The Seventh Train

There were two topics I wanted to start my review with and both are warring to be the first to be mentioned(in my head), so I thought I could state both and then talk about them in reverse order and whoever reads this can pick which one ought to have come first. 1)The beginning part of the book mentions that this story was first a play and 2) I am probably not the only person who ever wanted to write about people who pass by in a train journey. The latter is a longer story but bear with me while I make its impact clear. One of the colonial impacts left in India, is an Indian version of long train journeys, anyone who has ever used the trains here knows how long an average train journey is and the advantage of having sleeper berths on most of them. I used to have seventeen-hour trips alone on a train that took an extremely long route through three different states in the south, each with its own style of dressing and language and peculiarities and to top it all, the train was also used by people going even further along, all the way to the other end of the country. This added a lot of vividness to the surroundings, and I gathered enough fodder to want to actually WRITE. Each trip I would start to pen a random story about people who meet on the train but it never went anywhere and someday if I do ever write something longer than a review, there would be one long train journey in it. I just hope my (imaginary, future) train story could even have a percentage of the impact that this short book does. Coming back to the first point, since it was mentioned that this was also a play, I kept imagining the scenes on stage (as I have only recently become very familiar with stage plays) and felt that added an extra level of enjoyment. The only reason I was unable to give this book a complete five stars was that I enjoyed the idea of it as a play more than just a story!! The story is very simple, it is a tale of a few people who meet by chance but end up travelling partway together. They are a reflection of many other people we meet on our way through daily life, some who actually have problems in life and others who have a significant lack of anything at all- both good or bad. The author uses few words to draw very stark pictures and lets you explore the minds of average (and maybe above average) individuals who need the emotional impact that the events of this story have saved for them. I have not introduced the characters here nor described their lives because it is not a big book and all of those introductions form the core of the tale. This would be an ideal book- club read because of the number of ways it can be enjoyed/dissected. I highly recommend this book to those looking for a different read.

I really enjoyed this gem of a book! The concept of running away from life is real and hits home. The idea of staying on the trains - number 7 stop 4 - endlessly to end up anywhere is quite endearing. I loved the newness of this book, the feelings it invoked in me personally as well as for the characters train hopping.

I really enjoyed The Seventh Train. Well written and with well crafted characters and plot. I think those who enjoy Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected will enjoy this as it has a sense of mystery and surprise. I will be on the watch for other books by Jackie Carreira.

I'm certain I am not the only one who has ever contemplated walking away from my mundane life and starting anew. I'm sure many of us have thought of it from time to time, and a few may have just done it! Life can give us ups and downs, and for some more downs than ups. Fortunately, I'm grateful to have been given more ups so I haven't thought of running away too many times. In The Seventh Train by Jackie Carreira, Elizabeth — a 40-something spinster — decides to do just that, walk away. Along the way she encounters an intriguing cast of characters in her journey of "going nowhere”. I found this book to be extremely entertaining and heartfelt, as well as a bit philosophical. I found myself feeling all of the emotions for Elizabeth: empathy, sadness, happiness, pride, jealousy. Elizabeth's character is definitely complex, and I found myself reading between the lines with her (so to speak). Her thoughts and actions take a unique juxtaposition many times throughout this book, and I found myself paying more attention to her actions than her thoughts. I would highly recommend this new book to anyone who enjoys a good story. This is written with such an amazing voice and uniqueness that I believe many will find it as endearing as I did.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The Seventh Train introduces you to a likeable cast of characters all with their own distinct back story. The writing was well paced and I finished this book in one sitting as I was so enjoying it. I would love to read more by this author and will be recommending this read to others. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my copy!