The Orphan Twins

The Orphan Twins by Lesley Eames is an engaging historical novel. Lily Tomkins and her twin brother, Artie live with their Gran on Jessey Street in Bermondsey in 1910. Lily is just ten years old when she notices that Gran is unwell. Gran passes within a year leaving the twins with just each other. Artie is fortunate to have found a benefactor in Mr. Crispin Alderton. He agrees to take in Artie and provide him with an excellent education which will allow him to obtain a good position later. Lily is sent to Booth’s Cottage Schools in Sevenoaks where she will train for life as a domestic. The twins will need to work hard to get ahead and fight to keep in touch with each other. I thought The Orphan Twins was well-written and it moved along at a good pace. The characters are developed, and I enjoyed following the twins’ journey. We get to see how differently boys and girls were treated. The Orphan Twins is told from Lily’s point-of-view. Lily Tomkins is smart, and she knows that she wants more out of her life. Artie is given a great opportunity (one Lily would have loved) and Lily encourages Artie to accept it. The education of a boy was considered a higher priority than that of a female. We get to see the differences in the twins’ lifestyle. I thought the author captured the time-period with the clothing, books, attitudes, and historical events. There are great descriptions of London and the scenic places the characters visited. Lesley Eames brought the setting to life with her vivid word imagery. The Orphan Twins is an emotional novel about love, family, trust, friends, and hope. We get to see good times and the bad (make sure to have tissues handy). The ending was just lovely. My favorite phrases from The Orphan Twins is, “It isn’t how much money a person has that matters. It’s what’s in their hearts.” The Orphan Twins is a captivating historical novel with a raging war, fine friends, tons of tea, romantic despairs, ingenious ideas, and steadfast siblings.