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kathieboucher's review
5.0
Very enjoyable vintage read--profiles of a group of diverse strangers on a train, as their destinations and lives intertwine. The sense of place is vivid and palpable, the story is engrossing. We have Thomas Otto of The Readers podcast to thank for turning his listeners on to this great little novel.
carolann331's review
5.0
I LOVED this book. It is a lovely, lovely story. Actually it's several lovely, well-written stories compiled in a very clever structure: Each chapter in Part I is about a passenger that will be boarding the 4:30pm train at London's Victoria Station and the chapters in Part II offer a glimpse of their lives upon reaching their destinations. Sometimes they cross paths with other passengers or people known by the other passengers, which I thought was a brilliant touch. Their stories are fascinating and run the spectrum from sheer happiness to utter despair, all wrapped up in secrets or obsessions or simply good natured intentions. The time period is not identified, but I imagine it to be set in the 1930's as the book was published in 1937. I was completely charmed by this book and cannot imagine why Cecil Roberts is not a more well-known author. I'm definitely going to be searching for and reading his other books. Thank you, Thomas (of The Readers and Hogglestock.com), for recommending it!
carolpk's review
The Hook - Several of my friends who follow Simon Savidge and Thomas Otto who host The Readers-Book Based Banter Podcast highly recommended a book Thomas talked about in Episode #147. Thomas is an eclectic reader, one who is not apt to read the thrillers I love, but one who encourages me to get out of a genre rut and take a chance on something new. Thomas had also raved about The Magnificent Spinster by May Sarton which I read and enjoyed last year.
The Line(s) - ”Gawd love a duck!” exclaimed Jim, straightening his jacket, and reaching for his peaked cap. “one day, if I know something, we’ll have electric light, an indoor closet and bathroom, electric cooking---”
The Sinker - Cecil Edric Morington Roberts was born in May of 1892 in Nottingham. Victoria Four-Thirty falls all most smack dab in the middle of his prolific writing career, published in 1937. This seems fitting when you consider the subject matter of the story as a whole. I suspect you’d have to have your head buried in the sand (perhaps just as today) not to notice the political climate around you. Certainly a man of Roberts background in journalism during World War I would not miss the signs of unrest in the world. Though important this is not what I chose to focus on in this cautionary though charming story. I’m a people watcher. When waiting to board a plane, a train, a ship or a bus, or even just sitting in a bustling mall, I often wonder what the life story is of those around me. I even make up my own anecdotes about them. Cecil Roberts explores just this in Part I of this novel where he gives vignettes of several delightful and some dark characters who will all take the four-thirty train out of Victoria Station.
”It would be very interesting to know the life history of everybody on this train”
observes one character. This curiosity to know what the destination or future outcome of these passengers will be takes us into Part II as they converge on the platform to board their train.
It was a pleasure to meet these individuals and to share their journey to conclusions that are realistic, both heartening and somber. I feel each reader will have a favorite just as in life. A splendid read to start the New Year.
The Line(s) - ”Gawd love a duck!” exclaimed Jim, straightening his jacket, and reaching for his peaked cap. “one day, if I know something, we’ll have electric light, an indoor closet and bathroom, electric cooking---”
The Sinker - Cecil Edric Morington Roberts was born in May of 1892 in Nottingham. Victoria Four-Thirty falls all most smack dab in the middle of his prolific writing career, published in 1937. This seems fitting when you consider the subject matter of the story as a whole. I suspect you’d have to have your head buried in the sand (perhaps just as today) not to notice the political climate around you. Certainly a man of Roberts background in journalism during World War I would not miss the signs of unrest in the world. Though important this is not what I chose to focus on in this cautionary though charming story. I’m a people watcher. When waiting to board a plane, a train, a ship or a bus, or even just sitting in a bustling mall, I often wonder what the life story is of those around me. I even make up my own anecdotes about them. Cecil Roberts explores just this in Part I of this novel where he gives vignettes of several delightful and some dark characters who will all take the four-thirty train out of Victoria Station.
”It would be very interesting to know the life history of everybody on this train”
observes one character. This curiosity to know what the destination or future outcome of these passengers will be takes us into Part II as they converge on the platform to board their train.
It was a pleasure to meet these individuals and to share their journey to conclusions that are realistic, both heartening and somber. I feel each reader will have a favorite just as in life. A splendid read to start the New Year.
kategci's review
4.0
Thanks to Thomas of The Readers as well as Jana, Chris and Carol who all raved about this wonderful novel. My copy is from 1937 (I bought it on abebooks.com)and despite the occasional wheeze due to the age and smell, I completely enjoyed this book. In the first part, we are introduced to a disparate group of people boarding the 4:30 train out of Victoria Station (and one porter in the station) heading towards continental Europe. They are mostly headed to different places for different reasons and it was fun to read about them and their reason for travelling. While seeming to be a lightly written story, the serious worries of mid 1930s Europe creep in around the edges, portending the horrors to come. The second part follows the characters as they arrive at their destinations. While some arrivals go as planned, others surprised. Written 80 years ago, this book delighted me. I wish it was still in print (NYRB???, please?)so I could gift it and get a less allergy provoking copy. Of note, my 80 year old copy is still beautiful, if a little brown, but the paper has survived intact, a case of "they don't always make things like they used to."
sofiagy's review
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
i found this book last summer in a local market for a very good price. it's been this summer's reading (unlike everyone i barely read during the summer, compared to the rest of the year).
anyways!! while i did enjoy the book, the first half of it was very... meh? some of the character's stories were very interesting and some were not. given that there's not a clear argument, this book will not keep you hooked at all, at least in my case, until the second part. in my opinion, the second part of it far exceeds the first one. it's interesting to see the outcome of each character's travel: some are quite shocking i'd say, some not so much.
overall, i would give this book a 3.5. the prose, style and structure are definitely interesting. some of the character's stories are worth reading. however, it's not very much plot-driven, so... not for me!
anyways!! while i did enjoy the book, the first half of it was very... meh? some of the character's stories were very interesting and some were not. given that there's not a clear argument, this book will not keep you hooked at all, at least in my case, until the second part. in my opinion, the second part of it far exceeds the first one. it's interesting to see the outcome of each character's travel: some are quite shocking i'd say, some not so much.
overall, i would give this book a 3.5. the prose, style and structure are definitely interesting. some of the character's stories are worth reading. however, it's not very much plot-driven, so... not for me!
avid_d's review
3.0
This is quite a dated read. That said, some of the character set-ups (which form about the first 60% of the book) are very nicely done. Many of the concluding chapters were less satisfying for me.
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