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The Orphan Collector
- Narrated by: Rachel Botchan
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Ellen Marie Wiseman, acclaimed author of What She Left Behind and The Life She Was Given, weaves the stories of two very different women into a thrilling novel as suspenseful as it is poignant, set amid one of history's deadliest pandemics.
In the fall of 1918, 13-year-old German immigrant Pia Lange longs to be far from Philadelphia's overcrowded streets and slums, and from the anti-German sentiment that compelled her father to enlist in the US Army, hoping to prove his loyalty. But an even more urgent threat has arrived. Spanish influenza is spreading through the city. Soon, dead and dying are everywhere. With no food at home, Pia must venture out in search of supplies, leaving her infant twin brothers alone....
Since her baby died days ago, Bernice Groves has been lost in grief and bitterness. If doctors hadn't been so busy tending to hordes of immigrants, perhaps they could have saved her son. When Bernice sees Pia leaving her tenement across the way, she is buoyed by a shocking, life-altering decision that leads her on a sinister mission: to transform the city's orphans and immigrant children into what she feels are "true Americans".
As Pia navigates the city's somber neighborhoods, she cannot know that her brothers won't be home when she returns. And it will be a long and arduous journey to learn what happened - even as Bernice plots to keep the truth hidden at any cost. Only with persistence, and the courage to face her own shame and fear, will Pia put the pieces together and find the strength to risk everything to see justice at last.
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What listeners say about The Orphan Collector
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Performance
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- Nicole Newman
- 08-06-20
Author is an AMAZING storyteller!
I have read all of Ellen’s books and each one is fantastic. What I love about this book in particular, is that she kept expanding the storyline. I never could predict what would come next. I wish this book would turn into a movie.
20 people found this helpful
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- Paula W
- 12-13-20
Excellent story
I enjoyed this story immensely, perhaps because the main character, Pia, was the same age and nationality as my mother in 1918. The story brought to life some of the memories that my mother had shared with me, including how her own German family and a neighboring Irish family worked together to keep both families safe in Connecticut. This story had a well written plot, and strong characters that practically leapt to life off the pages. It was especially poignant to read during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.
19 people found this helpful
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- S Clements
- 12-11-20
Great story but narrator struggled
The narrator has a lovely voice but there were numerous instances when it clearly sounded as though she was reading a script, turning pages, or lost her place. It was distracting
14 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-26-21
Don’t waste your time or money!
I was so disappointed in this book! Due to the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, I was interested in what happened in 1918 with the Spanish flu. Instead this book is overly dramatic at every turn and gives a constant barrage of Anti-immigrant lecturing from the so-called Good American “heroine” in the story, who is so despicable it is difficult to continue reading the book. I’m not sure if there was an intended underlying theme of of showing how prejudice Americans are or if this aspect was thrown in, but whatever it was, it did not help make this book a good one. The worst book I’ve “read” in awhile.
13 people found this helpful
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- Dolly Ferguson
- 01-06-21
Too slow...
I couldn't get into the story...just felt like the story would never truly start... Ended up returning this title. Maybe if I could have survived a bit further, it would have kept my attention.
11 people found this helpful
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- Texanna Bossoff
- 02-15-21
Worst Book Ever!
The narrator was terrible and and sounded like a child learning how to read with awkward pauses everywhere! The story so ridiculous and so repetitive. You could play a drinking game or bingo with all of the repetitiveness! No wonder it was on sale for $6! Don't waste a credit on this book!
9 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-04-20
A great (and timely) read
I chose this book as it was our book club selection, and I’m glad I did. The story was fascinating, with enough historical fact to make it plausible and frightening. The reader did a phenomenal job: her voice was never annoying or tedious, and I enjoyed her rendition.
4 people found this helpful
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- MaryAnn
- 08-17-20
I learned a lot about the 1917 Spanish Flu. It’s surprising how
One recognizes things from today. The fear, the isolation. Of corse 1917 was much worse than anything we’ve ever experienced.
The narrator was exceptionally good. The main character goes through hell but the Ms Botchan manages to keep the story moving along despite having to struggle intensely just to stay alive.
4 people found this helpful
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- SAL
- 04-15-21
Good
The first 25% is tough, not for the faint of heart.
The story became increasingly compelling with every chapter. You’ll be glad you listened!
3 people found this helpful
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- Dogs, Cats, and Kids
- 03-17-21
What a waste of time!
The story is weird and has odd details thrown in just to make it 'work.' Even for fiction. it's just not a story. Random writing, meandering story line. poorly developed characters make this incredibly dull, with a bit of drama in the last 2 chapters. The reader was one of the worst i have heard. Alternately sounded like a 5th grade reading lesson and then the exaggerated speech pattern if Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. It was painful and annoying to listen to. Absolutely a waste if money and time.
3 people found this helpful
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- Shazza
- 09-04-20
kept on reading
loved it.... kept me gripped throughout the book to find out what is about to happen next and whether she will find her brothers.
1 person found this helpful