Into the Book

7

The Railway Children - E. Nesbit

Recommended
The Railway Children is a fairly well-known book written by Edith Nesbit. It follows the adventures of Bobby, Peter, and Phyllis, the three Railway Children.

When their father is sent away, they and their mother move to a new house that is much smaller, which is near to the railway. The children soon get into the habit of sending their love to their father, who is in London, through the trains which pass through their little station. This book chronicles their various adventures connected to the railroad.

It's hard to summarize the plot of this book, as it's written from the perspective of the three children, who naturally don't understand everything, but in general it covers the adventures of the children, which range from befriending a Russian author to saving a boy in a railway tunnel with a broken leg. When their father must leave, the children and their mother (who is never named), move away from their London house and move to the countryside, to a very small house where they must be "poor." Throughout the story, the plot of the children's father ties the various adventures together.

Edith Nesbit's forte is definitely description. Her characters are flat, and her plots are simple; the book is really a collection of short stories, but her description is interesting and fun to read. The art of actual writing is truly mastered in this book. Of course, the book is interesting - just a little different having been written a century ago. Overall, The Railway Children is a delightful read and one that I found I still enjoyed even after ten years since I'd read it last. I recommend it if you're looking for a quick read.

7 comments:

  1. It's been so long since I read this book, but I remember I loved it, and the movie. Such a sweet story. :)

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  2. Read this one years ago and enjoyed it. I believe the movie was fairly good, too, though it's been forever since I saw it. :)

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  3. @BushMaid: I found this book at a yard sale in Brazil (of all places) and read it over and over when I was little :)

    @Corey: There's a movie? Hmmm...I'll have to look that up :)

    Andrew

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  4. @Andrew: The one I saw is actually a Masterpiece Theatre adaption. Here's the Amazon link:

    http://www.amazon.com/Masterpiece-Theatre-Children-Jack-Blumenau/dp/B00006HAZH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319043944&sr=8-1

    It's available on Netflix, too. :)

    - Corey

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  5. Hm, OK. I'll check that out, thanks :)

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  6. O.o, looks like a fascinating book! I am going to have to check it out sometime when my reading list dwindles. :)

    ~SOTK~
    New post up on the CWH

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  7. I've been wanting to read this for awhile, I love her book "Five Children and It." Thanks for the review!

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