Christina Baker Kline

The amount of research Kline describes in her afterward is just incredible and the result is this absolutely fasciinting book that is so detailed in the descriptions---you, as the reader, are right there watching these often horrific things happen to women who wound up as convicts for frequently ridiculous reasons, resulting in just terrible things happening to them. We follow the lives of several women, most particularly Evangeline and Hazel. Mathinna is another part of the story of an exile because of her treatment as a child, brought in from her homeland near Australia. Although she was intelligent she was treated as an object, just another part of a collection....could they change her from her origins? It is another terrible example of truly, an exile. She waws never allowed to "fit in." An amazing book.… (més)

“In that moment I was aware of life pulsing all around me, indifferent to me. I was just a tiny part of a vast living, breathing ecosystem. I wasn’t at the center of anything. Maybe, I thought, life can really be this simple. Maybe I can just . . . exist.”

Jess once had a happy marriage, a son she doted on and another child on the way and a fulfilling career. But life took an unfortunate turn and for over the last four years she has been living the van life. Hers is a lonely journey with much hardship and no destination in sight, living in the present with only others whom she meets along the way as her community, each person with their own reasons to choose their way of life. Her life takes a dramatic turn when her son finds her in Arizona.

The Scenic Route by Christina Baker Kline is a well-written, emotional read that revolves around themes of motherhood, loss, family, community and second chances. I enjoyed this short story and the descriptions of van life. Though there is lot to unpack in this short read, the length of the story does not allow for a deeper exploration of the characters and their relationships, which is my only complaint.

“Stillness can’t really exist, she said, because even when we’re not moving, we’re breathing, and breath is movement. I’m here. I’m breathing.”

This was my Amazon First Reads selection for the month of August 2023.

3.75⭐


Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph … (més)

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a beautiful novel following the lives of two girls who have become orphans.

Molly Ayer is almost eighteen and is living through the child welfare system. It's not easy and she hasn't had the best of lives, but she's doing alright. She finds herself in a bit of trouble when she steals a library book which leads her to having to complete community service. Somehow, she begins helping a lovely 91-year-old woman named Vivian clean her house and the two form a beautiful but very unexpected friendship.

Or other timeline follows a young Irish immigrant girl who was orphaned in New York City. She traveled on the Orphan Train that took young orphans to random destinations to be adopted. Her life was tough but she managed to turn out alright...

These two stories intertwine and show the power of women, the persistence and strength of children, and a life full of second chances.

This book pulled at my heartstrings and almost made me weep! It's so beautifully written, so wonderfully engaging, and just an all around amazing read. It made me sad but by the end it warmed my heart up so much. I'm so happy I read this book because it truly opened my eyes to something I didn't know ever happened - Orphan Trains. While the story itself is not true, it is based on historical facts. Orphans did get put on trains and travelled across America to find their "forever" (or not so forever...) homes. The orphans weren't all treated fairly and life was tough. My heart aches knowing this was the lives of many people... and hopefully we are doing better. I truly hope we are.

I highly recommend this book for contemporary fiction lovers or someone who loves a good theme in their books. It's marvelous!

Five out of five stars.… (més)