This a wonderful refreshing read despite the novel’s subject matter. The story is told through two timelines that connect at the end. The first timeline introduces Molly, a troubled 17 year old foster child who has been in many different homes. Her current foster family is incensed; she’s in trouble, for of all things, stealing a worn out copy of Jane Eyre from the Library. She is sentenced to 50 hours of community service. Her boyfriend gets her a meeting with a wealthy 91 year old woman, Vivian, who she can serve her community service with by helping to clean out her attic. The two immediately take to each other despite that they appear to have very different lives. The second timeline takes place in New York City in 1929 with Niamh (pronounced ‘Neev’), aged nine, just days after her impoverished family emigrated from Ireland. They were looking for a better life in the land of plenty, but it doesnít materialize for the family. Niamh finds herself an orphan after a fire and becomes a ward of Children’s Aid. Her only link to her past is the Claddagh cross she wears, given to her by her gram in Ireland. She is put on an orphan train with 20 other homeless children, bound for Minneapolis in the hopes that they will be adopted by farm families. Her story continues until it converges with Molly’s. The book is very enjoyable to read and is a surprisingly uplifting story about family – related or not.
The book club is now on summer hiatus. Watch for the announcement of September’s book in mid-August and come join the discussion!
