Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Genre: Historical and Contemporary (narrator switches from 1930s to 2011)

Rating: 3 stars

I have to give this book a 3 star rating. While the book itself was overall a good read, it does have many flaws - a seemingly rushed ending, underdeveloped characters, odd pacing, and overall execution of the conclusion.

The good thing about this is that it is a quick read. I read it in a matter of two days. It was a very easy read and an engaging one at that. I liked the author's way of narrating the story; I thought that she did a good job telling it in a way that naturally flows.
As far as the subjects behind the story, they are topics I am not entirely familiar with, which I appreciated. I like the fact that the author dealt with these unfamiliar themes.

However, as I have mentioned, the ending seemed a bit rushed for me, and I didn't feel like the main characters were completely developed just yet. I was just starting to get to know them, I was just starting to root for them. I also felt like their relationship with each other was odd, as I didn't feel that they really connected all that much. All of a sudden though, we were near the end and before I knew it, the plot was concluded. I felt like there were so many finer details missing in between. It lacked events that supported its overall conclusion. And that ending... it was done and presented in a neatly tied bow, which I just didn't buy.

I think that the subject matter is a darker part of our history, and should have been explored more, not just touched on. 

Like I said though, it was still a solid read.