Review of An Orphan's Journey

[Oyedeji Okikioluwa]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "An Orphan's Journey" by Dan Martin.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

A little triggering, a little meditation, and a little research are all it takes to bring back memories. The 33-chapter novel, An Orphan's Journey by Dan Martin, talks about an orphan's picaresque. It discusses the themes of adventure, child abuse, bully, and others.

After twelve years old Patrick Price's shelter was ripped apart, he was taken into the Ross Flats orphanage. There, he met David, who became his best friend and confidant. They embark on numerous adventures together, including getting Thomas Hawk back home. He also met Peggy in the orphanage. Peggy gave him an inkling of his past life which he had forgotten. This made him want to find out more. In the meantime, Jesse, who works for children's aid, met Patrick and David while with a fortune-teller who foretold gold, riches, and pain on the former. He got interested in Patrick's issue and offered to help. How authentic do you think the fortune teller's verdict and Peggy's story are? Read this book to find out the adventures, who, and what Patrick turned out to be.

The plot of the book was well developed. The book was written from two perspectives, Jesse's and Patrick's. Each chapter was titled after either of them, and such person narrated events in that chapter. It felt more like storytelling which made the book more interesting. Each character played their role perfectly.

Thomas Hawk is my favorite character. I love his calmness during his stay in the orphanage, even when he was wrongly accused. I see him as one with a lot of wisdom and experience. This he showed in times like when David and Patrick went to the detention home to rescue him and how he had been preparing equipment he would use to escape when the time comes. My favorite parts of the book were those times the replica 'Jesus key' was used. It makes me remember its origin, which does not cease to make me smile.

Even though Patrick and most of the author characters were not honest in their dealings, the book taught some morals such as decisiveness, self-control, and hope. It also treated critical contemporary issues like abuse, psychological disorder, orphans, and their ordeal. All these positive points, coupled with the fact that I found just two minor errors that show professional editing, are the drive I use in giving this book a rating of four out of four stars. I recommend this book to lovers of adventures and picaresque.

There was nothing to dislike in the book. The plot is exciting, and I enjoy it. I must warn you to make out considerable time before starting to read this book as it is hard to drop once you begin.

******
An Orphan's Journey
View: on Bookshelves

[Kavita Shah]

This story sounds realistic and deals with the delicate topic of child abuse. I would like to read it and learn about the adventure of Thomas. Thank you for a great review!

[Miriam nkere]

What a catchy book about kids and their believes. I got me wanting to read it, good review.

[Becca Olsson]

This sounds like it’ll tug at your heartstrings. I’d be very interested to know if he finds out more about his past. Thanks for the great review