Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Orphan Train has a most intriguing and promising background situation--the real-life transportation in the early 20th Century of more than 200,000 homeless and neglected children from the East to the Midwest for "adoption." Unfortunately, sometimes the orphans did not find parents but instead found masters for involuntary servitude. I expected so much from this premise. I received so little.

This book is a current best seller; it receives predominantly good reviews on various websites; its author has good credentials (Writer in Residence at Fordham University and recipient of various fellowships). Despite all this evidence, I consider Orphan Train to be the equivalent of a Hallmark movie or a second-rate Young Adult novel. It's not totally without worth, but it's not nearly as good as it could have been.

The two-strand plot concerns 90-year-old Vivien as she recalls her life experiences, including being one of the orphan train adoptees; and 17-year-old Molly, a rebellious Gothic foster child. A rather illogical situation brings the two together, and they help each other to heal from their abandonment wounds. It ends just as you would expect a Hallmark movie to end. It is heart warming.

Here are some reasons why I consider Orphan Train second rate. #1 The characters are stereotypes--the irresponsible and/or hateful mothers, the ineffective fathers, the brilliant misunderstood teenager, the reclusive old lady alone in a big house. #2 The narrative is awkwardly all written in present tense, for no special reason that I could discern. #3 I spotted several instances of faulty grammar. #4 The writing is choppy and simplistic. On an interest and reading level the book actually seems to be written for young teens, except for a totally unnecessary love episode between two teenagers. #5 Aside from a few incidents, the author just tells about happenings, rather than drawing the reader into the experiences.

I only pick this novel apart to save other readers from making the mistake I made and presupposing Orphan Train to be Literature. It's not; it's just fiction, second tier fiction at that. I know that sounds elitist, but ....