Orphan Train A Novel
Orphan Train A Novel by Christina Baker Kline is published by HarperCollins Publishers and was released on June 30, 2020. This 400-page novel explores the themes of family, resilience, and friendship through the intertwined lives of its characters. Set against the backdrop of contemporary Maine and Depression-era Minnesota, the story follows Vivian Daly, an Irish immigrant who was once a child on an orphan train, and her journey from abandonment to a quiet life, while also delving into the historical context of orphan trains that transported thousands of children across America.
Readers will find a narrative that highlights the struggles and connections between generations. As Vivian sorts through her past with the help of seventeen-year-old Molly Ayer, a girl facing her own challenges in foster care, the novel reveals their shared experiences as outsiders seeking belonging. The book presents a poignant exploration of identity and the impact of history on personal lives, inviting readers to reflect on the nature of family and the search for one’s roots.
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The #1 New York Times Bestseller
“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
Moving between contemporary Maine and Depression-era Minnesota, Orphan Train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, and unexpected friendship.
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.
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