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Taylor Razzani wrote:

CatInTheHat wrote:

Taylor Razzani wrote:I have to agree with everyone, thr Grotes were terrible and I found it hard to have any sympathy for them. The mom seemed lazy and obviously the dad was no good. Hopefully the church mentioning them got the kids some food and other things they desperately need.
I didn't like Dina either, she was a little like Mrs. Grote in how she seemed to not even attempt to get along with her foster child and they were both very self centered. I don't know how Ralph could live with that.

If there were a sequel, I think we might find that Ralph and Dina didn't make it as a couple.

I agree, I was surprised they made it as far as they did! Unless Molly brought out the ugly side of Dina, but I highly doubt that. So in a way I also agree that Dina was unbelievable to some extent since she was so mean for no reason most of the time.

I got the impression that it wasn't her idea to foster.

I wish I could bring a fresh opinion to this thread, but Mr. and Mrs. Grote really were horrible! Despite all of the many sad scenes in Orphan Train, the Grotes had to be the low point. Even Dina was a more suitable foster parent, and she wasn't a very good one!

I disliked the Grotes as well, however the Children's Aid Society was the beginning of the issues. If they would have taken the time to interview families that were interested in adopting an orphan and followed up more closely there would have been far less children that would have been abused or treated less than human.

It seems like for many it is a lot easier to set up an organization (like the Children's Aid Society) than it is to effectively run it. When the effort and sacrifice is not there, then even the most well meaning thoughts and ideas fall so short because of a lack of true effort to make the ideals into a reality.

rssllue wrote:It seems like for many it is a lot easier to set up an organization (like the Children's Aid Society) than it is to effectively run it. When the effort and sacrifice is not there, then even the most well meaning thoughts and ideas fall so short because of a lack of true effort to make the ideals into a reality.

So very true. I think that people often don't realize just how much sacrifice and commitment is involved when they begin such endeavors, which leads to lower success rates.

CatInTheHat wrote:

Taylor Razzani wrote:

CatInTheHat wrote:
If there were a sequel, I think we might find that Ralph and Dina didn't make it as a couple.

I agree, I was surprised they made it as far as they did! Unless Molly brought out the ugly side of Dina, but I highly doubt that. So in a way I also agree that Dina was unbelievable to some extent since she was so mean for no reason most of the time.

I got the impression that it wasn't her idea to foster.

Oh most definitely!

Taylor Razzani wrote:

CatInTheHat wrote:

Taylor Razzani wrote:
I agree, I was surprised they made it as far as they did! Unless Molly brought out the ugly side of Dina, but I highly doubt that. So in a way I also agree that Dina was unbelievable to some extent since she was so mean for no reason most of the time.

I got the impression that it wasn't her idea to foster.

Oh most definitely!

I don't think it really would have fit the story, but I think a tiny bit more insight into Ralph and Dina would have been excellent. I feel like there are so many questions about them and how they got into this situation. Did Dina never want to foster? Or, knowing some people who foster, has Dina's heart been broken by the system too many times? What is her relationship with her husband like without Molly's presence? Maybe a conversation between them that Molly overhears would have been enough. Largely irrelevant to the story, yes, but it makes me curious!

I wasn't a fan of a lot of the adults, but Dina definitely rubbed me the wrong way the most. She just seemed really mean.

I agree with many others, in that the Grotes were the most despicable characters. I felt so sad for their biological children. They should never have been allowed to foster another child. The system really failed in that area. In the present day scenario, I did not care for Dina. She was selfish and hateful. Her husband should have stood up to her and protected Molly from her verbal abuse. I'm not sure what her motives were for fostering a child, other than the money payments.

Momlovesbooks wrote:I agree with many others, in that the Grotes were the most despicable characters. I felt so sad for their biological children. They should never have been allowed to foster another child. The system really failed in that area. In the present day scenario, I did not care for Dina. She was selfish and hateful. Her husband should have stood up to her and protected Molly from her verbal abuse. I'm not sure what her motives were for fostering a child, other than the money payments.

It really bothered me that Ralph didn't stand up for Molly when Dina was so ugly.

The Grotes were horrible! Reminds me of a documentary I saw once about a girl that was fostered with a friend's family and ended up dying. It seems so unfair, because you know that there definitely were cases like this and continue to be so today.

Taylor Razzani wrote:

CatInTheHat wrote:

Taylor Razzani wrote:I have to agree with everyone, thr Grotes were terrible and I found it hard to have any sympathy for them. The mom seemed lazy and obviously the dad was no good. Hopefully the church mentioning them got the kids some food and other things they desperately need.
I didn't like Dina either, she was a little like Mrs. Grote in how she seemed to not even attempt to get along with her foster child and they were both very self centered. I don't know how Ralph could live with that.

If there were a sequel, I think we might find that Ralph and Dina didn't make it as a couple.

I agree, I was surprised they made it as far as they did! Unless Molly brought out the ugly side of Dina, but I highly doubt that. So in a way I also agree that Dina was unbelievable to some extent since she was so mean for no reason most of the time.

I agree that Dina seemed so unbelievable. I wondered if she was a little jealous of Molly since Ralph was nice to Molly.

I think many here have stated my thoughts exactly. The Grotes were the worst characters in the story. So irresponsible and frankly disgusting. Reading about Vivian's time there have been my least favorite parts, so far. (I'm still reading)

That's a good point, bookowlie. I wonder if Dina is a little jealous of Molly because of how nice Ralph is to Molly?

braver wrote:
I don't think it really would have fit the story, but I think a tiny bit more insight into Ralph and Dina would have been excellent. I feel like there are so many questions about them and how they got into this situation. Did Dina never want to foster? Or, knowing some people who foster, has Dina's heart been broken by the system too many times? What is her relationship with her husband like without Molly's presence? Maybe a conversation between them that Molly overhears would have been enough. Largely irrelevant to the story, yes, but it makes me curious!

Yeah, that wouldn't have hurt! Just a little insight to make us see a bit more into their life and make their relationship more believable. Maybe a littlw irrelevant but your idea is good, it could have just been a little scene and that's all. I didn't really think of a lot of your questions, but now I'm curious about them too!

Aloha,

I do not like the character Jennifer Stone. She is from the Jesse Jones series of Robert B Parker. She is the ex wife. She treated Jesse like garbage. That piss me off. Jesse is a great guy. He is mysterious. He love his job. Blessings.