Christina Baker Kline's Orphan Train

Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline, tells the story of two very different aged orphans, Vivian and Molly, who come together through their similar adolescence experiences and work to overcome their fear of loss and trusting others. The novel starts off with a troubled teen, Molly, who got caught stealing a book from the library. She is given the opportunity to do community service by helping an elderly woman named Vivian clean out her attic. Molly gladly accepts to prevent having to go to juvie and losing the life she has, “...Molly knows she has it pretty good: her own room in a tidy house, employed and sober foster parents, a decent high school, and a nice boyfriend” (pg 49). As the story continues it flashes back to Vivian's life, while in the present they are going through each box which has items from that specific moment of her life she is telling. Vivian tells of how her family died in a fire and next thing she knew she was without one and placed on the orphan train. Molly later alone …show more content…
One weakness is the constant changing of characters and names throughout Vivian’s life story. If you do not pay full attention as you read, you will become confused and possibly have to reread parts. Another weakness that can be confusing is the time change in the story throughout the whole novel, going from present to past. I learned that it helps to separate the flashbacks and the present into two different stories and once you get towards the end group it all together. However, it all depends on how well the reader understands and reads the story. Separate from the author's way of writing, the overall story of what others go through is truly heartbreaking. It gives you a feeling of remorse towards the two main characters for what they go through. Which is a weakness, but also has a strength to it. Do not let these few weaknesses keep you from reading the story, there are many strengths of the story as