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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Having watched the movie a dozen times, I for some reason had never read the book. It has so much more than the movie in it too. Enjoyed it quite a lot although all 3 children do come across as a little more whiny and young in the book! And I confess, the ending made me cry because it reminded me of that glorious moment in the movie when Bobbie cries out “daddy, my daddy”
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book felt like a hug. It encapsulates childlike naivety and free spirit in a wonderful way. Beautiful background/setting to the book and overall very warming
Nesbit is a charming author. While usually I'm not much of a fan of breaking the fourth wall, her asides are so friendly that you quickly feel like she's telling the story directly to you, without there being a book and over a hundred years between you. Having read two of her novels now, I'm surprised how old they are. Sure the settings and slang words are a bit archaic, but the humour, accessibility of the prose and portrayal of women is nothing like other books I've read from the same era. She was obviously an intelligent, progressive and witty woman and I'm glad she was putting such lovely stories out into the world. This particular story about three children and their mother who are mysteriously uprooted from their contented town life after their father vanishes and moved to the countryside to be poor, is a bit too convenient at times, too many coincidences, and the whole sequence with the injured boy Jim happens so near the end of the story, it feels rushed and a little out of place, and I can see that some people might find the children to be a bit too goody goody, but I found their foibles and quarrelling to be enough just to make it wholesome and not too sweet. Actually the book brought tears to my eyes on several occasions. Anyway, I am keen to read more of her work.
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
There's something about the way British authors wrote children's books a hundred years ago that just hits different. The Railway Children is cozy but never cloying, and the articulate, matter-of-fact telling of the story means it's appealing no matter the reader's age. I never read any of E. Nesbit as a child, excited to change that as an adult!