Rating: *****
Tags: Fiction, Literary, Lang:en
Summary
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 widow clean out
her attic 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.Moving between contemporary Maine and
Depression-era Minnesota, Orphan Train is a powerful tale of
upheaval and resilience, second chances, and unexpected
friendship.