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rosalind_barden's review against another edition
5.0
“The Great Train Robbery” by Michael Crichton shows why Mr. Crichton is such a popular author. Originally published in 1975, it holds up as a fast-paced and fascinating dive into the criminal underworld of Victorian London. Inspired by true events, Mr. Crichton tells the story of a charming, well-dressed gentleman rogue who masterfully plans the heist of the century: stealing a large quantity of gold bars from a moving train. The historical research the author did shows, and the author masterfully weaves the history with the characters and plot to create an unforgettable story. I read the paperback several years ago and decided to “re-read” it by listening to the audiobook. Some of the Victorian criminal slang may be harder to follow in the audio version, but the delightful narration by Michael Kitchen more than makes up for this. Mr. Kitchen makes the scenes and characters come to life.
kirstar's review against another edition
2.0
Ik dacht dat dit een leesboek was over een Spaghetti western-achtige treinroof, maar het was een schoolboek met droge feiten over een Victoriaanse treinroof. My bad. Had beter de achterkant moeten lezen
prab's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is my favorite Crichton’s book so far!! After Andromeda Strain and the Terminal Man disappointed me, I have been reluctant to keep reading Crichton’s books. But after finishing The Great Train Robert, I’m glad I did.
This is like the Ocean Eleven of the 19th century. I was highly engaged throughout. The plot was perfect, while the story telling method was highly engaging.
Looking forward to read more Crichton’s book in the future.
This is like the Ocean Eleven of the 19th century. I was highly engaged throughout. The plot was perfect, while the story telling method was highly engaging.
Looking forward to read more Crichton’s book in the future.
onlz's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Fun historical romp, wry and informative. Nice divergence from his usual sci-fi, but no less interesting for it.
geekdad's review against another edition
4.0
Michael Crichton flexing his story telling muscles in a historical Victorian-era Ocean’s 11 style heist story. It was a pleasure from cover to cover, although I would have liked a little more exposition at the end. Still a great ride and one that gives a large and accurate account of Victorian England that was an intriguing and immersive setting. I have read Crichton many times before and was pleasantly surprised to find an entirely new tone and vocabulary in this book that fit the British rhetoric and dialects flawlessly, written almost intendedly to be read aloud or consumed via audio book.
catherinept's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
irongold's review against another edition
5.0
Probably one of the best best books that I have ever read. The Great Train Robbery is about just that-a train robbery of a bunch of bullion gold in Victorian England during the 1850's. I absolutely loved that Crichton intertwined the story with other historical events, like the Crystal Palace exhibition, the Indian Revolution, and the Crimean War. The factual information that was in the book was placed very well, and I never felt as if the plot dragged at any point. The character development was much better than the other two books of his that I have read, though I would have liked to learn more about Edward Pierce's background. Also liked how Crichton made a nod to one of my favorite characters:
"When the last, Marylebone Station was finished in 1899, London had fifteen railway terminals, more than twice that of any other major city in Europe; and the bewildering array of lines and schedules was apparently never mastered by any Londoner except Sherlock Holmes, who knew it all by heart."
Only thing missing was for him to actually appear in the book.
"Furthermore, the Victorians themselves adored secret compartments and concealed spaces; a mid-century writing desk was advertised as "containing
110 compartments, including many most artfully concealed from detection."
I need one of those.....
Miriam(an accomplice of Edward's): All you ever think about is money.
Edward Pierce: All anyone ever thinks about is money.
Very true. I mean, almost every war in history had something to do with money. Even the cause of the war of northern aggression can be boiled down to money.
"The plan seemed utterly foolproof, and the robbers prepared to carry it out."
Miriam: It's all very good... unless something goes wrong.
Edward Pierce: What could go wrong?
Boy, were they in for a surprise.
(Judge): "Now, on the matter of motive, we ask you: Why did you conceive, plan, and execute this dastardly and scandalous crime?"
(Edward): "I wanted the money."
Hahahaha. All in all a very good book. There was some slight language, and prostitutes are frequently mentioned, but that comes with the time period.
"When the last, Marylebone Station was finished in 1899, London had fifteen railway terminals, more than twice that of any other major city in Europe; and the bewildering array of lines and schedules was apparently never mastered by any Londoner except Sherlock Holmes, who knew it all by heart."
Only thing missing was for him to actually appear in the book.
"Furthermore, the Victorians themselves adored secret compartments and concealed spaces; a mid-century writing desk was advertised as "containing
110 compartments, including many most artfully concealed from detection."
I need one of those.....
Miriam(an accomplice of Edward's): All you ever think about is money.
Edward Pierce: All anyone ever thinks about is money.
Very true. I mean, almost every war in history had something to do with money. Even the cause of the war of northern aggression can be boiled down to money.
"The plan seemed utterly foolproof, and the robbers prepared to carry it out."
Miriam: It's all very good... unless something goes wrong.
Edward Pierce: What could go wrong?
Boy, were they in for a surprise.
(Judge): "Now, on the matter of motive, we ask you: Why did you conceive, plan, and execute this dastardly and scandalous crime?"
(Edward): "I wanted the money."
Hahahaha. All in all a very good book. There was some slight language, and prostitutes are frequently mentioned, but that comes with the time period.
mglen's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.5
grifen87's review against another edition
3.0
Despite my efforts to be well-read, this was my first Crichton novel, and I finally gave in to the Crichton allure more in search of heist stories than anything else. I think I have often confused him with Tom Clancy who I found to be a bit shallow in The Hunt for Red October (though still a classic of Cold War submarinery (I declare that a word)). As heist stories go, this wasn't too elaborate, but it was interesting in its differences from modern heisting and in the history lessons Crichton provided along the way.
As for differences from modern heists, the interpersonal nature of their thievery was intriguing. For example, today's heists consist mostly of bypassing technology and avoiding the liability of human interactions, but in Crichton's less automated world of Victorian England, the only obstacles to theft are simply locks and people. For the locks, one must simply obtain the keys or make copies (often easier said than done), but the human gatekeepers can be distracted, manipulated, offered generous compensation, etc. So the masterminds of this great train robbery leaned into their acting abilities to conduct their gradual, calculated preparations and ultimately to carry out the great theft.
As far as the history lessons, Crichton offers his piece in a sort of hybrid writing style split between the actual narrative, forward-flashes to the court hearings following the theft, and history lessons about the socioeconomic and moral workings of Victorian England. While I found these historical expositions to be relevant and usually quite interesting, they did take away from the usually immersive nature of fiction. Even so, to me this split style would have been worth it if he had made the narrative sections a bit more riveting such that the reader is more drawn into what's happening. There were certainly plenty of charged, dynamic, and even salacious scenes, but despite the descriptive tools he used, they still felt a bit external or not as entertaining as they could have been.
As the novel was structured around Pierce, the criminal mastermind, I naturally found him and his mistress, Miriam, the most intriguing. He's something of a Gatsby figure, a product of the time, in the sense that he has manners and some wealth, even if more in appearance than reality, and we don't really know how he rose from his apparent lower origins. I appreciated his thorough, conservative planning but found it a bit odd that he threw this to the wind (literally) when deciding to "mountaneer" the moving train to unlock the car door and access the loot.
A major qualm was the very clear references to child sex. Surely he could have maintained historical accuracy without touching this topic at all. Maybe he was trying to play some sort of modern Charles Dickens by revealing the social issues of the time, but we're at the point in society when fictional authors should avoid this topic altogether.
As for differences from modern heists, the interpersonal nature of their thievery was intriguing. For example, today's heists consist mostly of bypassing technology and avoiding the liability of human interactions, but in Crichton's less automated world of Victorian England, the only obstacles to theft are simply locks and people. For the locks, one must simply obtain the keys or make copies (often easier said than done), but the human gatekeepers can be distracted, manipulated, offered generous compensation, etc. So the masterminds of this great train robbery leaned into their acting abilities to conduct their gradual, calculated preparations and ultimately to carry out the great theft.
As far as the history lessons, Crichton offers his piece in a sort of hybrid writing style split between the actual narrative, forward-flashes to the court hearings following the theft, and history lessons about the socioeconomic and moral workings of Victorian England. While I found these historical expositions to be relevant and usually quite interesting, they did take away from the usually immersive nature of fiction. Even so, to me this split style would have been worth it if he had made the narrative sections a bit more riveting such that the reader is more drawn into what's happening. There were certainly plenty of charged, dynamic, and even salacious scenes, but despite the descriptive tools he used, they still felt a bit external or not as entertaining as they could have been.
As the novel was structured around Pierce, the criminal mastermind, I naturally found him and his mistress, Miriam, the most intriguing. He's something of a Gatsby figure, a product of the time, in the sense that he has manners and some wealth, even if more in appearance than reality, and we don't really know how he rose from his apparent lower origins. I appreciated his thorough, conservative planning but found it a bit odd that he threw this to the wind (literally) when deciding to "mountaneer" the moving train to unlock the car door and access the loot.
A major qualm was the very clear references to child sex. Surely he could have maintained historical accuracy without touching this topic at all. Maybe he was trying to play some sort of modern Charles Dickens by revealing the social issues of the time, but we're at the point in society when fictional authors should avoid this topic altogether.