Overall Opinion and Thoughts about Orphan Train

[MsMartha]

Looks like I'm a few days late to the party, but I will be reading Orphan Train--probably starting later today. I'm glad to see that there are positive comments already!

[MrsCatInTheHat]

Well said. The mother-daughter reunion at the end just seemed too contrived. I liked their meeting after so many years, but it just seemed like a quick way to tie things up in a bow at the end. It was one of these books that i felt could have been really wonderful in the hands of a different writer. It was still a very good book...just not great.

That part was very abrupt and was probably the most disappointing part, as it was handled well.

[KAV]

I enjoyed the characters and story, but felt that the characters would have both had more repercussions given what they went through.
It just felt a little too clean cut for me.

Yes, I agree with you. With all the trauma that Vivian endured, I would have thought that she needed at least a little bit of therapy. I can't imagine the things that she went through during the orphan train, but then, losing her husband to the war and giving away a piece of him later when the baby is born. I'm not sure how anyone could stand it.

-- 06 Jul 2016, 18:15 --

This book was a 3 star read for me. I've heard about this book for awhile and went into it looking forward to some emotional gut punches. When it didn't evoke all the feels in me like I wanted it to, I was left underwhelmed. I liked the story but think it was a bit overhyped for my personal taste. I agree that part of the problem was due to some issues being wrapped up a little too neatly.

I agree with you, in that the book did not go into gory details that most assuredly were part of life for most of the orphans. Not having heard anything about the book prior to listening to it, I did not get that same "underwhelmed" feeling. It does seem that the reunion between Vivian and the daughter she gave away was too easily initiated. That's part of the reason I would have liked to read about what actually happened after the daughter's arrival...what was her life like? Did she always want to meet Vivian? Had she agreed to the meeting just to ask questions and give her a "my life was perfectly fine without you, thank you very much"? Like I said, I didn't want this story to end where it did.

Well said. The mother-daughter reunion at the end just seemed too contrived. I liked their meeting after so many years, but it just seemed like a quick way to tie things up in a bow at the end. It was one of these books that i felt could have been really wonderful in the hands of a different writer. It was still a very good book...just not great.

I was disappointed in the ending also but I think that author was trying to come up with a happy ending. So many things went wrong for Vivian, she needed something to go right. At least now we know that her daughter at least looks happy and healthy.

[Shelle]

I was so excited when I saw that Orphan Train was our BOTM for July. I read this book over a year ago and have thought of it often since then. I used to volunteer with foster kids and saw so many similarities between the story's characters and children I actually worked with. It was also interesting to see how far the modern-day foster-care system has come (or in some cases, not so much) from the days of the orphan trains.

[e-tasana-williams]

Looks like I'm a few days late to the party, but I will be reading Orphan Train--probably starting later today. I'm glad to see that there are positive comments already!

If you are interested, (and if it is still available) you can listen to the book as a free download on Audible. That is how I experienced the book, and it was really enjoyable to hear it acted out. The presentation was very high quality. It also lets you continue with the story when you have to drive somewhere or get chores done around the house. That's a plus for me!

[MsMartha]

Looks like I'm a few days late to the party, but I will be reading Orphan Train--probably starting later today. I'm glad to see that there are positive comments already!

If you are interested, (and if it is still available) you can listen to the book as a free download on Audible. That is how I experienced the book, and it was really enjoyable to hear it acted out. The presentation was very high quality. It also lets you continue with the story when you have to drive somewhere or get chores done around the house. That's a plus for me!

I haven't used Audible, but I do LOVE audio books in general--I can knit and listen, which is a double accomplishment for me! I actually have a paperback copy of the book I found at one of our Little Free Library locations a few months ago, so I was really excited to see it as the July book.

[e-tasana-williams]

I actually have a paperback copy of the book I found at one of our Little Free Library locations a few months ago, so I was really excited to see it as the July book.

You have those Little Free Libraries too? I thought it was just a cute neighborhood thing we have here... lol!

[P_hernandez]

I really liked this book. I liked Vivians story more than Molly's. I agree that it all ended so neatly. There wasn't really any closure to Molly's story with her current foster family or her life or anything. Did she get that award? I feel like what was the point of even including that? I've never heard an audiobook before and it was surprisingly a great story. Some parts felt so engaging. Some parts felt very lacking. It did make me slightly uncomfortable to hear the narrator go from a female voice to a male voice. I felt zero connection with any of the love story parts because of it. I hope there's an actual book version somewhere because I'd love to read it.

[icartbooks]

I thought that the Orphan Train was a awesome book. It was the first book that my book club read. It was interesting to find out that residents in the community in which I live in had gotten some orphan off of the orphan train to help them out on their farms. It had to be very scary for those kids to get on a train and not know where they would end up. Its heart wrenching to know that they did those kinds of things back in those times.

[MsMartha]

I actually have a paperback copy of the book I found at one of our Little Free Library locations a few months ago, so I was really excited to see it as the July book.

You have those Little Free Libraries too? I thought it was just a cute neighborhood thing we have here... lol!

Three years ago, we had one--now there are at least seven or eight, and all of them on my usual daily walk. I've been a good girl and donated a few things, as well as taking a pile of books

[P_hernandez]

what did everyone think about the sexual abuse she almost suffered? Normally I am intrigured by the rape/violation stories but in this audio version, when the narrator was reading this particular scene, it was so disturbing. It felt gross to hear it; sort of like I was being a witness to what was about to happen. Idk, it made me think about a few things. I would hate to listen to Precious on audiobook lol.

[e-tasana-williams]

what did everyone think about the sexual abuse she almost suffered? Normally I am intrigured by the rape/violation stories but in this audio version, when the narrator was reading this particular scene, it was so disturbing. It felt gross to hear it; sort of like I was being a witness to what was about to happen. Idk, it made me think about a few things. I would hate to listen to Precious on audiobook lol.

That scene *was* disturbing to hear. I didn't understand until later that it was an attempted rape and not a completed one. Either way Niamh suffered unimaginable abuse. This lends credit to the writer and the narrators that it was so engaging/touching/disturbing. They did a great job with a difficult subject.

[KAV]

what did everyone think about the sexual abuse she almost suffered? Normally I am intrigured by the rape/violation stories but in this audio version, when the narrator was reading this particular scene, it was so disturbing. It felt gross to hear it; sort of like I was being a witness to what was about to happen. Idk, it made me think about a few things. I would hate to listen to Precious on audiobook lol.

That scene *was* disturbing to hear. I didn't understand until later that it was an attempted rape and not a completed one. Either way Niamh suffered unimaginable abuse. This lends credit to the writer and the narrators that it was so engaging/touching/disturbing. They did a great job with a difficult subject.

I never do well with rape scenes. It's weird because I'm okay with murder, but for some reason rape puts me on edge. I'm glad she wasn't raped per se, but, regardless, it would have been awful to experience that situation. I wasn't a fan of the mother, but at least she stopped that scene from escalating. Even though it was cruel, getting thrown out of that house was the best thing that happened to Niamh.

[Amheiser]

I had never heard of the orphan trains before I read this book. I enjoy reading historical fiction because I never liked the way history was taught in the schools I went to, and apparently they left out some very important details. The history books I read were very dry and didn't add any personal touches about what life was like for the people who actually lived during certain times in history.

I think the author told an interesting story about some of the lives that were involved in these orphan trains. I was also surprised to find out there were so many orphan trains. I was thoroughly engaged in this story and I would recommend it to anyone who is interesting in learning more about this time in history.

[braver]

I really enjoyed the book, and I actually disagree that everything was wrapped up neatly. Vivian didn't discuss *most* of her life - we don't know how much therapy she may have gone to, or how her relationships may have suffered in that time. The fact that she didn't ever put down roots or forge any "family" ties and was willing to just up and move doesn't speak to a normal adjusted life, so I wouldn't say that she was all fine and dandy. She was clearly haunted by her past at some level. There's no guarantee that the reunion and relationship with her daughter go well ... and Molly's story is by no means wrapped up either. I like how, after all of the trauma they both experienced, the author chose to end them in a happy moment, rather than continue into more grey. You can choose to imagine their real endings however you want, but don't mistake a happy moment for a happy ending.

I thought the writing was excellent. There was one phrase that really caught me: "He pulls me close, runs his fingers along the soft white underbelly of my forearm." Such a small moment, a minor sentence really, but I loved 1)how great a descriptor that was and 2)how it conveys the level of intimacy that can come through in such a small gesture.

I also liked how the author handled the integration of modern technology. I often feel like stories throw in references to things like Facebook and YouTube just because and while it usually irritates me, it felt believable here.