Among the Fallen

by Virginia Frances Schwartz

Sixteen-year-old Orpha is imprisoned for crimes she did not commit, and harboring a terrible secret about her abuser, but an unusual invitation from Charles Dickens to live in a home for fallen women offers hope.

From the infamous Tothill prison, Orpha is haunted by recurring flashbacks of sexual abuse, neglect, exploitation, and the horrors of a Victorian workhouse, but she refuses to be crushed. Her heartbreaking yet inspiring story tells of the resilience and courage needed to make a new life for herself against all odds with the support of the amazing women of Urania cottage and the help of famous author Charles Dickens.

Fans of Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever 1793, Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace, and Katherine Paterson's Lyddie will enjoy this riveting historical fiction title. Schwartz's powerful prose speaks to the terrible things Orpha has endured yet celebrates the emotional and intellectual powers of young women.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, LGBT, Young Adult Historical Fiction, Teen, Abuse

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2019

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so deeply in love with that book! I hope it will be translated in German soon. I need like every edition of it *___*

[Izzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

not only was this queerbaiting, but it was also just really, really, really bad, and I'm gonna die mad about it.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Orpha was put in Victorian London's Tothill prison for prostitution when she was just 16. However, she wasn't a prostitute, she was a victim of sexual abuse. However, Orpha was a model prisoner and so was offered a chance to go to a refuge for girls called Urania upon her release. While there, she meets Charles Dickens who was one of the benefactors of the place.
An interesting look at the treatment of girls and prisoners during those times and also gives some insight into the life of Dickens. A bit predictable and there were some parts that dragged a bit, but overall a good read.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a 3.5 for me, and I am very glad this book was written. As anyone familiar with the Victorian era must surely know, the status of girls and women was precarious at first, often leavened by having a husband and financial means. It makes me shudder to imagine the plight of those without education or economic security. Often, they were forced to use illegal means--theft and prostitution--in order to survive. Just as often, some were preyed upon by those they should have been able to trust. This book follows the path of sixteen-year-old Orpha Wood, who found herself on the street after the death of her mother and then her father, who suffered from depression for a long period of time. Part of a theater family, Orpha is well-read and a talented actress in her own right. But when she is charged with theft and infanticide, there is nothing she can do to defend herself. The author begins the book after she's been in Tothill Prison for some time and then shows how she began to heal and imagine a bright future while living in Urania Cottage, a charity set up to give fallen women a chance to develop skills that they can use in making a better life for themselves far from London. With its strong feminist undertones, the book teases out Orpha's own fall from grace over the course of the book, holding back the true identity of her rapist until near the end, but always making it clear that she didn't really fall from grace but was pushed, if anything. Since Charles Dickens is one of the supporters of Urania along with philanthropist Angela Coutts, he makes several appearances in the book and inspire Orpha to tell her own story. The author does an excellent job of capturing the flavor of those times with vivid description and vocabulary, and while there is much to admire about Dickens' need to tell the stories of those who were suffering, he, too, had feet of clay and became involved with an eighteen-year-old girl while still married. I found the start of this book a bit daunting and wasn't clear about the relationship between Ivy and Orpha for awhile, but once Orpha left the prison, my interest quickened. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in history or the roles of women throughout various time periods or for someone who loves books celebrating the power of voice and holding others accountable. In its own small way, this book predates the #metoo movement, placing blame where it should be placed.

[Audrey Slaughter-Biello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, would give it a 3.5 if I could

[Gmr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually had a bit of a hard time getting into this one as Orpha is very much lost and her history is very slowly revealed, but once things take an upswing towards healing, it was golden. The hardships that these girls faced, the way their tormentors were allowed to get away with the most horrid of acts, the guilt that followed her every where she went...it was hard enough to read, let alone understand how she could bare it. It will certainly make you thankful for the advancements we've made in society and women's rights...and yet, it may very well have you looking at those very issues closer in our time and place to see if we've REALLY come as far as we think...


***ARC received for review; opinions are my own

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! We selected it for book club & it’s my first official read of 2020. A good start to the reading year. Even though Dickens was a side character, I feel like I learned a good bit about him. The story was heartbreaking but hopeful. Orpha is a character to root for.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review appears in the September, 2019, issue of ALAN Picks: https://www.alan-ya.org/alan-picks-se....

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Marriage alone offers shelter for women; it turns us into statues upon a shelf, like Mrs. Dickens. Yet Mr. Dickens goes where he pleases and does as he wishes."

This was a heartbreakingly powerful read about fallen women in Victorian London. The story follows Orpha, who begins the book in a prison for juvenile women who've committed crimes. Many women had resorted to prostitution or thievery to survive; many girls fell into situations that brought them to this prison, and their reputation would prevent them from living the typical life a woman of Victorian London would. Needless to say, life sucked for women during this era. They lived within strict confines, and to stray would deem one a fallen woman.

Anyway, this was great. Charles Dickens is a main character, and finds women in unfortunate circumstances and brings them to a home for a second chance. They go to a place to learn, and they have the opportunity to find a calling overseas, rather than be turned back to the streets and resort to crime again.

There was something unsettling about reading Orpha's story where Dickens has the girls "confess" their sins/stories to him, in order for them to move on. Orpha looks up to Dickens as a writer and inspiration, but there's nuance in how the girls rely on a man, who also falls to "sinful" ways, but yet does not suffer the same consequences a woman does. There's a critique of how society functions this way, and while the story takes place in the 1850s, it still holds meaning in today's society.

What I really loved about this book was the historical detail it took in. I've studied quite a bit of Victorian literature, and specifically studied Victorian "underworlds" so this was a really interesting story to dive into. I'd highly urge readers to read the Author's Note at the end, because it calls into account all the historical elements used to bring this story to life. This story is only partially fiction, while the rest remains a recreation of real events and characters.

I had some trouble getting totally invested at times, but I enjoyed this thoroughly overall.

Overall, I'd recommend this book for a Victorian lover, or someone looking to get their first glimpse into what this time was like.

*Thanks to Penguin Teen Canada for sending me a copy for an honest review!*

[Teresa Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Orpha is a prisoner in Tothill Prison during the Victorian Era in England. She and other young women are considered "fallen" though many of their supposed crimes are minor, if they occurred at all. Now they do menial labor, live in dank cells, and cannot communicate. Orpha lives in fear of the man whose actions put her there. Yet now she has been offered an amazing opportunity--to go to Urania Cottage where she will be treated well and trained, to be sent abroad to find work and redemption. Can she trust that this is true? One of those who helps facilitate the house is Charles Dickens, who pulls the girls' stories from them like so much thread to be woven into his own stories. From him Orpha learns much about the process of writing, but can she move on from the horrors that put her there in the first place? This is exceptional historical fiction, deeply researched and beautifully written. The author pulls readers into the lives of these girls, their hopes and fears, as seen through the eyes of one of their own. It is based on historical fact, and author's research into the charitable works of Angela Burdett-Coutts, Dickens' involvement, and Dickens' own life and views on writing is integral to the story. I put this book down both saddened and enlightened, and wishing to know more.

[Joann Sason · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book! This is a riveting story about a young woman forced to live in a kind of prison as punishment for getting pregnant out of wedlock. In fact, she had been raped and abused, and lived in a totally repressive society akin to the one in A Handmaid's Tale. The book is written from Orpha's, the protagonist's, point of view, and rings true. Orpha's struggle, and eventual liberation is aided by several people, one notably Charles Dickens. It is her process of growing and becoming that is so inspiring and uplifting. I recommend this beautiful book to people of all ages who care about the plight of oppressed women.

[Karleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* love the way it was written. I completely disagree with the “queer-baiting” people claim is in this book clearly know nothing about Victorian writing. Not every love means sexual love.

[Hannah]

This was extremely fascinating and extremely frustrating.

[Suzanne Eastman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historical fiction that combines the life of a young girl wrongly accused of a horrible crime and her time spent in the company of Mr. Charles Dickens.

[Erikka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orpha is imprisoned for killing her baby in the Dickensian England. The problem is, she didn't kill her baby and the punishment should have gone to her uncle who raped and impregnated her. After being released, she's taken to Urania, Charles Dickens' home for girls that deserve a second chance at life (which was real). While the plot is dark and fairly straightforward (and rather Dickensian), the characters are the true highlight and focus of the story. As Orpha meets girls in prison and then in Urania, you see them through her writer's eye. They are intricate portraits of mistreated women who break your heart, especially considering that any one of them could be the description of a woman today. It's a good read, not great as it lags in parts, but a good story overall.

[Sally]

A Booklist recommendation

[Barbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

When sixteen-year-old Orpha ends up homeless and then in prison she is introduced to a man curious to know her real story. Mr. Dickens turns out to be the famous author and she hopes her savior. Through her struggles and her writing she eventually reveals a truth too horrendous to speak aloud. Mature readers will be gripped by this historical fiction portraying the grittiest of the Victorian era and the courage and resilience of its poor.

[Deborah A. Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW OF AMONG THE FALLEN by VIRGINIA FRANCES SCHWARTZ

As a parent who purchases books for my children and participates in read alouds with them, I have previously enjoyed the historical fiction of VFSchwartz, a fellow Canadian author. Not only are my kids riveted by the characters and situations they find themselves in, but I am too. The poetic language, phrasing and the character’s hopes and dreams pull you in. Together, my family and I have discovered how history has shaped people’s lives just because they were born at a certain time and in a certain place. “If I Just Had Wings”, the story of a runaway slave, a previous award winner by Schwartz (Silver Birch etc.), has been our all-time favorite.

Now comes this novel for older YA readers and adult readers like myself. It comes at a timely moment in the women’s movement. It features a sexually abused girl who does not tell what happened to her, “so pale and so still, she could have been Marble”. Her story is a #MeToo movement one straight from the Victorian era, a period when most impoverished girls were doomed by the circumstances of their birth. This heroine not only survives but transcends. The novel’s message has inspired me and also the young adults in my family. An important read.

[Eliza Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is about a girl whose parents died when she was young and she got caught stealing while trying to support herself and survive. The book starts off while she is in prison and has been for a while. When she gets out she starts a group for young women who are struggling just like she once was, in hopes of giving them a better and brighter future and not ending up taking the same path that she once did. The book is really great for teaching about the roles of women in different time periods and how they faced adversary and overcame that. I think this book would be best taught in a classroom if used to explain feminism or maybe a unit that has the theme about strong women, or different minorities who faced oppression in the past. I personally wasn't a huge fan of the book just because historical books aren't really my thing, but overall the book was very engaging and kept me very intrigued throughout most of the book because there were many twists.

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complex novel marketed as YA but there is plenty there for older readers. Besides the details of Victorian London children in trouble is a biography of sorts for part of Charles Dickens' life. "Girls like us turn into his characters" muses Orpha, "That's why the characters in his novels fly into a reader's mind and cling there like ghosts. They were once somebody real; they once were alive like us." But that is only part of it; later, Dickens tells her he himself is in his characters.

As a side note, in the US there are many people who would like to dismantle what was built after the horrors of places like Victorian London with its work houses and zero safety net and unregulated economy. Does the human race really need to go back there?

[Jayden Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in LOVE with this book. I usually have problems reading a book, but once I picked this one up I didn’t want to put it down. The storyline was really good in my opinion. At times following characters was hard but as the book went it was easier. I’m a big nerd for historical fiction, so I did find it enjoyable. Little heads up though, it does start off a bit slow.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting YA historical novel set in Victorian London. Sixteen-year-old Orpha is imprisoned for crimes she did not commit, and harboring a terrible secret about her abuser, but an unusual invitation from author Charles Dickens to live in a home for fallen women offers hope.

[BunTheDestroyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to rate - started off very strong, 5*. Then it kind of got lost a little there...ending pretty slow...3.5* I’d say

[Carissa Kraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great Y.A historical fiction to open eyes about treatment of girls in the 1800's. I think my students will enjoy it!

[Jamie Steinberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

According to Criss Jami, “The harder you fall, the heavier your heart; the heavier your heart, the stronger you climb; the stronger you climb, the higher your pedestal.” Such is true for Orpha, who is locked away at Tothill (a jail) after a series of misfortunate events. It is here though that she is given the opportunity to “change her stars” and become an upstanding member of the community again. However, putting her past behind her proves difficult as she cannot seem to shake the trauma of what led her there. Among the Fallen is the Victorian tale of a downtrodden girl who still manages to have hope for a brighter future.

Orpha was a child when her mother passed away. In pain from losing his wife, her father began to drink and couldn’t pay his debts, so she was taken and put to work in order to do so. When he died she was sent to live with her aunt and uncle, who cast her out on the street upon learning, at age thirteen, she was pregnant. She finds her way to the cemetery where she hides and sleeps, but when winter rears it’s frosty head she must turn to a local brothel to seek warmth and work. Her misfortune finds her again when a customer accuses her of stealing his wallet, leading her to run out in the street where she tumbles and ends up losing the baby. The police take her into custody, and she is then declared guilty of stealing and infanticide, sending her straight to Tothill where you sleep in a cell, are given disgusting food to eat and no one speaks a word. Orpha’s only friend is a girl named Ivy who has faith in the innocence of her pal. It is after quite some time of sorting oakum that word comes to the women of a benefactor who is willing to bring her to a place dubbed “Urania,” where she will be given a fresh start at life – being trained as a governess or maid – and sent off to Australia with the promise of the possibility for marriage and more. At first, Orpha is hesitant since nothing has gone her way so far in life. But knowing she could erase who she once was, the events of the recent years and the crimes they claim she committed, Orpha takes a chance.

Upon her arrival at Urania, Orpha meets with the man that runs the home – Charles Dickens! He shows the girls kindness but is firm with them when they act out. Orpha takes a shine to him, and he to her, as they bond over her impressive ability to read and write, her history in the theater and much more. In fact, Dickens becomes like a mentor to her and constantly encourages her to open up about the trauma of her past, which continues to deeply haunt the dear girl.

Among the Fallen is a riveting tale of redemption courtesy of the talents of Virginia Frances Schwartz. A lover of Dickens, this story truly weaves in her knowledge of the fame author while making the story truly her own. Page by page you are gripped by Orpha’s plight and sincerely wish only the best for her. Do yourself a favor, whether you are a Dickens lover or just a fan of redemption arcs, read this one.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charles Dickens used to be on a committee that was in charge of a home for girls. The idea was to rescue girls from prison and work houses and equip them for a better future in the colonies. The name of this home was called Urania Cottage. In this book is a fictional girl who lived there. Orpha was raped by her uncle and when she became pregnant was thrown out into the street. Orpha ended up staying in a brothel to survive. When she miscarried the baby she was accused of being a baby killer and tossed into prison. Sigh! No justice for unprotected girls back in the day. When Mr. Dickens learns about Orpha he invites her to Urania. He soon becomes a mentor and father figure to the young girl. It took a long time for her to be able to share her story. When Orpha is finally able to write it out her healing begins.

[Lisa Muller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you know that Charles Dickens started a home/refuge for young girls who had nowhere else to go in the London of the 1850's? This home, Urania, became home for orphans and for girls who were coming out of the workhouses and prisons after their sentences. (Children were sentenced to horrible prisons for stealing a loaf of bread!) Young girls were double victims. This is an eye-opening story.
Dickens spent time in a workhouse as a child when his family fell into debt, so he knew the horrors of the system. This is a MUST READ! Dickens-- a complicated man in reality--, along with our main character Orpha, becomes a character in this work of fiction.
I loved it. I now want to read more about Dickens, and I want to re-read David Copperfield.

The writing could be a bit better, but the story is important, and sadly, still very relevant.

[April Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much knowledge to be learned in this magnificent novel. I am a lifelong reader and knew Dickens wrote the classics but never travelled into the realm of all that Dickens was in his time. This book opened a door into his life, along with an exemplary story about the fallen girls of London.
I loved Orphas destination, and the journey it took to get there made me a better person, and comforted by my life. All of the characters were extremely well written.
Amazing. Definitely recommend!!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost didn't read this, as I feared it would be filled with hard to read descriptions of girls being mistreated. While that element is undeniably present, the atrocities are treated in a respectful, modest and powerful way. I learned some things about Charles Dickens and was inspired by Orpha. I can see that it might not be for everyone. But I loved it.