Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline - Audiobook

[Karla Ardon]

I couldn't possibly explain how much I loved this book. Orphan Train is not a romantic book or anything like that. This book is about Vivian Daly, a former orphan, who needs help cleaning her attic. Molly Ayer has community service to do. Molly’s boyfriend makes her help Vivian Daly clean her attic so she can get time done for community service. Molly is an outsider being raised by strangers. She was in and out of foster homes. She ends up finding out that her and Vivian are very similar. In the book there’s flashbacks to Vivian’s childhood and the bond Vivian and Molly have at the end is amazing. The whole book was amazing. It’s very interesting to read about how things used to be and how they are now. Everything is so much better now. I would recommend the book to almost anyone .

[kbenson2]

I agree that this book was fantastic. It was very well written and fun to read (loved the writing style). And I loved how the book starts with 2 seemly separate storylines and ends up connecting them in the end. Loved this book!

[court7]

This was one of my favorite books this year. At first I thought I liked the story with Molly better than Vivian but as the story progressed and I realized that the stories intertwined I fell in love with it. Such an amazing book. I want to read more books by Christina Baker Kline.

[MyThoughtsExactly]

I absolutely loved this book! What an awesome progression of events. All of the characters were great, although I really loved reading about Vivian's life.

[Samyann]

Orphan Train is narrated by Jessica Almasy and Suzanne Toren. The audiobook is about 8.5 hours of listening in unabridged format. Released in April 2013 by Audible Studios.

This is a captivating story encompassing the lives of two orphans. One, a woman in her nineties, the other a rebellious teenaged girl. A good deal of the story involves flashbacks. The older woman reminisces through boxes of memorabilia in her attic, things the younger woman is helping to clean out. The memories include her journey as an orphan … beginning on a train in New York to the midwest, through her youth and marriage.

What I liked. Orphan Train is very educational for anyone unfamiliar with the orphan trains of the 1930s. Illness or tragedy resulted in many immigrant orphans, those children whose parents did not survive the rigors of an Atlantic crossing or New York poverty. The kids, including infants, were transported via train to whistle stops throughout the midwest in hopes of eventual adoption. The abuse and servitude of these kids is appalling.

What I didn’t like. Whatever you do, listen to the audio sample. You’ll hear a cartoon chipmunk. The voice just doesn’t work for me and the saving factor is the story itself. The diction and presentation are fine … but the narration is juvenile and suited to children’s audio … not a good voice for Orphan Train.

No explicit sex, no offensive language. A decent listen with the codicil above.

[CommMayo]

I read this book and totally loved it! Too bad the poor narrator ruined the audiobook version. I hate it when that happens!

[Samyann]

I read this book and totally loved it! Too bad the poor narrator ruined the audiobook version. I hate it when that happens!

The story is superb. I really enjoyed. So educational. Those poor kids were virtually slaves until they turned legal age or ran away.

But, yeah, the narrator selected was a bad choice for this book.

[Ellis Cantor]

One of the things I love about this book are the parallels between the life of the orphan Vivian Daly, whose childhood took place in the bad old times, and the modern girl, Molly Ayer, the product of a dysfunctional family in the supposedly enlightened present. The more things change, the more they are the same.

[tybeepark]

This was really well done! It was really endearing to see the way Molly Ayer and Vivian Daly’s relationship built throughout the story. I listened to the unabridged Orphan Train audiobook narrated by Jessica Almasy and Suzanne Toren. The audiobook is about 8.5 hours of listening to a juvenile sounding narrator ruin a well written story. As most stories with two POV’s, the storylines connect. I was so excited when this happened! Looking forward to reading more from Kline.

[elsiebeth]

I was so happy to find a book on forums that I had read several years ago. This is one of the few books and subjects I have strong feelings about. I loved the story, but more importantly, the subject needs more exposure. We need people to understand this is how our children service started. It didn't work then. Some children were lucky and their lives were improved. This was not the case for most children. We read books like Orphan Train and the Anne of Green Gables series and feel good about the many attempts to help our children in need. Unless we have personal experience with children's service agencies we assume all is well. The truth is we are failing miserably.
Thank you all for those who read this book and even more thanks to those who took the time to give reviews. My prayers go out to the children and families involved in this sad dynamic.