the romantic leads head-trip over it chapter after chapter is something I would expect to read in a YA genre romance.
I didn’t care for the father pitting his sons against each other in his last will and testament. I suppose there are actual men who would be arrogant enough to do that, but I assure you, it would not have the desired effect that the father finally stated at the end of the book.
Apparently in these fictional towns the sons were charged with masterminding, there was no business competition (what we call capitalism). Instead, every business and person was beholden (and in debt) to the son in charge for everything.
Finally, I tried to listen to this book on Audible. The narration is awful. Here’s why: I find it extremely irritating. When narrators of books. Phrase a complete sentence. As if it were four sentences.
Great series by Jodie Hedlund!
Ah! Every once in a while you will read a book that is perfect in every way, from a perfectly given title to content that engages your mind, imagination and emotions. With You Always is that book. Ms. Hedlund takes a heart-breaking point in history, weaves a romance, but does not neglect to contain the love story within the context of that harsh history. Yet the oddest and most satisfying thing is there is a sense of sweetness, peace that constantly swirls as you read. It was not until the end that I recognized it was the title. Ms. Hedlund had somehow managed to make me feel the Presence, that He was there…always. A truly lovely story.
The characters are excellent. I was fully immersed in this wonderful story could not put it down, not a boring moment. I’m just starting Together Forever (Orphan Train Book #2). Having read many books I was aware of the horrid treatment women had endured. Although we have come a long way, it’s hard to eradicate atrocious behavior. To the author, Thank You.
Not a simple story. Well done.
I loved the 3 books in the Orphan Train series. The characters and story lines in all three are intricately intertwined, but yet can stand alone. “With You Always ” kept me reading late into the night because I had to find out what happened. Loved all three books, and wish she had written several more!
It was a good read!