The Railway Children features Roberta (Bobbie), Peter and Phyllis whose father mysteriously disappears after a late night visit from some visitors in boots. ( ABC Radio National Book Show) As I have yet to read The Children’s Book I offer this analysis of The Railway Children for those who have, and will refer to it later on myself. It deals with childhood and family secrets, against the backdrop of the Edwardian world with the First World War looming on the horizon’. The Children’s Book ‘is about a famous writer who is writing a private book for each of her children. Byatt’s The Children’s Book which was shortlisted for the Booker and is on the ANZ LitLovers schedule for May 2010. The reason I read it is because there is apparently some connection to A.S. No one at my school library had borrowed it in a very long time, and this is no surprise: why would Australian children of the 21st century want to read this quaint relic? What is surprising is the number of reviews on Good Reads which show that contemporary adults are uncritically reading it to their children and failing to notice that it is absurdly didactic, jingoistic, and sexist… The old gentleman’s intervention secures Father’s release and leads to the eventual reunion of the family at the novel’s end.The Railway Children, written by Edith Nesbit in 1906, is one of those classic children’s books remembered with nostalgia by adults – but it really doesn’t stand up to mature scrutiny. She responds to this discovery by writing a letter to the old gentleman asking for his assistance, as the well-connected and kind man is often a benefactor to the family in times of need. Although all three of the children gradually become aware that there is something strangely amiss in their father’s absence, it is only Roberta-the eldest and most sensitive of the children-who finally discovers the truth in an old newspaper article. The Russian Exile has suffered arbitrary imprisonment-and so, too, has Father, who is serving a five-year sentence for supposed treason. The appearance of a Russian Exile at the station midway through the novel foreshadows Father’s whereabouts. Although poor, the children seek to perform acts of kindness for others whenever they can, while Mother maintains her fierce independence by supporting the family through constantly writing for various publications. During their time in the countryside, they have several adventures, including preventing a train accident, rescuing a baby from a burning barge on the canal, and aiding an injured boy in a railway tunnel. The children forge friendships with the railway employees, including the Station Master and the Porter, Mr. Each day, they appear on the platform to wave at this train as it passes, and a passenger they nickname the old gentleman waves back to them. They develop a deep love for the nearby railway, especially the train they nickname the Green Dragon. The children cope with their adverse circumstances by forming a bond with their new home and community. The children do not understand why their father is absent, and their mother is reluctant to give them any details about his exact whereabouts. One day, everything changes: Father suddenly leaves the family home under mysterious circumstances and the children move to a modest house in the countryside to live a far more isolated and impoverished existence. Roberta (also known as Bobbie), Peter, and Phyllis live comfortable, privileged lives with their loving mother and father in London. ![]() ![]() This study guide uses the Kobo e-book from the Standard Ebooks Project, 2nd edition, edited by David Grigg and transcribed by Les Bowles and David Widger, published in 2018. ![]() There have also been recent stage adaptations of the novel in 20. The Railway Children is perhaps Nesbit’s best-known work and has been adapted several times for radio, television, and film.
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