“Stel, Paul and Gerald never talked about what sent them to the street and Blue didn’t pry. They had found each other and were surviving. That was enough.”
At 11 years old, Blue is on the streets of New York and in charge of his 4-year-old brother, Bo. His mother had died on the ship over and his father was thrown in jail for their rent being overdue. On the streets, the children find each other and help each other out – begging, finding scraps and huddling together for warmth. On Easter Sunday, they decide to beg at a church with Stel, Paul and Gerald. However, the cops show up and take everyone away except Blue. His search for his brother begins the very next day and not a day goes by that he doesn’t search in some way.
Unbeknownst to Blue, his brother and Stel end up going west on an orphan train – one of the last ones to run in 1929. He doesn’t uncover that information until he is an adult and falling in love with the boss’s daughter. He has had several lucky breaks in life after a grocer took him in – giving him a job, a bed and food. His knack for business eventually catches the eye of a real estate developer. Using real estate projects as a guise, Blue expands his search along the Orphan Train lines. The call to find his brother is so strong, he always chooses it over anything else – including his wife and their son. It seems he can never rest until he finds his brother.
I was asked to read and review Obsessed by a Promise by its author, Sandra Warren. I have read several books about the Orphan Trains and was curious about a book where it was through the eyes of a boy who lost his brother. Most of the books are told from the point of view of a child who was put on the trains. The book is about more than the Orphan Trains, though. It explores what can happen when a burden is put on a child that is too heavy for them to carry. It also explores family ties, forgiveness and priorities. While I felt for Blue in some ways, there were also times that I did not like him and the choices he made. The book has several twists and turns and ends in a surprising, but satisfying way.
Readers who enjoy historical fiction and the books about the Orphan Trains will enjoy Obsessed by a Promise. If you enjoy this book, you would enjoy Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.
Have you read a book about the Orphan Trains? If so, share its title in the comments!