When I realized that Ellen Marie Wiseman was soon to release a new book, I knew I would have to read it. I have read all of her previous novels and I find her to be such a wonderful writer. When I found out The Orphan collector was about the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918, I immediately put down the book that I was previously reading to start The Orphan Collector.
I was not disappointed. From the first page I was drawn into the story about the pandemic and the main character, Pia. Pia is only 13 years old when the flu ravaged Philadelphia. What happens to Pia and her family is heartbreaking but the book was so engrossing I could not put it down. It is a very strange coincidence that The Orphan Collector is being released while we are in the mist of our own pandemic, Covid 19, in 2020. The book gives hope and encouragement that this too, shall pass. I give The Orphan Collector a solid five stars. I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher, Kensington Press. This is my unbiased review.

It's 1918 in Philadelphia when this book opens. And if poverty, a deployed Father, and the Spanish Flu aren't enough for a 13 yr old to face, there's also discrimination against her German heritage, since the Germans are causing atrocities during the war in Europe. The arrival of twin baby brothers has brightened her days, but also increased her responsibilities. Then, as today, the nursing profession is overwhelmed with the demands of the epidemic. To assist with the shortage, volunteers are accepted and vetting may be lax, allowing a person whose motives aren't entirely altruistic to provide care for families. Thus the action begins, making this book somewhat of a page turner, albeit with many depressing stories, including the stereotypical orphanage run by merciless nuns whose idea of punishment is akin to solitary confinement in a dungeon. There is a touch of magical realism thrown in that is almost believable. The author has done some thorough research on living conditions during the 1918 flu in Philadelphia. All in all this was a good story and a quick read. Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
#NetGalley #The OrphanCollector #KensingtonBooks

I love Ellen Marie Wiseman's Historical Fiction books!!! So full of intriguing facts and history!!! Reading this wonderful book during the COVID-19 pandemic could not have been better timing... This story placed me in a time period I did not have alot of knowledge about.. As well, I was at the edge of my seat with the search for the main character's brother! BRAVO!!

Loved this book....I could hardly put it down. Reading about the Spanish flu right now was so eye opening....especily with everything going on in the world right now. I will for sure be picking up more books by this authour and buying this book for my Library!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am providing my opinion voluntarily.

TRIGGER WARNING: pandemic, xenophobia, death, off-page suicide, kidnapping, child abuse/neglect

Plot summary
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 . . .

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.

Overall impression
If you had asked me about this a year ago, I would never have expected to have firsthand understanding of what living through a pandemic could be like. However, life as we know it has been turned upside down. I can’t help but feel for the author, who obviously put so much effort into researching the 1918 pandemic for this book, only to have it hit so close to him in today’s society. I think that fact might make it really difficult for some people to read it, especially those who have been deeply affected by our current situation. For me, it really put things into perspective as to how different things are in the present day as they were in 1918.

I struggled a little with the characters. Pia was easy to empathize with, since she was just a kid and dealing with issues outside of her own control. She stayed single-minded in her focus to find her brothers, but she was so steeped in guilt and shame over her actions throughout the book.

Bernice was a character that was so hateful and embittered, I couldn’t find a single positive attribute in her, no matter how hard I tried. And to be honest, I didn’t try very hard, because she was just a horrible person. Her point of view was all about blaming immigrants for literally everything, and deciding that she knew best, including how to turn children into “true Americans.” Even the single positive action that she took was twisted into a horribly selfish act.

I felt that this book fell a little short of the mark. The story could have been one that stuck with me long after I finished, similar to Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. Instead, the one-dimensional characters left an impression that faded shortly after I turned the final page, and the ending was rushed. The potential was definitely there, but unfortunately, the book just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Ten stars!
A truly poignant novel that centers in Philadelphia during the Spanish Flu pandemic.
This book took hold of me and would not let go!
It haunted me in my dreams!
I could not stop thinking of the main character Pia Lange, who at thirteen loses her beloved mother from this flu. A strong resilient young girl,she is now the sole provider and carer of her twin infant brothers.
When she does the only thing she can do to try to find food for her family, the virus grips Pia.
Although she amazingly survives this horrid pandemic, upon returning to her apartment, her brothers are gone and Pia finds herself in an orphanage. Her search for her brother will never end. She questions everyone she meets and checks out every orphan who has been collected and brought to this orphanage.
Bernice Groves who lives close to Pia and her family decides to step in on the day she sees Pia leave the twins.
These infants cannot be alone and how dare Pia leave them!
Bernice will save the boys and become their mother.
Bernice also decides to start working as a "visiting nurse" and renamed Nurse Wallis. It is during this time that she realizes that she can easily get rid of the immigrant children by sending them away, place other children whose parents need help in the shelter and make a living for her new family.
Nobody will know how these children have been placed with the Sisters. Nurse Wallis will be a saint!
This story is told brilliantly by Ellen Wiseman and the details are amazing!
It is perfect timing for this story to come as we are currently in our own pandemic and many things that happened during the Spanish Flu are also happening with the covid19 crisis.
Make for an eerie tale! One that I will not forget!

Jump in and hang on...….
What a wonderful story, tragic but so beautifully written! I am never disappointed with Ellen Marie Wiseman books! The 1917 Spanish Flu epidemic has always interested me! What an epic and historical time in our world! I have read several on this topic but NONE written so well as this one! Ellen Marie Wiseman pulled me in and I felt like I was right in the middle of it~ What a talented writer!!
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading and giving feedback to a fabulous 5 STAR read~

I absolutely loved this, although it was so, so heartbreaking and so difficult to read at times. I was so devastated for these characters, as if they were real people. And this couldn't be more timely, as I sit home quarantined due to COVID-19. Excellent.

Beautifully written. Gives us hope during this pandemic! I enjoyed it and deeply cares about Pia! I will reread all Ellen’s books!!

Wow this is a powerful book but it was hard to read sometimes because of how much it made my heart hurt Set in Philadelphia during the 1918 Spanish flu, the ravages of a 100 year old virus so closely and painfully mimicking our situation today.
13 year old Pia Lange is quickly left alone at the mercy of a city and country who care little for the poor immigrants and we have to endure every injustice she is subjected to as helplessly as she does. Meanwhile evil bigot "nurse Wallis" goes around the city taking children under the guise of charity and sending them to orphanages or away on orphan trains in a small effort to rid the city of immigrants. But Pia is a strong girl and there is kindness to be found in the midst of so much tragedy.
This book isn't a light-hearted fun or easy read but please don't let that stop you. Its a story that deserves be read. While Wiseman explains in the author's notes that she isn't aware of any specific nurses acting like nurse Wallis, it isn't hard to imagine that even if it was well meaning, or inevitable many children were in fact separated from their loving families and I just hope that 100 years later we are doing better at protecting vulnerable families and children but I'm not sure we are. It's important to remember history so that we don't repeat our mistakes and I'm thankful for authors like Wiseman who aren't afraid to tell the hard stories.

This is another winner by Ellen Marie Wiseman! The Spanish Flu pandemic in Philadelphia is the setting for this historical fiction novel. Pia’s father is fighting in the war, leaving 13 year old Pia, her mother, and her twin baby brothers to fend for themselves as people are dying all around them. Pia demonstrates strength and wisdom beyond her years as she struggles to make sense of her life post pandemic. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

The Orphan Collector
A Novel
by Ellen Marie Wiseman
Kensington Books
Kensington
Historical Fiction | Literary Fiction
Pub Date 04 Aug 2020 | Archive Date Not set

Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Books for providing the ARC to me. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I read a lot of historical fiction. It is very moving, possibly because of Covid19. I will recommend it to our patrons.

Great read!

Omg!! This book! How can I even describe it? It's devastating, sad, heartbreaking, so emotional, a tear jerker of a book! At times it made me just sick for the characters. Other times so mad I wanted to scream. It was very hard to read in some ways, but absolutely brilliant as well! The author has a way of writing that makes you feel you are inside the story. So many heartbreaking moments! A book about loss, love and family. I could not imagine living during the time that it takes place but the similarities to life today freaked me out a bit! If you're at all squeamish, be cautious, it has some sensitive content! You will love it if you like realistic historical fiction. Keep tissues handy!

It was interesting to read this book about the Spanish flu during these COVID-19 times. Set in Philadelphia, the novel brings to the forefront prejudices that simmer at or just below the line during times of panic, tragedy, and strive. The book centers around 13-year old Pia Lange, whose father is serving on the front lines in 1918. German immigrants, the Lange family is doing everything they can to be “American.” With Pia having to fend for her family, including her few months old twin brothers, with people dead and dying around her, she is devastated she’s finally able to return home to find her brothers missing. On a mission to save the immigrant children who are orphans and make sure they are raised “American,“ Bernice Groves wanders the neighborhoods of Philadelphia where many children are left on their own as family members fall prey to the deadline pandemic. As the orphan collector, she creates devastating consequences for Pia and many families already dealing with hunger, loss, and no one to turn to. This is an interesting storyline - pandemic, bigotry, tragedy, and families torn apart. I felt the book dragged in a couple of places, and for some reason didn’t keep me as engrossed as I expected. Still worth thr read with an overall solid three stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This story was so rich and beautifully told, and so perfect for the times we're living through, I can't wait to share it.

This was an eerily timely story for sure, as we are currently in the grips of Covid19. I wish everyone could read this story now! Many twists and turns, heartbreak and reality. A good reminder to look for lessons in the past, though I know the author had no way of knowing when she was writing this that we would need the reminder.

Due to the fact that I broke my arm and shoulder I am not capable of writing a decent review. I did enjoy the novel and I think that Galli and the publisher for allowing me to read it.

This author is a favorite since I read "What She Left Behind." So I was very happy to be chosen by Netgalley and the publisher to read this book in exchange for a review. This book did not disappoint and turned out to be a very timely book with the COVID outbreak and quarantine. The book begins with the liberty loan parade in Philadelphia during WWI in 1918. Pia the eldest daughter and child in her family wanted to stay home but her mother made her go as they want to be seen by their neighbors as very patriotic. They are German from Germany. Pia and her mother attend the parade with her baby twin brothers. Unfortunately, the Spanish flu attended also. Within a couple of days, large numbers of people are dying in the city and there is no help to be had. Whole families die or parents die and children are left to starve. Pia's mother dies but she and her brothers remain healthy. Pia makes do but eventually, she must leave her brothers alone to find food. When she returns they are gone. Pia never gives up searching for them meanwhile ends up in an orphanage, a nanny, deals with a baby seller, and has other adventures. I had to stop and start this book because I was torn about one of the characters. Was she evil or suffering from postpartum depression or driven mad by circumstances and hunger? I finally decided but I don't want to say a lot about the book to give everything away. This book has an author's note at the end, a reading list of books if you wish to read more about the Spanish flu and a list of book club questions if you wish to use this as one of your book club selections.

The Orphan Collector⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Ellen Marie Wiseman

In 1918 immigrants poured into Philadelphia, New York and Boston. Living in slum conditions and close quarters the perfect breeding ground for the Spanish Influenza.

Pia Lange a German immigrant was living in one such tenement. Her Father left for the Army her Mother took sick and died in the apartment and she at 13 was left to care for her for month old twin brothers.

The plight suffered by this child is heart wrenching and so disturbing. They way the children were exploited was horrible. The conditions in the orphanages as well as separating children from their parents was incomprehensible. When Pia’s brothers disappear while she was out searching for food was so sad.

This book is not for the faint of heart but indeed should be read by all especially now with this pandemic.

Wow! The Orphan Collector is historical fiction at its best! Told from 2 perspectives during the Spanish Flu, the story is full of emotions, complex characters, and an amazing ending. I’ve read every book by Ellen Marie Wiseman and am a huge fan; this is her best book yet!