Audiobook · read by volunteers
Railway Children
E. Nesbit (1858–1924)
Read by Karen Savage · 14 chapters · 5 h 01
About the book
Three children are living a comfortable life in London when everything changes. Their father is taken away without explanation, and Roberta, Peter and Phyllis must move with their mother to a small house in the country, near a railway line. At first they miss all they have lost, but they soon make friends with the trains, the station staff and an old gentleman who waves from a carriage window. Edith Nesbit tells their story warmly, with comedy and tenderness and without talking down to her young audience. Fourteen chapters and about five hours, read by one volunteer, make a gentle, absorbing story for the whole family, and a reminder of the adventure to be found in ordinary things. Whether you know it from the film or not, the book is well worth hearing.
Introduction
Edith Nesbit, who lived from 1858 to 1924 and wrote under the name E. Nesbit, was an English author and poet who became a leading figure in children’s literature at the start of the twentieth century. The Railway Children, published in 1906, is one of her most beloved books and is considered a classic. It tells of three children who are suddenly pulled from their comfortable suburban life, move to the country with their mother and come to know and love the ways of the railways.
Nesbit was known for her realistic child characters and her sense of humour. In this book she mixes lively episodes, such as the children’s attempts to help the railway staff or to make friends with passengers, with a more serious thread about the family’s troubles. The tone remains hopeful. Her description of the countryside and the working life of the railway reflect the Edwardian enthusiasm for trains, which were at that time the main form of long-distance transport.
The novel has been adapted several times for film and television, and some of its scenes have become very well known. The original text, however, has its own charm, in its quick, conversational narration and in the way Nesbit speaks directly to her young readers.
This LibriVox recording has fourteen chapters, with titles such as The Beginning of Things and The Engine Burglar, and lasts about five hours. It is read by one volunteer, Karen Savage, and makes a satisfying choice for evenings with children. It is a story that combines excitement with kindness, and it is easy to see why generations of readers have remembered the scene at the station.
Public domain
E. Nesbit died in 1924: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text