The Orphan Collector: A Heroic Novel of Survival During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic

No Stars This book is so full of stereotypical claptrap! This book was advertised to be about surviving the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918. And it does use that as the background for depicting certain people as the most despicable stereotypes possible. All of the nuns at the orphanage were heartless disciplinarians who did not care for the children at all. It was like an orphanage out of a Charles Dickens book. And the evil woman who was kidnapping children and selling them was spouting the most bigoted slop that I have ever read. Was this book true to the age? I doubt it. My grandfather was placed in an orphanage at age 3 and was adopted out at age 7 to a farm family where he was treated like poor help. That occurred 20 years prior to this book, he was never beaten and was fed decently. Being of German heritage, I know all of my family's stories of anti-German bigotry and this book blows it all out of proportion. To say that I was disappointed in this book would be a massive understatement. I nearly set it aside several times while reading the anti-immigrant tripe that the liberals always paint the conservatives as saying. I do not recommend this book.

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.

This is the latest historical novel from one of my favorite authors, and it’s both deeply compelling and disturbing. Set in Philadelphia during the influenza pandemic of 1918-19, it’s the story of a sensitive, 13-year old German immigrant named Pia Lange, who helps her mother care for her infant twin brothers while their father is away fighting in World War I. It’s about the poverty that was so common among immigrants, about the prejudice they encountered, about the overcrowded and crime-ridden neighborhoods where they could barely afford to live. It’s also about the tragic figure of one of Pia’s neighbor, Bernice and how both the war and epidemic impact her life and change her forever. How their two stories intersect is the foundation of this novel. And I suspect will make you glad you did not live through this period. This is NOT an easy book to read. In fact, it’s quite bleak! Although I found myself caring deeply for the characters, I often found after reading just a few chapters, I then had to take a break from my own emotions. Learning about the devastating impact of the flu on families, the speed with which it spread, the primitive treatment options, and the overwhelming demand on a limited health care system make for sobering reading. Children who lose their parents too often wind up in orphanages where rules are strict and punishments are harsh. Teens are sometimes forced to become unpaid servants. Kindness and help can be difficult to find. At the same time, the book is a well-researched, page-turner— full of drama, plot twists, and a deep and growing need to know what happens next. Though not necessarily enjoyable at every moment, I strongly recommend it.