Best Selling Books by Christina Baker Kline

Essays by such literary figures as Christopher Buckley and Susan Fromberg Schaeffer explore particular experiences of child rearing and ponder the reasoning behind parenting rather than the methods

In the years 1854 - 1929, a series of orphanage trains departed from the East Coast cities, carrying thousands of helpless children who were praying for their luck to change their lives, to the agricultural lands of the region. Midwest. Will the children return to a good family full of love, or will they suffer hardship and abuse? Originally an Irish immigrant, Vivian Daly was one of them, having to follow the train from New York City to a dark place with a future. It was not until later that she returned to the East Coast that Vivian lived a quiet and peaceful life on the coast of Maine. However, stashed up in her attic, in sealed crates, was a fierce past. Seventeen-year-old Molly Ayer, knows that community work cleaning out a widow''s attic is the only thing that helps her avoid facing youth headquarters. However, when she embarked on helping Vivian organize her past, Molly discovered that the girl and the old woman were no different. Crossing between two states, Present Maine and Depression-era Minnesota, Orphan Train is a story of volatility and resilience, new opportunities and unexpected friendships.

Orphan Train is a good read for those that want a bit of bittersweet storytelling. Kline sets up a good story of orphan?s past, and the struggle to find identity, friendship, and acceptance in a world that is so often cold. You?re introduced to Molly, and her struggles in the foster care system, the law, and trying to find hope. The story pulls at your heart, and is really an up and down ride of emotions. Kline does well here, and the summary illuminates the power of the emotions that are in the novel. It?s hard to read and not have a visceral reaction, as the characters seem so real, and when the sadness prevails, you feel it.

Pour avoir naïvement cru aux promesses d''amour de son employeur, Evangeline, jeune gouvernante anglaise, a été accusée de vol et condamnée à la déportation. Sur le navire qui l''emmène en terre australe, elle pense à ce que sera sa vie dans le " pays au-delà des mers ", qu''on dit si inhospitalier, peuplé d''indigènes et de renégats. Elle pense aussi à l''enfant qu''elle porte : saura-t-elle le protéger ? Pourra-t-elle s''appuyer sur la débrouillarde Hazel avec qui elle a noué une forte amitié lors de la traversée ? Au même moment, sur l''île Flinders, au large de l''Australie, Mathinna, une orpheline aborigène, est elle aussi retenue prisonnière. Arrachée à sa tribu, la petite a été adoptée par le gouverneur et son épouse, qui entendent bien la civiliser à tout prix. Ces trois femmes l''ignorent encore, mais leur sort est inextricablement lié. Sur ces terres soumises à la folie des hommes, elles auront besoin de toutes leurs forces, de tout leur courage pour survivre et se frayer un chemin vers la liberté.