Reviews

The Railway Children by E. Nesbit

Only show reviews with written explanations

elektra_lucia's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

peppermary's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

amalipulan's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

It's a book about children and their mother who had to move from London to the countryside when their father taken by two gentlemen.

It's also about their friendship between Perks the Porter and the old gentleman who would wave at them on the 9.15 train.

Although it is about Peter, Phyllis and Bobbie, it mostly centers on Bobbie, the eldest, who had to share the burden of her mother when it is found out that her father was accused of spying and treachery.

My views: When I first look at the cover and title, I thought it was about children running away on a train and have adventures and lead a vagabond life or something (that would be fun to read).

But I'm not disappointed. Not entirely, that is. But nonetheless, I loved how the role of Bobbie in this story. It appears that she is the one with the highest responsibility (mother doesn't count).

kberry513's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

A little preachy at times and as with all books written this long ago, there are some problematic parts but overall it was a cute children's classic

supplantedbearer's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Cute but stodgy children's story. There's some mild peril, some moral instruction, some sensitive handling of grownup issues in a child-friendly way, and a lot of reinforcement of the status quo. I'll be real with you, I just listened to this because it was free, Olivia Colman was narrating, and I needed one more book to complete my reading challenge before 2019 ends (and I knew I could get through this in less than a day). If I had kids, I'd probably want them to read something more radical than this, but it's inoffensive enough.