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The Orphan Collector
  • Published: 4 November 2020
  • ISBN: 9781496715869
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $39.99

The Orphan Collector

A Heroic Novel of Survival During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic

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A timely, powerful tale of resilience and hope amidst the 1918 influenza outbreak - the seemingly apocalyptic pandemic went on to infect one-third of the world's population, killing more Americans than WWI...

Instant New York Times Bestseller

From the internationally bestselling author of What She Left Behind comes a gripping and powerful tale of upheaval—a heartbreaking saga of resilience and hope perfect for fans of Beatriz Williams and Kristin Hannah—set in Philadelphia during the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak—the deadly pandemic that went on to infect one-third of the world’s population…

“Readers will not be able to help making comparisons to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how little has changed since 1918. Wiseman has written a touching tale of loss, survival, and perseverance with some light fantastical elements.” 
—Booklist

“An immersive historical tale with chilling twists and turns. Beautifully told and richly imagined.”
—Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author of America’s First Daughter

In the fall of 1918, thirteen-year-old German immigrant Pia Lange longs to be far from Philadelphia’s overcrowded slums and the anti-immigrant sentiment that compelled her father to enlist in the U.S. Army. But as her city celebrates the end of war, an even more urgent threat arrives: the Spanish flu. Funeral crepe 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 tenement she calls home, Pia must venture alone into the quarantined city in search of supplies, leaving her baby brothers behind.
 
Bernice Groves has become lost in grief and bitterness since her baby died from the Spanish flu. Watching Pia leave her brothers alone, Bernice makes a shocking, life-altering decision. It becomes her sinister mission to tear families apart when they’re at their most vulnerable, planning to transform the city’s orphans and immigrant children into what she feels are “true Americans.”
 
Waking in a makeshift hospital days after collapsing in the street, Pia is frantic to return home. Instead, she is taken to St. Vincent’s Orphan Asylum – the first step in a long and arduous journey. As Bernice plots to keep the truth hidden at any cost in the months and years that follow, Pia must confront her own shame and fear, risking everything to see justice – and love – triumph at last. Powerful, harrowing, and ultimately exultant, The Orphan Collector is a story of love, resilience, and the lengths we will go to protect those who need us most.

“Wiseman’s writing is superb, and her descriptions of life during the Spanish Flu epidemic are chilling. Well-researched and impossible to put down, this is an emotional tug-of-war played out brilliantly on the pages and in readers’ hearts.”
—The Historical Novels Review, EDITOR’S CHOICE
 
“Wiseman’s depiction of the horrifying spread of the Spanish flu is eerily reminiscent of the present day and resonates with realistic depictions of suffering, particularly among the poorer immigrant population.”
—Publishers Weekly (Boxed Review)
 
“Reading the novel in the time of COVID-19 adds an even greater resonance, and horror, to the description of the fatal spread of that 1918 flu.”
—Kirkus Review
 
“An emotional roller coaster…I felt Pia’s strength, courage, guilt, and grief come through the pages clear as day.”
—The Seattle Book Review
  • Published: 4 November 2020
  • ISBN: 9781496715869
  • Imprint: Kensington
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $39.99
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Also by Ellen Marie Wiseman

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook
The Plum Tree
What She Left Behind
The Life She Was Given
Coal River
See all

Praise for The Orphan Collector

Praise for Ellen Marie Wiseman

"Wiseman's blistering, moving and profound novel, set against the devastating backdrop of the 1918 Spanish flu, hones in on an extraordinary exploration of the plight of immigrants, as two very different women grapple with finding, keeping, and changing their place in the world. Absolutely amazing." -- Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author on THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR
"An immersive historical tale with chilling twists and turns. Set during the Spanish Flu epidemic in Philadelphia, this atmospheric novel explores the depravity to which some will sink in adversity, but it also illuminates the strength of family bonds and the resilience of the human heart. Beautifully told and richly imagined." - Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author on THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR
"Switching back and forth in time and narration from Lilly to Julia, Wiseman has crafted a can't-put-it-down novel of family secrets involving two young girls who only seek to be loved. Perfect for book clubs and readers who admired Sara Gruen's Like Water for Elephants." --Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW for The Life She Was Given
"Ellen Marie Wiseman gathers potent Gothic elements in The Life She was Given to examine the impact of child abuse across generations. A sumptuous plot balances horror and tenderness to reveal lesser-known facets of history... The Life She was Given is a vibrant maze of desires. The sharp divide between expectations and painful truths, mothers and daughters, past and present, culminate in a sensational finale." --ForeWord Reviews
"A powerful, poignant novel." --In Touch, Grade A for The Life She Was Given
"Wiseman excels at creating an atmosphere...Her characters are all vividly drawn and complex, especially Lilly's abusive mother, Coralline. But at the heart of Wiseman's tale of loss and redemption are Lilly and Julia, connected in spirit by their determination to overcome years of pain and sorrow. Fans of Karen White and Sara Gruen will be drawn in by the drama and mystery of Wiseman's novel." --BookPage on The Life She Was Given
"Intense and heartbreaking at times, but full of hope. The author's impeccable research into this era makes for a spot-on portrayal of a dark time in American history. Coal River [is] one of the most "unputdownable" books of 2015." --The Historical Novels Review, Editor's Choice

Praise for Ellen Marie Wiseman

"Wiseman's blistering, moving and profound novel, set against the devastating backdrop of the 1918 Spanish flu, hones in on an extraordinary exploration of the plight of immigrants, as two very different women grapple with finding, keeping, and changing their place in the world. Absolutely amazing." -- Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author on THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR
"An immersive historical tale with chilling twists and turns. Set during the Spanish Flu epidemic in Philadelphia, this atmospheric novel explores the depravity to which some will sink in adversity, but it also illuminates the strength of family bonds and the resilience of the human heart. Beautifully told and richly imagined." - Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author on THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR
"Switching back and forth in time and narration from Lilly to Julia, Wiseman has crafted a can't-put-it-down novel of family secrets involving two young girls who only seek to be loved. Perfect for book clubs and readers who admired Sara Gruen's Like Water for Elephants." --Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW for The Life She Was Given
"Ellen Marie Wiseman gathers potent Gothic elements in The Life She was Given to examine the impact of child abuse across generations. A sumptuous plot balances horror and tenderness to reveal lesser-known facets of history... The Life She was Given is a vibrant maze of desires. The sharp divide between expectations and painful truths, mothers and daughters, past and present, culminate in a sensational finale." --ForeWord Reviews
"A powerful, poignant novel." --In Touch, Grade A for The Life She Was Given
"Wiseman excels at creating an atmosphere...Her characters are all vividly drawn and complex, especially Lilly's abusive mother, Coralline. But at the heart of Wiseman's tale of loss and redemption are Lilly and Julia, connected in spirit by their determination to overcome years of pain and sorrow. Fans of Karen White and Sara Gruen will be drawn in by the drama and mystery of Wiseman's novel." --BookPage on The Life She Was Given
"Intense and heartbreaking at times, but full of hope. The author's impeccable research into this era makes for a spot-on portrayal of a dark time in American history. Coal River [is] one of the most "unputdownable" books of 2015." --The Historical Novels Review, Editor's Choice