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bsmorris's review
5.0
Beautifully written with such lovely imagery and a spiraling story arc that left me in tears. I love how all the plots finally come together and I love the introductory chapter that gives me hope at the darkest parts of the novel. Frankie and Pearl are characters I’ll remember for a long time.
katscribefever's review
5.0
This is a story about young women who dare to hope in the face of life's smothering difficulties. This is a story about injustice, betrayal, pain, and loss, but this is also a story about friendship, love, laughter, and loyalty. Most of all, this is a story about persevering even while knowing it would be easier to simply give up.
paragraphsandpages's review against another edition
3.0
While this wasn't a bad book, I only started enjoying it at 70% on, so I unfortunately can't rate it any higher. I'm picky about my historical fiction but the issue is that I haven't read enough to know what I like and don't like exactly, but this book just didn't work for me in the beginning, and the revelations started coming a little too fast and a little too late.
Overall I enjoyed the storytelling and writing of this book, and the concept of having a ghost narrate the life of the living is an interesting one. Even when I wasn't necessarily enjoying the book it wasn't hard to stay engaged and following the story, as the writing was easy to follow yet compelling! I most likely will look into other books by this author because of that, even if this specific one wasn't fully for me.
I think the main issue overall for me was how the parallel storylines only meshed together in terms of content/themes, rather than in how the stories were told to the reader. It honestly felt like the two stories were battling for dominance for most of the book, and it overall felt very back and forth rather than two complementary stories running parallel to each other. It was all a bit too much, especially when the twists for both stories were being revealed at the exact same time. I didn't necessarily have trouble keeping the two apart, but I found myself only fully engaged with one at a time, losing interest quickly in the other. Generally, this story was Frankie's, and it made the more ghostly tales of Pearl drag on for me, and only really started affecting me when we hit 70%. All in all, I think the story could have made similar thematical statements by focusing on only one of the girls, and it would've probably been stronger for it.
I didn't hate this, it just didn't grab me early on and ended up suffering for it. I did like it in the end though, but I feel my rating has to be fair to the book as a whole, and I did feel tempted to DNF it around 40%.
Overall I enjoyed the storytelling and writing of this book, and the concept of having a ghost narrate the life of the living is an interesting one. Even when I wasn't necessarily enjoying the book it wasn't hard to stay engaged and following the story, as the writing was easy to follow yet compelling! I most likely will look into other books by this author because of that, even if this specific one wasn't fully for me.
I think the main issue overall for me was how the parallel storylines only meshed together in terms of content/themes, rather than in how the stories were told to the reader. It honestly felt like the two stories were battling for dominance for most of the book, and it overall felt very back and forth rather than two complementary stories running parallel to each other. It was all a bit too much, especially when the twists for both stories were being revealed at the exact same time. I didn't necessarily have trouble keeping the two apart, but I found myself only fully engaged with one at a time, losing interest quickly in the other. Generally, this story was Frankie's, and it made the more ghostly tales of Pearl drag on for me, and only really started affecting me when we hit 70%. All in all, I think the story could have made similar thematical statements by focusing on only one of the girls, and it would've probably been stronger for it.
I didn't hate this, it just didn't grab me early on and ended up suffering for it. I did like it in the end though, but I feel my rating has to be fair to the book as a whole, and I did feel tempted to DNF it around 40%.
nicilynnd's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed so many things about this book. The author did a great job with details of the city, the orphanage, and of people that I felt like I was really there. The point of view was also very interesting. I will be adding this book to our school library.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
3.0
I read this blurb (not this one), and expected something entirely else. More horror in the orphanage, so ok, it was not a walk on roses, but I thought it would be worse. Now there were even good times.
Frankie and Toni is left at an orphanage by their father. He has a new wife (asshat!), and no place in his home for them. They grow up there and he visits twice a month, until he does not. His new wife was a piece of work.
Frankie is the sensible one that tries to be good.
Toni is the one that likes to flirt with the boys, even though they are not allowed too.
The nuns are strict, WWII starts. Family drama.
And then there was the ghost, ok so this was really weird. At first I was more interested in Frankie's story, but then there ghost took more and more space and I liked her more. A young woman hanging around, wondering why, whispering to orphans and slowly we learn her story. And it is a sad one.
So yes, I did feel that the story would have worked great without the ghost. And I also feel like the story would have worked great with just the ghost, as it is now we have both, and sure that works too.
Narration
I liked her ghost voice for Pearl, it fitted great.
The ghost part had this other feel to them and that did work great for the story. It felt more ghostly.
Frankie and Toni is left at an orphanage by their father. He has a new wife (asshat!), and no place in his home for them. They grow up there and he visits twice a month, until he does not. His new wife was a piece of work.
Frankie is the sensible one that tries to be good.
Toni is the one that likes to flirt with the boys, even though they are not allowed too.
The nuns are strict, WWII starts. Family drama.
And then there was the ghost, ok so this was really weird. At first I was more interested in Frankie's story, but then there ghost took more and more space and I liked her more. A young woman hanging around, wondering why, whispering to orphans and slowly we learn her story. And it is a sad one.
So yes, I did feel that the story would have worked great without the ghost. And I also feel like the story would have worked great with just the ghost, as it is now we have both, and sure that works too.
Narration
I liked her ghost voice for Pearl, it fitted great.
The ghost part had this other feel to them and that did work great for the story. It felt more ghostly.
rachelwrites007's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This doesn’t beat BONE GAP (my favorite book of 2015!!) for me but I loved the writing in this one and the balance of paranormal with historical fiction.
I think this would be a good fit for those who enjoyed ORPHAN TRAIN by Christine Baker Kline but want a younger read (OT is adult). I relished in learning about orphanages in the 1930’s and 1940’s Midwest, something I had no idea about.
Bravo Laura Ruby bravo.
I think this would be a good fit for those who enjoyed ORPHAN TRAIN by Christine Baker Kline but want a younger read (OT is adult). I relished in learning about orphanages in the 1930’s and 1940’s Midwest, something I had no idea about.
Bravo Laura Ruby bravo.