A timely story set in 1918 Philadelphia during the Spanish Flu epidemic. 13-year-old Pia Lange, her infant twin brothers, and her mother are living in the slums of Philadelphia while her father is away at war. Because they are German, they are shunned by many due to the war. Trying to show just how American they are, they attend the Liberty Loan parade along with 200,000 other people.

This proves to be a mistake, and Pia's mother ends up dying of the flu leaving her to fend for herself. Pia finds she must leave the apartment in order to get food, but she cannot chance to take her brothers with her. So she decides to quickly look for food and return. Only she falls victim to the flu and wakes up days later in a hospital. From the hospital they send her to an orphanage, but what has happened to her brothers? Did someone find them? How could she have left them alone?

Can I just say wow! This was such a well written page turner! I loved the characters, and the plot. I was so outraged for Pia’s loss. I was worried that being about the Spanish Flu it would be a hard subject, but it wasn’t,

*I received this ARC from NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers for this early look. Reading a book about the 1918 pandemic during a pandemic? I thought it would be too hard but I found Miss Wiseman's book to be well-researched and a compelling read.
She skillfully demonstrates that during a time of crisis in American history, the 1918 flu epidemic, people made choices out of fear, ignorance, and misinformation. This leaves devastating consequences on families and children, who too often are the pawns of amoral adults.
Wiseman takes us into the lives of two women, one an immigrant trying to find what is left of her family, and another, with a misguided, yet often accepted mindset of how American needs to be cleansed.
Even as I found Pia's inner thoughts at times too repetitive, the story was a page-turner for me.
Highly recommended historical fiction that is as important today as one hundred years ago in studying the behavior of people when society faces grave challenges.

What a powerful novel, especially during today's time.

I expected to feel some kind of sympathy for Nurse Wallis/Bernice. I was expecting her character to elicit a war within myself, where I could see what she was trying to do as helpful but instead, I loathed her. There was no moral tug of war for her, which surprised me. I truly thought I would be walking away from this with the need to defend her, even if she was wrong. However, that was far from the case.

Instead, my heart ached for Pia even more once I realized how cruel and selfish Nurse Wallis/Bernice was. This was heartbreaking, to say the least.

But, every character was so rounded and well thought out, that they could have easily been plucked from the streets of Philadelphia during the Spanish Flu. And because of it's realistic descriptions of the flu, everyone needs to read this book today. We take for granted our freedoms and health, especially during the Coronavirus and the 2nd wave. But after reading this, I think I'll play it a bit more safe from now on and remind myself how lucky I am to be alive and no one with the virus.

Fans of Ellen Marie Wiseman have every reason to rejoice: She’s back with another one of her emotionally resonant/profound works of historical fiction. Her new novel, THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR is set in Philadelphia during the 1918 influenza epidemic and is surprisingly timely.

This tale of the hope and resilience of a young German girl named Pia whose father, in an attempt to prove his loyalty to the USA, is serving in WWI while her mother attempts to provide for Pia and her 4 month old twin brothers. When her mother succumbs to the flu and Pia is separated from her brothers she embarks on a search that will test her resolve. Her life is one filled with traumatic experiences of loss, deprivation, conflict and what she sees as her personal failure.

Wiseman has created a scenario where helpless and vulnerable children are stolen by a deranged but wily woman and a system that is manipulated by people’s fears and prejudice.

This is a poignant testament to the enduring power of love, family and the will to survive and thrive.

Reading the opening pages of The Orphan Collector right now, during the coronavirus pandemic, feels too real. The hospitals are crowding. People are starting to hear about the flu in other cities, but aren’t yet concerned about Philadelphia. That quickly changes.

Soon, people are being told to stay home and wear face coverings when they leave the house or answer the door. People are dropping dead suddenly and bodies are being left in building hallways and on the streets.

This book was gorier than I expected. The reader is not spared details about rotting bodies. Maggots. How many times did I read the word “maggots”? Too many.

Pia, at only 13 years old, is left to care for her twin baby brothers when her mother dies suddenly. Pia’s father is serving in the war and she has no idea if/when he will return.

When Pia runs out of food, she leaves the twins at home and goes out to find more. Pia is gone much longer than she expected.

Meanwhile, a grieving woman, named Bernice, with a grudge against immigrants (Pia and her family are German immigrants) finds the twins and decides to take them.

Bernice was terrified of being sent to an orphanage as a child and she thinks she can raise the twin boys the right way. As good Americans. She doesn’t stop with collecting the twins from their home.

This immersive book carries the reader out of reality and into Pia’s journey to find her brothers.

This is the first bookI have read from author Ellen Marie Wiseman and it won’t be my last! I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and her ability to delve deep into the characters of the book, whether we liked them or not! While the timeframe of the book in itself, beginning with the Spanish Flu, is both timely and horrifying, it also shows the strong character of one young girl with adult responsibilities too early in her life. An additional burden to Pia is that she “feels” illnesses or injury of other people when she touches them. This has led Pia to a very lonely existence as she is afraid to make friends or to get close to others. The descriptions of the abject poverty of the area where this book focuses on is heart-wrenching and the decisions people have to make to survive are terrible. With her father in the war, she tries to help her mother with her baby twin brothers. The illness strikes, and Pia finds herself placed in an orphanage, not knowing what has happened to her brothers. She is resolute in her determination to find out. This begins a journey for her where she meets a woman who has made herself an “orphan collector” and who believes in her mind that she is doing the right thing. Pia eventually gets released from the orphanage into a private home to care for children and things begin to come full circle for her in her quest as she gets some unexpected assistance. Definitely a book to recommend to other readers! I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Kensington Books in return for an honest opinion which this has been. . #NetGalley #TheOrphanCollector

I thought the blurb sounded really interesting, but I had a difficult time with this book. I never really felt engaged in the plot or connected to any of the characters. Some parts regarding the 1918 pandemic were interesting, esp. given that I read this during Covid-19. Things were a bit better in the latter half, but it was a bit too late.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book to review !
THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR
by Ellen Marie Wiseman

I highly recommend this book ! The story is eerily similar to what is happening in our world today with the Corona virus, racism, fear and violence, yet this story takes place a century ago in the City of Philadelphia, 1918.

The Spanish Flu infected one third of the worlds population between 1918-1919. The City of Philadelphia had a total of 500,000 citizens infected with the virus. Based on historical data regarding the Spanish Flu, “The Liberty Loan Parade” was considered a main cause of the fast and massive spread of the flu in Philadelphia. Although citizens were warned by doctor's not to participate in the event due to knowledge of the epidemic, many over looked this warning as being over cautious. This was the largest parade in Philadelphia's history with 200,000 people in attendance. Within 6 weeks after the event, 12,000 residents had already perished. In a city with a massive immigrant population at the time, thousands of children were orphaned due to the death of their family from the flu.

The Spanish Flu is raging through out the city. “The Orphan Collector” is a fictionalized novel of this period in time taking the reader on a perilous journey with “Pia Lange” a quiet and shy 13 year old German immigrant who endures tremendous loss and suffering throughout the story. After falling ill with the flu, she finds herself placed in an inhumane orphanage run by sadistic nuns. The only moment of relief is when she realizes her best and only friend “Finn Duffy” is also imprisoned at the same orphanage. Finn is a smart and kind neighbor boy who lived across the street before the disaster struck. However, Pia's luck is short lived as Finn mysteriously disappears from the orphanage and she is left alone and devastated once more.

Among the many tragedies caused by the Spanish Flu was the death of infants causing grieving mothers to become distraught to the point of madness from their tremendous loss. While not uncommon at the time, the death of a child is devastating. Such a loss happens to the novel's villainous character “Bernice Groves” who watches her 4 month old baby boy suffer and die from the flu. Bernice is a white American widow who lost her husband in the Great War and her baby boy to the vile flu which in her twisted mind has been spread by all the immigrants living in Philadelphia. Bernice allows her bitter emotions and twisted racial beliefs turn her into a monster as she carries out the most egregious crimes against immigrant families and their children.

The plot of this book is a gripping with several twists and turns. Pia is in search of clues to a mystery that has changed her life forever. With historical factual information there is tremendous sadness knowing that the Spanish Flu truly happened and although this is a fictionalized story, it is likely that many of the scenes described were fairly true to life at the time. The book's main characters Pia, Bernice and Finn are all tied together in what turns out to be a crime against humanity that takes years for Pia to solve all the while unknowing that the answers she is seeking are very close. The final conclusion allows the reader to dry their eyes an breath deeply knowing that in the darkest of times one must always look for that small ray of light which is in us all.

Ellen Wiseman’s exceptional writing transports you directly to the streets of Philadelphia during the Spanish flu of 1918. Pia, a young German immigrant of 13, experiences unimaginable hardships as the virus sweeps through the slums of the city. Her determination leads her to find answers to the fate of her twin brothers and her dad after their mom succumbs to the flu. After falling ill herself, she survives the horrid conditions of an orphanage before finding true family life once again. This author squeezes your heart through a full range of emotions. Well done!!!

Beautifully written, heart wrenching story that hits close to home with what is going on today. Highly recommend this to all who love historical fiction!

THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR by Ellen Marie Wiseman is a beautifully-written and heart-wrenching book that I know will remain on my mind for a long time to come. Set in 1918 in Philadelphia while a World War rages and the deadly Spanish flu pandemic is spreading throughout the city, it is the story of two very different women whose lives intersect in profound and unexpected ways. Pia Lange is a thirteen-year-old German immigrant living in the city slums with her parents and infant twin brothers. Her father is fighting with the U.S. Army overseas when her mother dies suddenly from the flu leaving young Pia to care for her baby brothers alone. Needing to find them food to survive, Pia makes a difficult and life-changing choice that will haunt her forever. Across the street from Pia lives Bernice Groves. Bernice has recently lost her husband to the war and her baby boy to the flu. Wracked with grief, Bernice makes a shocking decision that sets her on path of unconscionable behavior that profoundly influences many lives around her. My heart was in my throat as I followed their emotional and dramatic story. The characters were wonderfully-portrayed. Despite the tragic circumstances she faced again and again, Pia’s courage and resiliency never faltered. I was completely immersed in this powerful and timely novel and couldn’t put it down. I have read and loved previous books by Ellen Marie Wiseman, but THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR is my new favorite. I most highly recommend this compelling and thought-provoking book. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

"In the fall of 1918, thirteen-year-old Pia Lange longs to be far from Philadelphia’s overcrowded streets and slums, 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."

Put this one on your TBR, it's a must read. Showing the fears and mindsets of that era, this very readable story has interesting characters and a believable story.

4.25 stars

Read if you: Want a heartbreaking and compelling story set against the 1918 flu epidemic.

Reading this in the age of COVID-19 was quite an experience; definitely would have been reacted to it differently if this had been published six months earlier. The devastation, fear, and chaos surrounding the epidemic was candidly brought to life, as was the anti-German (and anti-immigrant in general) sentiment at the time. Pia is a beautifully created character, and the ending is quite satisfying.

I wish Ellen Marie Wiseman had expanded her author's note a little bit, especially with regard to the "orphan trains" at the time. But that's a minor complaint.



Librarians/booksellers: Your historical fiction fans will be enthralled. A definite purchase.

Many thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have read many books set against the background of an orphanage but was intrigued because this one is during the Spanish Influenza pandemic that killed so many men, women and children in 1918-1920. This is not the typical abused children story that you find in most historical/women's fiction these days. The conditions in the orphanage are not the focus of the story, the people involved in this traumatic era where WWI sets the right conditions for a pandemic to roar out of control are center stage at all times.
Pia Lange is a 13yr old girl who can sense illness in those she touches. This causes her to shy away from any type of physical connection. Her family is German immigrants in a time when they were not welcome in any type of society. They live in a section of Philadelphia that is predominately immigrants, poor immigrants. Living conditions are not good and then her father joins the Army to prove his loyalty to America, leaving his family to fend as best they can. Then the flu pandemic hits.
The Orphan Collector is a bigoted woman who manages to send as many immigrant children, orphans or not, out of Philly in the belief she is bettering her community. How Pia's path crosses hers is a uniquely told story of bad luck that never runs out. But, there is a happy ending.....so just stick in there!

This was a story which is tremendously relevant given our time in history. It’s about a young Philadelphian girl who experienced devastation during the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic. Some of the situations are all too familiar and it’s interesting to see how in some ways we’ve learned so much, and in other ways we haven’t.

Pia is a 14 year old girl who undergoes much loss and heartache as a result of this epidemic. As she goes through some terrible times, I found myself rooting for her and interested in how it would all turn out. The characters were a little one dimensional and either all good or all bad. The book is written simply and much of it is predictable. It is a fast read which grabbed me in the middle of the book, just when I was going to put it down. I’m glad I finished it because it did get better.

I have read all of Ellen Marie Wiseman's book and this one does not disappoint!! The story was captivating and shows human resilience. The author truly captures the time period and shows what life was like during the 1918 pandemic. Would definitely recommend!!

Thank you to netgalley.com for the opportunity to read this galley. It is the first novel I have read from Ellen Marie Wiseman and it did not disappoint. I read this book during a Pandemic. I finished this book as the riots surrounding the murder of George Floyd began. Yet the book is so engrossing it allows you to lose yourself in the story. Do take a second to read the author's notes at the end of the book. You can do this before you read the story without any spoilers running the story. Do so especially if you are not familiar with Pandemic of 1918.

Pia Lange lives in a very poor area of Philadelphia, a city which was slammed by the 1918 'flu." Her father is serving in the war and Pia attends school and helps her mother with her infant twin brothers. The family immigrated from Germany and her mother is insistent in keeping this information from neighbors and other dwellers in their apartment building. Pia is bullied at school, but finds a friend in Finn. It isn't long before the epidemic finds it way into Pia's own home and takes her mother's life. Pia is a 13 year old girl who is now charged with caring for her baby brother's. Children all over the city have been left orphaned. Hospitals are overrun with the sick and dying. Children are herded into orphanages which do not have the resources to adequately care for them.

Meanwhile, Pia has little money, little food, no other family, but a huge heart and determination to keep her brothers and herself alive. Then Pia herself is stricken by the flu and from there the story takes off.

When you read this book during a Pandemic it takes on a very different tone. Aside from the beautifully crafted story, one draws parallels between how a deadly disease boars its way though the population in 1918 and again just over 100 years later. It is both overwhelmingly sad and inspiring.

I was lucky enough to get an Advanced Reader Edition of this book and I devoured it! Ellen Marie Wiseman took a tragic historical setting and brought this story to life within it.
During the Spanish Flu, Pia Lange is a 13 year old girl who is faced with the difficult task of caring for her twin infant brothers, but as they run out of food, she leaves them for a few hours and things go wrong. She gets terribly sick, and cannot get back home for days. Once she makes it back, she finds them missing. Now Pia ends up on a mission to find out what happened to her brothers and will not give up. Pia ends up meeting a woman, calling herself a nurse and does not trust this woman, something does not seem right with her. Pia has to come to face her shame from that day of leaving her brothers and put the pieces of her life together.
I loved this book so much and Pia was a well rounded character that was faced with such a difficult decision. My heart broke for her. At the beginning of the book I thought Bernice was going to be a good person and do things for the right reasons, but was quickly shown her ugliness with her choices.
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book early for an advanced reader copy!