Instant New York Times Bestseller From the internationally bestselling author of What She Left Behind comes a gripping and powerful tale of upheaval--a heartbreaking saga of resilience and hope perfect for fans of Beatriz Williams and Kristin Hannah--set in Philadelphia during the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak--the deadly pandemic that went on to infect one-third of the world's population... "Readers will not be able to help making comparisons to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how little has changed since 1918. Wiseman has ...
Read More
Instant New York Times Bestseller From the internationally bestselling author of What She Left Behind comes a gripping and powerful tale of upheaval--a heartbreaking saga of resilience and hope perfect for fans of Beatriz Williams and Kristin Hannah--set in Philadelphia during the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak--the deadly pandemic that went on to infect one-third of the world's population... "Readers will not be able to help making comparisons to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how little has changed since 1918. Wiseman has written a touching tale of loss, survival, and perseverance with some light fantastical elements." -- Booklist "An immersive historical tale with chilling twists and turns. Beautifully told and richly imagined." --Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author of America's First Daughter In the fall of 1918, thirteen-year-old German immigrant Pia Lange longs to be far from Philadelphia's overcrowded slums and the anti-immigrant sentiment that compelled her father to enlist in the U.S. Army. But as her city celebrates the end of war, an even more urgent threat arrives: the Spanish flu. Funeral crepe and quarantine signs appear on doors as victims drop dead in the streets and desperate survivors wear white masks to ward off illness. When food runs out in the cramped tenement she calls home, Pia must venture alone into the quarantined city in search of supplies, leaving her baby brothers behind. Bernice Groves has become lost in grief and bitterness since her baby died from the Spanish flu. Watching Pia leave her brothers alone, Bernice makes a shocking, life-altering decision. It becomes her sinister mission to tear families apart when they're at their most vulnerable, planning to transform the city's orphans and immigrant children into what she feels are "true Americans." Waking in a makeshift hospital days after collapsing in the street, Pia is frantic to return home. Instead, she is taken to St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum - the first step in a long and arduous journey. As Bernice plots to keep the truth hidden at any cost in the months and years that follow, Pia must confront her own shame and fear, risking everything to see justice - and love - triumph at last. Powerful, harrowing, and ultimately exultant, The Orphan Collector is a story of love, resilience, and the lengths we will go to protect those who need us most. "Wiseman's writing is superb, and her descriptions of life during the Spanish Flu epidemic are chilling. Well-researched and impossible to put down, this is an emotional tug-of-war played out brilliantly on the pages and in readers' hearts." -- The Historical Novels Review, EDITOR'S CHOICE "Wiseman's depiction of the horrifying spread of the Spanish flu is eerily reminiscent of the present day and resonates with realistic depictions of suffering, particularly among the poorer immigrant population." -- Publishers Weekly (Boxed Review) "Reading the novel in the time of COVID-19 adds an even greater resonance, and horror, to the description of the fatal spread of that 1918 flu." -- Kirkus Review "An emotional roller coaster...I felt Pia's strength, courage, guilt, and grief come through the pages clear as day." -- The Seattle Book Review
Read Less
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic N to cart. $0.99, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $1.52, good condition, Sold by Zoom Books Company rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lynden, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corporation.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Book is in good condition and may contain underlining or highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include library labels. May not contain miscellaneous items (toys, dvds, etc). We offer 100% money back guarantee and fast customer support.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $1.67, good condition, Sold by Orion Tech rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $1.99, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corporation.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $1.99, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corporation.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $1.99, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corporation.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $1.99, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corporation.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $1.99, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corporation.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $1.99, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corporation.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $2.16, good condition, Sold by Blue Vase Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Interlochen, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corporation.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Loved this story. A little slow in the beginning but picked up its pace quickly. The ending was great but predictable.
Angelique M
Dec 29, 2020
Flu and Prejudice
I have mixed feelings about this book. It was gripping in the way it depicted the effects of the Spanish flu on the people (especially the poor) of Philadelphia. For a large portion of the book, Pia suffered at the hands of adults. I don't find it easy to read about children suffering, so I didn't really enjoy those parts. I don't think that affects my rating though.
What does affect my rating is having so much of the book told from Bernice's point of view. Generally I don't enjoy reading chapters from the point of view of a villain anyway, and Bernice was an exceptionally horrible person. Though she was far from the only person at the time to experience loss, she thought her loss justified lying, stealing, and worse. Plus she was full of hate. Every chapter she seemed to be up to something even more evil than the previous chapter. I did not enjoy her chapters at all.