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Obsessed By A Promise
A childhood promise!
A lost boy!
The Orphan Train!
A life on hold!
Obsessed By A Promise, a work of historical fiction, offers a fascinating glimpse into a little known event in American history; the Orphan Train movement. JT Saunders grew up homeless on the streets of New York City at the onset of the Great Depression. Through perseverance and hard work he gained money and prestige, married and had a son, yet it all meant little to him because, as an eleven-year old, he had promised his father he’d keep his little brother safe. He failed. From then on, the compulsion to find his lost brother and rectify what he perceived as his personal negligence permeated his existence. After years of searching the streets of New York, the discovery of the Orphan Trains opened the possibility that his little brother wasn’t in the city at all, and changed the course of JT’s search from city-wide to country-wide. Fifty years would pass before JT finds resolution allowing him to finally let go of his obsession.
A lost boy!
The Orphan Train!
A life on hold!
Obsessed By A Promise, a work of historical fiction, offers a fascinating glimpse into a little known event in American history; the Orphan Train movement. JT Saunders grew up homeless on the streets of New York City at the onset of the Great Depression. Through perseverance and hard work he gained money and prestige, married and had a son, yet it all meant little to him because, as an eleven-year old, he had promised his father he’d keep his little brother safe. He failed. From then on, the compulsion to find his lost brother and rectify what he perceived as his personal negligence permeated his existence. After years of searching the streets of New York, the discovery of the Orphan Trains opened the possibility that his little brother wasn’t in the city at all, and changed the course of JT’s search from city-wide to country-wide. Fifty years would pass before JT finds resolution allowing him to finally let go of his obsession.
436 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 29, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 17, 2019
3.5 rounded up to 4. Blue Saunders, eleven years old and Bo, his four-year-old brother, are horrified the night their Pa is arrested and dragged from their shabby rooms in a dilapidated apartment building in New York. It’s 1929. Their mother is dead. When they are able to talk to their Pa through the barred windows of his jail cell, they can hear him wheezing and coughing. When the boys are unable to pay the rent, the landlord throws them out on the street and hard times become even harder times. Stel, a young golden-haired orphan girl who lives in a cardboard box teaches the boys how to beg. Soon, two more youngsters have joined them to make a little gang of child beggars. Warren’s narrative plinks the heartstrings.
Warren does a great job of scene-setting as she details the busy streets of New York City, the run-down apartments, and the lives of four of the children after police take them to St. Catherine’s Home for Wayward and Orphaned Children. Stel hangs onto her mother’s necklace and Bo manages to keep his father’s homemade belt buckle in spite of the nuns’ efforts to take away all the children’s special effects. Blue, still on the streets, keeps Bo’s broken toy soldier. The children hold on to these mementos from their past lives.
Blue discovers St. Catherine’s and thinks he sees the children but they are sent out on the orphan train to be placed in homes across the country before Blue can do anything about it. He questions himself; did he really see them? Blue will search for Bo for many years; many of them within NYC because he doesn’t know about the orphan train until later. The title for the book is perfect because Blue is taken over by his obsession to find Bo. It becomes the driving force of his entire life. He promised his Pa to look after his brother. Although he eventually becomes a successful businessman, the specter of losing his brother hovers over him like a failure he can never reconcile.
Warren’s characters come to life. My favorite is O’Rielly, who owns a grocery store and meets Blue when he’s eleven, living on the streets. O’Rielly is such a warm character. He saves Blue from the clutches of the police, fixes Blue a hearty breakfast and offers him a job at the store in exchange for room and board. Blue is so overcome with emotion by the man’s offer that he jumps up and runs off, saying he’s got to pay his way, going back to the cardboard box to retrieve what little money he has and all his worldly possessions including Bo’s toy soldier. He writes a message on all sides of the cardboard box and on the brick wall, for the gang if any of them return, saying that Blue can be found at O’Rielly’s grocery. Mr. O’Rielly tells Blue he needs a name befitting a working man, and Blue becomes J.T. for his real name is John Thomas Saunders.
Warren’s story is mostly well-paced. I really enjoyed the short chapters, feeling like they kept up good momentum. There were only a few places where my interest lagged, but I was quickly reeled in by the ever-changing circumstances of Blue / J.T.’s world. The ending surprised me. I thought I had everything figured out, but I didn’t. Throughout the narrative, Warren’s use of details authentic to the time period gives it a great deal of credibility. My parents were born during the Great Depression, so I feel a deep connection with that time period because of stories they would tell. There’s deep integrity to many of the book’s characters, which I really enjoyed, as well as some great life lessons to be learned from the course of J.T.’s life. I found this a very worthwhile reading experience. Recommended to anyone interested in historical fiction or an excellent story told through the eyes of fascinating characters.
*Sandra Warren is a local NC author. This review reflects my own unbiased opinions.
Warren does a great job of scene-setting as she details the busy streets of New York City, the run-down apartments, and the lives of four of the children after police take them to St. Catherine’s Home for Wayward and Orphaned Children. Stel hangs onto her mother’s necklace and Bo manages to keep his father’s homemade belt buckle in spite of the nuns’ efforts to take away all the children’s special effects. Blue, still on the streets, keeps Bo’s broken toy soldier. The children hold on to these mementos from their past lives.
Blue discovers St. Catherine’s and thinks he sees the children but they are sent out on the orphan train to be placed in homes across the country before Blue can do anything about it. He questions himself; did he really see them? Blue will search for Bo for many years; many of them within NYC because he doesn’t know about the orphan train until later. The title for the book is perfect because Blue is taken over by his obsession to find Bo. It becomes the driving force of his entire life. He promised his Pa to look after his brother. Although he eventually becomes a successful businessman, the specter of losing his brother hovers over him like a failure he can never reconcile.
Warren’s characters come to life. My favorite is O’Rielly, who owns a grocery store and meets Blue when he’s eleven, living on the streets. O’Rielly is such a warm character. He saves Blue from the clutches of the police, fixes Blue a hearty breakfast and offers him a job at the store in exchange for room and board. Blue is so overcome with emotion by the man’s offer that he jumps up and runs off, saying he’s got to pay his way, going back to the cardboard box to retrieve what little money he has and all his worldly possessions including Bo’s toy soldier. He writes a message on all sides of the cardboard box and on the brick wall, for the gang if any of them return, saying that Blue can be found at O’Rielly’s grocery. Mr. O’Rielly tells Blue he needs a name befitting a working man, and Blue becomes J.T. for his real name is John Thomas Saunders.
Warren’s story is mostly well-paced. I really enjoyed the short chapters, feeling like they kept up good momentum. There were only a few places where my interest lagged, but I was quickly reeled in by the ever-changing circumstances of Blue / J.T.’s world. The ending surprised me. I thought I had everything figured out, but I didn’t. Throughout the narrative, Warren’s use of details authentic to the time period gives it a great deal of credibility. My parents were born during the Great Depression, so I feel a deep connection with that time period because of stories they would tell. There’s deep integrity to many of the book’s characters, which I really enjoyed, as well as some great life lessons to be learned from the course of J.T.’s life. I found this a very worthwhile reading experience. Recommended to anyone interested in historical fiction or an excellent story told through the eyes of fascinating characters.
*Sandra Warren is a local NC author. This review reflects my own unbiased opinions.
January 8, 2021
“Stel, Paul and Gerald never talked about what sent them to the street and Blue didn’t pry. They had found each other and were surviving. That was enough.”
At 11 years old, Blue is on the streets of New York and in charge of his 4-year-old brother, Bo. His mother had died on the ship over and his father was thrown in jail for their rent being overdue. On the streets, the children find each other and help each other out – begging, finding scraps and huddling together for warmth. On Easter Sunday, they decide to beg at a church with Stel, Paul and Gerald. However, the cops show up and take everyone away except Blue. His search for his brother begins the very next day and not a day goes by that he doesn’t search in some way.
Unbeknownst to Blue, his brother and Stel end up going west on an orphan train – one of the last ones to run in 1929. He doesn’t uncover that information until he is an adult and falling in love with the boss’s daughter. He has had several lucky breaks in life after a grocer took him in – giving him a job, a bed and food. His knack for business eventually catches the eye of a real estate developer. Using real estate projects as a guise, Blue expands his search along the Orphan Train lines. The call to find his brother is so strong, he always chooses it over anything else – including his wife and their son. It seems he can never rest until he finds his brother.
I was asked to read and review Obsessed by a Promise by its author, Sandra Warren. I have read several books about the Orphan Trains and was curious about a book where it was through the eyes of a boy who lost his brother. Most of the books are told from the point of view of a child who was put on the trains. The book is about more than the Orphan Trains, though. It explores what can happen when a burden is put on a child that is too heavy for them to carry. It also explores family ties, forgiveness and priorities. While I felt for Blue in some ways, there were also times that I did not like him and the choices he made. The book has several twists and turns and ends in a surprising, but satisfying way.
Readers who enjoy historical fiction and the books about the Orphan Trains will enjoy Obsessed by a Promise. If you enjoy this book, you would enjoy Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.
Read more here: https://sarahannecarter.com/obsessed-...
At 11 years old, Blue is on the streets of New York and in charge of his 4-year-old brother, Bo. His mother had died on the ship over and his father was thrown in jail for their rent being overdue. On the streets, the children find each other and help each other out – begging, finding scraps and huddling together for warmth. On Easter Sunday, they decide to beg at a church with Stel, Paul and Gerald. However, the cops show up and take everyone away except Blue. His search for his brother begins the very next day and not a day goes by that he doesn’t search in some way.
Unbeknownst to Blue, his brother and Stel end up going west on an orphan train – one of the last ones to run in 1929. He doesn’t uncover that information until he is an adult and falling in love with the boss’s daughter. He has had several lucky breaks in life after a grocer took him in – giving him a job, a bed and food. His knack for business eventually catches the eye of a real estate developer. Using real estate projects as a guise, Blue expands his search along the Orphan Train lines. The call to find his brother is so strong, he always chooses it over anything else – including his wife and their son. It seems he can never rest until he finds his brother.
I was asked to read and review Obsessed by a Promise by its author, Sandra Warren. I have read several books about the Orphan Trains and was curious about a book where it was through the eyes of a boy who lost his brother. Most of the books are told from the point of view of a child who was put on the trains. The book is about more than the Orphan Trains, though. It explores what can happen when a burden is put on a child that is too heavy for them to carry. It also explores family ties, forgiveness and priorities. While I felt for Blue in some ways, there were also times that I did not like him and the choices he made. The book has several twists and turns and ends in a surprising, but satisfying way.
Readers who enjoy historical fiction and the books about the Orphan Trains will enjoy Obsessed by a Promise. If you enjoy this book, you would enjoy Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.
Read more here: https://sarahannecarter.com/obsessed-...
August 23, 2021
Obsessed By A Promise is an engaging saga that starts in the tenements of New York City and stretches all the way to the golden fields of Midwestern farm communities as the main character grows into a man haunted by a fateful event and a promise. The level of research done by the author is obvious as she weaves characters and details together across the book. The topic of this book is not well known and Warren provides a window into a reality (an orphan train) hard to imagine let alone envision.
This book has many strengths and strong details are one of them. I was immediately drawn in by Ms. Warren’s description of the life the protagonist, Blue, and his band of street urchins faced in the tenements of New York City, circa 1929. I love stories with a strong sense of place and this book delivered ¬– all the way till the end. As settings changed Warren always provided vivid descriptions and unique details about each location. I was easily able to envision what was happening which allowed me to become more deeply involved in the story. A story that kept me reading, sometimes at the edge of my seat, till the end.
This narrative is well-paced and develops layers of complexity and connection as the story unfolds. Warren is adept at building tension as characters act in ways that sometimes had me admonishing them out loud for choices I deemed incorrect.
I would highly recommend Obsessed By A Promise to all that enjoy rich historical fiction. You won’t be disappointed.
This book has many strengths and strong details are one of them. I was immediately drawn in by Ms. Warren’s description of the life the protagonist, Blue, and his band of street urchins faced in the tenements of New York City, circa 1929. I love stories with a strong sense of place and this book delivered ¬– all the way till the end. As settings changed Warren always provided vivid descriptions and unique details about each location. I was easily able to envision what was happening which allowed me to become more deeply involved in the story. A story that kept me reading, sometimes at the edge of my seat, till the end.
This narrative is well-paced and develops layers of complexity and connection as the story unfolds. Warren is adept at building tension as characters act in ways that sometimes had me admonishing them out loud for choices I deemed incorrect.
I would highly recommend Obsessed By A Promise to all that enjoy rich historical fiction. You won’t be disappointed.
March 21, 2021
A good man ruled by an obsession that wrecks lives. A grandmother to a whole town, who shapes everyone around her to live by the Golden Rule. They can be your teachers.
The story starts in 1929 when the Great Depression struck. A widowed immigrant is arrested, leaving his two little sons destitute. His last words to Blue, the older: “Look after your little brother.” Blue does, even when they need to survive as homeless waifs on the streets of New York.
Police, acting with good intentions but great harshness, captured begging children, and handed them to nuns who shipped them all over the USA in the “Orphan Trains.” The little brother was taken, Blue escaped, and was in effect adopted by a man who ran a grocery store. Blue then helped a man who was a wealthy land developer until the Depression made him destitute, and...
And I am not going to tell you any more of the plot, but focus on what the book is really about.
In a little midwestern town, “Granny M” rules everything. She lives by the rule, “I am my brother’s keeper,” a more than appropriate twisting of a sentence from the Bible. Fifty years after Blue had lost his little brother, through heart-twisting events that will compel you to keep turning pages, he at last learns the lesson of his life.
You just have to read through to the wonderful, completely superb ending that brings everything together.
The story starts in 1929 when the Great Depression struck. A widowed immigrant is arrested, leaving his two little sons destitute. His last words to Blue, the older: “Look after your little brother.” Blue does, even when they need to survive as homeless waifs on the streets of New York.
Police, acting with good intentions but great harshness, captured begging children, and handed them to nuns who shipped them all over the USA in the “Orphan Trains.” The little brother was taken, Blue escaped, and was in effect adopted by a man who ran a grocery store. Blue then helped a man who was a wealthy land developer until the Depression made him destitute, and...
And I am not going to tell you any more of the plot, but focus on what the book is really about.
In a little midwestern town, “Granny M” rules everything. She lives by the rule, “I am my brother’s keeper,” a more than appropriate twisting of a sentence from the Bible. Fifty years after Blue had lost his little brother, through heart-twisting events that will compel you to keep turning pages, he at last learns the lesson of his life.
You just have to read through to the wonderful, completely superb ending that brings everything together.
December 9, 2024
So, I don't usually read self-published novels, but this was chosen for our bookclub. There might have been one other person who actually read it, I dunno. It wasn't good. And it also wasn't unreadable, but it didn't go through a professional editing process, so you got what the author wrote. There was no tightening, or perhaps a re-thinking of setting scenes. I prefer books to go through an editing process.
What really threw me for a loop though, and I mean this in the nicest way, but I keep going back to it and I cannot figure out what the hell was going on with this scene. Because there was no sex in this book. Emotionally, the characters seemed like simulacrums anyhow, but this is not a sexy book at all. And yet, near the beginning, there was this whole scene where women were bringing their daughters into a grocery store and asking the new boy to climb up a ladder, or bend over to get something off a shelf while the women and their daughters watched.
The age of the character? 11.
I just... like, what? I honestly don't know why I kept reading at that point other than I just don't DNF books.
What really threw me for a loop though, and I mean this in the nicest way, but I keep going back to it and I cannot figure out what the hell was going on with this scene. Because there was no sex in this book. Emotionally, the characters seemed like simulacrums anyhow, but this is not a sexy book at all. And yet, near the beginning, there was this whole scene where women were bringing their daughters into a grocery store and asking the new boy to climb up a ladder, or bend over to get something off a shelf while the women and their daughters watched.
The age of the character? 11.
I just... like, what? I honestly don't know why I kept reading at that point other than I just don't DNF books.
September 24, 2024
A good story about the orphan trains from the perspective of the family member left behind. Some unexpected twists at and near the end. Editing (lack of) was a small issue. The suspense of finding the little brother caused this to be a page turner
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews