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*

The Plot and Structure

It's really difficult to talk about the plot of this book, because there isn't just one. The main plot that is weaved throughout the story is that of Father's absence: right at the very beginning of the book, the children's beloved Father is taken away. This sets up the main theme of the book; wondering if we will ever find out what has happened, and if Father will ever return home.

However, within this main storyline, there are lots of other individual stories running alongside the theme of Father's absence. These stories do add to the charm of the whole book, as they really emphasise that we are seeing the events through the children's eyes. Although their Mother is dealing with some very major problems regarding Father's absence, the children don't always see how much she is struggling. They focus on their adventures in their new home, and don't always sense that their Mother is keeping information from them.

Before we go into the main plot of the book, these smaller stories are equally important to look at. What strikes me most is that you really don't get these kinds of stories anymore. Bobbie finds herself on an accidental train journey all by herself, where she is looked after by the staff. I loved reading these little adventures, because they just wouldn't happen in modern life. I think that's what makes the book so charming. These stories are so gentle and innocent, which is really reminiscent of the time. There were aspects that I thought might be a little too far - the barge fire, for example, seemed a little too extreme an adventure for these three young children to have. On the whole, however, I thought these were really fun elements that added to the overall story.

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What these smaller stories really did was highlight the innocence of the children. We see most of the emphasis on their adventures, which they see as the most significant thing to happen to them. We don't always see the fact that their Mother is very upset, and working hard to bring their Father home. We only get snippets, when the children realise that perhaps Mother is quite unhappy sometimes.

Initially, we could only guess why their Father was taken away. It was quick, and he took no clothes.

"The dreadful change came quite suddenly."

When the maid makes a snap comment to Peter about how he will go the same way as his Father, it becomes clear that he is likely to be in prison. The children begin to guess something is not right, but as the book progresses, it is clear that they are wrapped up in their own childhood, and are often oblivious to what a struggle this is for their Mother. We see details that the children can't; the Russian man, for example, is a clear reminder of Father's absence. Although not made explicit, the Mother's reaction to his struggles makes it evident that she has her husband in mind while she helps him. (As a side-note, the story of the Russian man was one that I found really sweet.)

The real lightbulb moment is when Bobbie realises the truth. It is mentioned fairly early on how strange Bobbie finds it that her Mother writes to Members of Parliament and Editors of newspapers, but she doesn't attach any real significance to it. We see the whole story unravel through her eyes.

"She knew that Mother was unhappy - and that Mother had not told her the reason, so she just loved Mother more and never said a single word that could let Mother know how earnestly her little girl wondered what Mother was unhappy about. That needs practice. It is not so easy as you might think."

It is repeatedly referenced in the book how the children don't talk about their Father in front of their Mother. They know it upsets her, but they can't quite work out why. We see more through our limited insight than the children do; they are largely oblivious to how much their Mother is struggling. This is actually a really endearing quality the children have. They don't understand, but they just want to help, and this really brightens the whole story. There is a gentle warmth to the fact that these children don't quite understand, which is also mirrored in the fact that their Mother chooses to conceal what she knows in order to preserve their happiness. The overriding theme of the book is family, and this is evident throughout all aspects of the main plot.

What is also really apparent is how much Bobbie is growing up. In Chapter X: The Terrible Secret, Bobby finds out the truth about her Father's imprisonment. She's naturally very upset, but she's also surprisingly mature about it. She wants to fix it, but she also does what she can to make sure her Mother is okay. When you really think about, although she still has the naivety of a child, she's also acted quite maturely about the situation for a while; she knew something was wrong, but she understood that her Mother would tell her when the time was right.

When Father finally does return home, I thought the final passages were beautifully written.

"He is looking at the flowers, and each flower is a miracle to the eyes that all these months of Spring and Summer have seen only flagstones and gravel and a little grudging grass."

A man who has been wrongfully imprisoned, returning home to his family, sees beauty in his freedom. This, combined with Bobbie's heart warming reaction when she sees him, make for a really sweet ending. When I got to the end of the story, I wanted there to be a sweet and happy ending. I really wasn't disappointed. The love the children have for their Father is displayed so clearly, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about their little reunion.

The whole plot, the way it was set up and structured, as well as the way it was executed, was just utterly charming. Yet when planning this review, I realised that I had very few things to discuss in terms of plot, because there just isn't an awful lot of depth there. I do think that this is largely because of the way the story is told through the eyes of the children - mainly Bobbie. There isn't a huge amount of depth because Bobbie is still young, and so doesn't understand the complexities of this story. As the reader, we can see the details that obviously passed over Bobbie's head, as she and her siblings are more wrapped up in the adventures they'd been having. This story is utterly heart-warming and charming, but there isn't a huge amount of depth to it.

The Characters

We can't talk about the characters in The Railway Children without first starting off with the children: Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis. They really are adorable. As I've already said, they really do want to help in that naively innocent way, and it's so endearing.

"Let's get up and begin to be useful."

"It did not occur to them that they were spoiling good sheets which cost good money."

There is a common theme throughout of them wanting desperately to help, even when they really aren't helping in the slightest. Their characters are established so well, simply because we view the entire plot through their eyes. We see what they see, and that's such a simple way of setting up their characters that it's beautifully done.

One example of this is the way they connect things. They state that they only got buns to eat:

"...when an Editor was sensible."

It's clear to the reader immediately that the family is a lot poorer in their new situation than they once were, largely due to Father's absence. Yet they don't grasp this very well. What they do see is that when their Mother writes a story that is accepted by an Editor, they get buns. We can see that this is because there is a small income there, but they don't see the entire process. They don't see everything, but they understand more than you'd think; they just understand in their own way.

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One of my favourite lines of the whole book is the very first line of the very first chapter:

  

"They were not railway children to begin with."

I love the simplicity of this, but also the fact that it says so much. These children are going to change over the course of this story. They were not always this way, but now the railway is part of what defines and distinguishes them. And it does grow to be a huge part of their childhood. You can see they love the railway, from waving to the old gentleman on the train, to chatting to Perks and the Conductor. You don't see relationships develop like this for children anymore, and it really works in the context of this book. It's also quite nice to see the comparison between them and the residents of the country through the language they use. Perks in particular uses language of a far more informal nature:

"folks do hereabouts"

It's a very subtle method of distinguishing the children from some of the locals, and I find it really clever. It establishes again that the children are changing from the individuals they were in the beginning of the book, and this is influenced by their close proximity to the railway, as well as the other people connected to it.

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The other character that it's important to discuss is the Mother. When you really look at the book as a whole, it becomes obvious that she actually appears for a very small amount of the time. Instead, we tend to see the children out and about, and referencing their Mother instead of engaging with her. Yet she's probably, at least in my opinion, the most important character in the whole story. She is the one who is dealing with the Father's circumstances, and she's the only character completely intertwined with those plot elements.

What is also clear about the character of the children's Mother is how strong she is. The children soon get used to being without their Father, and yet she continues as normal. She doesn't mention him, she doesn't worry them with the truth, and she carries on, alone, trying to resolve the situation. The old gentleman notices, even telling the children:

"She's a woman in a million."

She has such faith that their Father is innocent, and she refuses to let the children catch on. It's admirable how she carries on, and I feel that it's important that she isn't overlooked simply because she features in the background for most of the story.

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The final character who I feel is really noteworthy for most of the book, but who isn't even really a character, is the narrator. The way the narrator tells the story really does feel like there is an extra character. I think this is a really nice touch! I even thought at one point that there was going to be some secret significance. There were sneaky comments that I thought were hints at extra plot points.

The narrator, for example, takes a special interest in Bobbie, giving a lot more background about her character and taking a special invested interest. This made me wonder if the narrator was really Bobbie, or the Mother, and they were writing about the past. Peter also says at one stage:

"Wouldn't it be jolly if we all WERE in a book, and you were writing it?"

It was quite difficult at some points for me not to think the narrator was going to be revealed as one of the characters. I still do feel that this was done on purpose. Perhaps Edith Nesbit wanted this to be an extra, thought-provoking part of her novel. I do think it would have been a lovely ending to the book if we were to find that the Mother had written this story and had it published. It would have wrapped things up nicely. I suppose we'll never know whether these little snippets of the story were meant to be of any extra significance. Personally, I think, and hope, they were.

The Verdict

Overall, I would have to say that I enjoyed this book, but I probably won't ever read it again.

The style of the book made it a pleasure to read. It was gentle and charming, very quaint, and I enjoyed reading a story that was so obviously written in a different time. It was also very easy to read, and was centred around the very endearing characters of the three children.

The only problem I did have was that the plot didn't really seem to go anywhere. There was obviously the underlying plot of their Father's absence, which we were very slowly fed the truth about, and the smaller, individual stories of the children's adventures. As I've said before, I can see the point behind the structure; we don't focus necessarily on the key plot because we're looking through the children's eyes. We read about what they see to be worth talking about. I just feel that maybe this let down the overall book a little. The depth of the story was sacrificed in order for us to view the story through the eyes of the children, and I think perhaps it was too big a sacrifice. The book just isn't as engrossing because of this. I genuinely enjoyed and appreciated the book for it's gentleness and simplicity. I just feel it would have been a little more dynamic if there was a little more to the overall story.