This is historical fiction at its best! Set during the Spanish flu epidemic in the US in 1918, this book is hauntingly similar to what we're currently going through with the coronavirus - although the author finished it more than a year before COVID hit!

"The Orphan Collector" features a wonderful main character named Pia Lange, a 13-year-old German immigrant who faces incredible heartache when the flu hits Philadelphia where she lives with her mother and twin brothers (her father is fighting overseas in WWI). Once people begin dying around her, Pia is forced to make tough decisions to battle for her family's welfare. She's both smart and empathetic, making her the perfect narrator for the story. Her story is often tragic, but I loved that she never lost her will to fight.

I was completely captivated by this book - not only for the crazy similarities to our current story more than 100 years later (including a fight against a virus, rampant racism, and anti-immigrant sentiments), but also because Wiseman writes fiction like a suspense writer. Each chapter (even the particularly long ones) had me flipping pages to find out what would happen next to Pia and the other characters.

Any book that makes me want to stay up late reading is the sign of a great read - and "The Orphan Collector" made it almost impossible for me to turn my light off! I'm definitely recommending this one to everyone and I can't wait to read Wiseman's next book!

The Story: Set in Philadelphia during the 1918 Spanish flu, Pia Lange, a thirteen year-old German immigrant has to leave her twins brothers - Max & Ollie - at home as she ventures out alone to get food supplies, after their mother passed away from the flu. She collapses and is admitted to the hospital. After her recovery she is sent to St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum.

Pia's neighbour, Bernice Groves, a twenty year-old grieving mother who recently lost her baby to the Spanish flu goes over to her apartment and discovers the babies abandoned. Right then, she makes a sinister decision that will forever change the lives of herself, Pia and the city's orphans and immigrant children.

My thoughts: Wow. Another absorbing historical tale by the talented Ellen Marie Wiseman! Seriously, her books never disappoint. Solid plot, great characters and her descriptive writing always transports you to the era of the story, and in this case the 1918 pandemic, which is also known as the "forgotten pandemic." It is chilling and haunting.

This is a sad and tragic story and to know how people back then trying to protect themselves from the flu is shocking. Can you imagine wearing pouches of garlic or camphor balls around your neck, or eating sugar cubes soaked in kerosene?

Tragedy brings out the best and worst in people, and we see that in this story. It infuriates me reading the part about Pia's time in the orphanage, but her determination to survive and her unceasing search for her brothers is so encouraging! You will also learn how kindness is so powerful and life-transforming.

The Orphan Collector is a powerful tale of resilience, hope and strength amid the most severe pandemic in history. The twists and turns in the story were pretty suspenseful. I enjoyed this book immensely!


***Thank you Kensington Books, author Ellen Marie Wiseman and NetGalley for this gifted review copy in exchange for an honest review.***

The Orphan Collector is my first novel by Ellen M. Wiseman. This novel, was, by far, the best historical fiction book that I have read this late summer/early fall. It takes place during the 1918 Spanish Flu Epidemic in Philadelphia. We are introduced to Pia and her family, who are German Immigrants, who came to the United States for a better life. Along with other immigrants at the time, they in a very poor section of row homes, and financially struggle. There are also many American families who live in the same section of town, who are resentful of the immigrants taking away their jobs, food and the situation with the war, etc. Pia is a 13 year old girl, who's father has been sent off to war, and she has a huge responsibility on her shoulders helping her mother take care of her twin brothers and keep food on the table. After celebrating at a parade in the center of the town, the flu begins to spread and Pia's life is altered in so many ways. We are also introduced to an American woman named Bernice, who's own decisions after the flu also affects her, change Pia's life and many immigrants lives around her. The relevance of this novel to today's current events was uncanny. I felt like I was reading a book about life today rather than in 1918 in many ways. Ellen Marie Wiseman's writing is descriptively beautiful, and I was enamored and glued to this story at every page. This novel deserves 5 solid stars. I cannot wait to read more by this author.

Thank you, Netgalley, and Kensington Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book so much!! I hated how the kids were treated at the orphanage!! Can't believe what the nurse did!! Glad that pia found her brothers!! Glad she got her happy ending!! Love this author's books!!

Thirteen year old Pia Lange has many wishes. She wishes her father were back from the war. She wishes they were living somewhere other than in the overcrowded Shunk Alley area of Philadelphia. She wishes she didn't experience physical pain every time most people touched her. She wishes her German heritage was something she could be proud of, instead of something she has to try to hide. When the Spanish flu epidemic arrives in Philadelphia, all those wishes suddenly don't seem to matter anymore. Suddenly, Pia is fighting for her own survival while also caring for her infant twin brothers in a city ravaged by disease.

Bernice Groves has seen her life shattered by the epidemic. Her own infant son succumbed to the flu and all Bernice can think of is how she can join him as her life means nothing without him in it. Then Bernice sees Pia leaving the apartment without her brothers. She makes a decision at that moment that will have far reaching consequences for not only her own life, but many others.

The Orphan Collector was well researched and vividly written so you could truly envision what the characters experienced. As I was reading, I had to frequently remind myself that I was reading a historical fiction novel and not a novel set in present day. So many things were eerily familiar from the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic with what we are currently experiencing during this COVID-19 pandemic. At times, that made for interesting and compelling reading and honestly at other times, it was overload for me.

Bernice Groves is truly one of the most evil characters I can remember reading about, even more so than some characters in horror or murder mystery novels. The author did an excellent job of creating a character that not only do you want to hate, but one that you simply detest. I couldn't help but be shocked at some of the actions she takes during the novel.

I received this book courtesy of Kensington Publishing Corp. in exchange for an honest review.

​

Wow! The Orphan Collector was an excellent historical fiction. Set during the 1918 Spanish Flu in Philadelphia, eerily reminding our own current pandemic.. As many people died quickly, 12 year old Pia was left to fend for herself as well as her twin brother babies. A society with prejudice, chaos, loss, survival instincts, cruelty and panic, this story is excellent and filled with amazing surprises. I loved it! Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the e-reader for review. All opinions are my own.

Big fan of Ellen Marie Wiseman. I read this book during quarantine which made it all the more unsettling. I had to put it down a few times. I enjoyed reading it but not my favorite. I will read anything that Ellen writes.

A very well written tear-jerker that poignantly tells the story of an immigrant family torn apart by The Spanish Flu. Pia Lange suffers from the Spanish Flu, anti-immigrant sentiment, and the unregulated orphanages of the 1900s. A well researched book that shows that covid 19 has no comparison to the spread and virulence of the Spanish flu. Pia tries to put her family back together again and to solve the mystery of why so many immigrant orphans disappear.

Yes, we are in the grips of a present-day pandemic. That is why I think more than ever; we need a book like this to help remember our past. Knowledge of our history reminds us, our present and future are not immune to the past happening again. The Orphan Collector is the perfect title for this book, and believe it or not; it’s what drew me in to find out more about this book. When I found out The Orphan Collector was about the 1918 Spanish flu, I knew I had to read it.

This time period holds an extraordinary place in my heart. In 1918 my grandfather was ten years old. His parents came over from Italy and settled in South Philadelphia. My grandfather survived the 1918 pandemic, or else I would not be writing this review. I must give high praise to Ms. Wiseman for her diligence and thorough research on this time period. I know firsthand from my grandfather’s stories that many of the things she describes in her book are correct. My grandfather told me that the doctor told his parents to give all the children one shot of whiskey three times a day. He laughed and confessed that he was drunk for almost two weeks. On the sadder side, his younger sister did not survive. My grandfather described how his parents had to take her body out when the death cart came around. Till the day he died, at eighty-seven, he never knew where his sister was buried.

Ms. Wiseman tells the story of the 1918 pandemic with great care and empathy. She helps the reader learn about this forgotten period and helps the reader connect with what it must have been like to live through it. Most importantly, she helps us understand what it was like to be a poor immigrant in 1918, Philadelphia.

“The deadly virus stole unnoticed through the crowded cobblestone streets of Philadelphia on a sunny September day, unseen and unheard amidst the jubilant chaos of the Liberty Loan parade and the patriotic marches of John Phillips Sousa.”

The Orphan Collector follows the life of a thirteen-year-old German immigrant, Pia Lang, during the pandemic. In 1918 when the flu strikes, Pia’s father is still overseas even as the war is coming to an end. Pia, her mother, and her twin baby brothers are now trying to survive. There is something special about Pia, but you will have to read the book to find out. Pia’s story is about love, the resilient human spirit, and the courage it takes to survive in the face of seemingly insurmountable hardship.

However, The Orphan Collector gives us the evil side of what a pandemic like this can do to some people. Bernice Groves has lost her husband to the war and her infant son to the flu. Bernice blames immigrants for what has happened to her family, and she feels that they are not true Americans. Bernice is a woman filled with hate and makes it her mission to separate children from their parents. By doing so, she thinks she can help these children become true Americans.

Ms. Wiseman shows the contrast between good vs. evil with each of these women’s stories. Both characters are well developed, and Wiseman’s exceptional writing has you loving one and loathing the other. Both of these characters will not soon be forgotten. Ms. Wiseman’s writing is brilliant and a joy to read. The imagery of the pictures she paints with her words puts you on those gritty streets of 1918, Philadelphia. She craftily weaves Pia’s story, Bernice’s story, and the horrific effect the pandemic has on Philadelphia seamlessly together in a novel that I couldn’t put down.

The Orphan Collector is one of those books that will have you thinking about it long after finishing the last word. You will want to talk about it. So, you will tell all your friends to read it so you can talk about it. There are some similarities to the 2020 pandemic, but 1918 was a very different time and a very different pandemic. Ms. Wiseman has written an exceptional piece of historical fiction that you will not want to miss. I highly recommend this book, and I want to give it more than five stars.

* Please note the quote in my review is subject to change once the book is published. *


** I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Ellen Marie Wiseman. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion. **

Wiseman's The Orphan Collector deftly captures the atmosphere and concerns of Philadelphia in 1918, during World War I and the onset of the flu. Pia, her protagonist, is a 13-year-old girl struggling to adapt to her ever-changing situation, from surviving anti-German sentiment to dealing with the family upheaval wrought by the flu. Wiseman's writing style is not to my taste, but I think this book will be a success for her fans and for those looking to read about other pandemics in the midst of our own.

Book Review 📖

Title: The Orphan Collector

Author: Ellen Marie Wiseman

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: Thank you @Netgalley for a copy of this book. When I started reading this I had no idea it was set during the Spanish Flu epidemic. I actually enjoyed the similarities of then and now which is probably unhealthy. This story broke my heart at every turn. I also do not think I have disliked a villain as much as this one in a very long time.

I highly recommend this book to any fan of historical fiction. I could not put this one down.

Synopsis: In the fall of 1918, thirteen-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 U.S. 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 . . .

This book in 3 emojis: 😷 👩‍⚕️ 🍼

This book is so timely and wonderfully written. Probably one of the best historical fictions I've read in a while. The character development is wonderful, as I really bonded with these characters. The story itself is both beautiful and heartbreaking. If you love historical fiction, you must read this book.

This book was amazing! It really pulled you in! I couldn’t put it down. It was beautifully written!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

A heart clenching story to read during the current quarantine. The Orphan Collector was a beautifully written story about loss, fear, survival, and all the desperation brought on by the Spanish Flu of 1918.

I love historical novels that make me want to go out and research and read all about the events of that time and The Orphan Collector made me what to read anything and everything I could get my hands on about The Spanish Flu pandemic.

Pia is an incredible main character. I felt so sad for her but also completely inspired by her strength and perseverance; made more incredible by the fact that she was so young.

I give this book 5 stars!

Thank you to #NetGalley for an advanced copy of #TheOrphanCollector in exchange for my honest opinion.

Alone and desperate trying to survive the terrible pandemic of the Spanish Flu, a young teen does everything she can to make it through in Ellen Marie Wiseman’s book “The Orphan Collector”.

Surviving by her wits, aided by her amazing natural abilities, a young girl does what she can for her life and the lives of her infant twin brothers. She gets swept away by the events of her day and finds herself where she never thought she’d be! And then life takes a different turn, will it be one for her benefit or another road block in a long line of ones?

This is a book that will take your heart and fill it with emotions of grand proportions! Wiseman has an amazing ability to make the reader feel everything her characters go through. Words wrap themselves around your brain to make the world of 1918 come roaring to life and the plight of the characters feels like your own!

If your wise decision is to get this book, your in for a wonderful read of a life time!

This read was on the longer side, but loved every word. Wiseman created nuanced characters, you felt their pain, frustration, sorrow, and join. The writing was the vivid.
Pia Lange is the main character, whose story starts just before the outbreak of the Spanish flu in Philadelphia. In a society where she is judged as an immigrant and even worse, German. We follow not only her story, but those around her as they try to survive and overcome what happens in the chaos that follows the first, second, and third wave of the flu.
Alone this a powerful story, but given our current environment this story becomes so much more potent and allows one to reflect about what may happen. Highly recommend and a five star read.

Book Review: The Orphan Collector by author, Ellen Marie Wiseman
ARC

Where do I begin...

The Orphan Collector broke my heart in two. It stirred emotions within me right from the start that far reached what I could've imagined. A completely immersive narrative that has left me in awe as to the authors ability to pull me into what was a time of utter hopelessness, and in turn, allowing the experience of that time period to be felt as if I were truly there...

The Orphan Collector is the type of story that will dig in its heels and hold firmly until the very end as it leads you on a dramatic journey of heartbreak, survival and resilience.

Philadelphia, 1918-1919. As the Spanish Flu Pandemic (a profoundly traumatic event and known as "the year of forgotten death") casts it shadow and shows no remorse as to whose path it darkens. Pia Lange, a 13 yr.old girl, is about to learn that her life is going to change in ways she'll never be prepared for.

What starts out as a celebration in the streets of Philadelphia, all comes to a screeching halt within the blink of an eye, as this lively community is about to be brought to its knees, and without warning. Blindsided.

Pia, a German immigrant, now finds herself in an impossible situation... With her father off fighting the war, and her mother now dead in the most horrific of ways, Pia is left with the care and responsibility for her twin infant brothers, and forced into making choices and decisions no 13 yr. old should have to make. With barely enough food for one, let alone three, their mere survival depends on sheer desperation as life continues to push against them with all it's might. As she grips to the now tattered threads of hope, courage against the villainous, and the fight for survival through fear, shame and guilt, prove to be a battle she's not only unsure of, but one Pia is not sure she can win against.

Although this can be a difficult read at times, and in addition it's parallels to our current world-wide situation, The Orphan Collector is that one story that will consume your every thought..

Through bravery and the persistence of one little girl and her willingness to fight for light in a world of darkness, author, Ellen Marie Wiseman has crafted an amazing story that will move you to tears, yet fill you with a new understanding of how the human spirit can grow even through the most difficult times of conflict and struggle~ with strength.

I thank the author for allowing me the opportunity to read and review The Orphan Collector, a story I highly recommend~ a story I won't soon forget.

5 Stars

#TheOrphanCollector
#EllenMarieWiseman
#KensingtonBooks

Wild Sage Book Blog

I was eager to read this book as Wiseman's What She Left Behind was such a lasting novel. This equally met the mark. Wiseman has a way of just completely breaking your heart in her novels. Especially in the time of Covid-19, learning about the disastrous and tragic struggles of the 1918 Influenza epidemic was timely, relevant, and eye-opening.

In a time when we readers may be feeling depressed or frustrated with the current state of detention we seem to be struggling with, this is a slap-in-the-face reminder that things could be much, much worse. Reading, in detail, about how people died of this flu was graphic and rather unsettling. When we read about Bernice and her poor sweet baby, I had to skim over quite a few pages as I sat reading next to my own infant. But I like that Wiseman doesn't shy away from details.

She doesn't paint a cute picture of an orphanage or gloss over mistreatment of children and immigrants. She doesn't make light of grief and how it can wreck a person. I felt this attention gave true homage to the plight of this country during the epidemic and also due respect to the prejudice and racism immigrants felt then (and I'm sure still unfortunately experience today).

In this book we get to know Pia Lange, a 13-year-old German immigrant. She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the outbreak of the influenza epidemic. Much to our immediate dismay, Pia's mother, succumbs to the flu leaving behind not only Pia, but also twin 4-month-old boys. Pia cares for them the best she can while she lives in constant fear of her or her brothers catching the flu. After a few weeks, she has no choice but to venture out on her own to find food or else she and her brothers will starve.

Our other perspective throughout the book is that of Bernice Groves a grieving woman whose just lost her husband and her baby, one to the war and one to the flu. She has hate in her heart for immigrants and anyone who doesn't fit her definition of an American. She watches out her window contemplating suicide as Pia darts out from across the street in her search for food. Bernice is captivated by Pia and her mind goes down a rabbit hole of what may be going on in Pia's family that a child would be sent out and risk infection. Compelled, Bernice finds herself knocking on the apartment door and hears the sound of babies crying. Infuriated that Pia would abandon her young brothers, Bernice steals the children.

One bad turn after another leaves Pia in an orphanage, grieving for her mother, aching for her brothers and father. Pia and Bernice's paths keep crossing, problematic for Bernice who is harboring Pia's brothers. Worse, Bernice spirals further into hatred as she escalates into stealing and displacing more and more immigrant children. Bernice is fueled by one thing only, evil.

You'll see just how Pia and Bernice's stories ultimately play out by the end of the novel. I felt the emotional highs and lows were well worth the ultimate result.

Having only read Wiseman's What She Left Behind, I am interested to read some of her other novels for comparison. I feel that she is capable of fully immersing her readers not only into her character's lives, but also the atmosphere they're living in. I did draw some similarities between The Orphan Collector and What She Left Behind. First, there were several mentions of insane asylums, admittance used as a threat. Second, the orphanage and the asylum from What She Left Behind both kept the protagonist against their will. And both institutions were lead by less than ideal people. People in positions of power in places such as orphanages or asylums you would hope would be compassionate and care about and for the people inhabiting them; however, it appears that wasn't the case.

It was especially interesting to read Bernice's point of view because Wiseman was able to utterly capture the narcissistic nature of this hateful person. Bernice never sees that she is doing unfathomable things. She thinks she's bettering the country and even further, has deluded herself into thinking she's helping these children by separating them from their parents.

Incredible atory about the 1918 outbreak of the Spanish Flu (or as they call it in this book, the purple death) as it swept through Philadelphia. This book centers around 2 characters. Pia, a teenage girl whose mother dies of the flu, leaving Pia alone with her four month old twin brothers and no way to get in touch with her father, who is fighting in the war, We also have Bernice Groves, who lives across the street and has recently lost her infant son and husband. A great story that will keep you reading into the night. If you were a fan of Sold on a Monday or Orphan Train, grab this book now!

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

This book was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author. This book touched me.