A review by literaturejuggle
The Railway Children by E. Nesbit

4.0

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.