Fiction

The London Train

The London Train

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-27 11:54:05
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Tessa Hadley
  • ISBN：0099552264
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Summary

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Late in the Day， discover a story of two lives stretched between two cities， two stories bound by the London train。

Paul sets out in search of his eldest daughter Pia， who has gone missing somewhere in London。 At first he thinks he wants to rescue her， but as time passes he is drawn deeper into the excitements of the capital， and a life lived in jeopardy， he forgets his own way home。

In the opposite direction， Cora is moving back to Cardiff， to the house she inherited from her parents。 She is escaping her marriage and the disappointments of her London life。 And then she receives a telephone call to say that her husband has disappeared。。。

‘She has such great psychological insights into human beings， which is rare。 She is one of the best fiction writers writing today’ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Reviews

Beth Bonini ，

Once， Cora believed that living built a cumulative bank of memories， thickening and deepening as time went on， shoring you against emptiness。 She had used to treasure up relics from every phase of her life as it passed， as if they were holy。 Now that seemed to her a falsely consoling model of experience。 The present was always paramount， in a way that thrust you forward: empty， but also free。 Whatever stories you told over to yourself and others， you were in truth exposed and naked in the pre Once， Cora believed that living built a cumulative bank of memories， thickening and deepening as time went on， shoring you against emptiness。 She had used to treasure up relics from every phase of her life as it passed， as if they were holy。 Now that seemed to her a falsely consoling model of experience。 The present was always paramount， in a way that thrust you forward: empty， but also free。 Whatever stories you told over to yourself and others， you were in truth exposed and naked in the present， a prow cleaving new waters; your past was insubstantial behind， it fell away， it grew into desuetude， its forms grew obsolete。In the midst of reading several other books， I picked up this one - and it immediately claimed my attention。 Tessa Hadley is a favourite contemporary writer of mine。 She manages to blend a philosophical bent with relatable situations and characters and her prose is clean and lucid but not too spare。 Her characters are not entirely knowable - to the reader， or even to themselves - and that seems right to me。 This book has an ingenious construction that can only be fully appreciated after finishing it。 It divides neatly into two halves， with each half narrated by a different character: Paul， in the first half， and Cora， in the second。 At first， it's not evident how the stories fit together - but they do， as neatly as tongue and groove construction， although they are completely separate as well。 The storyline contains all of the big themes: death， and other kinds of loss; pregnancy; love， and adultery; work， the gap between intention and unforeseeable outcomes。 It's toned-down drama， though - the kind that goes on every day。 As the title suggests， the commuter train goes back and forth and for the most part we remain oblivious to what is happening in the minds and hearts of those around us。 But every now and then， those lives do intersect。 。。。more

Joann Layton ，

No love。 Forced myself to finish it。

Ellie ，

Two rambling novellas combined into one novel， about 2 unlikeable characters who have a brief affair。 With the exception of one of those characters being in both “novellas”， there is nothing linking the two stories at all。 Disappointing。

Arwen ，

Utterly perfect。 Breathtaking prose。

Victoria Nika Teran ，

Subtle， beautifully written， and always engaging。 Characterization is amazing， all the way to the end。 I also loved the idea of two stories loosely connected into a novel。

Lauren ，

Oh my goodness i am having a Tessa Hadley reading marathon i adore her writing so many deeply private feelings are revealed in the most unexpected people 。 It was hard to be sympathetic to the wayward adulterous people ，it`s not like that had a lot to escape from ？ people who lived them madly？？？I loved the settings between Cardiff and London and rural Wales oh i really want to be on those trains with her Cora。 I have met intriguing people on trains there is a kind of romantic magic in train trav Oh my goodness i am having a Tessa Hadley reading marathon i adore her writing so many deeply private feelings are revealed in the most unexpected people 。 It was hard to be sympathetic to the wayward adulterous people ，it`s not like that had a lot to escape from ？ people who lived them madly？？？I loved the settings between Cardiff and London and rural Wales oh i really want to be on those trains with her Cora。 I have met intriguing people on trains there is a kind of romantic magic in train travel，well for romantic fools at any rate。 。。。more

Jamie ，

If it's true that we can only write what we know， then I can only imagine Tessa's life to be the messiest of family/friend relations， but also a certain joy in the maturity gained by accepting all the lurid fucked-up'ness of relationships。 If it's true that we can only write what we know， then I can only imagine Tessa's life to be the messiest of family/friend relations， but also a certain joy in the maturity gained by accepting all the lurid fucked-up'ness of relationships。 。。。more

Nicole ，

Tessa Hadley is such an amazing writer and definitely one of my favourite authors， however this story is probably my least favourite of hers so far。 Still a very enjoyable read， but something about it just didn’t click with me。

Smash ，

Really enjoyed it。

Kathie Wilkinson ，

I found the linking of two stories a surprise at mid-point。 Having first completed the chapter called "The London Train"， I thought was this a novella， did I miss something （having neglected to read the back cover）？ Hadley's idea of connecting two characters on the train， and the interplay of their respective personalities made for a deeper understanding of Paul， the main character in the first part， and a secondary character in the second half， "Only Children"。 This， my first read of Hadley， ma I found the linking of two stories a surprise at mid-point。 Having first completed the chapter called "The London Train"， I thought was this a novella， did I miss something （having neglected to read the back cover）？ Hadley's idea of connecting two characters on the train， and the interplay of their respective personalities made for a deeper understanding of Paul， the main character in the first part， and a secondary character in the second half， "Only Children"。 This， my first read of Hadley， makes me want to read more of her novels。 。。。more

Olivia Handley ，

I loved the language in this book and the journey it took me on but the ending just didn’t quite cut it for me。

Judy ，

I liked it。。。nothing much happens。 A story of marriage（s） - the highs & lows。 Very “British”。 First time I’ve read this author

Siouxsie ，

A very Chekhovian novel。 Slow and steady， with lots of pent-up feelings。

Rebecca Treiman ，

more like 3。5 -- well written

Stefan Halikowski ，

I came out of the library in Etterbeek recently with two books， this and McKewan's 'Solar'。 A Hungarian friend had asked me to recommend some recent British fiction， and I couldn't think。 McKewan put me off quickly: egotistical， vain men， a story of power。 Enough of that in my everyday life。 Hadley depicts family life， normal people， more relevant to today than Jane Austen， not so prim or self-righteous， and a thousand times more pleasant than McKeown。 Her detail is good， and in this collection I came out of the library in Etterbeek recently with two books， this and McKewan's 'Solar'。 A Hungarian friend had asked me to recommend some recent British fiction， and I couldn't think。 McKewan put me off quickly: egotistical， vain men， a story of power。 Enough of that in my everyday life。 Hadley depicts family life， normal people， more relevant to today than Jane Austen， not so prim or self-righteous， and a thousand times more pleasant than McKeown。 Her detail is good， and in this collection she takes on both a male and female protagonist the psychology of whom she handles equally well。 Hadley cannot be accused of being just a 'female' writer。 And the two stories are cleverly intertwined。 This is what the blurb praises for her 'elegance'。 I think she writes however for a middle-class， middle-age audience which is why some of the younger readers on goodreads voice frustration。 The critics of Hadley argue about whether all she produces is 'domestic fiction'。 But that is a significant and worthwhile genre in itself， I don't see why the drawbridges need to be raised against her。 。。。more

Jessica Finch ，

While reading， I developed a love/hate relationship with this book and its two selfish protagonists。 The book is split; the first half follows Paul， a misogynist writer， who travels to London （by train！） while the second part is about Cora， a Welsh woman with relationship problems who also finds herself on the London train。 Paul and Cora， are very well written， but are moronic existentialists who leave a trail of heartache and don't seem particularly bothered by the consequences。 I hated them， b While reading， I developed a love/hate relationship with this book and its two selfish protagonists。 The book is split; the first half follows Paul， a misogynist writer， who travels to London （by train！） while the second part is about Cora， a Welsh woman with relationship problems who also finds herself on the London train。 Paul and Cora， are very well written， but are moronic existentialists who leave a trail of heartache and don't seem particularly bothered by the consequences。 I hated them， but had to find out how low they would sink！ 。。。more

Emma Williams ，

Beautiful writing as always with Hadley but I really didn’t like this one and was actually bored senseless。

Julie Bateman ，

Didn’t really care for the main characters which always makes for a difficult read。 Quite liked how the story unfolded though - wasn’t sure what was happening when part two started like a totally different book。 Format worked well even if I wasn’t wholly satisfied with how people behaved！ Such is life！

Fiona MacDonald ，

Tessa Hadley does not write books in a rush - she takes her time and meticulously plans each word in every sentence。 You cannot go into this story thinking one big， specific thing will happen or that there will be an amazing twist， because the story isn't written that way。 It is a beautifully composed story of two independent characters that happen to meet in the middle of the book， and the qualities and quirks of each character are so finely tuned that it feels like you are reading true life。In Tessa Hadley does not write books in a rush - she takes her time and meticulously plans each word in every sentence。 You cannot go into this story thinking one big， specific thing will happen or that there will be an amazing twist， because the story isn't written that way。 It is a beautifully composed story of two independent characters that happen to meet in the middle of the book， and the qualities and quirks of each character are so finely tuned that it feels like you are reading true life。In the first half of the book， Paul is in London， searching for his missing daughter， Pia who he finds living in a squalid little flat with an unsavoury character。 Paul is also having difficulty in his relationship with his wife Elise， and this convinces him to stay with Pia in London for a period of time。At the other end of the spectrum we have Cora， who has recently lost her mother and is moving away from London， back to Cardiff to empty out her parents' house。 She is also having a rough time in her relationship with her loyal but passive husband， Robert。 On the train she meets Paul， and lightning strikes。Such a delicate story， full of deep and desperately emotional bonds between ordinary yet exquisitely nuanced people。 Tessa Hadley has created a mini masterpeice with this book。 And don't be fooled， it is exactly the right length， not one word or page longer than it needs to be。 。。。more

Annie Day ，

This is a gentle novel structured around two intertwined relationship stories。 The novel opens with a touching description of Paul dealing with the immediate aftermath of his mother’s death。 We then discover that there are complications in his personal life and that his eldest daughter seems to be missing。 As he pursues his daughter Into a rundown part of London we go on a journey into Paul’s inner motivations and insecurities。In the second story we learn about Cora whose mismatched marriage to This is a gentle novel structured around two intertwined relationship stories。 The novel opens with a touching description of Paul dealing with the immediate aftermath of his mother’s death。 We then discover that there are complications in his personal life and that his eldest daughter seems to be missing。 As he pursues his daughter Into a rundown part of London we go on a journey into Paul’s inner motivations and insecurities。In the second story we learn about Cora whose mismatched marriage to Robert is starting to break down。 There is less action in the second story but the emotional insights into Cora’s life and relationship choices are beautifully explored by the author。There is a link between the two stories but I’m holding back on this in order to avoid giving a spoiler！ 。。。more

Mike Finn ，

Not sure the book had an ending。。。 I almost felt it had chapters missing。 Despite that I'd enjoyed the tale。 Not sure the book had an ending。。。 I almost felt it had chapters missing。 Despite that I'd enjoyed the tale。 。。。more

John Thompson ，

There were times when this book made me want to stop reading it， not that I have ever done that with any book I have ever started to read。 I do not know what it was about the way Tessa Hadley wrote， but I was begging her to commence with the story。This is a book split in half。 The back of the book says the book is made up of two distinct stories， both connected by the train to London。 Although the two stories can be read as completely independent novellas both have three things in common: the tr There were times when this book made me want to stop reading it， not that I have ever done that with any book I have ever started to read。 I do not know what it was about the way Tessa Hadley wrote， but I was begging her to commence with the story。This is a book split in half。 The back of the book says the book is made up of two distinct stories， both connected by the train to London。 Although the two stories can be read as completely independent novellas both have three things in common: the train to / from London; the male character called Paul; and like I say the way the story starts seems to drag on for ages。 However I have to say I absolutely loved both stories。 I do not know what it was that made the stories such a compelling read， but they were so fascinating， and had such wonderful endings。What kept me going were hope and an absorbing account of the impulses and accidents that can change our lives as individuals。 In fact it was the promise of Cora’s tale in the second story that seems to be the longest one of the very few moments that any of the London trains get a mention。Would I recommend this book， after all my comments？ Definitely yes！ 。。。more

Lizzie Culverhouse ，

Such excellent characters。 I hated them but was compelled to read about them。

Mimro ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Every character start to sound， react and think alike after getting through a few Hadley books。 In this， the two male characters （Paul and Robert） are quite sketchy and similar。 Egoistic， and poor listeners， mostly interested in female curves and physical attraction。 I do not understand why Cora would want to spend any time with either of them。The two parts of the book was not easy to fit together， such as unclear timing between different scenes。 The older daughter gets lost in the telling of pa Every character start to sound， react and think alike after getting through a few Hadley books。 In this， the two male characters （Paul and Robert） are quite sketchy and similar。 Egoistic， and poor listeners， mostly interested in female curves and physical attraction。 I do not understand why Cora would want to spend any time with either of them。The two parts of the book was not easy to fit together， such as unclear timing between different scenes。 The older daughter gets lost in the telling of part two， she could have been used to add other/new ideas into this part！ I feel finished with Hadley books。 。。。more

matthew ，

3。5 out of 5

Nancy Ross ，

Great writing， and a plot that manages to hang together even with two separate threads and lots of back-and-forth in time。 I cared about Paul and Cora， no matter how flawed they were， and generally believed all the various things that happened to them， and that they caused to happen。 Will definitely read more of her novels。

Valerie ，

Another great book。 Wonderful prose， clever plot， & good character development。

Ralph Kleinman ，

I was somewhat impatient with this book at first， given how much I like Hadley's work。 It seemed very conventional。 Two novellas， with some spurious connections -- London and Cardiff， only children， marriages in trouble。 And then， like magic， Hadley pulls the disparate stories together， and the book unfolds into something beautiful and true。 I wanted to applaud when I finished。 I was somewhat impatient with this book at first， given how much I like Hadley's work。 It seemed very conventional。 Two novellas， with some spurious connections -- London and Cardiff， only children， marriages in trouble。 And then， like magic， Hadley pulls the disparate stories together， and the book unfolds into something beautiful and true。 I wanted to applaud when I finished。 。。。more

Gail ，

This took a long time to read and wasn't very satisfying。 This took a long time to read and wasn't very satisfying。 。。。more

Jenny Hall ，

2 short stories with one character interwoven。 Easy read。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The London Train

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The London Train&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The London Train&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0