A review by beedew
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

2.0

2.5 stars. While the history of orphan trains was fascinating, the characters and plot were predictable and stereotypical. I liken this book to a lifetime channel movie. It is populated with types as opposed to characters. Vivian was the most developed character, and as a result her story was the most interesting, but even that story proceeded from one cliche to the next. It was hard to imagine her as an individual person. She seemed to be the amalgamation of the experiences orphan train riders condensed into a single narrative. There was nothing subtle in the themes or the parallels between relationships in the respective stories. I wanted more from the book.