Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline Published by HarperCollins on January 8, 2019
Pages: 432
From Christina Baker Kline comes a novel about two women: one about to age out of the foster care system, the other 90 years old and carrying both a tremendous secret and a story of a life formed by a part of American history almost entirely forgotten: the Orphan Trains
Molly Ayer has one last chance, and she knows it. Close to being kicked out of her foster home -- just months from turning 18 and “aging out” of the system -- Molly should be grateful that her boyfriend found her a community service project: helping an old lady clean out her home. Molly can’t help but think that the 50 hours will be tedious, but at least they’ll keep her out of juvie, and right now that’s all she cares about.
Ninety-one-year-old Vivian Daly has lived a quiet life on the coast of Maine for decades. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are keys to a turbulent past. Molly is about to discover -- as she and Vivian unpack her possessions, and memories -- that Vivian’s story is a piece of America’s tumultuous history now largely forgotten: the tale of a young Irish immigrant, orphaned in New York City and put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other orphaned children whose destiny would be determined by luck and chance. As Molly digs deeper, she finds surprising parallels in her own experience as a Penobscot Indian and Vivian’s story -- and Molly realizes that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life.
Rich in detail and epic in scope, THE TRAIN RIDER is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, of unexpected friendships, and of the secrets we carry with us that keep us from finding out who we are.
*Orphan Train* by Christina Baker Kline seemed like the perfect read-along to tackle with the bestie. For those of you who’ve known me for many moons, y’all probably remember the shenanigans Fizzy and I got into over on the now-retired blog, *A Simply Enchanted Life*. I got divorced. She got older. I got chonkier. Life happened.
So some of y’all might not know the bestie. Let me fix that: her name is Fizzy. She writes over at fizzypopcollection.com, and she brings the Southern out in me and dials it up about ten notches. I *am* Southern, after all—but she just turns the volume all the way up and hands me a sweet tea. (Which, fun fact, I don’t even like.)
Now, what does the bestie have to do with this review? Well… everything. Because she makes me ramble. And y’all, I’ve been rambling nonstop since I sat down to write this.
Anyway, she found this challenge—the Book Girls’ Guide ICYMI Reading Challenge: 2026 Edition—and basically threatened me with life and limb if I didn’t read along with her. So, naturally, I caved. *Orphan Train* felt like the perfect book to read—because apparently my kids *would actually be orphans* if I disappointed the almighty Fizz. Honestly, this new stage of life I’m in is wild: I read non-Christian books, curse when I want, and watch movies full of ghosts and killers. *Gasp!*
Did I mention she makes me ramble?
But eventually, y’all, a Southern lady must pull herself together and actually review the dang book.
Here’s the truth: *Orphan Train* had a premise with promise, but the delivery was… meh. The characters were flat as a pancake and showed almost zero development. I finished the book a few days ago, and I’m honestly struggling to remember their names. Molly? Maybe. She’s supposed to be Native American—or “Indian,” as the book keeps calling her, which feels… outdated, especially for 2011.
Nothing about this book sticks. Forgettable characters, rushed ending, and zero emotional connection. I can see the idea behind it, but it just didn’t land.
So, there it is. A book I read because of friendship (and fear of Fizzy’s wrath), but one I won’t be thinking about anytime soon.
CW / TW:
This piece contains references to:
Sexual assault of a child, Child abuse, Child neglect, Death of a parent, Bullying, Racism, Addiction, Depression, Mental Illness, Strong Language
Recommended Age: 18
About Christina Baker Kline
A #1 New York Times bestselling author of ten novels, including Orphan Train, The Exiles, Please Don’t Lie (co-authored with Anne Burt), and the forthcoming The Foursome (May 2026), Christina Baker Kline is published in more than 40 countries. Her novels have received the New England Prize for Fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among other prizes, and have been chosen by hundreds of communities, universities, and schools as “One Book, One Read” selections. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in publications such as The New York Times and The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The San Francisco Chronicle.
