Orphan Train : A Novel by Christina Baker Kline - Paperback

I still haven’t read the book as I just received it... It is not made properly, the pages are not cut well with rough edges and it arrived very very dusty even though it was in a plastic cover. I think the issue is with the book distributer!

Un épisode historique effectivement peu connu de l'histoire américaine, celui de ces orphelins qu'on "déposait" dans des familles d'accueil plus ou moins accueillantes (plutôt moins...) au fil du parcours du train et de la bonne volonté des parents-employeurs potentiels.Et en parallèle, un épisode plus contemporain où une jeune-fille doit sortir d'une adolescence difficile en faisant des heures de service civil auprès d'une dame âgée qui se souvient...Un roman remarquablement construit ce qui est rare de nos jours. Et aussi bien écrit.Je l'ai lu en anglais et offert une fois en anglais, une autre fois en traduction qu'on m'a dit être de qualité.

ORPHAN TRAIN REVIEWThe orphan train movement in the United States between1853 and 1929 is not a well-known social welfare program. It was sponsored for the most part by the Children's Aid Society and relocated over 200,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children from the East coast to foster homes in the Midwest. The children ranged in age from 4 to 18; some were even younger. Notices announcing the arrival of the trains were posted in mainly rural areas and residents were invited to view and inspect the children and, if deemed suitable, they could be taken home. The program was ended with the advent of organized foster care in America.Times were hard, food was scarce, and some children received wretched care from their foster parents. Others were fortunate enough to be received into well-off circumstances. The spectrum of their stories is wide and varied. Christina Baker Kline, author of "Orphan Train," became interested in the story of these children, conducted an enormous amount of research, and has written a beautiful account of an orphan train survivor who bonds in later years with a contemporary young woman who is experiencing personal hardships of her own. And so a seventeen-year old rebel struggling to find her way and a ninety-one year wealthy old lady who survived her early years as a train orphan come together in a touching and healing relationship that develops into a remedy for their mutual loneliness.Vivian is the survivor of crushing poverty in rural Ireland, the immigrant turmoil of late 1920 in New York City, the loss of her family in a fire, and a subsequent train trip with strangers to a land of poverty, ignorance, mistreatment, and abuse. She is nine-years old when her journey by train begins.Molly, a contemporary nonconformist, has been in and out of numerous foster homes and refuses to bend to someone else's idea of how to conduct her life. She has a tattoo, piercings, and dyed hair. She has trouble controlling her mouth, getting along with others, and is fiercely independent. Her boyfriend has learned that he is simply along for the ride and operates under Molly's rule.Molly is given community service for stealing a book from the public library and, as a last resort before she has to serve time, she agrees to help the elderly Vivian clean out her attic. As they work together sorting through the debris of Vivian's past, life's stories are revealed, similar experiences are shared, and closeness develops. Molly provides the steady companionship that Vivian has never enjoyed, and the elderly woman provides encouragement and purpose to Molly's unanchored existence.This is a marvelous book written with clarity and filled with historical accounts based on careful research. The relationship between the two women as described by the author is poignant and demonstrates the importance of taking time to listen to each other. I enjoyed the book greatly and highly recommend it.Schuyler T WallaceAuthor of TIN LIZARD TALES

Wonderful story about an interesting and heartless chapter in American history. It's a woven tale and an engaging process making it's way to a satisfying end. A great weekend read.

I think it was one of hard-to-put-down books. It is fiction but based on factual events in American history. What can I say more? Well, I love this book!!

Die Geschichte der älteren Protagonistin ist spannend und einfühlsam erzählt. Man kann es kaum erwarten mehr über Vivians Geschichte und gleichzeitig über ein trauriges Kapitel der Geschichte Amerikas zu erfahren: den orphan trains.Interessant ist der Bezug zu heute durch die jüngere Protagonistin, die ebenfalls eine Waise ist. Ein Buch, das sowohl ältere als auch jüngere Leserinnen in seinen Bann zieht.