Orphan train major character analysis supersummary. Orphan train chapters orphan train by christina baker kline summary and analysis. One of the two main characters of orphan train, vivian, was one of these children, and we watch how her life turned out as she shares her story with the other main character, molly, who has a similar background in the present, that of being shuttled from place to place. Many people in the midwest at this time had inhome businesses. By the end of the book, molly leaves them to live with vivian. The second narrative of molly, a teen foster child, is marred by the way the author, christina baker kline, portrays her oppressive foster mom. Vivian daly vivian is one of the two main characters in the book. Christina baker kline born 1964 is an american novelist. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading orphan train. In her second foster home in minnesota, she was renamed dorothy. Orphan train by christina baker kline this was one of those weekends when the sun poured in the bedroom window, providing enough light and warmth, on a pair of particularly cool and breezy days, to make stretching out on the bed and relaxing, surrounded by two dogs and a cat, the.
The story is about 2 characters and swaps so easily between vivians story as a young girl and present time for mollys story. Seventeen years old at the time the novel is set, narration reveals that her father died in a car accident when she was young, which in turn caused her grieving mother to resort to drugs and become an addict, leaving molly a virtual orphan. That single decision defines her life from that point on. Need help on characters in christina baker klines orphan train. Orphan train girl by christina baker kline goodreads. From what i understand, the only difference is that the age of the main character, molly. Orphan train on surprise trip up the bestseller list. This study guide consists of approximately 42 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of orphan train. Niamh powervivian daly is one of the protagonists of the novel. One is a seventeen years old living in foster care. She writes from two different points of views and switches back and forth between the two. Between 1854 and 1929, socalled orphan trains ran regularly from the cities of the east coast to the farmlands of the midwest, carrying thousands of abandoned children whose. Orphan train study guide contains a biography of christina baker kline, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
Orphan train by christina baker kline bookscover2cover. Read orphan train absolutely for free at readanybook. Abandoned at 9, vivian rides an orphan train revealing the plight of. Apr 02, 20 other chapters flash back to the period from 1929 through world war ii. With jill eikenberry, kevin dobson, linda manz, graham fletchercook. Vivians life experience as an irish immigrant and orphan train rider forms one track of the novel. I liked some of it and the general plot about the orphan train, but so much felt absurd. Christina baker kline writes exquisitely about two unlikely friends.
Christina baker klines novel orphan train has ridden the new york times bestseller list for the past 15 weeks, becoming a favorite of book clubs across the. Orphan train wrecked my heart and made me glad to be literate. Soon enough she becomes an orphan and is put on an orphan train. Take molly, the first of two main characters were introduced to in orphan train by. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. This protagonist of the novel is 17 years old and living in the foster care system. Pdf orphan train book by christina baker kline free. The orphan train community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Vivian daly vivians singular characteristic is her selfcontainment. Molly s father was a penobscot indian and her mother, donna ayer, is white. Orphan train by christina baker kline, paperback barnes. Orphan train is a young adult historical fiction novel about the relationship between seventeen yearold molly ayer and ninetyone yearold vivian daly who, as the result of spending time together and sharing their experiences, form a bond, learn from each other, and change in significant ways. Niamh pronounced neev was an irish immigrant girl sent on an orphan train from new york city to minnesota in the late 1920s. The national orphan train complex in concordia, ks is a museum and research center dedicated to the orphan train movement, the various institutions that participated, and the children and agents who rode the trains.
She was born in ireland and immigrated to new york city with her family in 1929. Free download or read online orphan train pdf epub book. According to the book cover, between 1854 and 1929, thousands of. This is the young readers version of the adult book the orphan train. The first edition of the novel was published in april 2nd 20, and was written by christina baker kline. Aug 18, 2018 the orphan train by christina baker kline moves back and forth between two stories that of a young orphan girl in the early twentieth century and that of a teenager in the modernday foster care system. She is an intelligent, opinionated, and reflective seventeenyearold girl who lives with her foster parents, ralph and dina thibodeaus, at their home in spruce harbor, maine. Seventeen years old at the time the novel is set, narration reveals that her father died in a car. Operatingprimarily as a historical novel, orphan train is grounded in the record of the trains that carried over 200,000 orphans from eastern cities to new lives in the midwestduring the late19 th and early20 th centuries. Pam jenoff is the author of several books of historical fiction, including the nyt bestseller the orphan s tale. They first met on the orphan train and later reconnected when vivian was in her twenties.
Cathy marie buchanan, nyt bestselling author of the day the falls stood still and the painted girls i loved this book. The orphan train i had a hard time reading this book. Orphan train is also similar to klines other works, a piece of the world 2017 and the way life should be 2007. Orphan train is a book set in both the present day and the late 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. They put her on the orphan train which took her to minnesota to a new life. What makes this book special is how kline uses point of view in her stories. Seventeen years old at the time the novel is set, narration. Her family was killed in a fire and she was sent to the childrens aid society.
She holds a degree in international affairs from george washington university and a degree in history from cambridge, and she received her jd from upenn. Like orphan train, doerrs novel is a work of historical fiction, portrays the experiences of orphans, has a twoplot structure, and retraces the lives of modernday characters by telling their stories from the beginning. The orphan train by christina baker kline questions. This is a fictionalized account, based on actual events. The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are molly ayer, vivian daly. After my book club chose orphan train for our next meetup, i picked up my.
The main narrative about vivian, an orphan train rider, was excellent. Orphan train was released as a paperback original, which kline was ambivalent about, until she saw its appeal to book clubs that avoid higherpriced hardcovers. Kline has written six other novels orphan train, orphan train girl, the way life should be, sweet water, bird in hand, and desire lines and written or edited five works of nonfiction. Orphan train relevant reading book discussion guides. Orphan train characters you use two teenage girls as characters, and though they are widely separated by time. For example, the defining moment of her life comes when, overwhelmed by grief after the death of her husband, dutchy, she gives her newborn daughter away. Vivian traveled from nyc to minnesota as a young girl on one of the infamous orphan trains that was used to get orphans out of the cities into the country where they might have a better opportunity to find families and to be able to make a good life.
In the beginning of the story, she faces a sentence of 50 hours of. I read many stories of train riders who lived and worked in homes like the byrnes. Molly learns that vivian was herself an orphan, an irish immigrant in new york who was put on the orphan train in the late 1920s and tossed from home to home in minnesota. Vivians singular characteristic is her selfcontainment. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 278 pages and is available in paperback format. I think a lot of readers are looking for a book they can. Jul 16, 2014 orphan train on surprise trip up the bestseller list. Orphan train study guide from litcharts the creators of. Orphan train ebook by christina baker kline rakuten kobo. She is an immigrant from ireland whose family came to the usa in the first half of. The character of molly ayer in orphan train from litcharts. Jan 20, 2015 in christina baker klines book orphan train, she uses a variety of different writing styles and techniques to impact the readers experience.
I found this book orphan train so interesting that i just wanted to sit and read it all in one go. The orphans tale, by pam jenoff pam jenoffs new novel follows two women who sign on with a german traveling circus and the jewish baby theyre both determined to protect as. I provide a general overview of the book without delving too deep into themes or revealing plot secrets. Most of the people who took in orphan train riders did so because they needed free labor farmers and others who ran cottage industries.
Moving between contemporary maine and depressionera minnesota, orphan train is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, and unexpected friendship. She is an immigrant from ireland whose family came to the usa in the first half of the 20th century. She is an intelligent, opinionated, and reflective seventeenyearold girl who lives. Orphan train was a mix of favorite childhood books of mine such as anne of green gables, heidi, and understood betsy, and ms. Orphan train characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Out of this desperate situation was born the orphan train. Mary cummings yes, its based on factual events in history, but the characters and. In 1854, there were living on the streets of new york city over 10,000 abandoned orphaned children. She was an orphan, as both her parents unfortunately died in a fire when she was only seven. Orphan train adventures series by joan lowery nixon. Like the ages of the siblings, and the ending,especially the ending. The orphan train by christina baker kline moves back and forth between two stories that of a young orphan girl in the early twentieth century.
She is the author of seven novels, including orphan train, and has coauthored or edited five nonfiction books kline is a geraldine r. How similar can the stories of two orphans, born years apart, be. It is like the author got tired of writing the book and gave it the happiest ending possible as quickly as possible. Kline lets us live the characters experiences vividly through their skin, and. Find out in this lesson, which will go over a summary of orphan train by christina baker kline and discuss one of the major themes. Although at times i felt as if i were reading a novel assigned for a middle school english class, i quickly became attached to the two principle characters and was fascinated to learn about the orphan trains. Niamh powervivian daly niamh powervivian daly is one of the protagonists of the novel. Orphan train characters from litcharts the creators of. Orphan train will hold you in its grip as their fascinating tales unfold.