The Railway Children - Edith Nesbit

Rating: ✫✫✫

I've had The Railway Children downloaded on my kindle for a really long time, and finally got round to reading it. I knew it was a classic, but I knew nothing of the story; I hadn't seen the film, and I had no idea what the main plot points were. Trying to find what to read next, I decided it was about time I read this book.

I found the whole thing really charming. I don't think there is an awful lot of depth to the book, and it often seemed that the plot wasn't really going anywhere fast, so I'm quite surprised that I enjoyed it. I think the real appeal of this story is the fairly old-fashioned setting which made it so easy to read, and really added to the charm of the whole novel.

Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis have a wonderful childhood. Every day spent in their comfortable home, cherished by their loving Mother and Father, is nothing but happy.

Until one day, their Father is taken away in mysterious circumstances, and Mother whisks them away to a new home in the country, where they don't have the same luxuries as they are used to. Close to the railway, the children discover new ways to have fun, whilst constantly wondering if their Father will ever come home to them.

*spoiler alert*

Murder on the Orient Express: A Comparison between Christie, Suchet and Branagh

When I heard that at the beginning of 2017 that there was another adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express in the works, I had mixed feelings.

I have read every single Poirot story that Agatha Christie ever wrote, as well as watched all the adaptations, so I know how hard it is to do these stories justice. From Albert Finney to Peter Ustinov, I've seen so many takes on this story, and each has been so different. Hercule Poirot is such a popular, well-known and beloved character in British literature, and I'm sure that everybody would have an opinion of how they think he should be played. For Kenneth Branagh to choose to take on the role was, in my eyes, a really bold move. Having played Poirot for so long, David Suchet was - to me, and I'm sure to most fans - the epitome of the character. When you think of Poirot, you can't help but think of David Suchet playing him. Because he played him for so long, and because he did such an incredible job.

Murder on the Orient Express was such a triumph for Suchet that I was intrigued to see if Branagh could match this. I was really excited to see such a famous story adapted again, with a whole new host of talented actors. I was really happy to keep an open mind (even if I did have some reservations upon seeing the trailer). Having now watched the film, I'm really glad that I kept an open mind. Do I think it was a faithful adaptation of Christie's novel? In some ways, yes, and in some ways, definitely not. Do I think Branagh's direction provided us with such a successful film as Suchet's? The two are so different, but as a whole, this didn't impress me as much as I was impressed by the 2010 version starring Suchet.

This being said, I'm going to attempt to do an evaluation of the original novel, with comparisons between the 2010 television film, and the 2017 cinema adaptation. With so many different components to the original plot, and with so many different ways of telling such a complex story, we will really see how successful these ventures were.

The Story

Following a case in the Middle East, Poirot is called back to London immediately. With a little help from his friend M. Bouc, who is an important director of travel, Poirot manages to secure a berth on the Orient Express, despite his earlier being told the train was fully booked that evening.

When a passenger is found dead, stabbed repeatedly in the chest in the middle of the night, Poirot finds himself in the middle of a mystery that he did not expect to have to solve. When the train gets stuck in snow and reaches a standstill, the famous detective finds that clues don't add up, and the other passengers continue to lie to him. In order to solve the case, Poirot may have to consider that sometimes, the impossible is possible after all...

Agatha Christie had travelled on the Orient Express multiple times throughout her life, one time even getting stuck on it after flooding washed away some of the train track. She dedicated the 1934 book to her second husband Max, who is said to have suggested the ending. In her autobiography she states:

"All my life I had wanted to go on the Orient Express."

She couldn't possibly have known that this experience would go on to inspire one of the most famous murder mysteries of all time.

*spoiler alert*