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ricksilva 's review for:
The Railway Children
by E. Nesbit
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A family living a comfortable life in early 20th Century London is thrown into turmoil when the father is suddenly forced to leave home. The Mum and three children move to a small house in the countryside. While their mother struggles to make ends meet by writing and selling childdrens' stories, Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis are drawn to the railroad line that runs by their new home. They befriend several of the workers at the nearby station, as well as an elderly gentleman who takes an interest in their plight.
From there, the kids take part in a series of adventures, somewhat inadvertently stumbling into doing heroic deeds and small acts of kindness.
This was a remarkably sweet and gentle story with more depth of character development than I had expected going in. The relationship between the mother and her oldest child, Roberta (Bobbie) is particularly touching, and Bobbie's empathy for her Mother's attempt to put on a brave face in a dire situation forms the real central tension of the story.
There is also some witty humor in the dialogue between the children, a bit of political intrigue with a refugee from Czarist Russia who the family takes in, and some tense bits of action.
There are a couple of preachy moments, but nothing excessive, and one bit of sexist speechifying by a minor character is balanced out by the overall excellent depiction of Bobbie, and the empowering attitude that both parents show toward her.
From there, the kids take part in a series of adventures, somewhat inadvertently stumbling into doing heroic deeds and small acts of kindness.
This was a remarkably sweet and gentle story with more depth of character development than I had expected going in. The relationship between the mother and her oldest child, Roberta (Bobbie) is particularly touching, and Bobbie's empathy for her Mother's attempt to put on a brave face in a dire situation forms the real central tension of the story.
There is also some witty humor in the dialogue between the children, a bit of political intrigue with a refugee from Czarist Russia who the family takes in, and some tense bits of action.
There are a couple of preachy moments, but nothing excessive, and one bit of sexist speechifying by a minor character is balanced out by the overall excellent depiction of Bobbie, and the empowering attitude that both parents show toward her.