Orphans: Real and Imaginary

by Eileen Simpson

In this memoir the author provides an account of orphanhood, and in a series of essays, examines the role and meaning of orphanhood in literature, history, and culture

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography

259 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1987

Reviews

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the upbeat and the honesty of it. Many people look at being an orphan as something very unfortunate but she wrote that it wasn't so terrible for herself or her sister. I think that she was overly dependent on her sister. I would have liked more information about her older sister as far as how she felt about being an orphan and what life was like for her. I found out things I didn't know about what it would be like living in a home such as how strict they could be with the kids. They were required to cover up even during a bath. I liked the references to other books. I enjoyed reading about different things that happened to her and her sister like they became very sick and were sent away until healing. She mentioned the older sister complaining of having to wear old fashioned clothes when the other girls were newer fashions. I never thought about orphans being criticized over wearing older fashioned clothes. Despite being orphans they had relatives who cared for them so over all they had a fairly normal childhood. I liked finding a book that tried to be honest and upbeat about what being an orphan can mean. I also liked her added section about imaginary orphans like Annie and even though Annie was so popular she was far from reality. I appreciated the author not really liking Annie and/or what she represented for orphans. I thought the book could have gone into more depth about her family especially the sister and even herself.

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author, a psychotherapist, lost her mother during infancy. Following her death, the author and her sister were placed in the care of the nuns in a convent, and saw their father during holidays. Her father died unexpectedly before he could remarry and remove his daughters from the nun’s care when she was an adolescent. Therefore, since initially none of the girls relatives wished to assume responsibility for their upbringing they remained at the convent. They were only removed from it when it was discovered that they were pre-tubular and malnourished. Then they were sent to a preventorium for treatment. Following their recovery they were placed in the custody and care of different relatives until they left their care upon becoming emancipated.

The book is an attempt to explore the author’s repressed and conflicted feelings and emotions arising from her loss of her parents in early childhood, and her upbringing. To do so she juxtaposes a short autobiography against an exploration of what the concept of being an orphan meant in terms of the biographies of several well known people, literature, and psychological studies. She also examines how the concept is viewed in the present day (late 1980s).

Unfortunately the book fails to achieve its goal from the reader’s perspective. The autobiography is superficial. It recites places and events, but rarely discusses the author’s emotions or feelings, or the rationales behind her decisions. The second half of the book exploring what is an orphan consist of extended commentaries rather than analysis of much of the subject matter. The selections of exemplars of famous people and literary orphans appear to be arbitrary and capricious. There is little reasoning for the selections, nor for why so much verbiage is devoted to some examples such as Bertram Russell and Mark Twain versus very little to others such as Charles Dickens, while others of importance such as Eleanor Roosevelt are completely absent from the discussion. Even more problematic is the absence of any meaningful linkage between the author’s history and the examples other than her total dislike of Little Orphan Annie, and her love of Daddy Longlegs, although there is copious commentary about the former, and little on the later.

The most successful portion of the second half is the discussion of the psychological studies in which, to a limited extent, the author draws some links to, and exorcises her own demons.

[Lyzette Wanzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this a very long time ago. I recall it being very well-written, combining memoir and cultural analysis of orphanhood and its various portrayals. The memoir section is the most intriguing, but the exploration of orphans in comics, film, fiction, and pop culture is rather thought-provoking.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

best non fiction book

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued by orphans and orphanhood for several years before my mother died when I was 11. Not an astonishing interest, as there’s a multitude of orphans as characters in children’s literature, and I loved to read.

This book is divided into 2 sections: Part 1 is a memoir of the author’s early orphanhood and how it affected her growing up. Part 2 I found particularly interesting – it’s basically five sociological essays on: history of orphanhood, orphans in autobiography, literary orphans (characters in fiction books), the changing aspects of orphanhood (including the phenomenon of psychic orphanhood), and an essay called A Mythic Orphan about Little Orphan Annie. The parts are intertwined: In part 1 she quotes from many works of psychology and sociology as she analyzes her own life, and in part 2 she mentions her own life experience. I especially liked reading about orphans in autobiographical and fictional books. The author is literate on this subject; I have never read another book like it.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

i've owned this book for years, picked it up at a used books sale for ridiculously cheap. started reading it immediately, but then lost track of it. recently found and read it and have mixed feelings for it. it's split into 2 parts. the first part is her own experience as an orphan, her and her sister growing up moving from convent to relative and so on. i really enjoyed the first part. the second part wasn't as interesting more historical and factual, less story telling. other people might find it more interesting then me, but it's a personal opinion.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and touching! Amazing what obstacles these two little girls had to overcome. It was also an eye opener on how Society as a whole viewed orphan children, especially those of the lower working class.
The second part of the book is written differently. I found it interesting and it felt like I was receiving a lesson such as: Orphans 101. Famous orphans and imaginary orphans were mentioned, society’s prejudice of being an orphan and the author’s perception of how being an orphan had its advantages were all surveyed.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author does a good job of portraying her life as a orphan and how it affected her. There is also an interesting explanation of how society perceives and treats orphans. However, there is a lot of in depth detail of certain orphans and not a lot of breadth.

[Nancy Loe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sorry to see that this book is now out of print. I thought it was very helpful when I was in therapy.