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The Orphan Collector

By: Ellen Marie Wiseman
Narrated by: Rachel Botchan
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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.

©2020 Ellen Marie Wiseman (P)2020 Recorded Books
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What listeners say about The Orphan Collector

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Page turner !

Glad all parts of this book were not factual ! Very well written and suspenseful ! I enjoyed it.

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sad

this story had some horrifying and maddening characters as well as sad circumstances but engaging.

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Mesmerizing

I wanted to read this book to get a real understanding of the Spanish flu epidemic. I wasn’t expecting such an interesting story. The characters were fantastic and the story line is just stupendous. We all know America is made up of immigrants. It’s so disheartening to know there has always been and always will be people who think they are better than others. But, at the same time, there are always many people who love others no matter who they are or where they come from. This book displays both and does a great job from beginning to end.

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Loved it!

Sorry when it ended! Kept me interested all the way through. I will try more by this author.

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Fantastic

The wonderful narrator takes you on an epic journey of Pia a German immigrant, her struggles during the Spanish flu epidemic. I couldn't stop listening. The authors words were very descriptive and I could invision everything. The narrator voiced all the characters! I highly recommend.

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Incredible Story

This was a great book. I couldn't stop listening. the characters and the storyline were both well thought out.

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Terrible narrator

The narrator ruined this book for me. Unpleasant voice and very repetitive intonation patterns. She made the Bernice character sound like a snotty nine-year old.

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When life is bad, it gets worse...

Dark theme about the misery and horror that was the Spanish Flu epidemic further worsened by ugly souls who took advantage of children.

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Wow!!

Couldn’t stop listening! Touching and so real!
Great reading and great story!
Looking for more, if any, of her masterful work.

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I loved this book! A tearjerker

This was a very touching book to me! I lived in a similar life style growing up (poor area)and it touched my heart several times and brought tears to my eyes and also made me cry uncontrollable it was such a awful thing to happen to a little girl at 13, and now as a mother and grandmother I wanted to help her sooo very much throughout the story…So it was a very moving story for me throughout the whole audible book..

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