Interesting read considering we are living in similar times with the coronavirus.
In 1918, Pia Lange is a thirteen year old German immigrant, trying to find her place in Philadelphia. Her father left for the war, and she is helping her mother with her baby brother twins when she is not in school. Pia still does not understand why they moved to the city. She loved the wild outdoors, but the coal mines were unsafe for father, so they came here for a better opportunity.
They are headed to the Liberty Loan parade and Pia doesn't have a good feeling about this, at all. She begs her mother to stay home, but she won't allow it. There are thousands of people packed along the sides of the street and with every person Pia bumps into, she feels more and more sickness and fear. Why did they have to come out to this anyways, there's rumors of a deadly sickness.
Days later, Philadelphia is ravaged with the Spanish flu, it is spreading faster than anyone thought. Hospitals are full, there are not enough doctors and nurses and there are tons of make shift places being setup for those who are sick. They are asking anyone willing to help, to help in any way possible. Everything is shut down. Schools, churches, public places and it seems no one is safe. Pia wishes her father would come home.
They run out of food, and finally Pia makes a decision that she has to go out in search of something or they will all starve. They have used everything possible in their apartment and there's no other option at this point. She wakes up days later in a make shift hospital. This can't be! What happened? Where are her brothers, how come she didn't just go back when she started to feel ill? Pia is besides herself, and just when she thinks it can't get any worse, she finds herself being put in an orphanage.
Bernice Groves has lost her son to the flu, and husband to the War. She has nothing to live for anymore and wishes the flu would claim her as well. She can't bear to go on. Then she makes a hasty decision and it changes her life forever. She does what she feels is helping clean up the streets. She thinks she has found her calling. She helps immigrant children find their way to orphanages, or onto trains heading west to help work farms. In her mind, they are the ones who brought this flu. They took her father's job from him, and they should have been the ones killed in War, not her husband. Bernice is seen as an angel at these orphanages, helping to clean up the streets and place babies. Little does anyone know her true intentions behind it all.
Pia is stuck at the orphanage for years, until she is finally released as a maid to a doctor and his wife who need help with the four children. Pia is scared and unsure what is going to happen to her now. She still is haunted years later by what happened to her brother's and is determined to find them somehow. She soon settles in with the Hudson's and finds that she is being given a good life. She never has to want for food, warmth, or clothing again. They treat her as if she is one of their own.
A tragedy strikes the Hudson's and some of the truth of Pia comes out. She is fearful she will be turned out to the street, but instead they embrace her even more. When the truth of everything comes tumbling out, they feel terrible Pia has been burdening this on her small shoulder for so long and agree to help find her brothers if they can. Dr. Hudson has some contacts he can reach out to, to see what he can find.
Someone from Pia's past shows up somewhat unexpectedly. Pia not remembering her at first, but with the help of an old friend finds out that this person may be the one who holds the key to her bothers, and what happened to them. Thank you to the author and Bookish First for the arc! I was very excited to read this, considering we are dealing with a virus again and living some of the same as they did.
They are headed to the Liberty Loan parade and Pia doesn't have a good feeling about this, at all. She begs her mother to stay home, but she won't allow it. There are thousands of people packed along the sides of the street and with every person Pia bumps into, she feels more and more sickness and fear. Why did they have to come out to this anyways, there's rumors of a deadly sickness.
Days later, Philadelphia is ravaged with the Spanish flu, it is spreading faster than anyone thought. Hospitals are full, there are not enough doctors and nurses and there are tons of make shift places being setup for those who are sick. They are asking anyone willing to help, to help in any way possible. Everything is shut down. Schools, churches, public places and it seems no one is safe. Pia wishes her father would come home.
They run out of food, and finally Pia makes a decision that she has to go out in search of something or they will all starve. They have used everything possible in their apartment and there's no other option at this point. She wakes up days later in a make shift hospital. This can't be! What happened? Where are her brothers, how come she didn't just go back when she started to feel ill? Pia is besides herself, and just when she thinks it can't get any worse, she finds herself being put in an orphanage.
Bernice Groves has lost her son to the flu, and husband to the War. She has nothing to live for anymore and wishes the flu would claim her as well. She can't bear to go on. Then she makes a hasty decision and it changes her life forever. She does what she feels is helping clean up the streets. She thinks she has found her calling. She helps immigrant children find their way to orphanages, or onto trains heading west to help work farms. In her mind, they are the ones who brought this flu. They took her father's job from him, and they should have been the ones killed in War, not her husband. Bernice is seen as an angel at these orphanages, helping to clean up the streets and place babies. Little does anyone know her true intentions behind it all.
Pia is stuck at the orphanage for years, until she is finally released as a maid to a doctor and his wife who need help with the four children. Pia is scared and unsure what is going to happen to her now. She still is haunted years later by what happened to her brother's and is determined to find them somehow. She soon settles in with the Hudson's and finds that she is being given a good life. She never has to want for food, warmth, or clothing again. They treat her as if she is one of their own.
A tragedy strikes the Hudson's and some of the truth of Pia comes out. She is fearful she will be turned out to the street, but instead they embrace her even more. When the truth of everything comes tumbling out, they feel terrible Pia has been burdening this on her small shoulder for so long and agree to help find her brothers if they can. Dr. Hudson has some contacts he can reach out to, to see what he can find.
Someone from Pia's past shows up somewhat unexpectedly. Pia not remembering her at first, but with the help of an old friend finds out that this person may be the one who holds the key to her bothers, and what happened to them. Thank you to the author and Bookish First for the arc! I was very excited to read this, considering we are dealing with a virus again and living some of the same as they did.