Publisher's Description
"Despite years on the run, Sophie Neumann is determined to care for two
young children. She won't abandon them the way she thinks her older
sisters abandoned her. But times are growing desperate, and when she
falls in with the wrong crowd and witnesses a crime, she realizes
fleeing 1850s New York is her only option.
Disappearing with her
two young charges into a group of orphans heading west by train, Sophie
hopes to find safety and a happy life. When the train stops in Illinois
for the first placement of orphans, Sophie faces the most difficult
choice of her life.
Reinhold Weiss has finally purchased his own
small farm. With mounting debts, a harvest to bring in, and past scars
that haunt him, he's in no position to give his heart away . . . but can
he say no when his long-lost friend shows up on a nearby train pleading
for his help?"
My Review
Searching
for You, by Jody Hedlund, is the third and final book in
the Orphan Train series. Even though I haven’t yet read the first two books in
the series, I had no trouble jumping right into this story and enjoying it
thoroughly. If you’re like me and haven’t had a chance to read the two novels
that preceded Searching for You, don’t
let that stop you from reading this book as soon as possible!
Searching
for You is an engaging novel that is well-researched, skillfully
written, and thoroughly filled with heart and hope. From start to finish, this
book captivated my attention. The settings, characters, and themes are
engrossing and relevant. The characters are very well-developed, and they possess
an authentic vulnerability that makes them utterly relatable and unforgettable.
Their struggles, insecurities, and fears are truly believable, and I often had
to remind myself I was reading a work of fiction.
Searching
for You is a story of faith, hope, second chances, and new
beginnings. It is a novel that artfully
balances hope and despair, perseverance and struggle, and faithfulness and
uncertainty. With great skill, Ms. Hedlund explores shame, rejection, and loss.
Yet, this journey through and beyond hurt and heartache is significantly
strengthened and uplifted by meaningful moments of grace and gentle reminders
that forgiveness, healing, reconciliation, and restoration are made possible
through the reality of God’s mercy and unconditional love.
Searching
for You is tender, emotionally stirring, and ultimately
uplifting. It is a novel that I will not soon forget. The impact it has had on
my thoughts and on my heart is sure to be a lasting one. Searching for You is thought-provoking and moving, and I recommend
it wholeheartedly.
*I was given a copy of this novel from the
publisher. A review was not required. The review I have written contains
opinions that are entirely my own.
My Reflection
Forgiveness and reconciliation are powerful themes
within Searching for You. Yet, this novel
does not diminish the frustrations and uncertainties the characters must endure
as they struggle to heal, recover, forgive, and restore. The characters wrestle
with their assumptions and their choices. They face consequences from their decisions
and actions. As they persevere through trials, they become more tender-hearted,
more compassionate, and more gracious towards themselves and others.
Ultimately, their faith grows as they learn to trust that their uncertain
future is held securely in the hands of a loving, merciful God.
The historical realities and situations presented in
Searching for You reflect
meaningfully upon the fact that God is the ultimate restorer who can fashion
beautiful things out of the broken and damaged pieces of our lives. With
unconditional love and infinite grace, he softens and heals painful memories
and experiences, redeeming them and remaking them into moments that yield
purpose and value. I found it very profound and thought-provoking to journey
with the characters in this book as they found the healing, forgiveness, and
restoration which their hearts so desperately needed.
About the Author
"
Jody Hedlund is the author of over twenty
historicals for both adults and teens and is the winner of numerous
awards including the Christy, Carol, and Christian Book Award.
Jody lives in central Michigan with her husband, five busy children, and five spoiled cats." --Biography from Jody Hedlund's author page on Amazon.com
Book-Related Q & A with Author Jody Hedlund
What is the inspiration behind your orphan
train series?
I have long been fascinated by
the era of the Orphan Trains and the heart-wrenching stories of the homeless
and helpless young orphans that were taken from eastern cities and shipped west
by the dozens. I was familiar with stories of those scared orphans who were
placed out in what was thought to be a more wholesome, healthy environment of
the newly settled Mid-Western states. Some of the orphans found happy endings and
were adopted into loving families. Others experienced great abuse and heartache
in their new homes.
While stories of the orphans
who rode the trains have been told—and rightly so—the stories of the women who
were involved in the movement are not as well known. One of the things I
particularly like to do when telling my stories, is focus on women who have
been overlooked by the pages of history. I consider it a great privilege to be
able to bring forgotten women to life for our modern generation. Thus, throughout
this series, I’ll be focusing each book on a different aspect of the Orphan
Train movement, particularly from the perspective of women who experienced
riding the trains in one form or another.
How
did you come up with the idea for the third book in the series, Searching For You?
With You Always,
the first book in the series, centers around adult women who rode the orphan
trains in a special limited placement for homeless and jobless women. The
second book, Together Forever, depicts the
orphan train experience through the eyes of placing agents who worked for the
Children’s Aid Society.
Since the first two books view
the orphan train movement from the lenses of grown women, in the third book I
wanted to find a way to give the perspective directly from an orphan. However,
in my initial planning, I wasn’t quite sure how to pull off an orphan’s view
since my heroines are always adults.
As I wrestled through how to
accomplish this third perspective, I crafted a young woman who was coming of
age and could pose as one of the older orphan train children who were in high
demand because of their ability to help contribute to the heavy workloads of
families struggling to survive in the farming communities of the Mid-West.
Is Searching For You a stand-alone or
does it tie in with the other books in the series?
Each of the three books
involves one of the Neumann sisters introduced in the free ebook novella, An Awakened Heart. While the
novella and the full length novels can be read as a stand-alones, I suggest
reading them in order, especially to have a greater appreciation for each
sister’s journey as well as to make the third book more meaningful.
What special research did you do in writing Searching
For You?
I gleaned a great deal of valuable
information from a well-researched book, Orphan
Trains, by Stephen O’Connor. He paints a vivid picture of what life was
like for orphans in the nineteenth century in the immigrant slums of New York
City. He says that between twenty to thirty percent of children became orphans
before the age of fifteen. That’s roughly one in four children.
A large number of children were
considered “half-orphans” because they’d lost one parent and the other wasn’t
capable of providing for them adequately. If other relatives couldn’t help, the
orphans ended up in asylums or living out on the street taking care of
themselves. Asylums, like the Infant’s Hospital on Randall’s Island, typically
lost around seventy percent of the children who went to live there due to
unsanitary and overcrowded conditions.
Overall, O’Connor’s book with its
many stories of orphans and their experiences allowed me to ride the orphan
trains with them and feel their fear, anxiety, excitement, and even sorrow.
What was the goal of the orphan train movement?
The Children’s Aid Society hoped to
make a difference in the lives of children through what was called its
“Emigration Plan” which is now known as the orphan train movement. Similar to
the indenture system that had been used since the founding of the nation, the
Emigration Plan sought to reform poor children by placing them in respectable
homes where they would be influenced by godly Christian parents.
In exchange for a home and basic
necessities, the children were expected to contribute to the family. Charles
Loring Brace, the founder of the Children’s Aid Society, idealized country
families, believing that the best homes were found in rural areas. He said,
“The cultivators of the soil are in America our most solid and intelligent
class.” Thus, the Emigration Plan worked relentlessly to take children away
from the “evil” vices of the city and place them in the more wholesome
influences of the country.
What challenges did you face in writing this particular story?
The placements weren’t always as
ideal as the Children’s Aid Society hoped. I attempted to portray a variety of
types of placement, giving light to both the positive and negative situations
the children faced. During my research, I found numerous stories of real
children who rode the trains, were adopted into loving families, and grew up to
appreciate their new homes and lives. I also read just as many tragic stories
of children who didn’t fare well, were placed in multiple homes, were abused,
and struggled to find fulfillment for the rest of their lives.
What
do you hope readers take away from Searching
For You?
I hope that readers gain a greater
awareness of just how difficult a time the nineteenth century was for so many
of our nation’s children. I also hope readers gain an appreciation for the many
families who opened their homes and hearts to homeless children. May their
example inspire us to do likewise.
Personal Q & A with Author Jody Hedlund
What essential ingredients do you
strive for in your novels to ensure an authentic love story emerges?
I
always try to incorporate the elements that I like to see in the romances I
read. That includes deep emotions that are birthed out of a character's past. I
also like to have a relationship that evolves organically throughout the book.
I try not to have my characters being antagonistic to one another the whole
book and then finally falling in love in the last chapter at the last minute. I
want the couple to move from friendship to falling in love gradually and to
have a growing attraction (with the sparks flying!) throughout the book.
At
the same time, however, I don't like to have the love relationship resolve too
early in the book. Readers don't want the "happily-ever-after" moment
to come until the end. So while the relationship is developing, it's important
to find ways to keep the couple from being fully together until the end.
What advice would you give to writing moms who are have their hearts set on
publication?
It is possible to juggle being a mom
and writing. It’s NOT easy, but it is
possible! If we set aside a little bit of time to write every day and make
ourselves just sit down and do it, then before we know it we’ll have completed
the first chapter, then the first half of the book, and finally we’ll have a
finished book in front of us.
My encouragement is to keep writing
(and learning about writing!). Don’t stop with the first book. Move on to the
next one. And the next one after that. It takes time to not only develop our
writing skill but to also find our break-in book.
What do you think is the most important quality it takes to be a successful
author?
One
of the key qualities in becoming a successful author is learning to be an
enthralling and captivating storyteller. Writers can (and should!) work on
improving their techniques—how to write good dialog, how to write tightly, how
to develop their characters, etc.
But
first and foremost, I think readers are looking for stories that blow them
away. At least as a reader, that’s what I long for!
Is there something you tell yourself before
writing?
Usually I tell myself to sit down, put my hands to the keyboard, and get
to work. I don't wait for inspiration or magical fairy dust to hit me before
writing. I just do it. Every day.
But I also always ask myself, what could make this story better? How can
I increase the tension? How can add more excitement? What can I do to make my
characters more likeable? I'm constantly challenging myself to make my story
more vibrant and alive.
Searching
For You is the fourth book you’ve released in 2018. How do you find time to
write so many books?
In
order to write four books a year, I plot out my writing schedule at the
beginning of the year so that I know how much time I need to budget in for each
book (including the first draft as well as editing). Once I have the overall
schedule, then I figure out how many words to write every week in order to stay
on track.
If you had a whole day to relax (and anything is
possible!) what would you do?
READ!! I absolutely love reading! When I find a really good
book, I have a hard time tearing myself away from it to get to sleep.
What are you working on next?
I’m
in the editing phase of the first book of a brand new series, A Reluctant Bride, which releases in
June of 2019 (next summer). The series is inspired by several
bride-ships that left England in the early 1860s and sailed to British Columbia
in Canada where there was a shortage of women. When the first bride-ship
arrived in Vancouver, hundreds of men lined the shores to greet them and be the
first to find a bride.
As I was researching this fascinating era,
questions kept surfacing. What kind of
woman would join a bride-ship? Why
would these women leave everything they knew to sail halfway around the world
for the purpose of becoming brides to men they didn’t know? I
hope you’ll join me in exploring the answers to these question as I delve into
my new series.
Do you have any parting words?
I love hearing
from readers! Make sure you stop by one of these places and say hello!
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