Orphan train by Christina Baker Kline

Orphan train by Christina Baker Kline

This is basically the tale of 2 females whose lives are intertwined with similarities of their lives

Vivian is a young orphaned Irish immigrant who is put on an orphan train in 1929 This was one of the trains that ran between 1854 and 1929 carrying orphans or abandoned children from the East Coast cities like New York to an uncertain future in the midwest of America. We read her story in great detail with all the historical facts associated with these trains. Many of the children found good homes but some were forced into a life of working hard just to survive. We also read of Vivian's life when she is 91 as her old memories unfold.

A teenager Molly is brought into Vivian's life as a helper . Molly has grown up as a difficult ,unloved child in the foster system and in many ways her life reflects some of the difficulties that Vivian also encountered. Gradually they become friends and when Molly helps Vivian sort out the junk in her attic all kinds of interesting memories come back.

It was a very compulsive book to read. You want to know what happens next and it it very interesting to find out what happened in those early years of the twentieth century.

I did not know anything about these orphan trains.it was very interesting.