What a great historical book.

Molly, who is 17 , meets Vivian, who is 91, because she has to do community service in 2011 and tries to help clean out her attic full of memories. They both came from numerous foster homes throughout their lives and none of them were the ideal place to live. Vivian's life wasn't easy throughout the years but she made a life for herself just the same and finally ended up with a good life.

We follow them back and forth from 2011 (Molly) to 1920s and beyond (Vivian), in their various lives. I enjoyed reading about them both and how their lives were somewhat the same with foster homes.

The ending was so sweet especially with Vivian. Not sure what would happen to Molly as it didn't focus on her as much in the end. ( )

This is a nicely paced drama, with a typical happy ending. The information included about the orphan trains was very interesting. The main protagonists are, Vivian, a 91 yr old woman, and Molly, a 17 yr old goth girl, who is helping her clean out her attic, per part of community service. In true fashion to these type stories, the girl and lady realize they have much in common and soon develop a relationship. Despite the redundant trope, the story was enjoyable.

The storyline switches back and forth between the early 1900s, where Vivian is recounting her life, and current modern day, where Molly is struggling with a less than perfect life. Viviane story is much more interesting and definitely what kept me reading. Molly is entitled and annoying and her story is a bit too stereotypical. There is a clear line between the villains, anyone who doesn't agree with her ideals or beliefs, and the good guys, everyone who coddles her.

Once again, as with most modern books, there's a clear agenda being pushed by the writer......liberal left wing ppl good.....conservative right wing bad. The fact that I'm finding this routinely, in over half the modern books I read, is very disturbing. The indoctrination in this country is scary.

All in all, this is an enjoyable easy read. ( )

Orphan Train tells the story of Vivian (born Niamh), an Irish immigrant girl who becomes orphaned in the United States and is sent via train to live with strangers in the mid-West. The structure of the novel was one of it's best attributes. We meet Vivian, in her nineties, through the present day eyes of Molly, a somewhat troubled foster child. Vivian tells Molly her life story, and the reader is treated to the tales of both women.

On the good side, Vivian's story, which takes place in the Depression era, is quite interesting, and the plot propels the reader quickly as you can't help but wonder what will happen to this poor orphaned girl who has no control over her own life and no one who loves her. It plays into everyone's worst fears of abandonment and the historical context adds interest as many of the laws protecting children are clearly not in place during this time.

Unfortunately, the book is written on about a seventh or eight grade reading level. Honestly, I really didn't feel like I was reading a book that was aimed at an adult audience. It is so misleading because the Prologue is actually a nicely done, intriguing opening - - and then the writing simplifies to the point where I really did think it was a YA novel.

Also, the present day story of Molly seems somehow unrealistic. Without revealing too much, Molly commits a minor crime, and honestly I find it incredibly hard to believe she'd be caught or punished for it . . .but she is given 50 hours of community service, which somehow she gets to serve by helping Vivian clean out her attic. Um, I don't think you get to actually pick out your community service job. Molly's foster family is pretty unpleasant. In fact, almost every foster family is portrayed terribly in this book with one exception, and even that one wasn't an actual loving caring family.

All in all, I can see why many loved this book . . .it's hard not to care about hard working, compliant, long suffering Vivian and hope something good finally happens to her. And the pacing of the book is super fast. Too fast for my taste . . .but many readers like things to happen and keep happening . . .and those readers will be delighted. ( )

4.5 stars. I'm a sucker for a story that mixes in a little history, people overcoming tough situations, and a satisfying ending. This book provided all of this and more. One minor character did have some stereotypical attitudes that say a lot about the way author views certain groups of people. I didn't like that, but I enjoyed the story so much, I can get past it. ( )

Read this for a book club, so it was defiantly outside of something I would have picked for myself. I loved at the end the author gave us insight into all the research and time she put into make the book historically accurate. It gave the story more meaning to me. There was great detail into the emotions of Vivian and Molly and the decisions they had to make, it was predictable but I don't think it was supposed to be written as a suspense. ( )