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karinlib's review
4.0
Georges Simenon fascinates me. He writes these hauntingly taut stories that have a surprise ending. I've read both of his Inspector Maigret mysteries and what has been called his "Hard Novels", and Simenon has grown on me.
The Train is one of the Hard Novels. It's the beginning of WWII and the Germans are marching through Belgium. Marcel Feron and his pregnant wife and daughter have decided to flee to the south of France, to escape the Germans. They are able to get on the train, but Marcel is separated from his wife and daughter before the train leaves the station. The story is now about what happens to Marcel from being separated from is family until he meets up with them again.
The Train is one of the Hard Novels. It's the beginning of WWII and the Germans are marching through Belgium. Marcel Feron and his pregnant wife and daughter have decided to flee to the south of France, to escape the Germans. They are able to get on the train, but Marcel is separated from his wife and daughter before the train leaves the station. The story is now about what happens to Marcel from being separated from is family until he meets up with them again.
pandasekh's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ecleirs23's review
4.0
A cute little novella again. Originally in French, but translation reads perfect ! A World War 2 incidences. A married man, separated from his 7 month pregnant wife and 4 years old daughter ... A train journey in the train with its course unknown, the train that de-consoles Marcel because on that train it is no longer he who has to drive. The train that leads to a no-man's land. And the train leads to place ( and the situation too ) where the rules are gone and it is possible to abandon oneself (to primal instincts, emotions, life) and abandonment (of the affections, of the family members, of the conventions) is possible.
He founds a random girl in that train freight, named Anna and there starts ‘outside ordinary life and its conventions', an affair. The affair is justified as the shock from leaving their normal lives behind. It may not have been acceptable under normal circumstances, but the circumstances were far from normal.
Well, pretty unusual story and it leaves yuh all melancholic !
He founds a random girl in that train freight, named Anna and there starts ‘outside ordinary life and its conventions', an affair. The affair is justified as the shock from leaving their normal lives behind. It may not have been acceptable under normal circumstances, but the circumstances were far from normal.
Well, pretty unusual story and it leaves yuh all melancholic !
ericfheiman's review
3.0
A melancholy love story set in World War II France and Belgium that brings a rare intimacy to how the conflict affected everyday people caught in the crossfire. The Train also explores how the chaos of war upends the emotional states of those involved. How fear and uncertainty can paradoxically open one up to passion and intimacy not previously thought possible. A quietly potent book that stays with you despite its slim size.
bmg20's review against another edition
3.0
The Train was kindly provided to me by Netgalley for Melville House Publishing.
2.5 stars
The Train is a poignant novel about Marcel Feron and his pregnant wife and young daughter living the “normal” life he had always hoped for in the French suburb Ardennes. On May 10, 1940 they woke up to find that the Nazi’s were coming and they were being forced into leaving behind all that they held dear. Marcel packs his family up and they get on the train meant to take them away from the danger. Throughout the train ride Marcel relives the day when him and his wife first met, their first train ride together, and all that she represented.
“For me, she was not just a woman; but the symbol of a normal regular life.”
The morning of May 10, 1940 did not result in panic for Marcel, rather he had always felt that this was bound to happen, that he would be forced to leave behind everything, and that he was going to confront the “Fate” that he has been secretly awaiting for years. When he becomes separated from his wife and child he finds himself surrounded by strangers but as the train travels further away from home their faces start to become familiar to him; and that’s when he meets Anna.
The panic and urgency of everyone leaving their homes and being separated from their family’s causes them to change and feel ‘outside ordinary life and its conventions.’ The affair he ends up having with Anna becomes the sole focus of the book and it seemed at first to be quite strange and peculiar, but it transpired as a result of the shock from leaving their ordinary lives behind. It may not have been acceptable under normal circumstances, but the circumstances were far from normal. He continues searching for his family but stays with Anna till the very end. It was quite sad when the two finally parted ways.
“I hope you’ll be happy, Marcel. I’ve been happy with you.”
The author’s writing style felt choppy and stilted. I’m not sure if this was in fact due to the author’s writing style or if it was simply because of the translation between languages. Overall, this was an interesting reflection of WWII but also of the human response to traumatic situations and the bonds that we create with individuals out of the instinctual need to grasp at life.
“For the first time in my life I had said ‘I love you’ like that, from the depths of my heart. Perhaps it wasn’t she that I loved, but life?”
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
2.5 stars
The Train is a poignant novel about Marcel Feron and his pregnant wife and young daughter living the “normal” life he had always hoped for in the French suburb Ardennes. On May 10, 1940 they woke up to find that the Nazi’s were coming and they were being forced into leaving behind all that they held dear. Marcel packs his family up and they get on the train meant to take them away from the danger. Throughout the train ride Marcel relives the day when him and his wife first met, their first train ride together, and all that she represented.
“For me, she was not just a woman; but the symbol of a normal regular life.”
The morning of May 10, 1940 did not result in panic for Marcel, rather he had always felt that this was bound to happen, that he would be forced to leave behind everything, and that he was going to confront the “Fate” that he has been secretly awaiting for years. When he becomes separated from his wife and child he finds himself surrounded by strangers but as the train travels further away from home their faces start to become familiar to him; and that’s when he meets Anna.
The panic and urgency of everyone leaving their homes and being separated from their family’s causes them to change and feel ‘outside ordinary life and its conventions.’ The affair he ends up having with Anna becomes the sole focus of the book and it seemed at first to be quite strange and peculiar, but it transpired as a result of the shock from leaving their ordinary lives behind. It may not have been acceptable under normal circumstances, but the circumstances were far from normal. He continues searching for his family but stays with Anna till the very end. It was quite sad when the two finally parted ways.
“I hope you’ll be happy, Marcel. I’ve been happy with you.”
The author’s writing style felt choppy and stilted. I’m not sure if this was in fact due to the author’s writing style or if it was simply because of the translation between languages. Overall, this was an interesting reflection of WWII but also of the human response to traumatic situations and the bonds that we create with individuals out of the instinctual need to grasp at life.
“For the first time in my life I had said ‘I love you’ like that, from the depths of my heart. Perhaps it wasn’t she that I loved, but life?”
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
floorflawless's review against another edition
1.0
Ik vond de beweegredenen en acties van de hoofdpersoon raar lol! Beetje met een andere vrouw neuken omdat je eigen door omstandigheden vermist is geraakt, om vervolgens het leven met haar weer op te pakken alsof er niks is gebeurd... Dit speelt zich af in het begin van de Tweede Wereldoorlog, maar dit is dus geen oorlogsboek dat ik zou aanraden.
jeffmauch's review
4.0
A different point of view. It's rare these days for me to read anything related to World War II that isn't from a perspective I've heard before, but finally I found one. This is the story of Marcel as war suddenly comes to Belgium and he and his family hop onto trains with what they can carry and head for France. Marcel is a very even keeled individual, nothing really shakes or excites him, which gives us a very unique and observant viewpoint on the events. Even after being separated from his family, he doesn't at all seem worried or distraught. He rather quickly pairs up with a recently released female prisoner and together they go on their journey on cattle cars to France. I think the companionship would be strange had he had any emotional attachment, but again, he just methodically goes about his business as they travel slowly with stops and starts through the countryside. Knowing this is a true story is what makes it most interesting, as it reads like a fiction novel, especially when it comes to the relationship with the woman. It's a short read with a nice little Afterward by the author explaining how and why he came to write this account. A very different look at how war came to a part of Europe that we have rarely seen.
bookwomble's review
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
guadyyyy's review
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
nguyenanhna's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5