Status
Available
Collection
Publication
Grand Central Publishing (2018), Edition: Reprint, 320 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Romance. HTML:A journalist on a cross-country Christmas train scales the rugged terrain of his own heart in this New York Times bestselling holiday tale that inspired the Hallmark Hall of Fame original movie!Disillusioned journalist Tom Langdon must get from Washington to Los Angeles in time for Christmas. Forced to travel by train, he begins a journey of rude awakenings, thrilling adventures, and holiday magic. He has no idea that the locomotives pulling him across America will actually take him into the rugged terrain of his own heart, as he rediscovers people's essential goodness and someone very special he believed he had lost.David Baldacci's THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN is filled with memorable characters who have packed their bags with as much wisdom as mischief...and shows how we do get second chances to fulfill our deepest hopes and dreams, especially during this season of miracles..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member theeclecticreview
Romance, mystery and Christmas. What more could you ask for? A nice, heart-warming Christmas story.
LibraryThing member sandra.pinkerton83
Pleasant Christmas story with great detail and depth of characters
LibraryThing member purpledog
I originally read this book in the physical format. However, this time I listened to the audio book. I liked the audio version better. The audio version added something to this story. I especially appreciated the sound effects.
It is a feel good kind of Christmas story with a happy ever after
It is a feel good kind of Christmas story with a happy ever after
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ending. This is total fluff... but enjoyable fluff. I have not been able to manage much else the last few months. A good choice for the pandemic. Show Less
LibraryThing member thornton37814
Journalist Tom Langdon decides to take an Amtrek train from D.C. to Los Angeles for Christmas to meet up with his current love interest Leila. He's been banned from the airlines and thinks that this will be an opportunity to write the train travel story Mark Twain never wrote. There's mystery
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(train thief aboard) and love (a couple aboard getting married; his old girl friend is also aboard) in the plot. Somehow I got the feeling that this was a "quick write" that had not been scrutinized in its editing process as most books would be. There are places where the story gets bogged down and other places where you wish more detail were provided. Show Less
LibraryThing member wakela
There has always been a sense of nostalgia about trains. Thoughts of trains bring you back to days gone by, when times were simpler. Life may not have been easy back in the days when trains were the main form of mass transportation. But people had a sense of who they were, they knew what they
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wanted out of life, and most importantly, they took time out to savor what they did have.My own family’s history with trains is a long lived one. I have traced back a few generations on my mom’s sidewestern harvest that were all railway men. I personally have not had the chance to ride the rails. However, after I read this story, wanderlust has set in. Unfortunately, I have no where to go, no money to travel, and no one to travel with. So I will have to content myself with traveling through my imagination.The Christmas Train by David Baldacci takes the reader on a train trip from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles, California. The main character, Tom Langdon, sets off on a trip across country in hopes of finding his true self and finding where he wants to go with his life.In the past, Tom was constantly looking for the next rush of exhilaration, the next heart pumping action packed adventure, the next breath taking moment of near death experience. A few times, Tom had wanted to pop the question to his longtime girlfriend, Eleanor. However, he was more fearful of asking for her hand in marriage then being taken hostage in a war torn country.It wasn’t until Ellie walked out on Tom that he really had to reevaluate his life. The loss of Ellie left him cold and bereft. Being a war correspondent no longer held its thrill. He soon traveled back to the states and sold his sold to mass publications in the form of writing fluff pieces on the latest furnishing crazes. Tom drifted from one relationship to another. He finally settled for an unfulfilling long-distance relationship with Lelia. He was most happy when they were on opposite sides of the country. This Christmas, he was supposed to travel to meet up with Lelia in LA so that they could spend Christmas together in Tahoe. Little did Tom know that boarding the train in D.C. would be the most exciting and awe-inspiring trip of his life time.This book really was an eye opener. It reminds you that you never know what life may bring, so you must live it to its fullest. Don’t let things slip away from you. If you are lucky, the first time around, hold on to it. If you get a second chance, don’t let it slip through your fingers.There was a lot of train history and lore woven into this book. Interestingly enough, I had to read most of this book by candlelight since we were without power for many hours. I think that may have also lent itself to the nostalgic feel.Definitely a great book that no one should pass by! Show Less
LibraryThing member TadAD
A "feel good"...nonetheless, a very enjoyable "feel good."
LibraryThing member vpfluke
This is not a great novel, but as a railfan, I wanted to give it some notice. The setting on a train is pretty well described, and there is some reference to train lore which was fun to read. The coincidences which happen on the train sometimes seem contrived. The writing is very matter-of-fact and
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there is little probing into character. There is a love triangle in wich I never quite understand the inner reason for the characters' motivation. The story does pull-along, and there is a lot set-up, which is ok for someone like me who likes to read about trains. Show Less
LibraryThing member ajewell
I have never read anything by Baldacci before, and was recommended this title by my boyfriend who reads Baldacci religiously. While I did enjoy the story line, it took quite some time for him to actually get to the point. The dialogue was pretty dull and it took way too long to get to the point.
LibraryThing member readerbynight
A lighthearted read evoking a simpler time, the story centers around a disillusioned journalist and his chance to complete what his father had never been able to accomplish. Tom Langdon had known for years that there was a familial connection to Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain but he was not aware
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th, but had never made a story from them.As it turns out, Tom is planning to travel across the country to be in California by Christmas to be with his girl-friend, and will be traveling by train because he is not allowed to travel by air due to a volcanic temper tantrum in the airport after a long, tiring flight and a probing search at the security gate. Thus he decides to follow through on his father’s deathbed wish. He decides he will take his own notes and compile them into a story. Traveling by rail he hears the stories of many people who have, an eccentric old woman who seems to know everyone very well, a film director, and a person from his own past. At one point on the trip there also appears to be a bit of a thief, and this story runs along in the background.David Baldacci has created a little rolling world peopled with interesting and varied characters. Then everything comes to a screeching halt as they become trapped in this little world with apparently no way out, and particularly the subtexts and direction changes, red herrings and subterfuge with a dash or humour. This was a good Christmas story and the ending took me completely by surprise; I’m sure to be reading it again next Christmas. Surprisingly, this is the first Baldacci book I have read and I know this is not his usual fare, but of course I will be reading some of his other books in 2009! I definitely recommend it. Show Less
LibraryThing member GirlFromIpanema
Being a great train fan myself, I had been looking for this book for quite a while, when I found it at the shelf at a bed&breakfast in Hay-on-Wye (book town) for sale. Mine! This is a travelogue cum romance. It has some descriptions of train travel and train people that are spot on. Makes me want
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to take a long distance trip again, although these days there aren't many direct services left. This one shows that you can tell a good story in less than 300 pages, although it would have benefitted from a more careful editing *nitpick*. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lovette
The Christmas Train is a book about Love and unity. The train is full of many stories all designed to create a beautiful dream. The main character went on the train in honor of his father. The meeting of his old flame put zeal into the story.
David B.'s The Christmas Train is a great write. It is
David B.'s The Christmas Train is a great write. It is
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such a page turner. I enjoyed the speed and the how interesting each character's story is displayed. The book is a great Christmas story. A story of friendship, family and love. Show Less
LibraryThing member tipsister
I'd waited a year to read this book. My mother gave it to me last Christmas but I didn't have time to read it. All year long I toyed with wanting to read it but it never seemed right. My decision to read Christmas books during the month of December allowed me the opportunity.
I don't typically go
I've traveled short distances by train and while they were good experiences, they weren't quite like Tom experienced on his long -haul trains. The story brings up a whole host of quirky characters, like the young couple planning to get married on the train and Agnes Joe, a lonely but feisty woman who isn't all she seems. The biggest surprise for Tom was running into his long lost love, Eleanor.
Tom and Eleanor face challenges as they try to get to know each other after so many years apart. They struggle to face the past and why they broke up. They also face the weather, when the train gets caught in a winter storm. Christmas is nothing like any of them planned, but it was better than they ever expected.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a little love, and a little adventure at Christmastime (or anytime really). If you love trains, you need to read this book. If you don't love them, read it anyway! You'll want to have your own cross country adventure.
I don't typically go
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for the sappy, feel-good Christmas stories. Fortunately this book wasn't like that. Yes there was a happy ending, but the characters were charming and flawed. The book revolves around Tom. He's a fortyish journalist who loses his patience with the TSA and ends up losing his flying privileges in the United States. Needing to get from Washington, DC to California for Christmas, he decides to ride the rails. I've traveled short distances by train and while they were good experiences, they weren't quite like Tom experienced on his long -haul trains. The story brings up a whole host of quirky characters, like the young couple planning to get married on the train and Agnes Joe, a lonely but feisty woman who isn't all she seems. The biggest surprise for Tom was running into his long lost love, Eleanor.
Tom and Eleanor face challenges as they try to get to know each other after so many years apart. They struggle to face the past and why they broke up. They also face the weather, when the train gets caught in a winter storm. Christmas is nothing like any of them planned, but it was better than they ever expected.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a little love, and a little adventure at Christmastime (or anytime really). If you love trains, you need to read this book. If you don't love them, read it anyway! You'll want to have your own cross country adventure.
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LibraryThing member chmessing
I was in need of a "filler" book and borrowed this from someone at work. Seasonally appropriate for December reading. My first Baldacci, I believe. Your basic Mass Market sort of thing, but kept my interest and fairly well-written. I would read this author again.
LibraryThing member sharonmoe
I finished Baldacci's THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN. It's quite a change from his other books. There's something for everyone in this one -- interesting characters, a little mystery, some love interest, a snowstorm in the mountains, some soul-searching, a few surprises, and a happy ending. What more could
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you want in a Christmas story??? Plus interesting facts about the railroads. All of that in only 260 pages. Show Less
LibraryThing member BoundTogetherForGood
Facing a personal airline travel ban but needing to get to from DC to LA, journalist Tom Langdon had to formulate a plan. He decides to go by train and to turn that adventure into a story.
The pace moves along nicely in this not-too-long modern-day Christmas book. It has a bit of everything; some
I read it in December of 2004. I might read it again next year.
The pace moves along nicely in this not-too-long modern-day Christmas book. It has a bit of everything; some
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romance, some adventure, and a nasty winter storm.I read it in December of 2004. I might read it again next year.
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LibraryThing member pife43
Great little read. Read it every year.
LibraryThing member memphisrain
Light-hearted, enjoyable Christmas mystery that mixes a longing for holidays past with the reality of modern-day, Christmas rush, using a cross-country Amtrak ride to do it. Somewhat predictable, but fun.
LibraryThing member catmommie
I liked this book, it was different for me, a reader of murder and mayhem. In my opinion, it could almost be considered a cozy mystery, with a little masculinity, light on the mystery told with sarcastic humor.
LibraryThing member burnit99
So I found a Christmas story by the well-known suspense writer David Baldacci in the bargain bin, and figured it was worth a go. I'm glad I didn't pay full price. This story of a 40ish, world-weary journalist who takes a train trip cross-country to meet an occasional girlfriend, only to rediscover
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lost love and joy in life, reads like a Hallmark movie. There is the occasional bit of effective pathos, and a twist at the end I should have seen coming. But Grisham's departures from his normal style are fun reads that I felt he enjoyed writing. Baldacci's book feels like he needed to make some extra bucks for Christmas. Show Less
LibraryThing member Natsgranny
When I glanced at the title I thought of N. Sparks and then was surprised that it was written by David Baldacci. I did like this book - certainly had a top 10 best seller as Baldacci's suspense novels are but it was a quick read, interesting and a "feel good" book.
LibraryThing member AddictedToMorphemes
Tom Langdon, a seasoned and weary war correspondent/journalist, takes a cross-country trek by rail from D.C. to L.A. As per his father's death bed request, he plans on making a story out of it, in honor of a similar journey that Samuel Clemens a.k.a. Mark Twain allegedly took but never finished
I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes info regarding train travel and the history of how the railroad really made our country great. Baldacci was able to get the point across of really what a shame it is that more funding isn't provided to improve our railroad system within the U.S., and he makes you feel the nostalgia and sense of loss that long-time lovers of rail travel feel as they sense the eventual demise of passenger railways in our country because people prefer to get to where they are going quickly and don't take the time to sit back and enjoy the journey itself.
I like the idea of some employees really loving their jobs and spending upwards of 20 years working for Amtrak. I hope that's true. I know the few times I have traveled on Amtrak, I was quite impressed by the employees who would actually spend time playing games with my kids, teaching them magic tricks, and making sure we had everything we needed. There really are good people working the rails, especially the "old-timers".
The whole time I was reading this, I enjoyed the kind of old-fashioned feeling the writer evokes. He mentioned the Cary Grant movie, "North by Northwest", and I feel he somehow brought that type of black-and-white dignified kind of romance to life again in this book. Although, admittedly, this book's main characters, Tom and Eleanor, did not have the same kind of chemistry that Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint so smokingly portrayed!
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writing about. He meets some truly interesting characters, makes some friends along the way, becomes part of solving a mystery aboard the train, gets roped in to be best man at a young couple's wedding, and comes face to face with the one woman he ever loved--and lost. Add to the mix "the perfect storm" of dangerous winter weather and quite a few surprising twists. I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes info regarding train travel and the history of how the railroad really made our country great. Baldacci was able to get the point across of really what a shame it is that more funding isn't provided to improve our railroad system within the U.S., and he makes you feel the nostalgia and sense of loss that long-time lovers of rail travel feel as they sense the eventual demise of passenger railways in our country because people prefer to get to where they are going quickly and don't take the time to sit back and enjoy the journey itself.
I like the idea of some employees really loving their jobs and spending upwards of 20 years working for Amtrak. I hope that's true. I know the few times I have traveled on Amtrak, I was quite impressed by the employees who would actually spend time playing games with my kids, teaching them magic tricks, and making sure we had everything we needed. There really are good people working the rails, especially the "old-timers".
The whole time I was reading this, I enjoyed the kind of old-fashioned feeling the writer evokes. He mentioned the Cary Grant movie, "North by Northwest", and I feel he somehow brought that type of black-and-white dignified kind of romance to life again in this book. Although, admittedly, this book's main characters, Tom and Eleanor, did not have the same kind of chemistry that Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint so smokingly portrayed!
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LibraryThing member LauraMoore
Every year around the holidays I pick one christmas book off of my shelves to read in the month of December to get me in the holiday spirit. It's strange to me that the last few years the christmas books i've picked up have been a mystery of sorts. This one felt more holiday-centric then the one I
This wasn't my favorite Christmas book i've ever read, but I've definitely read worse. This was a solid read, that had average characters (None of which I really connected with or felt a strong pull towards), and a pretty well layed out storyline.
I've read one other David Baldacci book, and unlike more of his mystery/thriller novels, the one book I read was more on the romance side, and I really enjoyed that one. I like Baldacci's writing style, just felt no real connection with the characters in this story, but if your looking for a decent holiday read, then pick this one up!! It's just not a book that really got me into the holiday spirit, which is what I typically want from a Christmas read.
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read last year, which despite the holiday cover and title, had very little holiday "spirit".This wasn't my favorite Christmas book i've ever read, but I've definitely read worse. This was a solid read, that had average characters (None of which I really connected with or felt a strong pull towards), and a pretty well layed out storyline.
I've read one other David Baldacci book, and unlike more of his mystery/thriller novels, the one book I read was more on the romance side, and I really enjoyed that one. I like Baldacci's writing style, just felt no real connection with the characters in this story, but if your looking for a decent holiday read, then pick this one up!! It's just not a book that really got me into the holiday spirit, which is what I typically want from a Christmas read.
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LibraryThing member Jiraiya
Once I chose this book to read, I knew it was a safe choice. I've had Baldacci in my sights since I read the synopsis for The Camel Club. But ever since I got my kindle, I've had bigger fish to fry. This is a story that runs along the lines of cutesy holidaying harmless do-gooder people travelling,
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then stuck in a train. It's a gift to be able to write about coziness, celebrity, humaneness etc. Dickens had it in spades. I mean I will never review A Christmas Carol, but that book is a masterpiece. Here, as soon as the crowd switched trains to go to LA, things went figuratively downhill. Long story short, the twists at the end were pretty crude and prodded no surprise from me(I don't mean I guessed the twist, it just didn't induce surprise). The best passages in the story revolve around Tom, and his view of his success and his contact with better people around him. It's not a waste of time to read this book though. Could be better but I'm not complaining. Show Less
LibraryThing member cissa
The very best I can say about this book is that it is thoroughly mediocre. The aughor does write grammatical sentences. The plotting could have been OK... if every single event had not been telegraphed way in advance, to spare the readers any risk of a surprise. Of the 2 "twist" parts of the
Also, it is full of "heartwarming lessons" about the Spriti of Christmas, the nature of God, and these are just trite and usually smarmy.
The "humor" is particularly badly done, and even scenes that ought to read like a farce simply don't; the writing is both too wordy and too earnest to be amusing.
The only use I can see for this book is if there is noting better available, and/or you need something to read that has uterly no risk of getting you engrossed or making you think.
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ending, one was completely predictable, and the other not even remotely plausible.Also, it is full of "heartwarming lessons" about the Spriti of Christmas, the nature of God, and these are just trite and usually smarmy.
The "humor" is particularly badly done, and even scenes that ought to read like a farce simply don't; the writing is both too wordy and too earnest to be amusing.
The only use I can see for this book is if there is noting better available, and/or you need something to read that has uterly no risk of getting you engrossed or making you think.
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LibraryThing member sunnydrk
A host characters ride a train together right before Christmas. A quirky story filled with mystery, intrigue and love - all told in a lighthearted manner. Not a typical Baldacci story. A good book to bring out at Christmas time.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2002-11
Physical description
320 p.; 4.25 inches
ISBN
1538748541 / 9781538748541