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Hearts on the Rails #4
Orphan Train Tragedy (The Hearts on the Rails Series)
Kathleen Green longs for a child of her own. Her work with the orphan trains only serve to heighten her need. When tragedy strikes, will she get the child she always wanted? Will the cost be worth it?
- GenresHistorical Fiction
1 pages, Audio CD
Published March 1, 2021
995 people are currently reading
420 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Wesson
106 books356 followersRachel Wesson was born in Kilkenny, Ireland but considers herself to be from the capital, Dublin as that's where she spent most of her life. Her dad brought Rachel and her two sisters out every Saturday to give their mother a break. He took them to the library and for ice-cream after. It took a long time for her sisters to forgive her for the hours she spent choosing her books!
She grew up driving everyone nuts asking them questions about what they did during the War or what side they were on in the 1916 rising etc. Finally her Granny told her to write her stories down so people would get the pleasure of reading them. In fact what Granny meant was everyone would get some peace while Rachel was busy writing!
When not writing, or annoying relatives, Rachel was reading. Her report cards from school commented on her love of reading especially when she should have been learning. Seems you can't read Great Expectations in Maths. After a doomed love affair and an unpleasant bank raid during which she defended herself with a tea tray, she headed to London for a couple of years. (There is a reason she doesn't write romance!). She never intended staying but a chance meeting with the man of her dreams put paid to any return to Ireland. Having spent most of her career in the City, she decided something was missing. Working in the City is great but it's a young person's dream. Having three children you never see isn't good for anyone. So she packed in the job and started writing. Thanks to her amazing readers, that writing turned into a career far more exciting and rewarding than any other.
Rachel lives in Surrey with her husband and three children, two boys and a girl. When not reading, writing or watching films for "research" purposes, Rachel likes to hang out with her family. She also travels regularly back home - in fact she should have shares in BA and Aerlingus.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
February 9, 2021
Fourth in this series and fairly good book. Takes a long time to get to the titled "tragedy" with a lot of irrelevant stories in between, but not uninteresting, I guess.
Not my favorite in this series so far, but I’m not going to give up. Still good writing and love the returning characters. They’re like family.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Not my favorite in this series so far, but I’m not going to give up. Still good writing and love the returning characters. They’re like family.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
March 27, 2022
This is the 4th book in a series of books that are both intertwined to some extent with other series the author has written, and are also part of the Hearts on the Rails series.
Around the turn of the last century, similar to this one, it was a time of great technological innovation...but the poor always pay the price, it seems. Workplaces were almost all markedly unsafe. Workers worked ar least 12 hours a day and worked 6.5 days a week. Attendance at church was highly recommended, hence the half day. Between family duties and the stresses of long work days, people often became fatigued and made mistakes in already unsafe work environments. This led to accidents that killed or maimed workers, who often survived but couldn't find work afterwards. Most places weren't healthy because workers were kept out of the sunlight during their shifts, breaks were usually once a day, a few minutes to eat lunch,
not enough time to go into the sun, so vitamin D deficiency was common. The places were mostly cold and drafty in the winter, and quarters were close. Few people were adequately nourished, and few were adequately clothed. Colds spread rapidly, and in those whose lungs were weakened by fumes, fine lint particles, or dust, pneumonia was a real risk, and one that killed many people in the days before antibiotics. In summer, heat exhaustion and heat stroke were ever present risks. There was no such thing as sick time or vacation time. If you took a day off work, you might be allowed to stay on, but you weren't paid. And in poorer populations in general, malnutrition, fatigue, overwork, overcrowding at home, in the streets, in the markets and shops, the churches, and the workolace meant high rates of TB - known back then as "consumption." Working conditions made some jobs prone to giving workers repetitive stress injuries, deforming their backs if they had to hunch over all day every day, or causing so much stress on the joints that it caused or exacerbated arthritis. Doctors were expensive, though some overworked souls who donated themselves to giving free or low cost care to the poor did at least do what good they could. Medicines were also quite expensive, but there was one universal "remedy" for the beating the body took in those workplaces, and the resultant pain and tension, one people could often make from foraged juniper berries, dandelions, and likely other plants as well - alcohol. While some took a nip to ease pain then put the bottle back, others seemed to dive into the bottom of the bottle and suck it dry, repeatedly, and with increasing frequency. This could orphan a child functionally even if both parents were still in the child's life. Mothers were often left to provide on wages much lower than a man would make even in the same job...and children often supported the family on the most meager pay of all, expected at time to do the same work as an adult but paid far less. Poor children's families couldn't afford school fees in the days before free public education, and besides, their families needed them to work. Kids as young as 5 worked in garment factories. Often, an entire family of a drunk would go out every day for those long hours, and come home to a bill collector who wanted a bar tab paid that the drunk in the family, whether the mother or father (or both), and their wages were stolen so the parent could drink as the kids went hungry, barely clothed, feet unshod. Children often lived on the streets because the drunkard parent was an angry one who beat them for no reason. The streets had their bullies, but often, they were easier to avoid than the abusive parent. Enter the gangs, who liked to grab kids who could mostly handle themselves and teach them to pick pockets, use their small size to burgle houses, use them to act out something distracting so no one would notice a heist or whatever else the criminals planned. The gang gave them a place that was relatively sheltered to crash, and a sense of family, a function tthey still fill today (although more violently every year, it seems). Thus, illiteracy, hunger, pain, abuse, long hours, and gang violence were considered normal, and there was only one way to stop the cycle: get to kids in bad situations before the gangs wanted them, or find kids who are older but have resisted the gangs, or find young gang members disillusioned by gang life, and show them a better way. Take the orphaned kids with 2 dead parents and no relatives (or none who will or can take them in), or kids whose biological parents agree to letting them be adopted, and educate them, and try to find them homes - preferably away from the environment where they grew up. In some cases, where parents were temporarily unable to look after the kids, bring them into a safe place, educate them, open their eyes to possibilities.
And so Lily started the Sanctuary and does just that. She has been aided by a kind priest, several private individuals and some companies that donate money, and friends and family who volunteer.
This book takes place about 8 years after the last book. Lily's twins are 10. Teddy likes to be active and isn't impressed by books, but his twin always has his nose in a book. Their little sisters are "boring," since they want to play with dolls and one is just a baby. And Teddy is tired of being compared negatively with his bookish twin. He loves his aunt Kathleen, who stands up for him with his mom and reminds her no 2 people have the same gifts, and Teddy is the adventurous sort.
Kathleen and her husband adopted a young boy named Patrick. He's 16 now and wants to be a doctor like his adoptive dad. Kathleen hasn't been able to get pregnant, and is overworking herself doing volunteer things to try and make her heart ache less. She is half afraid if she told her husband to divorce her and find a fertile woman, he'd say yes and go. She is taking this particular orphan train and they'll end up in the town where much of this started. Her sister, the one with the heart problems, the one who adopted little 5 year old Kenny in the last book, has a tomboy girl as well, who loves climbing trees. Kenny is now nearly 16 and wants to go back to NYC and join either the Navy or the Merchant Marines and see the world. He has a wanderlust. Angel and Shane married, and they are very happy. Kathleen's younger brother Liam has moved to be near Shane, Bridget, and the rest of the family, a surprise that brings Kathleen much joy.
On this trip, they're picking up a 6 yr old girl whose parents perished in a fire in which she was badly injured, and she has a burn scar across the cheek on one side. The uncle, a very young man, loves her dearly but is ill equipped to care for her. They also have a German boy who hasn't been in country long, but whose parents were killed in a runaway trolley accident. In the Sanctuary, Terry had befriended Pieter, helping him learn English. The most recent person on the orphan trip for whom they hope to find a home is a tough street girl named Cindy. She has a reputation of protecting the young kids on the street, and she has proven a godsend in caring for younger kids in the Sanctuary. Kathleen tries to smooth out the rough edges of a girl whose high intelligence is obvious the longer you interact with her. Kathleen tries some interesting things with her, and Cindy and the little one with the burn scars bond very much during the trip. In one place, someone who isn't vetted slips in and tries to take 2 orphans that he plans to use as free labor...and he is soon rather forcefully disabused of the notion that he can do so. Kathleen was warned about the person in one town that is a single older woman with a black cat, one who has reported lies to the parish where the Sanctuary is, to undermine its work and Father Nelson. At one point, there is a situation where Kathleen gets to slap her silly, but for good reason, and the liar then resolves to leave and go back to NYC.
The book also recounts the adventures of one of Pieter's neighbors, Frieda. Frieda's mother died about a year ago. She is forced to stay at him except when she needs to shop for food. She watches her sister Lottie, who is a few years younger and has a terrible lung condition. When she has to go out, her mom's best friend since Germany amd childhood watches over Lottie. Her brother Hans and she want to go to a picnic on a steamboat but their father won't let them...but at some point, he changes his mind. But when they get on the boat, Frieda notices smoke at the rear. Her dad explains that the boat moves by heating water to make steam that then powers the sternwheel paddles that move the boat. Hans is eager to see the area, and as directed by his dad, asks permission. But he sees a fire on the ground, not in the furnace. He rushes to tell his papi, and tells him that the crewman who investigated the fire opened the door, threw coal on it, and that put it out. His dad is appalled and tells the children not to tell anyone else, he will tell the pastor and the pastor can tell the captain. But the crew does nothing to help. If you read the afterwords the authors put in all books, you will get more details, because the story is based on a real life tragedy. Frieda and Hans save many, many people- including Teddy. Frieda spends time in the hospital helping translate and strikes up a friendship with Patrick. The last person Hans rescued was a 6 month old baby whose entire family was lost. They describe how an unseaworthy hulk of junk was allowed to carry over 1000 people to their deaths, or to pain, injurues, and overwhelming losses.
Of course, these are mostly bare bones descriptions, and the complete versions will have you experiencing joy, sorrow, shock, irritation, anger, indignation, fear, and laughter. So read and enjoy. There are a few minor errors like typos or missing small words which I have placed in my notes if the author would like them. They're not serious enough to impede the flow of the story, though. And Granny's back, reading tea leaves that scare Kathleen and prove oddly prescient. I was saved out of the occult, and when the devil tries to lure people into the occult, readings from anything from tea leaves to horoscopes to palms, to bumps naturally occurring on heads (phrenology), to tarot cards, to Ouija boards to crystal balls and more will always come true...for a while, long enough to get you hooked, looking not to God for guidance, but to things the devil has put in place. This is why their priest preaches against it, as do many other clergy in the book. As time has passed, this has become viewed increasingly as a harmless pastime, something fun, by churches no longer as aware of the wiles of the devil that Jesus warned about in the Bible. My MGM used to help police by attending seances ad finding the riggings used to make people believe they were speaking to dead loved ones. She could always soot their fraudulent setups, so she wasn't very popular among the medium crowd! The cops loved it, though. And those who had been decieved were often shown photos of the rigs used to deceive them by the cops, when they came to complain about losing their "spiritual guide." So you now have what the tea leaves showed Kathleen, the explanation of someone who knew how this works from almost caving to it, plus has a seance-sleuthing grandmother in her family history. Take from that what you will, but I will tell you God always comes through, though not in the way you might like.
Around the turn of the last century, similar to this one, it was a time of great technological innovation...but the poor always pay the price, it seems. Workplaces were almost all markedly unsafe. Workers worked ar least 12 hours a day and worked 6.5 days a week. Attendance at church was highly recommended, hence the half day. Between family duties and the stresses of long work days, people often became fatigued and made mistakes in already unsafe work environments. This led to accidents that killed or maimed workers, who often survived but couldn't find work afterwards. Most places weren't healthy because workers were kept out of the sunlight during their shifts, breaks were usually once a day, a few minutes to eat lunch,
not enough time to go into the sun, so vitamin D deficiency was common. The places were mostly cold and drafty in the winter, and quarters were close. Few people were adequately nourished, and few were adequately clothed. Colds spread rapidly, and in those whose lungs were weakened by fumes, fine lint particles, or dust, pneumonia was a real risk, and one that killed many people in the days before antibiotics. In summer, heat exhaustion and heat stroke were ever present risks. There was no such thing as sick time or vacation time. If you took a day off work, you might be allowed to stay on, but you weren't paid. And in poorer populations in general, malnutrition, fatigue, overwork, overcrowding at home, in the streets, in the markets and shops, the churches, and the workolace meant high rates of TB - known back then as "consumption." Working conditions made some jobs prone to giving workers repetitive stress injuries, deforming their backs if they had to hunch over all day every day, or causing so much stress on the joints that it caused or exacerbated arthritis. Doctors were expensive, though some overworked souls who donated themselves to giving free or low cost care to the poor did at least do what good they could. Medicines were also quite expensive, but there was one universal "remedy" for the beating the body took in those workplaces, and the resultant pain and tension, one people could often make from foraged juniper berries, dandelions, and likely other plants as well - alcohol. While some took a nip to ease pain then put the bottle back, others seemed to dive into the bottom of the bottle and suck it dry, repeatedly, and with increasing frequency. This could orphan a child functionally even if both parents were still in the child's life. Mothers were often left to provide on wages much lower than a man would make even in the same job...and children often supported the family on the most meager pay of all, expected at time to do the same work as an adult but paid far less. Poor children's families couldn't afford school fees in the days before free public education, and besides, their families needed them to work. Kids as young as 5 worked in garment factories. Often, an entire family of a drunk would go out every day for those long hours, and come home to a bill collector who wanted a bar tab paid that the drunk in the family, whether the mother or father (or both), and their wages were stolen so the parent could drink as the kids went hungry, barely clothed, feet unshod. Children often lived on the streets because the drunkard parent was an angry one who beat them for no reason. The streets had their bullies, but often, they were easier to avoid than the abusive parent. Enter the gangs, who liked to grab kids who could mostly handle themselves and teach them to pick pockets, use their small size to burgle houses, use them to act out something distracting so no one would notice a heist or whatever else the criminals planned. The gang gave them a place that was relatively sheltered to crash, and a sense of family, a function tthey still fill today (although more violently every year, it seems). Thus, illiteracy, hunger, pain, abuse, long hours, and gang violence were considered normal, and there was only one way to stop the cycle: get to kids in bad situations before the gangs wanted them, or find kids who are older but have resisted the gangs, or find young gang members disillusioned by gang life, and show them a better way. Take the orphaned kids with 2 dead parents and no relatives (or none who will or can take them in), or kids whose biological parents agree to letting them be adopted, and educate them, and try to find them homes - preferably away from the environment where they grew up. In some cases, where parents were temporarily unable to look after the kids, bring them into a safe place, educate them, open their eyes to possibilities.
And so Lily started the Sanctuary and does just that. She has been aided by a kind priest, several private individuals and some companies that donate money, and friends and family who volunteer.
This book takes place about 8 years after the last book. Lily's twins are 10. Teddy likes to be active and isn't impressed by books, but his twin always has his nose in a book. Their little sisters are "boring," since they want to play with dolls and one is just a baby. And Teddy is tired of being compared negatively with his bookish twin. He loves his aunt Kathleen, who stands up for him with his mom and reminds her no 2 people have the same gifts, and Teddy is the adventurous sort.
Kathleen and her husband adopted a young boy named Patrick. He's 16 now and wants to be a doctor like his adoptive dad. Kathleen hasn't been able to get pregnant, and is overworking herself doing volunteer things to try and make her heart ache less. She is half afraid if she told her husband to divorce her and find a fertile woman, he'd say yes and go. She is taking this particular orphan train and they'll end up in the town where much of this started. Her sister, the one with the heart problems, the one who adopted little 5 year old Kenny in the last book, has a tomboy girl as well, who loves climbing trees. Kenny is now nearly 16 and wants to go back to NYC and join either the Navy or the Merchant Marines and see the world. He has a wanderlust. Angel and Shane married, and they are very happy. Kathleen's younger brother Liam has moved to be near Shane, Bridget, and the rest of the family, a surprise that brings Kathleen much joy.
On this trip, they're picking up a 6 yr old girl whose parents perished in a fire in which she was badly injured, and she has a burn scar across the cheek on one side. The uncle, a very young man, loves her dearly but is ill equipped to care for her. They also have a German boy who hasn't been in country long, but whose parents were killed in a runaway trolley accident. In the Sanctuary, Terry had befriended Pieter, helping him learn English. The most recent person on the orphan trip for whom they hope to find a home is a tough street girl named Cindy. She has a reputation of protecting the young kids on the street, and she has proven a godsend in caring for younger kids in the Sanctuary. Kathleen tries to smooth out the rough edges of a girl whose high intelligence is obvious the longer you interact with her. Kathleen tries some interesting things with her, and Cindy and the little one with the burn scars bond very much during the trip. In one place, someone who isn't vetted slips in and tries to take 2 orphans that he plans to use as free labor...and he is soon rather forcefully disabused of the notion that he can do so. Kathleen was warned about the person in one town that is a single older woman with a black cat, one who has reported lies to the parish where the Sanctuary is, to undermine its work and Father Nelson. At one point, there is a situation where Kathleen gets to slap her silly, but for good reason, and the liar then resolves to leave and go back to NYC.
The book also recounts the adventures of one of Pieter's neighbors, Frieda. Frieda's mother died about a year ago. She is forced to stay at him except when she needs to shop for food. She watches her sister Lottie, who is a few years younger and has a terrible lung condition. When she has to go out, her mom's best friend since Germany amd childhood watches over Lottie. Her brother Hans and she want to go to a picnic on a steamboat but their father won't let them...but at some point, he changes his mind. But when they get on the boat, Frieda notices smoke at the rear. Her dad explains that the boat moves by heating water to make steam that then powers the sternwheel paddles that move the boat. Hans is eager to see the area, and as directed by his dad, asks permission. But he sees a fire on the ground, not in the furnace. He rushes to tell his papi, and tells him that the crewman who investigated the fire opened the door, threw coal on it, and that put it out. His dad is appalled and tells the children not to tell anyone else, he will tell the pastor and the pastor can tell the captain. But the crew does nothing to help. If you read the afterwords the authors put in all books, you will get more details, because the story is based on a real life tragedy. Frieda and Hans save many, many people- including Teddy. Frieda spends time in the hospital helping translate and strikes up a friendship with Patrick. The last person Hans rescued was a 6 month old baby whose entire family was lost. They describe how an unseaworthy hulk of junk was allowed to carry over 1000 people to their deaths, or to pain, injurues, and overwhelming losses.
Of course, these are mostly bare bones descriptions, and the complete versions will have you experiencing joy, sorrow, shock, irritation, anger, indignation, fear, and laughter. So read and enjoy. There are a few minor errors like typos or missing small words which I have placed in my notes if the author would like them. They're not serious enough to impede the flow of the story, though. And Granny's back, reading tea leaves that scare Kathleen and prove oddly prescient. I was saved out of the occult, and when the devil tries to lure people into the occult, readings from anything from tea leaves to horoscopes to palms, to bumps naturally occurring on heads (phrenology), to tarot cards, to Ouija boards to crystal balls and more will always come true...for a while, long enough to get you hooked, looking not to God for guidance, but to things the devil has put in place. This is why their priest preaches against it, as do many other clergy in the book. As time has passed, this has become viewed increasingly as a harmless pastime, something fun, by churches no longer as aware of the wiles of the devil that Jesus warned about in the Bible. My MGM used to help police by attending seances ad finding the riggings used to make people believe they were speaking to dead loved ones. She could always soot their fraudulent setups, so she wasn't very popular among the medium crowd! The cops loved it, though. And those who had been decieved were often shown photos of the rigs used to deceive them by the cops, when they came to complain about losing their "spiritual guide." So you now have what the tea leaves showed Kathleen, the explanation of someone who knew how this works from almost caving to it, plus has a seance-sleuthing grandmother in her family history. Take from that what you will, but I will tell you God always comes through, though not in the way you might like.
June 26, 2019
Orphan Train Tragedy by Rachel Wesson
5 stars May 31, 2019
This was a emotional rollercoaster. So many highs and lows! Anytime a book makes you feel something you know it's good! I fell in love with so many of the children. I wasn't too keen on the granny's predictions, but Rachel did a great job explaing the reasons it was part of the story with her characters! It was great to connect with the families we met in earlier books of this series!
5 stars May 31, 2019
This was a emotional rollercoaster. So many highs and lows! Anytime a book makes you feel something you know it's good! I fell in love with so many of the children. I wasn't too keen on the granny's predictions, but Rachel did a great job explaing the reasons it was part of the story with her characters! It was great to connect with the families we met in earlier books of this series!
January 14, 2021
Orphan Train Tragedy: The Orphan Train Series: Hearts on the Rails Book 4 is by Rachel Wesson. This book series seems to do a great job in depicting the orphan trains and the people who ran them and tried to do what was best for the orphans. I do realize that there were several organizations doing the same thing and some were much more ruthless than others in finding places for the orphans. The tragedy of the General Slocum is a true event and the author tried to stay as close to accurate in her descriptions of it as possible. She did incorporate specific new characters to keep her story going; but the facts of the shipwreck and fire are relatively accurate. The book is easy to read and unlike other series, this series seems to be getting better as the books continue.
Kathleen is unhappy with her marriage in that it seems her husband, Richard, is working so much at the hospital and with Patrick that he is avoiding her. She believes it is because she had not become pregnant in the seven years of their marriage. She had old Granny Belbin read her tea leaves and she indicated that as long as she was married to Richard, she would not have a child of her own, that it was his fault not hers. To give herself some space to think, she took a train of twenty orphans towards Riverside Springs and her sister’s place. She thought she had found a little girl to adopt; but Mia ended up staying with her friend Cindy whom she met on the train, and both girls were adopted by Kathleen’s brother Shane and his wife. After talking with her sister, Kathleen realized she needed to talk to Richard before she did anything else.
The book is very good and such fun to read.
Kathleen is unhappy with her marriage in that it seems her husband, Richard, is working so much at the hospital and with Patrick that he is avoiding her. She believes it is because she had not become pregnant in the seven years of their marriage. She had old Granny Belbin read her tea leaves and she indicated that as long as she was married to Richard, she would not have a child of her own, that it was his fault not hers. To give herself some space to think, she took a train of twenty orphans towards Riverside Springs and her sister’s place. She thought she had found a little girl to adopt; but Mia ended up staying with her friend Cindy whom she met on the train, and both girls were adopted by Kathleen’s brother Shane and his wife. After talking with her sister, Kathleen realized she needed to talk to Richard before she did anything else.
The book is very good and such fun to read.
March 10, 2022
I have continued to listen to this series as I walk for exercise. I don't know if I have remembered to review all of the ones I have read but they have been interesting enough and many of the characters carry forward though the series which I have enjoyed. Since the focus of the stories continues to be about the orphan trains and the sanctuary that provides care for a rotating number of orphans in NYC at times I found the background story a bit soap opera like but generally I have enjoyed getting to know all the people and places the people have included in the stories. As has been mentioned in other reviews the biggest 'tragedy' part of this book is in the last quarter of the book. And it was very big and a real NYC tragedy. For me it was good to have not only the ongoing orphan trains as an underlying story to this series but also the use of a real tragedy within this story.
I will continue to recommend this series and I have moved up my overall rating of this series to 4 stars especially for people who enjoy series books. It is an easy listen or read, heartwarming, based on real things happening in NYC and in the rest of the county, clean, and shows the good of many overcoming the less than good things in our nations history.
I will continue to recommend this series and I have moved up my overall rating of this series to 4 stars especially for people who enjoy series books. It is an easy listen or read, heartwarming, based on real things happening in NYC and in the rest of the county, clean, and shows the good of many overcoming the less than good things in our nations history.
June 17, 2019
The story of hardship, disaster and finding homes for orphaned children, is at the heart of this book. I never knew until this story that there actually were riverboats that were filled to over-capacity, wrongly approved safety measures and resulting deaths that took over a thousand lives. Thanks to this author and her research, I learned of the huge loss of life that occurred in New York in the early 1900’s. This fictionalized story-line tells of the struggle in the German community, language barriers and starvation in many homes. I loved the story of Mia; I felt a kinship to young Lotti; I admired Freida; and, I wanted to spank Teddy as I cried tears of joy when he survived the fire. It’s that kind of book and I loved it. Thanks to the author, I received an ARC copy prior to publication.
July 27, 2020
This 4th book of the Hearts of Rails series is just as good as the first three . It is combined with fact and fiction. I didn't know the tragedy in the book is based on real facts. I learned more about the characters' lives . I feel like I know them so well. New characters are introduced. The book is not only suspenseful and dramatic, but emotional. There are elements of fear, danger, love, peace, kindness and courage throughout the book . It was hard to put down. Looking forward to reading book 5.
January 28, 2022
Really good!
Audio Version - I listened to books 1 to 3 some years ago and cannot remember why I stopped there. I have just relisten to them all and want to complete this amazing series. In this book Kathleen has her tea leaves read by Granny and is haunted when her predictions appear to become a reality and tragedy strikes. A heart breaking listen but as with all of these books there is a wonderful undertone of community and goodness. A truly great series and I can't wait to start book 5.
Audio Version - I listened to books 1 to 3 some years ago and cannot remember why I stopped there. I have just relisten to them all and want to complete this amazing series. In this book Kathleen has her tea leaves read by Granny and is haunted when her predictions appear to become a reality and tragedy strikes. A heart breaking listen but as with all of these books there is a wonderful undertone of community and goodness. A truly great series and I can't wait to start book 5.
June 25, 2019
Kathleen and Richard are married but there’s one thing missing in her life, a child. Working with the children of the Orphan train makes her miss a child even more. Will she get her hearts desire? Then disaster strikes, who will survive?
The main character in this book is Kathleen but you gonna sympathize with a lot more, children and adults. This book kept me interested until the end. I really loved it.
The main character in this book is Kathleen but you gonna sympathize with a lot more, children and adults. This book kept me interested until the end. I really loved it.
September 24, 2020
Most excellent! Ms. Wesson's books just get better and better! Her characters are wonderful, 3-dimensional human beings, and in this book she cats light upon a little known tragedy that sadly could still occur today. Money and greed never go away, and cutting corners happens all the time at the expense of safety. But, as continues to happen today, good people step forward in bad times and show unbelievable strength and compassion.
January 30, 2021
Book 4 in this Orphan series,Rachel has a way of touching your hearts.Kathleen,follow her as she still works with the orphans and she longs for a child of her own. Will this happen? You will have to read this exciting series to find out. You can get caught up if you don't read the others so don't worry about all that! Off to next story! Will things improve. Follow all these characters that you come to love!
December 25, 2021
Another good read. Kathleen and Richard have an adopted son, Patrick, but she longs for a baby. By chance, an old crone offers to read her tea leaves and tell her fortune. As life goes on, it seems like some of the old lady's predictions are coming true. After losing a chance to adopt two other girls from her travels with them on the orphan train, will Kathleen's wishes come true? And if so, under what circumstances.
November 9, 2025
Kathleen and Richard are married and want a child but have not been blessed. Kathrtakes another group of German children west. Cindy and Mia catch her heart and as they are the last ones left she's planning to adopt them only her brother Shane is married and he and his wife want to adopt them and the girls want that also. Kathleen returns to NY and after a tragedy on the steamboat little Elsa is saved but no other member of her family so Richard and Kathleen have their baby
December 23, 2019
A True Tragedy Remembered
What happens when some people become lax and don't follow the laws? Often, others pay the price with their lives. The results echo through their friends and families. This tale recalls the biggest loss of life in a tragedy in New York before 9/11. I highly recommend this book.
What happens when some people become lax and don't follow the laws? Often, others pay the price with their lives. The results echo through their friends and families. This tale recalls the biggest loss of life in a tragedy in New York before 9/11. I highly recommend this book.
May 20, 2020
Recomened
This is very well written. I like the caretors and all. Story draws you in. This is not the first time I have read about this same accident. In another book a little girl who was adopted by abusive people but she escapes them. She tells about this fire on the same boat. Her Mom died. She lives. Someone saved her. Her Dad was at work and she was burned badly.
This is very well written. I like the caretors and all. Story draws you in. This is not the first time I have read about this same accident. In another book a little girl who was adopted by abusive people but she escapes them. She tells about this fire on the same boat. Her Mom died. She lives. Someone saved her. Her Dad was at work and she was burned badly.
June 16, 2021
I rated this book the way I did, because it was well written and if you did not know it was not a true book,it seems so real. People just don't understand that these thing don't just happen in New York it happens all over the country. There is so much neglect all over and people don't care. I recommend this whole series of books do every one to read.
June 17, 2021
Tragedy
I likes this book as it was partly about the Orphans who went on the train to Wyoming and the caring way they were placed. But more interesting was the tragedy of the fire which is based on a true story. I would recommend that the books of this series be read in order for the back ground .
I likes this book as it was partly about the Orphans who went on the train to Wyoming and the caring way they were placed. But more interesting was the tragedy of the fire which is based on a true story. I would recommend that the books of this series be read in order for the back ground .
August 21, 2021
This was a great book. It kept my attention and kept me wondering what was going to happen next. A great series that I strongly advise to read. I I finished the entire series and loved every minute of it. I have also learned about the orphan train, that I never knew about. Excellent series to read. I truly enjoyed all of the books.
September 8, 2021
Great series
I have enjoyed all 4 books in the series. I laughed and cried as the orphans were on the train were adopted or not.
The tragedy in this book was so sad, I never heard of it - and to think that those responsible were never punished is heart breaking! So many lives lost for no reason!
I have enjoyed all 4 books in the series. I laughed and cried as the orphans were on the train were adopted or not.
The tragedy in this book was so sad, I never heard of it - and to think that those responsible were never punished is heart breaking! So many lives lost for no reason!
September 22, 2021
Another story of compassion and love for orphan children.
The author has written a story that continues the adventures and lives of the people who continue to care for the unfortunate children of New York who were orphaned and in need of a new life and family. Very enjoyable reading and entertaining reading.
The author has written a story that continues the adventures and lives of the people who continue to care for the unfortunate children of New York who were orphaned and in need of a new life and family. Very enjoyable reading and entertaining reading.
September 7, 2024
Orphan train another great book
Rachel Wesson is a great writer and knows how to capture an audience ( reader) so far I am in love with this series and can hardly wait to start the next book. This story can be read alone or as part of the series. Thank you again for such a great storyline.
Rachel Wesson is a great writer and knows how to capture an audience ( reader) so far I am in love with this series and can hardly wait to start the next book. This story can be read alone or as part of the series. Thank you again for such a great storyline.
July 13, 2019
Couldn't Put It Down
Wonderfully and masterfully written. Combining fact with fiction, the author compassionately and realistically portrays the characters amidst the historical setting in such a way that you cry with them and want to help.
Wonderfully and masterfully written. Combining fact with fiction, the author compassionately and realistically portrays the characters amidst the historical setting in such a way that you cry with them and want to help.
July 15, 2019
Wonderful Sad Story.
Thank you Rachel Wesson, I really enjoy this books, they make me cry and laugh with the families. It's hard to think about poor children getting put out on trains to hopefully new homes. And what they go though.
Thank you Rachel Wesson, I really enjoy this books, they make me cry and laugh with the families. It's hard to think about poor children getting put out on trains to hopefully new homes. And what they go though.
September 27, 2019
Worth reading
Not my usual kind of book but have read all four and pre-ordered the fifth , I had never heard of orphan trains and have found these books informative and also very sad , can't wait for the next one .
Not my usual kind of book but have read all four and pre-ordered the fifth , I had never heard of orphan trains and have found these books informative and also very sad , can't wait for the next one .
October 3, 2019
Book 4 of a series all of which are great books
Like the first three, I couldn’t put this book down. The history behind the tragedy is eye-opening. Be sure to read the historical information at the end of the book.
Like the first three, I couldn’t put this book down. The history behind the tragedy is eye-opening. Be sure to read the historical information at the end of the book.
February 17, 2020
Well Researched
Although this book ends on a very sad note, the fact that Wesson included an historically accurate account of a real event makes the story believable. I had a hard time putting it down.
Although this book ends on a very sad note, the fact that Wesson included an historically accurate account of a real event makes the story believable. I had a hard time putting it down.
May 4, 2020
Tragedy
After finishing this book I checked on the boat General Slocum. This was truly a horrible tragedy that was swept under the rug.Maybe because of WWI starting soon after this happened influenced the news about this.
After finishing this book I checked on the boat General Slocum. This was truly a horrible tragedy that was swept under the rug.Maybe because of WWI starting soon after this happened influenced the news about this.
May 7, 2020
Another wonderful Orphan Train book.
Are there still people in the world like those who ran the Orphan Trains? So special and caring. What an awful disaster and still a happy ending.
Are there still people in the world like those who ran the Orphan Trains? So special and caring. What an awful disaster and still a happy ending.
May 24, 2020
From tragedy to blessing
This was a sorrowful story of the senseless loss of life of over 1000 people, mostly women and children. It was also about those on the Orphan Train that were taken in by loving families.
I enjoyed the part when Mrs. Willis got what she deserved 😃.
This was a sorrowful story of the senseless loss of life of over 1000 people, mostly women and children. It was also about those on the Orphan Train that were taken in by loving families.
I enjoyed the part when Mrs. Willis got what she deserved 😃.
August 16, 2020
As true to life as possible
This was written around a real disaster and yet still true to factual as possible. held your interest from beginning to end. Can't wait to read next in the series.
This was written around a real disaster and yet still true to factual as possible. held your interest from beginning to end. Can't wait to read next in the series.
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