A Riveting Look at the Orphan Train from Historical Novelist Jody Hedlund
When a financial crisis in 1850s New York leaves three orphaned sisters nearly destitute, the oldest, Elise Neumann, knows she must take action. She’s had experience as a seamstress, and the New York Children’s Aid Society has established a special service: placing out seamstresses and trade girls. Even though Elise doesn’t want to leave her sisters for a job in Illinois, she realizes this may be their last chance.
The son of one of New York City’s wealthiest entrepreneurs, Thornton Quincy faces a dilemma. His father is dying, and in order to decide which of his sons will inherit everything, he is requiring them to do two things in six months: build a sustainable town along the Illinois Central Railroad, and get married. Thornton is tired of standing in his twin brother’s shadow and is determined to win his father’s challenge. He doesn’t plan on meeting a feisty young woman on his way west, though.
Editorial Reviews for With You Always
- Publisher’s Weekly: “Christy Award–winner Hedlund (For Love and Honor) crafts an enjoyable first installment of the Orphan Train Series, about the women involved with the 19th-century movement to resettle orphaned children from the crowded East Coast slums to the Midwest. Hedlund’s Cinderella story, shedding light on the hardships women faced in both the East Coast cities and the developing West in the 1850s, is a pleasant romance with plenty of twists to keep readers engaged until the final page.”
- Booklist: “Hedlund has effectively captured the hopelessness, volatility, and uncertainty of the times in the first book in her Orphan Train series, a heart-stirring story of survival and love filled with memorable characters.” — Shelley Mosley, Starred review
- RT Book Reviews: “The first book in the Orphan Train series features a sweet yet intense romance that builds between a young woman devoted to truth and honor and a rich man just learning the reality that exists outside of his comfortable life. This title is engaging and heartening.”
- Christian Market: “This book is a powerful and historically grounded story about finding your own strength and worth through faith. It is a wonderful read for fans of Elizabeth Camden.”
Reviews for With You Always
- Amy: “I found this story riveting. I could not put it down. So many twists and turns and surprises along the way. New issues are brought to light, and left unsolved, and I am anticipating that we will have more to come from the Neumann sisters as the series continues.”
- Chesney: “The author has a way of pulling you in and never wanting to leave. Great job!”
- Rane: “Jody Hedlund works always show the strength in the human spirit. She never preaches to the reader, she shows the reader the bad and good in life she doesn’t stray from the harshness of life, but shows the one can overcome the bad. “
- Vicki: ““With You Always” transported me to a time in America’s history of which I am not well-versed. Kudos to Jody Hedlund for writing another novel that is a joy to read! I am looking forward to reading her subsequent books in this series.”
- Janice: “I found this book to be beautifully written and very enjoyable. I liked the historical aspect and the look into the desperate conditions many faced at that time. It was easy to love the characters and to become caught up in their stories……a very satisfying read.”
- Abbi: “I absolutely love this author’s ability to make the more obscure parts of history come alive on the page.”
- Reading is My Superpower: “With You Always by Jody Hedlund should be read with a box of tissues for the characters who go soul-deep and a fan for Thornton-in-love. This poignant novel will leave readers with a new appreciation for the marginalized in our nation’s history – and today – and it may prompt some soul-reflection as well. The message that God holds us close in our most hopeless moments is integrated into the story with both grace and truth.”
Gallery
My Fabulous Readers
My Readers’ Creations
Goodreads
Authorgraph
A great way for Jody to sign your e-book copy of With You Always
