The Railway Children (1905)

This is a classic children's novel written at the turn of the twentieth century. The story involves a family in which the father was mysteriously taken away leaving the mother and three children to downsize and live a life of more moderate means in a rural area. Near the home is a train track and train station and the kids have several exciting adventures connected in part to that fact, I can see why the novel is loved and believe that even children today would enjoy the book. ( )

I wanted to like this one but it really dragged for me. Part of Y4 lit for upper grammar. ( )

Oh, lovely. Not at all the story I thought it was - somehow I'd gotten the impression they were living on their own, maybe in an old railway car. This is a very sweet (but not saccharine) story. The kids quarrel and mess up and make up and do great things on multiple levels - from making a birthday party for a friend to saving lives, several times. There are coincidences that drive the story a bit, but they work. There's also one magnificent description of a small landslide - walking trees. It's a lot of fun, and probably worth a reread in a while, too. ( )

I've always loved E.Nesbit's stories, but somehow missed reading this one until now. Just as lovely and old-fashioned as the rest :) ( )

I had always thought I had read this book but there were loads of passages I don't ever remember like Perks birthday and rescuing a baby from a boat or the taking in of the Russian gentleman (oh the irony!)

It is true that Edith Nesbit was a bit of a lefty-type. These are the heady days of pre-WWI Britain. The three children move from their life in the city when their father is mysteriously 'sent away' (we later find out that he has been wrongly convicted and sent to prison for treason.

However, my word the children are virtuous. No children are that thoughful surely? Too good to be true, maybe they are being so thoughtful cause their is nothing else to fill their days with, no school or learning just 'hanging about the raliway'.

However the ending is extremely poignant and gut-wrenching. Would definitely recommend the book for that alone. ( )