book club

Christina Baker Kline's Orphan Train

Between 1854 and 1929, so-called orphan trains ran regularly from the cities of the East Coast to the farmlands of the Midwest, carrying thousands of abandoned children whose fates would be determined by luck or chance. Would they be adopted by a kind and loving family, or would they face a childhood and adolescence of hard labor and servitude?As a young Irish immigrant, Vivian Daly was one such child, sent by rail from New York City to an uncertain future a world away. Returning east later in life, Vivian leads a quiet, peaceful existence on the coast of Maine, the memories of her upbringing rendered a hazy blur. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a turbulent past.Seventeen-year-old Molly Ayer knows that a community-service position helping an elderly widow clean out her attic is the only thing keeping her out of juvenile hall. But as Molly helps Vivian sort through her keepsakes and possessions, she discovers that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they appear. A Penobscot Indian who has spent her youth in and out of foster homes, Molly is also an outsider being raised by strangers, and she, too, has unanswered questions about the past.Moving between contemporary Maine and Depression-era Minnesota, Orphan Train is a powerful tale of upheaval and resilience, second chances, and unexpected friendship

(thanks to her website)

This book was just wonderful! Heart-breaking and hard at times but such a sweet,harrowing story and journey for both main characters. I loved how Molly and Vivian mirror each other. I had no idea that there were such things as "orphan trains" so it was also a unique history lesson. I give this an A and I can't wait to check out more of Christine's work.


Lucy Ferriss' The Lost Daughter

The Lost Daughter is a hugely affecting meditation on the fragility of even the strongest bonds, when it comes to marriage, and the way in the midst of the surprising intensities of a blissful union, we can still be all thumbs, emotionally, our own hearts feeling to us like foreign objects.  And yet it's also about the courage and grace the best of us continually manage, despite our myriad shortcomings.   This is a beautifully constructed and moving novel.
(thanks to her website)

Blah! This book was awful, I didn't like any of the characters and I found the whole story sad,depressing and rather disheartening. It was rather graphic and upsetting in a few parts too many too. I skimmed to the end to see if it would redeem its self. I give this a D.

Nora Robert's Whiskey Beach

For more than three hundred years, Bluff House has sat above Whiskey Beach, guarding its shore—and its secrets. But to Eli Landon, it’s home…

A Boston lawyer, Eli has weathered an intense year of public scrutiny and police investigations after being accused of—but never arrested for—the murder of his soon-to-be-ex wife.

He finds sanctuary at Bluff House, even though his beloved grandmother is in Boston recuperating from a nasty fall. Abra Walsh is always there, though. Whiskey Beach’s resident housekeeper, yoga instructor, jewelry maker, and massage therapist, Abra is a woman of many talents—including helping Eli take control of his life and clear his name. But as they become entangled in each other, they find themselves caught in a net that stretches back for centuries—one that has ensnared a man intent on reaping the rewards of destroying Eli Landon once and for all…

(thanks to her website)
What a sweet and easy story,no characters to hate, a sweet setting and I loved the mysteries and back stories of both Eli and Abra. A bit too long though...I give it an A.


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Happy Friday!