| Take
a fearless war correspondent, attempting to fill his post-war
life by writing fluff pieces for magazines. Add in a
cross-country train trip, a young couple eloping against
the wishes of both families, an Aretha Franklin-like
train porter, the L.A. Boys' Choir, and a retired priest.
Garnish with a mega-hit movie director and serve. What you
have is THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN.
Tom
Langdon, the reporter, decides to take the train cross-country
from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles to visit his long-distance
girlfriend for the holidays. His reasons for taking the
train are many and varied; and I won't spoil the fun
by revealing them here. He has decided to write a story
about his train trip. To do this, he makes it his business
to meet and talk to as many people as he can along the way.
While
talking to both passengers and employees, he finds that train
travel promotes a certain closeness among strangers.
Unlike a plane trip, which takes mere hours, a train trip is
several days long. This allows people to talk, get to know
each other, and form friendships.
The
cast of characters is vast and eccentric. Yet they never
quite veer into slapstick. Instead, the book is written
with a gentle humor. They all come across as real
people. Everyone has a background. Most of the
employees, for instance, have worked the same train for years.
Some of the passengers have traveled the same train lines for
years. For a few days, they're like a family.
Readers will come to care about them all.
This
charming book has a little bit of everything. There are
several romances going on at once. There's a bit of
mystery, as it seems that a petty thief is riding the rails with
our group. There's suspense when a savage winter storm
threatens the train and its passengers.
There's a certain glamour when it becomes apparent that
the director is there gathering material for a film.
There is the undeniable elegance and romance of train travel
itself. And, of course, there's Christmas on the train.
Unlike
so many holiday-themed books, nothing here seems forced or
overdone. There are some truly sweet moments throughout
the story. These are balanced by the humor and the mystery
occurring around them. The train lore is fascinating, and
is dispensed bit by bit during the narrative; which keeps it
fresh and interesting.
All
in all, this is a lovely book. Perfect for some light, fun reading
to put you in the mood for the holidays. |
