The heart of an orphan

In Short

Amanda Mathews Chase’s The Heart of an Orphan is an epistolary novel told entirely through the letters of Giovanna, an Italian-American girl who loses her parents and brother to illness and ends up in an asylum. After being taken out of the institution by a woman she adores as the "Mother of my hart," Giovanna is sent to an exclusive boarding school. Through misspelled entries, she records her struggles with rich classmates, her reunions with lost family, and her fear of not fitting in, until her adoption is legally sealed. The book survives through its vivid, innocent narrative voice and tender portrayal of childhood resilience.

The Story

The narrative begins with letters written by Giovanna, a young orphan living in an asylum, who writes to a settlement-house volunteer she remembers from her past. Giovanna keeps these letters hidden under her mattress, having no stamps or address for the recipient. She recounts her rough past, including her parents' deaths, her brother Tony's passing in the hospital, and a brief, disastrous placement with a harsh woman who struck her and whom Giovanna bit before being returned to the asylum.

Her life changes completely when the beloved woman actually returns for her, retrieves the hidden letters, and takes her out of the institution. Giovanna is placed in an "Eggsloosif School" to learn manners and grammar. Initially, the transition is painful. Ignorant of dining etiquette, Giovanna speaks her correction notes out loud, spills gravy on a classmate's dress, and slaps a girl who mocks her background.

Over time, Giovanna finds her footing. She makes a firm friend in Dolly, the school's aspiring "class poet," and begins serving as the resident "cyclopede of orfun lore." When the wealthy students plan a charitable Christmas event for the asylum children, Giovanna guides them to offer real, unbroken gifts and an early holiday feast rather than leftover celebrations.

Complications arise when Giovanna encounters her past. She discovers the truth about her sister Isabella, who had been adopted by a wealthy woman now deceased, leaving Isabella well-provided for in a school. Later, her uncle Nicolo, aunt Maddalena, and cousins arrive from Italy in poor circumstances. Ashamed of their appearance at a school reception, Giovanna initially denies them and refuses to speak Italian. Her adoptive mother sends a stern letter reprimanding her snobbery. Repentant, Giovanna reunites with her relatives, dances the traditional tarantella with her aunt, and helps her uncle secure a fruit stand after a visiting actress hires her aunt to teach her the dance.

The book moves toward its resolution as Giovanna reflects on her earliest tenement memories—the street sweepers, her Irish friend Katy, and the loss of her brother Tony. Her initial fears of being abandoned return briefly when her adoptive mother marries, but her new "Daddy" reassures her that love is not divided by fractions. The story concludes happily as her adoption is legally finalized, and the family prepares for a lake cottage vacation alongside her sister, cousins, and friend.

How It Unfolds

The letters under the mattress Giovanna writes to a settlement-house volunteer she hasn't seen in years, detailing her family's deaths, her stay in the asylum, and a failed placement with an abusive woman. The volunteer unexpectedly reappears, takes the hidden letters, and removes Giovanna from the asylum.

Entry into the exclusive school Placed in a school for wealthy girls, Giovanna struggles with complex table manners and social codes. After suffering mockery for her background, she strikes a classmate and feels completely isolated in her new red dress.

Becoming the orphan expert Giovanna earns a place among her peers by explaining how orphans actually experience charity. She convinces her classmates to host a proper Christmas Eve event for her former asylum mates with new, unbroken toys and a real turkey dinner.

The burden of relatives When her impoverished Italian relatives arrive at the school, Giovanna feels embarrassed by their appearance and refuses to speak her native tongue. A scolding letter from her mother brings her to realize her own snobbery and redeem herself by embracing her family.

A permanent home Giovanna works through her early memories for a psychology assignment, processing the grief of her past. Any remaining doubts vanish when her mother and new stepfather sign legal adoption papers, welcoming her into a permanent family.

The People

• Giovanna: The young narrator, an Italian-American orphan who is passionately loyal, quick-tempered, and deeply expressive. She wants a home and a mother above all else, struggling against her fears of inadequacy and her own impulsive temper to become a "lady" without losing her heart.
• The Adoptive Mother ("Mother of my hart"): A compassionate settlement-house worker who seeks out Giovanna, pays for her education, and ultimately adopts her. She serves as Giovanna's moral compass, guiding her away from snobbery with firm, loving discipline.
• Dolly: The dramatic "class poet" at the exclusive school who becomes Giovanna's best friend. She writes verses on collar cuffs and statues, continuously drawing Giovanna into her creative theatrical schemes.
• Aunt Maddalena: Giovanna's Italian aunt, once a famous model and tarantella dancer, who arrives in America impoverished. Her gentle nature and traditional dancing win over the school principal and secure the family's livelihood.
• Uncle Nicolo: Giovanna's uncle, a weary laborer who longs to buy a fruit stand so his family can stop working on piece-rate coats.

In Its Own Voice

"I am a hole and I aint got the stamp or anybody so I will take my pen in hand to let you know I am well and hope you are the same."

Giovanna opens her secret correspondence from the asylum, explaining the difference between children with surviving parents and those who are entirely alone.

"I felt all scrooocht down like I had on my orfun close. I was full of cry but I wouldnt let it out."

After blurting out a private correction note at the dinner table and being laughed at by the wealthy students, Giovanna captures the sudden return of her institutional shame.

"O and he don’t bring fractions in our family and divide our loves as I was afraid! It was before he came we were fractionary but now complete."

Reflecting on her mother's new husband, Giovanna realizes that an expanding family does not mean a reduction in love.

What It's Really About

At its core, the novel examines the social divide between institutionally managed poverty and private privilege in early twentieth-century America. Through Giovanna's eyes, class distinctions are measured not in abstract terms, but in table manners, dress fabrics, and the quality of Christmas gifts. The book questions what it means to assimilate: Giovanna must learn grammar and etiquette without discarding her heritage, her Italian language, or her working-class relatives. It is also an exploration of childhood grief and emotional survival, showing how a child constructs ideal figures of love—a "Mother of my hart"—to endure the cold reality of being an unwanted orphan.

Why Read It Today

The Heart of an Orphan offers a window into early 1900s social welfare and immigrant life, framed within a heartwarming coming-of-age story. Readers who enjoy epistolary classics like Daddy-Long-Legs will find a similar narrative charm here, though rendered with a distinct Italian-American working-class perspective.

The primary challenge for modern readers is the heavy use of phonetically spelled dialect and child-literacy quirks ("sylum," "Eggsloosifs," "daygo," "deepploma"). These spellings are constant throughout the text, requiring a reader to adjust to Giovanna's written cadence. Additionally, the book reflects early 20th-century racial and ethnic categorizations that may feel dated.

What remains compelling is the unvarnished honesty of Giovanna's voice. Her sudden shifts between intense gratitude, fierce defensiveness, and deep shame over her own mistakes make her a remarkably human protagonist. The story does not sanitize the pain of losing family to poverty and disease, yet it maintains an enduring warmth that makes her final triumph feel genuinely earned.

<FollowUp label="Would you like an analysis of how this novel compares to other epistolary orphan stories of the 1910s?" query="Compare 'The Heart of an Orphan' by Amanda Mathews Chase to other 1910s epistolary orphan fiction like Jean Webster's 'Daddy-Long-Legs'."/>