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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
The book is way better then the movie! Loved reading the story. It was easy and fast to read. A great read for everybody who likes to enjoy an adventure story.
Surprisingly I really liked this book. I enjoyed the little adventures the children got to and how fast they made friends with the adults in this novel.
I think the only thing that bothered me was how "good" the children were. They seemed to be portrayed as little angles and that they do no wrong. And when they did something "wrong" it just ends up okay in the end.
But aside from that, I enjoyed reading this.
I think the only thing that bothered me was how "good" the children were. They seemed to be portrayed as little angles and that they do no wrong. And when they did something "wrong" it just ends up okay in the end.
But aside from that, I enjoyed reading this.
Spoiler
Another thing that I'm confused about is how the father ends up getting out of jail or whatever.... How was the old gentleman involved?
It was more emotional than I thought it would be. I remember reading it when I was younger, maybe around the same age as the characters, and being as equally lost as them regarding Father's status. Rereading it as an adult is a more bittersweet experience, moreover, as E. Nesbit does not shy away from breaking the fourth wall quite often!
All in all, a delightful and nuanced read, still managing to surprise me with its depth of emotions after all these years.
All in all, a delightful and nuanced read, still managing to surprise me with its depth of emotions after all these years.
When I was a child, I had a book with excerpts from various different classic stories, and this was one of them. I remember reading the excerpt from this book, which was the part about the landslide, and thinking I'd love to read more of the story. And now I finally have.
What a sweet book.
What a sweet book.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A terrific bedtime book, over about 2 weeks. Chaya's favourite at 6 1/2, and has led us into the rest of the Nesbit oeuvre. It starts with the children protagonists' father being mysteriously arrested, and the family abruptly plunged into poverty, which might have seemed frightening, but somehow wasn't. In any case, this was just a device for getting the family out of London and into a country shack where they could experience the full measure of the magical allure of the steam train. Nesbit's children are a marvelous mixture of adventurous, mischievous, and fundamentally decent and responsible.
Again (for me), E. Nesbit proves that she can write simultaneously for children and adults, balancing a quippy adult awareness of human nature and society with a child's psychology. I read The Story of the Treasure Seekers a few years ago and this plot was very similar (a family experiences serious financial setbacks and the children pull together all their earnestness and charm and end up making friends with influential people who help them out of their difficulty). But I think The Railway Children manages to paint a more convincing picture of a family, a little less fanciful, a little more depth and simplicity. Still, it's episodic and there are enough save-the-day moments to jar with the conversations the family have about how things happen in books vs in real life. I was moved by it all the same, and learned a few things about turn-of-the-century railways and things like paperchases. I was also fascinated by the (rather integral) references to the state of diplomacy with Russia in 1905, and need to do some more reading to fully understand the context. Also an interesting portrait of attitudes toward poverty and not wanting to be perceived as needing "charity."
And we always love a woman who scribbles away in the attic. "But I love my writing," she says when offered an alternative income.
And we always love a woman who scribbles away in the attic. "But I love my writing," she says when offered an alternative income.
a very nostalgic reread. aside from one spectacularly painful female-put-down-page (!) i loved reading it again!
Not sure why I have never read this book before, but I found it absolutely charming and heartwarming. Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis move to Three Chimneys with their mother and there they discover the Railway. Their mother earns money by writing stories, so the children have a lot of time to explore their new home and surrounding countryside. They make friends with the people at the railway and they have quite a few adventures. A wonderful children's classic and I am glad that I finally read it. I am now going to search out the 1970 movie and look out for more of Nesbit's works.
"Don't you think it's rather nice to think that we're in a book that God's writing? If I were writing a book, I might make mistakes. But God knows how to make the story end just right-- in the way that's best for us."
"Don't you think it's rather nice to think that we're in a book that God's writing? If I were writing a book, I might make mistakes. But God knows how to make the story end just right-- in the way that's best for us."
Audio version read by Flo Gibson. I thought Gibson's voice was a bit too "precious" for this book--should have been more matter-of-fact.