From the internationally bestselling author of What She Left Behind comes a gripping and powerful story of upheaval – a heartbreaking saga of resilience and hope perfect for fans of Beatriz Williams and Kristin Hannah – set in Philadelphia during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 – the deadly pandemic that went on to infect a third of the world's population…
In the fall of 1918, Pia Lange, a thirteen-year-old German immigrant, longs to be far from the crowded slums of Philadelphia and the anti-immigrant sentiment that drove her father to enlist in the U.S. Army. But as his town celebrates the end of the war, an even more urgent threat arises: the Spanish flu. Funeral crepes and quarantine signs appear on doors as victims drop dead in the streets and desperate survivors wear white masks to ward off illness. When food runs out in the cramped building where she lives, Pia must venture alone into the quarantined city in search of supplies, leaving her little brothers behind.
Bernice Groves has been plunged into grief and bitterness since her baby died of the Spanish flu. Seeing Pia leave her brothers alone, Bernice makes a shocking decision that will change her life. It becomes her sinister mission to tear families apart when they are most vulnerable, planning to turn the town's orphans and immigrant children into what she deems to be "real Americans."
Waking up in a makeshift hospital days after collapsing in the street, Pia can't wait to get home. Instead, she is taken to the St. Vincent Orphan Asylum – the first step in a long and arduous journey. As Bernice plots to hide the truth at all costs in the months and years that follow, Pia must confront her own shame and fear, risking everything to finally see justice – and love – triumph. Powerful, heartbreaking, and ultimately exhilarating, The Orphan Collector is a story of love, resilience, and the lengths we will go to protect those who need us most.
A first-generation German-American, Ellen Marie Wiseman discovered her love of reading and writing while attending first grade in one of New York's last one-room schoolhouses. She is a bestselling author whose novels have been translated into eighteen languages. His first novel, THE PLUM TREE, is loosely based on his mother's stories about growing up in Germany during the chaos of World War II. Bookbub named THE PLUM TREE one of thirteen books to read if you liked ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE. Ellen's second novel, WHAT SHE LEFT BEHIND, was named a Huffington Post Best Book of Summer 2015. Her third novel, COAL RIVER, was called "one of the most 'undeniable' books of 2015 » by The Historical Novel Review. Her fourth novel, THE LIFE SHE WAS GIVEN, was named a Women's National Book Association and National Reading Group Month A GREAT GROUP READS Selection and a Goodreads Best Book of the Month. Ellen lives on the shores of Lake Ontario with her husband and two spoiled Shih-tzus, Izzy and Bella. When she's not busy writing, she loves spending time with her children and grandchildren.
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