Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

This read is hosted by Tracey!

For those who want to read this, it can be found online:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1874/...

First published in 1906, The Railway Children has never been out of print. Several movies, radio and TV and stage adaptions have been made.

The Edith Nesbit Society was founded in 1996 and can be found here:

http://www.edithnesbit.co.uk/index.php

Some questions:

1. Who do you think the Russian author mentioned in the story is, or who is he based on?

2. Who is your favourite character?

3. This book is my favourite Nesbit book. Which is yours?

4. What are the themes in the book?

5. E Nesbit was accused of plagiarism in 2010. Others think not.

**** SPOILER ALERT!
DO NOT READ THE ARTICLES IN THE LINKS BELOW UNTIL AFTER READING THE BOOK AS THEY CONTAIN SPOILERS TO THE STORY. ************************

What do you think? How does this effect what you think of the story?

https://www.tor.com/2011/09/22/advent...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/b...

I have not read the book, but I have seen the film. I will never forget the sight of Jenny Agutter's red knickers!

Jenny Agutter also played in the movie years later as the mother instead of as Roberta. Don't know if she was wearing red knickers.

Two movies both starring Jenny Agutter:
1970: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rai...

2000: Played mother
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rai...

Jenny is a versatile actor, but I suppose the extra years helped her play the mother convincingly. I understand her maternal knickers were blue.

I have read four chapters this evening and am enjoying this book even more than the first time I read it.
I first read it years ago, before Thomas the Tank Engine became so popular here. At that time I had no idea what a tank engine was.

So far Bobbie is my favourite character. She is at the age where she sees her mother in a new light--her mother was once a girl like her.

I have really enjoyed reading this book again. It is one of my favourite children's books.

I finished reading The Railway Children a few days back for the first time read. I enjoyed the lovely story of three hyperactive, energetic children living in the Three Chimneys house overlooking the hills, the railways and the spiralling canal inbetween all surrounded with lots of flowers and greenery. A very beautiful countryside setup with really loving, friendly people.
My favourite character is Roberta aka Bobbie the eldest of the children.
The Russian novelist/author mentioned in the story is a character inspired by the writer Edith Nesbit's couple of Russian writer friends at the time.. I read about the same while looking about the plotline on the Wikipedia.

The theme in the book "The Railway Children" is about how a happy, well-to-do family suffers on the accounts of the injustice, false accusations and poor judgement. It is the woman in the family, the mother of the three very young children who handles the worsts with all her courage and makes a good use of her talent and skills of writing the stories and composing the poetry for the sake of her kids.
It's been a blessing in the disguise and whatever the children learn during those trying times is much more better than the lessons they missed at the school and will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

I think that the children had an opportunity to meet people from many walks of life and learned to make friends with all of them.
They also learned self-reliance, which is something rarely taught in schools of the time.

Rachana wrote: "The theme in the book "The Railway Children" is about how a happy, well-to-do family suffers on the accounts of the injustice, false accusations and poor judgement. It is the woman in the family, t..."

Lovely review. Thanks for that.

I always think that this book held a lot of autobiographical features for Edith and that Mother is in a lot of ways herself. She believed in children developing their social skills and imaginative powers, for the betterment of themselves and others.

Tracey wrote: "Rachana wrote: "The theme in the book "The Railway Children" is about how a happy, well-to-do family suffers on the accounts of the injustice, false accusations and poor judgement. It is the woman ..."

Thank you very much Tracey :)

I could not find a french translation of this book. It was such a pain to read the 4 first chapters of the english book that I am giving up this one...

That is too bad. I have a French book in mind for a read next year, Sans Famille. I have been wanting to read it for a long time.

Finally I read it and finished it. In fact I searched ebooks of the june reads (the machine stops and the farmer gills of ham) but I could not find them in french!! I Was so disappointed that I forced myself to read this book.
I found that I wanted to read in english as fast as in french. Big error! I must read slower to understand a bit (not completely) the story.
It was correct to read but it seems so far from nowadays life. What did you think of it?

fp63 wrote: "Finally I read it and finished it. In fact I searched ebooks of the june reads (the machine stops and the farmer gills of ham) but I could not find them in french!! I Was so disappointed that I for..."

It is indeed a story of its time and gives one a snapshot of a
middle-class family in Edwardian England, living and mixing with working class people. It's timeless though in the sentiments it presents; loyalty, endurance, charity, resourcefulness and the message that when working together and assisting one another we are all stronger and better people.