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 ...
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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
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Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $0.99, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington.
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Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Fast Shipping.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $1.03, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill of Greater Milwaukee rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milwaukee, WI, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington.
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Fair. Book is considered to be in acceptable condition. The actual cover image may not match the stock photo. Book may have one or more of the following defects: noticeable wear on the cover dust jacket or spine; curved dog eared or creased page s; writing or highlighting inside or on the edges; sticker s or other adhesive on cover; CD DVD may not be included; and book may be a former library copy.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $1.20, good condition, Sold by Goodwill of Greater Milwaukee rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milwaukee, WI, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington.
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Book is considered to be in good or better condition. The actual cover image may not match the stock photo. Hard cover books may show signs of wear on the spine cover or dust jacket. Paperback book may show signs of wear on spine or cover as well as having a slight bend curve or creasing to it. Book should have minimal to no writing inside and no highlighting. Pages should be free of tears or creasing. Stickers should not be present on cover or elsewhere and any CD or DVD expected with the book is included. Book is not a former library copy.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $1.20, good condition, Sold by Zoom Books East rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Glendale Heights, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington.
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Book is in good condition and may include underlining highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include From the library of labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys dvds etc. We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $1.20, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington.
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Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Fast Shipping.
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.
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Book is in good condition and may include underlining highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include From the library of labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys dvds etc. We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $1.52, good condition, Sold by Zoom Books East rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Glendale Heights, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington.
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Book is in very good condition and may include minimal underlining highlighting. The book can also include From the library of labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys dvds etc. We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $1.70, fair condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 4.0 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. $1.75, very good condition, Sold by Giant Giant rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reston, VA, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington.
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UsedVeryGood. Size: 5x1x8; Very Good condition. Crisp pages. Clean cover and pages. Book shows minimal shelf wear. No highlighting/marking. Not Satisfied? Contact us to get a refund.
Add this copy of The Orphan Collector: a Heroic Novel of Survival During to cart. $2.19, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Kensington Publishing Corporation.
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.
I did find the very end to be satisfying.
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