Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline Published by HarperCollins on January 8, 2019
Genres: 20th Century, Fiction / Historical / General, Fiction / Places / United States, Fiction / Women, Social Issues, Social Themes, Women
Pages: 432
Format: Audiobook
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From Christina Baker Kline comes a novel about two women: one about to age out of the foster care system, the other 90 years old and carrying both a tremendous secret and a story of a life formed by a part of American history almost entirely forgotten: the Orphan Trains
Molly Ayer has one last chance, and she knows it. Close to being kicked out of her foster home -- just months from turning 18 and “aging out” of the system -- Molly should be grateful that her boyfriend found her a community service project: helping an old lady clean out her home. Molly can’t help but think that the 50 hours will be tedious, but at least they’ll keep her out of juvie, and right now that’s all she cares about.
Ninety-one-year-old Vivian Daly has lived a quiet life on the coast of Maine for decades. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are keys to a turbulent past. Molly is about to discover -- as she and Vivian unpack her possessions, and memories -- that Vivian’s story is a piece of America’s tumultuous history now largely forgotten: the tale of a young Irish immigrant, orphaned in New York City and put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other orphaned children whose destiny would be determined by luck and chance. As Molly digs deeper, she finds surprising parallels in her own experience as a Penobscot Indian and Vivian’s story -- and Molly realizes that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life.
Rich in detail and epic in scope, THE TRAIN RIDER is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, of unexpected friendships, and of the secrets we carry with us that keep us from finding out who we are.
I’m really struggling to write this review. As we all know by now (or remember as again it’s been a hot minute) I review from the heart, not the brain, and tend to have my best thoughts immediately after. However, this is yet another book that kinda sticks with you and requires some processing. So we’ll start with the transparency stuff. Orphan Train is the second book that Kristin and I picked for The Book Girls’ Guide In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) Reading Challenge: 2026 Edition. Yes, I know it is a January prompt and it’s February. I assure you I read it in January but I’m trying to make sure I hit actual goals this year so here we are. I also added it as a prompt Pop Sugar 2026 Challenge for a character with a hidden past. I guess it’s time to stop procrastinating and share thoughts. I just need to organize them as words hard. Words super hard sometimes.
I’m really struggling to write this review. I keep walking away to do other things, I mean you don’t know that if I don’t tell you as no one is watching me on this cold January day. I had trouble getting started into this book and even while reading had to set it down and walk away a few times. While I love dual time-line stories the time jumps started awkward as I didn’t have enough information to understand why we were time jumping. Honestly, I was about 40% through the book before it really jelled for me. I knew it was going to be a good story just based on the time period in history that I really connect with but it took me a while to ‘get there’. Which leads to my second struggle. I feel like the characters of Molly and Dina were flat. Dina, more so than Molly, felt very stereotypical and not really fleshed out. I mean stereotypical people exist hence being stereotypical but there’s nuance that I felt could have been built in to create depth. Yes, I know she’s a secondary character but she is a catalyst for some things in the book that I felt deserved more development than what she got. Molly, while she had some depth I felt she was still flat. As a main character her why, her who, never reached the potential I feel like she could have.
Vivian is the character that really did it for me. While I had issues which we will discuss, she brought the story of being an orphan loaded on the train and sent to the wilderness to ‘figure it out’ in life. OK, probably not true wilderness but when you are city anything not city feels like wilderness. Here’s my problem with Vivian (that big picture I’ll overlook later). She’s 91 years old, gets hooked up with a juvenile delinquent (false pretenses so she doesn’t know that but still) in over 50 hours of community service she spills her entire life story to said juvenile delinquent. Why? How does this happen? I mean she’s not shared with anyone else in her life and she’s not entirely alone but why Molly? I get why now I mean she’s 91! It feels like she spills her guts, embraces new things she had outwardly said she had no interest in (aka technology) all in like 50 hours of time together. Her current day story felt rushed and forced. Her history. . . pure gold! While the first 40ish% felt disjointed and awkward that last 60ish% where it all came together was just an open and raw account of what many of the orphans probably experienced, some better some worse, but a good blend of what many may have experienced. Vivian’s life is really what set this book apart for me. It felt honest, raw, emotional, and gritty. It felt desperate yet hopeful. It felt real. Some much of the book missed the real that really draws you in but young Vivian (Niamh/Dorthy) Made this book for me for all the reasons provided above.
About Christina Baker Kline
A #1 New York Times bestselling author of ten novels, including Orphan Train, The Exiles, Please Don’t Lie (co-authored with Anne Burt), and the forthcoming The Foursome (May 2026), Christina Baker Kline is published in more than 40 countries. Her novels have received the New England Prize for Fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among other prizes, and have been chosen by hundreds of communities, universities, and schools as “One Book, One Read” selections. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in publications such as The New York Times and The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The San Francisco Chronicle.
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