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Orphanage Girls #2
The Orphanage Girls Reunited
The Orphanage Girls come back together in The Orphanage Girls Reunited , the second installment of a moving wartime saga set in London’s East End, from the bestselling author of The Jam Factory Girls , Mary Wood.
Ellen
Abandoned by her father for the second time, left scarred from the orphanage, Ellen finally finds happiness and hope – reunited with her long-lost gran. But it cannot compensate for being torn apart from her beloved friends Ruth and Amy. When a devastating encounter leaves Ellen broken and desperate, she is forced to fight her past demons.
Ruth
Ruth has found peace, building a new life as an actress and surrounded by new friends. But still she longs to be with Ellen and Amy, after everything they endured together in the orphanage. Amy was shipped to Canada with hundreds of other orphans – what hope have they of finding her?
One wish comes true when Ruth’s acting career leads her to Ellen. No sooner than has the dust settled, war is on the horizon. Friendship locked them into each other’s her hearts forever.
Will they find Amy? Can the Orphanage Girls ever unite?
Ellen
Abandoned by her father for the second time, left scarred from the orphanage, Ellen finally finds happiness and hope – reunited with her long-lost gran. But it cannot compensate for being torn apart from her beloved friends Ruth and Amy. When a devastating encounter leaves Ellen broken and desperate, she is forced to fight her past demons.
Ruth
Ruth has found peace, building a new life as an actress and surrounded by new friends. But still she longs to be with Ellen and Amy, after everything they endured together in the orphanage. Amy was shipped to Canada with hundreds of other orphans – what hope have they of finding her?
One wish comes true when Ruth’s acting career leads her to Ellen. No sooner than has the dust settled, war is on the horizon. Friendship locked them into each other’s her hearts forever.
Will they find Amy? Can the Orphanage Girls ever unite?
- GenresHistorical Fiction
378 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 8, 2022
17 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 16, 2022
Friendship knows no bounds for Ruth and Ellen even though they were separated after being together in an orphanage. For Ellen, abandonment is nothing new to her, but she gets another chance at life when her awful father leaves her with her grandmother. Although not quite a teen, Ellen’s life has been one tragedy after another. Nearly broken after a brutal attack and great loss, Ellen needs more help than her grandmother could provide. In fact, her mental break was largely misunderstood at the time. As this book was set in the very early 1900s, this was very heartbreaking. However, this led Ellen to set major goals in her life.
Meanwhile, Ruth, a few years older than Ellen, had landed on her feet. Her job as an actress in a theatre production is how Ellen fulfilled one of her dreams to find Ruth. Shortly before Ellen went to her grandmother’s home, she briefly met a woman that reminded her greatly of Ruth. When Ruth and Ellen finally reunite, they realize that their bond went past that of dear friendship. In fact, they realize that they are half-sisters. They hope to never part again.
They are missing Amy, also at the orphanage while they were there, whom they heard was sent to Canada with other orphans. For now, Ellen and Ruth are finding their paths in life together, as friends and sisters, despite even more tragedy that befalls them. With war on the horizon, Ellen and Ruth do what they can for the war efforts. This keeps them together as their lives remain intertwined. Never once losing hope for the future, Ellen and Ruth show great strength, bravery, and kindness.
As I had not read the first book in the series, I had to familiarize myself with the bond that Ellen and Ruth shared and only hope that the third book in the series will bring Amy back into their lives. I definitely will be reading the first book in the series before the third book is released because of the compelling nature in which Mary Wood writes this wonderful, although often heartbreaking, story.
Many thanks to Pan Macmillan and to Random Things Tours for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/kwmaXhKF5gI
Meanwhile, Ruth, a few years older than Ellen, had landed on her feet. Her job as an actress in a theatre production is how Ellen fulfilled one of her dreams to find Ruth. Shortly before Ellen went to her grandmother’s home, she briefly met a woman that reminded her greatly of Ruth. When Ruth and Ellen finally reunite, they realize that their bond went past that of dear friendship. In fact, they realize that they are half-sisters. They hope to never part again.
They are missing Amy, also at the orphanage while they were there, whom they heard was sent to Canada with other orphans. For now, Ellen and Ruth are finding their paths in life together, as friends and sisters, despite even more tragedy that befalls them. With war on the horizon, Ellen and Ruth do what they can for the war efforts. This keeps them together as their lives remain intertwined. Never once losing hope for the future, Ellen and Ruth show great strength, bravery, and kindness.
As I had not read the first book in the series, I had to familiarize myself with the bond that Ellen and Ruth shared and only hope that the third book in the series will bring Amy back into their lives. I definitely will be reading the first book in the series before the third book is released because of the compelling nature in which Mary Wood writes this wonderful, although often heartbreaking, story.
Many thanks to Pan Macmillan and to Random Things Tours for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/kwmaXhKF5gI
November 20, 2022
This is such a wonderful book and as always,m the author has created a heartbreaking story for her main characters.
Ruth and Ellen had been at the orphanage, been through some awful times and then they are split up. Ruth stayed in London with her friend and started to make hats. Ellen got taken away by her father and left with her grandmother. Their lives are very different and they have not seen each other for quite a while.
It is a shock when Ellen sees Ruth in a newspaper, Ruth works in a theatre and is quite successful. She still makes her hats and is part of the Red Cross. Ellen who is younger has had a private tutor and after an awful event needs help.
The author has created a heartbreaking story for Ellen, it is one that is making her struggle with her emotions and it is having a drastic effect on her mental health. This is the turn of the 1900s and it while there have been advances in medicine, there is still a large stigma. The route the author took for Ellen was a great one and it saw a different aspect of how mental health conditions would be treated.
When the girls eventually do meet up they become closer again, but the threat of WWI is looming and the girls want to do their part in helping.
This is such a wonderful story and although it is full of tragedy and heartbreak for both of them. there is also a huge amount of love, support and respect between these girls. They have been through a lot together and they are now going to have to deal with more as the war begins to impact their personal lives.
The author does a wonderful job of creating a storyline that weaves through the lives of the girls and those they meet. People from their past are even that far from their thoughts. This at times makes creates a wobble in their emotions, but it shows them how far they have come, what they can achieve and how they are going to deal with the future.
This is one for fans of women being strong in the face of adversity, of women helping their country and also each other. A story of compassion, loyalty and bravery. It is part of a series, but it would work well as a stand-alone book, but in all honesty they previous books give so much about the characters that you will be missing out. THis is a story I would definitely recommend.
Ruth and Ellen had been at the orphanage, been through some awful times and then they are split up. Ruth stayed in London with her friend and started to make hats. Ellen got taken away by her father and left with her grandmother. Their lives are very different and they have not seen each other for quite a while.
It is a shock when Ellen sees Ruth in a newspaper, Ruth works in a theatre and is quite successful. She still makes her hats and is part of the Red Cross. Ellen who is younger has had a private tutor and after an awful event needs help.
The author has created a heartbreaking story for Ellen, it is one that is making her struggle with her emotions and it is having a drastic effect on her mental health. This is the turn of the 1900s and it while there have been advances in medicine, there is still a large stigma. The route the author took for Ellen was a great one and it saw a different aspect of how mental health conditions would be treated.
When the girls eventually do meet up they become closer again, but the threat of WWI is looming and the girls want to do their part in helping.
This is such a wonderful story and although it is full of tragedy and heartbreak for both of them. there is also a huge amount of love, support and respect between these girls. They have been through a lot together and they are now going to have to deal with more as the war begins to impact their personal lives.
The author does a wonderful job of creating a storyline that weaves through the lives of the girls and those they meet. People from their past are even that far from their thoughts. This at times makes creates a wobble in their emotions, but it shows them how far they have come, what they can achieve and how they are going to deal with the future.
This is one for fans of women being strong in the face of adversity, of women helping their country and also each other. A story of compassion, loyalty and bravery. It is part of a series, but it would work well as a stand-alone book, but in all honesty they previous books give so much about the characters that you will be missing out. THis is a story I would definitely recommend.
December 14, 2022
Mary Wood never pulls her punches in her historical sagas – she knows life for many women was brutal, especially poor ones, and that even the well-to-do were often powerless in the face of a patriarachal society, well into the 20th century.
The first book in this trilogy, The Orphanage Girls, explored the fate of three young girls, Ellen, Ruth and Amy, bonded together by their harsh experience in an Edwardian orphanage in London.
This book picks up on that story, but is an easy stand-alone read.
This story concentrates on 11-year-old Ellen, who, having been consigned to the orphanage by her father, is abruptly removed by him and sent to live with her grandmother near Leeds.
But her troubles aren’t over. There’s a cruel governess to deal with, and then a dreadful act of violence that recalls all the wicked abuse she suffered in the orphanage.
Despite her youth, Ellen must draw on all her strength and resources to overcome the trauma of the past.
This was not altogether an easy read. Some themes, while gritty and powerful, are also distressing, with episodes of physical and sexual abuse, both recalled from the past and in the present narrative.
Themes of loneliness and abandonment pervade Ellen’s earlier story in the first few chapters, but as she grows stronger, the happier themes of family, friendship and romance come into their own, and this becomes an inspiring read as Ellen grows in strength and spirit.
The first book in this trilogy, The Orphanage Girls, explored the fate of three young girls, Ellen, Ruth and Amy, bonded together by their harsh experience in an Edwardian orphanage in London.
This book picks up on that story, but is an easy stand-alone read.
This story concentrates on 11-year-old Ellen, who, having been consigned to the orphanage by her father, is abruptly removed by him and sent to live with her grandmother near Leeds.
But her troubles aren’t over. There’s a cruel governess to deal with, and then a dreadful act of violence that recalls all the wicked abuse she suffered in the orphanage.
Despite her youth, Ellen must draw on all her strength and resources to overcome the trauma of the past.
This was not altogether an easy read. Some themes, while gritty and powerful, are also distressing, with episodes of physical and sexual abuse, both recalled from the past and in the present narrative.
Themes of loneliness and abandonment pervade Ellen’s earlier story in the first few chapters, but as she grows stronger, the happier themes of family, friendship and romance come into their own, and this becomes an inspiring read as Ellen grows in strength and spirit.
December 11, 2022
Through good times and bad their friendship will endure in book two.
London 1910.
Ellen, Ruth and Amy had all been in the orphanage together, and as Ellen rode away with her father, she could not understand why he didn't want her to have anything to do with Ruth, she had been like a sister to her and Amy has now been shipped out to Canada, she is feeling so lost and alone as she is taken to Leeds to stay with her grandmother showing no affection who she had not even met. This is a journey that we read of Ellen who's only friend is Dilly the housekeeper telling her to study well and make something of her life. Not having any real family or friends it's a sheltered lonely time for her.
I loved this second book in the series as it takes us through the great first world war. so much heart breaking moments that will leave a big lump in your throat. The authors writing just pulls you into her work time and time again that leaves you feeling quite emotional.
Exceptional story right through that you wont be able to put down 10/10 from me.
London 1910.
Ellen, Ruth and Amy had all been in the orphanage together, and as Ellen rode away with her father, she could not understand why he didn't want her to have anything to do with Ruth, she had been like a sister to her and Amy has now been shipped out to Canada, she is feeling so lost and alone as she is taken to Leeds to stay with her grandmother showing no affection who she had not even met. This is a journey that we read of Ellen who's only friend is Dilly the housekeeper telling her to study well and make something of her life. Not having any real family or friends it's a sheltered lonely time for her.
I loved this second book in the series as it takes us through the great first world war. so much heart breaking moments that will leave a big lump in your throat. The authors writing just pulls you into her work time and time again that leaves you feeling quite emotional.
Exceptional story right through that you wont be able to put down 10/10 from me.
December 19, 2022
This book follows on from The Orphanage Girls which I read earlier this year. It is the second in a saga series about three friends from an orphanage in London’s East End.
It’s 1910 and Ellen finds herself abandoned for the second time by her father who takes her to live with her Grandmother in the north of England. Despite being apprehensive, Ellen soon strikes up a warm and loving relationship with her long-lost gran and starts to settle into her new home.
However, she still misses her friends Ruth and Amy from the orphanage but has no way of contacting them. Ruth has found a new life for herself as a theatre actress, but Amy has been sent to Canada with many others from the orphanage.
As the world moves towards the First World War, the lives of Ellen and Ruth will change forever, but is there any hope of all three ever being reunited again?
I really enjoyed the second book in this trilogy and I can’t wait to read the final instalment.
The descriptions in this book are so vivid and the author does an amazing job of bringing this era to life.
It’s 1910 and Ellen finds herself abandoned for the second time by her father who takes her to live with her Grandmother in the north of England. Despite being apprehensive, Ellen soon strikes up a warm and loving relationship with her long-lost gran and starts to settle into her new home.
However, she still misses her friends Ruth and Amy from the orphanage but has no way of contacting them. Ruth has found a new life for herself as a theatre actress, but Amy has been sent to Canada with many others from the orphanage.
As the world moves towards the First World War, the lives of Ellen and Ruth will change forever, but is there any hope of all three ever being reunited again?
I really enjoyed the second book in this trilogy and I can’t wait to read the final instalment.
The descriptions in this book are so vivid and the author does an amazing job of bringing this era to life.
July 15, 2024
This is the second book in Mary Woods trilogy and was just as interesting as the first one.This one told Ellens story.Im now looking forward to the final one which tells Amy's story.Both books kept you hooked until the very end.They had lots of ups and downs but hopefully the final book will see all the girls reunited and having their happy ending.
November 13, 2023
Really enjoyed reading this, the second in the series featuring the Workhouse girls. Full of heartbreaking moments and happy moments too. Really liked it when Ruth and Ellen were nursing in France. Now onto reading book three in the series.
April 21, 2024
A fast moving storyline
This book is a page Turner. It depicts how people from different backgrounds can enhance others lives for the good. It covers the wounded the women who worked tirelessly to nurse them and how appreciative everyone was to share their experiences
This book is a page Turner. It depicts how people from different backgrounds can enhance others lives for the good. It covers the wounded the women who worked tirelessly to nurse them and how appreciative everyone was to share their experiences
February 19, 2023
A heartwarming read. Well written and detailed.
March 3, 2023
My review of The Orphanage Girls Reunited can be found on my blog...
https://quirkybookreads.wordpress.com...
https://quirkybookreads.wordpress.com...
April 8, 2023
Meet the orphan girls again with some ups and down and a few surprises on the way
May 15, 2023
Brilliant follow up. Loved every minute of it. Can't wait to read book three.
July 7, 2023
Thank you for yet another good book. This is the second in the series. It has its ups and downs like all the books I have read by Mary Wood. Can’t wait to read the final book in this series.
September 2, 2023
Absolutely loved this book can't wait until the next book comes out. I finished in a few weeks and sat up until 3am finishing it
May 17, 2025
Slightly too saccharin-ey for my taste but the story itself is ok.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews