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bookwomble's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
guadyyyy's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
nguyenanhna's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
fantaghiro23's review against another edition
5.0
My first Simenon. Wow. Short, clear, and beautifully haunting sentences. A central character who feels real, evokes empathy, but also horror. A story, though set in WWII, shows isolated patches of beauty.
I am happy I finally got to read him. Will definitely be looking for more of his 400+ novels.
I am happy I finally got to read him. Will definitely be looking for more of his 400+ novels.
browncluny's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
100reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
A reflection on WW 2 and the human response to traumatic situations and the bonds we create with people out of the instinctual need to grasp at life. Well written.
iainkelly_writing's review against another edition
5.0
The more Simenon you read, the better he gets. It is extraordinary to think one writer produced such a high quality body of work, created so many memorable characters and plots and of such volume. It is also incredible that he is mostly remembered for the Maigret novels - as good as they are - when he also wrote books as outstanding as this one. A war novel without battles or high action or heroism, just one man's tale of his own events, with romance, loss, pain, death and life. Exquisite.
kamee's review against another edition
3.0
չեմ յիշում, թէ ոնց էի աւելացրել ցանկումս։
հեղինակն անծանօթ էր։
նոր թեմա չի շօշափում, պատերազմի ընթացքում ձեւաւորուող անտարբերութիւնն ա ներկայացնում, բայց հետաքրքիր էր ներկայացնելու ձեւը, ոճը։
հեղինակն անծանօթ էր։
նոր թեմա չի շօշափում, պատերազմի ընթացքում ձեւաւորուող անտարբերութիւնն ա ներկայացնում, բայց հետաքրքիր էր ներկայացնելու ձեւը, ոճը։
misslin's review against another edition
3.0
I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. It is too good for a 3 but not quite up to a 4-star rating in my book anyway.
I am on a bit of a Georges Simenon binge at the moment and enjoyed this lovely easy to read book. I was reading it at the same time as something much denser and more psychological and The Train offered me welcome respite when all I wanted to do was read and not think.
Simenon is certainly a beautiful writer and his text uncritically takes you on a journey on a refugee train fleeing the German invasion. Reading the text I could almost understand Marcel's contentment at having met his fate and embarked on a journey that he had no control over. It is a wonderful almost luscious feeling to just ride away in a freight car and leave all your responsibilities behind, including the responsibility to make decisions about your future.
On the refugee train, you go where the train takes you and there is nothing that you can do about it. Marcel certainly doesn't fret. He doesn't fret when he is separated from his heavily pregnant wife and daughter. He makes enquiries about their whereabouts but happily embarks on an affair with a foreign woman who shares the cattle car he is being evacuated in. When his wife and newborn baby are located, he sheds the foreign Anna without a backward glance and returns with his wife and children to his predictable pre-war life.
Marcel comes across in the text as a passive conformist. He did make the decision to flee the German's in the first place, but after that, he was more than happy to lie back and let his fate unfold. Part of this was probably the result of his incarceration in a TB sanatorium in his teenage years. In a sanatorium, you have to get used to laying back and letting life flow over you. But in Marcel's final meeting with Anna, he has to choose - to act or not to act. I didn't particularly like the choice he made but then I didn't particularly like the way Anna let him off the hook so easily either. She might understand but I found myself judging. It was an interesting ending.
I am on a bit of a Georges Simenon binge at the moment and enjoyed this lovely easy to read book. I was reading it at the same time as something much denser and more psychological and The Train offered me welcome respite when all I wanted to do was read and not think.
Simenon is certainly a beautiful writer and his text uncritically takes you on a journey on a refugee train fleeing the German invasion. Reading the text I could almost understand Marcel's contentment at having met his fate and embarked on a journey that he had no control over. It is a wonderful almost luscious feeling to just ride away in a freight car and leave all your responsibilities behind, including the responsibility to make decisions about your future.
On the refugee train, you go where the train takes you and there is nothing that you can do about it. Marcel certainly doesn't fret. He doesn't fret when he is separated from his heavily pregnant wife and daughter. He makes enquiries about their whereabouts but happily embarks on an affair with a foreign woman who shares the cattle car he is being evacuated in. When his wife and newborn baby are located, he sheds the foreign Anna without a backward glance and returns with his wife and children to his predictable pre-war life.
Marcel comes across in the text as a passive conformist. He did make the decision to flee the German's in the first place, but after that, he was more than happy to lie back and let his fate unfold. Part of this was probably the result of his incarceration in a TB sanatorium in his teenage years. In a sanatorium, you have to get used to laying back and letting life flow over you. But in Marcel's final meeting with Anna, he has to choose - to act or not to act. I didn't particularly like the choice he made but then I didn't particularly like the way Anna let him off the hook so easily either. She might understand but I found myself judging. It was an interesting ending.
rcsreads's review against another edition
3.0
It took me ages to get into this which since it's only 151 pages means that apart from the last few chapters I just didn't care. It's an interesting take on the German invasion of France but it didn't hold my attention.
I'd rather read a book about Anna.
I'd rather read a book about Anna.