Tag Archives: orphans

The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett

20 Monday Oct 2025

Posted by in adventure, Fiction, Humor, Travel, United States

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Brought together by unusual circumstances, a family sets out on a road trip from Massachusetts to the West Coast accompanied by a very perceptive cat. The characters in this novel are all dealing with pain and tragedy, yet the book is quirky, funny, and ultimately uplifting. I loved this!

“A beautiful reminder that the world is full of tragedy, but life-changing joy and connection might be just around the corner.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Hartnett’s signature blend of humor and deep emotional resonance shines through on every page. Balancing whimsy with raw emotion, Hartnett has a gift for turning life’s messiest, saddest moments into something weirdly funny and downright beautiful. Hartnett’s fans will find much to love here.”—Booklist, starred review

“The Road to Tender Hearts is the ultimate road trip novel: a zany, heartfelt blend of dysfunction, humor, healing, and Annie Hartnett’s signature poignancy and wit. This story of family, forgiveness, and moving forward is a balm for anyone who’s ever been too hard on themselves, offering a compassionate reminder that we’re all just figuring it out as we go. I was moved, delighted, and captivated from start to finish.”—Emily Habeck, author of Shark Heart

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Antidote: a Novel by Karen Russell

02 Wednesday Jul 2025

Posted by in 20th century, Fiction, Historical Fiction, United States

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The Antidote opens on Black Sunday, as a historic dust storm ravages the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska. But Uz is already collapsing–not just under the weight of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl drought, but beneath its own violent histories.  Excellent historical fiction – couldn’t put this book down.

“An inspired and unforgettable fusion of the gritty and the fantastic.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The Antidote blends speculative and fantasy elements with rich language and vivid characters in an effort not to escape reality but to comment even more thoughtfully on it. . . . Russell’s lyrical writing dazzles on every page.” —The New York Times

“An ardent work of encompassing and compassionate historical fiction supercharged with her signature imaginative, astutely calibrated supernatural twists. A dramatic and uncanny tale of the drastic consequences of our destruction of nature and Indigenous communities.” — Booklist (starred review)


“The most salient quality of The Antidote is the beauty and power of Russell’s writing. . . . The Antidote is clearly the work of a writer with prodigious gifts.” —The Guardian

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Isola: a Novel by Allegra Goodman

26 Wednesday Mar 2025

Posted by in action, adventure, Biographical fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Travel

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In 1500s France, orphaned Marguerite is dependent on her guardian, who forces her to travel with him to New France (Canada). When she develops a relationship with another young man on their ship, her guardian abandons them on an uninhabited island as punishment. An intense, powerful novel about the strength of women, based on a true story.

“A shocking story, made all the more stunning by the fact that it has its roots in true history, Isola is an immersive journey through the eyes of Marguerite de la Rocque, who redefines what makes one a woman of worth and what the difference is between having a life and truly living.”—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Goodman writes with fluid beauty, deep empathy, and an emotional undertow that pulls you in and holds you from the first page to the last.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Goodman’s lush and enthralling castaway tale of betrayal and love, suffering and strength is magnificent in its beauty, mystery, fury, and redemption.”—Booklist, starred review

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The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue

04 Friday Sep 2020

Posted by in Fiction, Historical Fiction

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If you’re reading to escape thoughts of our current pandemic, this probably isn’t the book for you. However, if you’re willing to give it a chance, this novel set in Ireland during the 1918 influenza is worth the time. The main character is a nurse working on the maternity ward caring for pregnant women suffering from the flu. There are many tense scenes of childbirth and illness, and some very timely references to masks and social distancing, but also discussion of Ireland, World War I, the Catholic Church, and women’s lives in 1918. This is a beautifully written book that’s hard to put down.

Donoghue offers vivid characters and a gripping portrait of a world beset by a pandemic and political uncertainty. A fascinating read in these difficult times.– Booklist (starred review)

In Dublin, 1918, a maternity ward at the height of the Great Flu is a small world of work, risk, death, and unlooked-for love, in “Donoghue’s best novel since Room” (Kirkus Reviews)

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The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

02 Monday Mar 2020

Posted by in Drama, Fiction, murder and investigation, mystery, suspense, thriller

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Fans of Ruth Ware and A.J. Finn will be glad to follow Lisa Jewell. Written from 3 points of view, a warped family history unravels revealing the players and events that led up to a crime investigation of 3 dead adults dressed in black, a 10 month lively baby in her crib upstairs, and missing family members once having all lived in a mansion in Chelsea.  You’ll still be guessing right up to the last page.

“No one can write a creepy domestic suspense thriller quite like Lisa Jewell.” —Goodreads

“Mesmerizing. . . Another dark winner from Jewell, who expertly teases out her tricky tale with stunning moments and richly drawn characters.” —Booklist (starred review)

“Un-put-downable . . . distinct, well-developed characters, shifting points of view, and a disturbing narrative that pulses with life create an enthralling tale full of surprises.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans

25 Wednesday Jul 2018

Posted by in England, Fiction, Historical Fiction, London

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I’m not sure I’ve ever read a funny World War II book before, until this one. Noel is a 10-year old orphan assigned to live with Vera, a single mother living outside London. Noel is very smart, Vera is very desperate to earn money, and together they make an unlikely duo. This book has a lot of humor, great characters, and just the right amount of emotion.

“I try not to say, ‘If there’s one novel you should read this summer..’ but Crooked Heart tempts me to say it.” (Scott Simon, NPR)

“Crooked Heart explores the Blitz during World War II from two utterly inventive perspectives…. A charming, slanted counterpoint to Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See.” (Library Journal, starred review)

“In ‘Crooked Heart,’ Lissa Evans’s absorbing and atmospheric comic novel, another quietly heroic orphan joins the canon….This is a wonderfully old-fashioned Dickensian novel, with satisfying plot twists….Both darkly funny and deeply touching….It’s a crooked journey, straight to the heart.” (New York Times Book Review)

“The most purely charming read of the summer…. The novel’s heart may be crooked, but it is completely in the right place. And if wanting a happy ending for this offbeat pair is wrong, I can’t imagine a reader on earth who would want to be right.” (Christian Science Monitor)

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News of the World by Paulette Jiles

10 Monday Apr 2017

Posted by in Fiction, western

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In News of the World, a National Book Award finalist, elderly, genteel Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a former soldier and onetime printer, makes his living traveling through post–Civil War Texas with a sheaf of newspapers, reading for dimes to audiences hungry for outside news.  The former Johanna Leonberger, a ten-year-old German girl taken captive by the Kiowa in a brutal raid, is now by all measures Kiowa herself. When an aunt and uncle offer a $50 gold piece for Johanna’s safe return, Captain Kidd reluctantly takes the job.  400 miles in 213 pages – action, memorable characters, and gorgeous prose.

“Lyrical and affecting, the novel succeeds in skirting cliches through its empathy and through the depth of its major characters.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“My respect for Paulette Jiles grows with every novel she writes, the News of the World is her best yet…She writes with great clarity, understanding, and a forgiving heart.” – Nancy Pearl, librarian, bestselling author, and literary critic

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The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

30 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by in Fiction

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A small island holds a horse race each year; what makes it so dangerous is that the horses come from the sea. This novel follows two young people, each desperate to win the race. It is an unusual, beautifully written, and magical story.

“Stiefvater’s novel, inspired by Manx, Irish, and Scottish legends of beautiful but deadly fairy horses that emerge from the sea each autumn, begins rivetingly and gets better and better . . . all the way, in fact, to best.”–Horn Book Review, Starred Review

“Masterful…like nothing else out there now.”–Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“A study of courage and loyalty tested…utterly compelling.”–Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

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