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kweaver_pdx's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Addiction
davidreyno's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An enjoyable, emotional historical novel about a part of US history that I had not before known, Orphan Trains taking kids from NYC to the Midwest. Uses the mechanism of bouncing between the present and the past, with a lady who traveled on the Orphan train befriending a modern day orphan. Usually not a huge fan of this mechanism, but it works very well in this case. Surprisingly, I connected better with the modern orphan than the main character orphan, still trying to decide why.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
cft731's review
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
tpogin's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Drug use, Death of parent, and Alcoholism
go2hellstephanie's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Pedophilia
sarah984's review
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I don't really know what to think about this book. The true story of the orphan trains is interesting, tragic and important, but the author made every possible wrong decision.
The characters are all flat stereotypes (drunk Irishman, bitter Native American foster child, kind teacher with no characteristics) and the story follows very predictable beats. The constant use of "Indian" in the modern sections is mind-boggling. The story is written like a middle-grade book to teach kids about the orphan trains, but contains a graphic rape scene.
This is an important story to tell, but there must be better books about it.
The characters are all flat stereotypes (drunk Irishman, bitter Native American foster child, kind teacher with no characteristics) and the story follows very predictable beats. The constant use of "Indian" in the modern sections is mind-boggling. The story is written like a middle-grade book to teach kids about the orphan trains, but contains a graphic rape scene.
This is an important story to tell, but there must be better books about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Addiction
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