This London Ontario novelist, playwright and screenwriter reimagines the real 1895 six hour train ride from Granville to Paris in this novel. The train became famous for its crash in Paris, and the author introduces close to 30 real or fictitious people many of whom were actually on it and imagines their diverse conversations. Only close to half way through does she introduce the anarchist suicide bomber who plans to blow it up. Other colourful characters include a few aristocrats including a secretly gay man getting his jollies in a semi-public area, some ordinary folk, and a pregnant girl who delivers as the train is about to crash.
There are more characters than most readers could possibly keep track of, but that does not matter as the beauty of the book is the characterization of the passengers, the geography, and the technology of the era. I quite enjoyed it.
4/5
Thanks, Alana
The Passionate Reader 