Reviews

Mr Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood

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julesmd16's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

steg's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

dennis_j's review against another edition

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4.0

Most splendid and terribly delightful! Mr Norris Changes Trains is dry, witty and amusing journey from beginning to end. The character gallery and their vividly described, almost made-for-film-cinematic interactions is the focal point of this story. The point of view character, William, while not a perfect human being, is a perfect host though whom we have the opportunity to get to know Arthur Norris, one of the most fascinating and multilayered, despicable and lovable, zaney and scary. Then there's Kuno, the naïve and tragic romantic Baron. Norris' servant, the zealous Schmidt, and the passionate landlady Frl. Schroeder. There is a precision with which Isherwood describes them. None of them are total caricatures, but all are capital C Characters. I was somewhat surprised by the frankness of some of it's themes. The particular "perversions" of some of the characters were very clearly pointed out, which is something I would have thought was rare for a piece of literature published in 1935.

On a background of the red and brown politics of Europe in the 30's, this chronicle of a few years of an unlikely friendship serves up some british tounge-in-cheek at its finest.

finja281's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

shadowinferno's review against another edition

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funny mysterious reflective slow-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? Yes

3.75

An unusual, but still interesting read. It was in places hard to get through, but I'm glad I did indeed get through it.

Content Warnings

juliaec's review against another edition

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3.0

(I'm proud to say I both started and finished this book on a train, and that wasn't even on purpose)
Not as good as Goodbye to Berlin, but still very entertaining. I really like the way Christopher Isherwood writes, he's funny and comes across very human. I wouldn't know his books were written in the 1930s either because he writes candidly and non-judgementally about things I imagine most people of his time would not have wanted to acknowledge.