Discovery

Discovery by Sherry A. Burton. An very interesting historical fiction story based on facts and journals. I definitely recommend this book even though the book is sad at times. Any child going on an orphan train not knowing what to expect or if they are going to have a better life and are threatened that they are going to be sent back if things do not work out.

Discovery is an excellent historical novel, covering the main protagonist Melita's time in a NYC orphanage between January 1921 and the journey on the orphan train in which Melita and her 13 dear friends were among the hundreds of homeless children who traveled to the west in 1924 in hopes of finding a forever home. Melita and Tobias detrained at the first official adoption stop in Detroit, Melita to a joyful adoption by a sweet couple, and Tobias to escape back to the streets. The balance of their lives in Detroit, 1924-1939, are covered in grandmother Mabel's journal entries, Inherited and read by Cindy, daughter of Paul, and her mother Linda, Paul's widow. The mystery that ties all of these lives together is an intricate knot of pain and family secrets that are slowly unraveled for us.

This is a fast read, a book I could not put aside. Mary Burton is an author to follow, one I am happy to recommend to friends and family.

I received a free electronic copy of this historical novel on December 22, 2018 from Netgalley, Sherry A Burton and Dorry Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

4 stars

Cindy has been paying on a storage unit for two years. Her mother was paying on the storage unit for five years before then. Cindy finally decides to clear out the junk in it during her summer break from teaching school. Her mother Linda is still suffering from the loss of her husband two years earlier and rarely leaves the house. The house belonged to Linda’s mother-in-law who passed some seven years ago. Mildred was a very cold woman and never showed Cindy or Linda any affection or caring. But she left the house and its contents to Cindy. Cindy finds what she thinks is a particularly ugly doll that rattles. Inside she finds a key…

And so begins our tale…

Mileta was left at an orphanage by her mother when she was a young girl. Her mother was very ill, but Mileta did not understand the circumstances. She was both terrified and awed by the “asylum” as the children called it. She meets Mary and they become fast friends. She meets many other children, all of whom have been abandoned by their parent or parents.

Several years later some of the children are taken to a train for a ride to Detroit. It is about 1924. On the way, Mileta meets a boy by the name of Tobias who later figures largely in the story.

This book is the story of Mileta, who becomes Cindy’s grandmother Mildred. It is both a tragic and heartwarming tale of love, loss, fear and triumph. This is the story of the Orphan Trains and the fact that those who rode them were reluctant to speak of them. (The Orphan Trains really did happen.) It is Mileta/Mildred’s story.

This book is beautifully written and speaks mainly of the human will to survive through all manner of tragedy. It is well written and plotted. It goes back and forth between the present and begins in the early 1920’s with Mileta’s story. I was entranced, almost unable to put it down at bedtime. I truly enjoyed this little novel. It was my first Sherry Burton book and I immediately went to Amazon to look for others of her books.

I want to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review.

I really enjoyed this book. The story kept the reader interested by making the past come to life and shedding light on a relative's past life . Even thought the relative has passed away, her aloof coldness could never be explained or understood. Until , her journals are found telling all the secrets of a life that was anything but dull and ordinary. Surviving , loving and loss all being apart of a life that she shares and explains after she is gone.

This book had me at the heartstrings right from the get-go. I am drown to everything published about the orphan trains. When I saw this title, I could not wait to read Sherry Burton's novel. This book is one you will read long into the night. I did not want to put it down.
In this first book of Sherry's series,The Orphan Train Saga, there are so many lessons on love, loyalty, relationships, forgiveness, and just surviving.
It begins in a storage locker. Cindy More is finally purging and cleaning out Grandma's things. They have been paying on the locker for 7 years. First her Mom for the first five years and now Cindy for two more. Cindy plans to sell some items and recoup the money spent on the locker. Like the organized person that Cindy is, she has made three separate pills. There is the keep pile, the donate pile, and a throw away pile. On her first go around, there is little that she is keeping, a lot that she is donating and quite a few things she plans on tossing.
Quit unexpectedly, Cindy uncovers some of her grandmother's secrets. The more she learns, the more she wants to know about grandmother's past.
This is a page-turner. If you are like me, you will want more when you read that last page. The Discovery works well as a stand alone book. I understand Sherry, at this time, is planing eighteen of these wonderful books to this series. You will want to read them in order, so you do not miss anything.
I highly recommend this sad but interesting novel.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher Dorry Press through NetGalley. The opinions in this review are my own.

A little history of the Orphan train and one of the children on it and how her life turned out.
It all starts with Cindy cleaning out her grandmothers storage locker and finding out the truth about her grandmother and why she was like she was.
Voluntarily reviewed.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of Discovery (Orphan Train Saga, Book 1). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First, I must say that as soon as I finished Discovery (Orphan Train Saga Book 1), I wished there was more! So I am very glad that it was only the first of a series. I loved everything about this novel.
I had no prior knowledge about this atrocious period of American history...and I always love a solid historical fiction that inspires me to do some research of my own. This notion was initially mind blowing to me. I assumed the premise was fabricated. No such cruelty or insensitivity to orphaned children should be true, right? (I guess it makes sense however, since our government can be completely twisted at times.)

That being said, this is a beautifully executed story within a story. A mother/daughter duo begins reading a hidden family set of journals which is juicy enough to begin with...Then add in all the secrets held by the notebooks--which made the book quite difficult to stop reading. (Read it when it can be done all in one sitting--if possible.). There were moments of despair and moments of joy (fewer of these). Both the present day and historical characters were wonderfully real. This author's craft is impeccable.
I was really hoping to have a glimpse of Mildred's husband's journals...so my fingers are crossed that his will be the next installment! With so many characters introduced, the series possibilities are virtually endless, and I will eagerly await them all!l!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sherry A. Burton for the ARC!

Oh my!! There is one thing that I can relate to in this beautiful story and that is adoption.
Adoption is a beautiful thing. I'm not ashamed of who I am or who raised me. To me those are my real parents!
I loved this story because
1 it was different than what I am used to reading. I felt like I was looking at Michigan back then through the eyes of a young girl who was amazed at everything she saw while on the train.
2. What a wonderful time to be loving in as we saw all of the different things being invented!! How must it feel to be riding in your very first motor car or seeing something new for the first time.
3. It was a sad kind of story too.
It wasn't anyone's but her fault for losing out on so many things!! People are meant to be loved! Not taken for granted. But yet, at the same time I understood.
4. I had a grandma too. When she passed at first I had an extremely hard time going through her things. She had many interesting stuff and so did my grandfather. I miss my grandparents. The stories they could tell!! Too bad they weren't written down!!
Grandparents are a cool thing to have!! Even though I was adopted I still loved them and they loved me.
I loved that my grandparents also lived during the dust bowl years even though they didn't really tell that story.
Oh and just for the record you'd better have some tissues next to you. I sniffled some and snickered as well.
I stayed up most of the night to finish this book because it was so good!! And best of all it's a very clean read!!
I can't wait for y'all to read this cool book!!
I received a copy from Netgalley and no compensation were received. All opinions are my own!!
A definite 5 or more stars for sure!!

Cindy Moore is on summer break and after having inherited her grandmother's house where she now lives thinks it is time to clean out the storage unit she has Mildred Moore's past stored. Cindy has always wondered why her grandmother could not show any love to the family. She finds a doll at the unit with a key inside her and a note to look for a box under the floorboards in the attic. This takes her down the road of her Mildred's past and she has written everything about her life until after she was married to Grandpa Howard. She was sent on the "Orphan Train" which Cindy and her mother knew nothing about until they read the journals hidden in the attic. It is a fascinating story and one they wished they had know long ago.

A very interesting historical fiction story. I definitely recommend this book even though the book is sad at times. Thank you Sherry A. Burton for this wonderful book.

Delightful story, well written, based on a fascinating piece of history - the orphan trains. I read it quickly and I bet you will too! The character development is awesome and it leaves you a little less critical of others and a little more curious about what may have happened in their life that left them hurt or afraid.

Discovery, the first installment to The Orpahn Train Saga, is a good read. I can not wait to read the next book in the saga. Four stars.

I gave this book a 5 out of 5 star review. It was an enjoyable and I would recommend. to others. Generously provided to me through NetGalley

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
A wonderful insight to horrific atrocities committed it's hard to read at times as it really pulls at the heart strings can highly recommend this book to family and friends I have went on and bought the others in this series that's how good it is

If you have never read anything about the orphan trains, this book is a good introduction to the subject. The trains were used to transport orphan children to areas in the United States where they stood a better chance at adoption and a permanent home. Be warned, any trip into this history is an emotional one.
After avoiding the "job" of going through her grandmother's things, Cindy decides to use her spring break to clear out and separate the things stored in a shed for seven years. As she works through a lifetime of keepsakes, she discovers a key that will open her grandmother's secrets. The book moves into her grandmother's life in an orphanage and her trip on the orphan train with the friends and "family" she has found in her new life. Her grandmother's adoption was a successful, loving home. Not so for all of the orphans on the train. As Cindy finds out more of her grandmother's life, she realizes that what she thought she knew about her grandmother was far from the truth.
Make sure you have your hankies close, you'll need them. I'm going to reread this book in a couple of weeks to see what I missed. I'm also going to see what else I can find by Sherry Burton. Her writing made the book seem as if she was sitting next to me telling me a great story.

Discovery is the first installment of The Orpahn Train Series, which I loved. I cannot wait to read the next book.
This book is the story of Mileta, who becomes Cindy’s grandmother Mildred. It is both a tragic and heartwarming tale of love, loss, fear and triumph. This is the story of the Orphan Trains and the fact that those who rode them were reluctant to speak of them.

Thank you to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and Sherry A. Burton for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Orphan trains stories are all so sad, even when they have happy endings. Just a tragic time in history. Sherry Burton has a new take on the stories of children, using journals to tell the tales of children who rode the trains and found, (or didn't find) new families. She tells their tales, for better or worse. This seems to be the first of 18 books. So anyone interested in these stories is sure to find a few that appeal.