Christina Baker Kline

From Christina Baker Kline comes a novel about two women: one about to age out of the foster care system, the other 90 years old and carrying both a tremendous secret and a story of a life formed by a part of American history almost entirely forgotten: the Orphan Trains Molly Ayer has one last chance, and she knows it. Close to being kicked out of her foster home -- just months from turning 18 and “aging out” of the system -- Molly should be grateful that her boyfriend found her a community service project: helping an old lady clean out her home. Molly can’t help but think that the 50 hours will be tedious, but at least they’ll keep her out of juvie, and right now that’s all she cares about. Ninety-one-year-old Vivian Daly has lived a quiet life on the coast of Maine for decades. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are keys to a turbulent past. Molly is about to discover -- as she and Vivian unpack her possessions, and memories -- that Vivian’s story is a piece of America’s tumultuous history now largely forgotten: the tale of a young Irish immigrant, orphaned in New York City and put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other orphaned children whose destiny would be determined by luck and chance. As Molly digs deeper, she finds surprising parallels in her own experience as a Penobscot Indian and Vivian’s story -- and Molly realizes that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life. Rich in detail and epic in scope, THE TRAIN RIDER is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of second chances, of unexpected friendships, and of the secrets we carry with us that keep us from finding out who we are.

A Novel

Orphan Train

The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Orphan Train returns with an ambitious, emotionally resonant historical novel that captures the hardship, oppression, opportunity and hope of a trio of women's lives--two English convicts and an orphaned Aboriginal girl -- in nineteenth-century Australia. Seduced by her employer's son, Evangeline, a naïve young governess in early nineteenth-century London, is discharged when her pregnancy is discovered and sent to the notorious Newgate Prison. After months in the fetid, overcrowded jail, she learns she is sentenced to "the land beyond the seas," Van Diemen's Land, a penal colony in Australia. Though uncertain of what awaits, Evangeline knows one thing: the child she carries will be born on the months-long voyage to this distant land. During the journey on a repurposed slave ship, the Medea, Evangeline strikes up a friendship with Hazel, a girl little older than her former pupils who was sentenced to seven years transport for stealing a silver spoon. Canny where Evangeline is guileless, Hazel--a skilled midwife and herbalist--is soon offering home remedies to both prisoners and sailors in return for a variety of favors. Though Australia has been home to Aboriginal people for more than 50,000 years, the British government in the 1840s considers its fledgling colony uninhabited and unsettled, and views the natives as an unpleasant nuisance. By the time the Medea arrives, many of them have been forcibly relocated, their land seized by white colonists. One of these relocated people is Mathinna, the orphaned daughter of the Chief of the Lowreenne tribe, who has been adopted by the new governor of Van Diemen's Land. In this gorgeous novel, Christina Baker Kline brilliantly recreates the beginnings of a new society in a beautiful and challenging land, telling the story of Australia from a fresh perspective, through the experiences of Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna. While life in Australia is punishing and often brutally unfair, it is also, for some, an opportunity: for redemption, for a new way of life, for unimagined freedom. Told in exquisite detail and incisive prose, The Exiles is a story of grace born from hardship, the unbreakable bonds of female friendships, and the unfettering of legacy.

The Exiles

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "A must-read for anyone who loves history and art.” --Kristin Hannah From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash bestseller Orphan Train, a stunning and atmospheric novel of friendship, passion, and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s mysterious and iconic painting Christina’s World. "Later he told me that he’d been afraid to show me the painting. He thought I wouldn’t like the way he portrayed me: dragging myself across the field, fingers clutching dirt, my legs twisted behind. The arid moonscape of wheatgrass and timothy. That dilapidated house in the distance, looming up like a secret that won’t stay hidden." To Christina Olson, the entire world was her family’s remote farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. Born in the home her family had lived in for generations, and increasingly incapacitated by illness, Christina seemed destined for a small life. Instead, for more than twenty years, she was host and inspiration for the artist Andrew Wyeth, and became the subject of one of the best known American paintings of the twentieth century. As she did in her beloved smash bestseller Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline interweaves fact and fiction in a powerful novel that illuminates a little-known part of America’s history. Bringing into focus the flesh-and-blood woman behind the portrait, she vividly imagines the life of a woman with a complicated relationship to her family and her past, and a special bond with one of our greatest modern artists. Told in evocative and lucid prose, A Piece of the World is a story about the burdens and blessings of family history, and how artist and muse can come together to forge a new and timeless legacy.

A Piece of the World

Feeling stuck in her personal life and career, thirty-three-year-old Angela pursues a seemingly idyllic online relationship with a sailing instructor from Maine, relocates there, and learns important truths about understanding her own heart in finding hap

The Way Life Should Be

Cassie Simon is a struggling artist living in New York City. When she receives a call from a magistrate telling her she has inherited sixty acres of land in Sweetwater, Tennessee, from her grandfather, whom she never knew, she takes it as a sign: it's time for a change. She moves to the small Southern town where her mother, Ellen, grew up--and where she died tragically when Cassie was three. From the moment she arrives in Sweetwater, Cassie is overwhelmed by the indelible mark her mother's memory left behind. As she delves into the thicket of mystery that surrounds her mother's death, Cassie begins to discover the desperate measures of which the human heart is capable.

Sweet Water

It was an accident. It was dark, it was raining, Alison had only had two drinks. And the other car ran the stop sign. But Alison finds herself trapped under the crushing weight of grief and guilt, feeling increasingly estranged from her husband Charlies, who has his own burdens.

Bird in Hand

Pigen uden navn

The Scenic Route

Close to aging out of the foster care system, Molly Ayer takes a position helping an elderly woman named Vivian and discovers that they are more alike than different as she helps Vivian solve a mystery from her past.

When 17-year-old Molly Ayer is sent to perform community service at elderly Vivian Daly's home in order to avoid juvenile hall, she discovers the two are very much alike, despite the vast age difference. The plot contains profanity and sexual abuse.

Orphan train

En gripende fortelling om et uvanlig vennskap. 17 år gamle Molly Ayer har bodd i tolv forskjellige fosterhjem. Hun er blitt jult opp, hun har måttet sove i en iskald vinterhage, og en fosterfar lærte henne å rulle jointer. Nå har hun blitt dømt til samfunnsstraff for å stjele en bok på biblioteket. Hun skal hjelpe en eldre kvinne med å rydde på loftet. Vivian Daly er 91 år gammel og kjenner seg igjen i unge Molly. Hun ble tidlig foreldreløs etter at hele familien døde i en brann. Sammen med hundrevis av andre barn ble hun satt på et tog i New York og fraktet til Midtvesten. Alt ble tatt fra henne, til og med navnet hennes. Siden har hun forsøkt å fortrenge det vonde hun måtte gjennomgå. Mens de sorterer eiendeler på loftet, vekkes gamle minner til liv. Molly bestemmer seg for å hjelpe Vivian med å finne svar på spørsmålene som har tynget henne hele livet ... «En av de sterkeste bøkene jeg noen gang har lest … Jeg anmoder deg, nei, bønnfaller deg om å velge denne boken neste gang. Du kommer til å snakke om den i årevis!» Naples Daily News (FL) «Fengslende … En inderlig sidevender om to kvinners søken etter røttene sine.» Publishers Weekly « ... en dramatisk, følelsesladd fortelling fra en forsømt del av den amerikanske historien.» Kirkus Reviews «En engasjerende historie om tap, tilpasning og mot … Med empati og finfølelse presenterer Kline et lite kjent kapittel i amerikansk historie, og trekker paralleller til vårt moderne fosterhjemssystem.» Library Journal “En skatt.” Huffington Post "Dette er en varm, givende og inspirerende historie." The New Maine Times Book Review

Barna fra toget

Tussen 1859-1930 worden duizenden weeskinderen uit New York met begeleiders op de trein gezet om 'aangenomen' te worden door families uit de centrale staten van de Verenigde Staten.

De kindertrein / druk 2

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train comes a novel about friendship and the memories that haunt us On the night of her high school graduation, Kathryn Campbell sits around a bonfire with her four closest friends, including the beautiful but erratic Jennifer. "I'll be fine," Jennifer says, as she walks away from the dying embers and towards the darkness of the woods. She never comes back. Ten years later, Kathryn has tried to build a life for herself, with a marriage and a career as a journalist, but she still feels the conspicuous void of Jennifer's disappearance. When her divorce sends her reeling back to the Maine town where she grew up, she finds herself plunged into a sea of memories. With nothing left to lose, she is determined to answer one simple question: What happened to Jennifer Pelletier?

Desire Lines

Vivian Daly es una anciana de 91 años y Molly, de 17, es una joven problemática que vive con una familia de acogida. Vivian y Molly se conocen cuando esta última, condenada a realizar trabajos sociales por haber tratado de robar un libro en la biblioteca local, acepta encargarse de la limpieza de la buhardilla de la anciana. A medida que trabaja, ella y Vivian empiezan a compartir la historia de sus vidas, que tiene muchos puntos en común. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION When young, Vivian, an Irish orphaned immigrant in New York City, was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance. Seventeen-year-old Molly knows that a community-service position will keep her out of juvenile hall. But as Molly helps Vivian, now 91, to sort through her keepsakes and possessions, discovers that she and Vivian aren't as different as they appear. Orphan Train is a powerful tale of upheaval and resilience, second chances, and unexpected friendship.

El Tren de Los Huerfanos / Orphan Train

Molly Ayer has been in foster care since she was eight years old. Most of the time, Molly knows it's her attitude that's the problem, but after being shipped from one family to another, she's had her fair share of adults treating her like an inconvenience. So when Molly's forced to help an elderly woman clean out her attic for community service, Molly is wary. Just another adult to treat her like a troublemaker. But from the very moment they meet, Molly realizes that Vivian, a well-off ninety-one-year-old, isn't like any of the adults she's encountered before. Vivian asks Molly questions about her life and actually listens when Molly responds. Molly soon sees they have more in common than she thought. Vivian was once an orphan, too -- an Irish immigrant to New York City who was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children -- and she can understand, better than anyone else, the emotional binds that have been making Molly's life so hard. Together, they not only clear boxes of past mementos from Vivian's attic, but forge a path of friendship, forgiveness, and new beginnings for their future.

Orphan Train Girl

Eind negentiende eeuw wordt de valselijk beschuldigde zwangere Evangeline op een gevangenenschip naar Australië gezet, waar ze een vroedvrouw ontmoet die zich over haar kindje ontfermt, nadat Evangeline vermoord is.

De bannelingen

Una novela cautivadora inspirada en hechos históricos que nos habla de pérdidas, de segundas oportunidades y de amistad inesperada que ha deslumbrado a más de un millón y medio de lectores en Estados Unidos. Entre 1854 y 1929, los llamados trenes de huérfanos partieron regularmente de las ciudades de la Costa Este de Estados Unidos hacia las tierras de labranza del Medio Oeste, llevando miles de niños abandonados cuyos destinos quedarían determinados por la fortuna o el azar. ¿Serían adoptados por una familia amable y afectuosa, o se enfrentarían a una adolescencia de trabajo duro y servidumbre? La inmigrante irlandesa Vivian Daly fue uno de esos niños, enviada por ferrocarril desde Nueva York hacia un futuro incierto a un mundo de distancia. Ahora, muchas décadas más tarde, Vivian es una anciana que lleva una vida tranquila y apacible en la costa de Maine, y los acontecimientos de su infancia se han convertido en un recuerdo vago. Sin embargo, en arcones de su desván se ocultan vestigios de un pasado turbulento. Molly Ayer, una joven de diecisiete años, sabe que cumplir con un servicio a la comunidad ayudando a una anciana viuda a ordenar sus trastos es lo único que puede salvarla de terminar en un centro de menores. Pero a medida que Molly ayuda a Vivian a revisar sus recuerdos y posesiones, descubre que ambas tienen mucho en común. Molly, una india Penobscot que ha pasado su adolescencia entrando y saliendo de casas de acogida, también ha sido educada por desconocidos y tiene preguntas sobre su pasado de las que aún no ha obtenido respuesta. El tren de los huérfanos es una novela sobresaliente que, gracias al boca a boca y las recomendaciones delos libreros, se convirtió en best seller en Estados Unidos y todavía se mantiene entre los libros más vendidos. Reseñas: «Una historia conmovedora sobre la pérdida, la capacidad de adaptación y el valor, narrada con compasión y delicadeza.» Library Journal «Una de las novelas más impresionantes que he leído jamás.» Naples Daily News «Una novela emocionante y cautivadora.» Publishers Weekly «Kline construye una historia dramática y emotiva a partir de un poco explorado rincón de la historia estadounidense.» Kirkus Reviews «Atrapa el corazón y la mente.» Romantic Times «Admirable.» Cleveland Plain Dealer

El tren de los huérfanos

Die abgeschiedene Farm ihrer Familie in Maine ist die einzige Welt, die Christina Olson kennt. Eine seltene Krankheit schränkt ihren Radius extrem ein und verhindert, dass sie diesen kleinen Kosmos verlassen kann. Als ihre ersehnte Verlobung in die Brüche geht, platzt ihre letzte Hoffnung, der klaustrophobischen Enge ihres Lebens zu entkommen. Doch dank ihres unbeugsamen Willens gelingt es Christina, sich eine ganz eigene Welt zu erschaffen – in deren Mittelpunkt die tiefe Freundschaft mit dem Maler Andrew Wyeth steht. Er zeigt ihr, dass es mehr als eine Art gibt zu lieben, und verewigt sie in einem der berühmtesten amerikanischen Gemälde des 20. Jahrhunderts.

Roman

Die Farben des Himmels

Such prominent contemporary female writers as Susan Cheever, Mona Simpson, Naomi Wolf, and Meg Wolitzer reflect on the joys and dilemmas they encountered in the course of their first year of motherhood, in a collection of original essays. Reprint.

Original Essays on Becoming a Mother

Child of Mine

Since the publication of her smash international bestseller Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline has met with countless readers and book clubs and is often asked the same question about a key decision one of her protagonists makes in Orphan Train. Christina has longed to write a scene in which she clarifies Vivian’s motivations. Now, in this newly released scene and within the book itself, she gives her readers new insights into Vivian’s thoughts and feelings behind that fateful decision.

With an Excerpt from A Piece of the World

Vivian's Choice: An Expanded Scene from Orphan Train

Candid, reflective, and intimate essays that capture the essence of parenting. Harnessing the writing skill of a score of top contemporary writers, Christina Baker Kline has crafted an outstanding collection that touches the core of modern parenthood. The writers share their experiences as parents of children between the ages of two and ten-the period when our children are young and wholly dependent, before they have established separate identities. Each of these entertaining and evocative essays focuses on one central issue about raising young children: the complexities of being a stay-at-home dad the urge to avoid making the same mistakes our parents did birth order and sibling rivalry giving our children a sense of racial identity. Room to Grow is a kaleidoscope of the early years of childhood, revealing new patterns and yielding insights at each turn. A remarkable exploration of the parenting experience, Room to Grow eloquently discloses those priceless moments of joy and heartache, closeness and separation, wonder and exasperation, amazement and exhaustion that parents encounter every day with their young children.

Christina Baker Kline

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