The Christmas Train

enjoyable holiday romance

When Eleanor Carter was with Tom Langdon, he was a rising hotshot journalist who cared about his work and her. When she left him for the glitter of Hollywood as a screenwriter, he lost focus and turned into a fluff reporter. Banned from flying, Tom takes the rails from DC to Los Angeles to see his girlfriend, a voice-over actress, for Christmas. To pass the boring time, he plans to write an article on traveling cross-country by train. Tom meets several of his fellow passengers, but hears that a Hollywood group is also on board but staying incognito to avoid the media. However, Tom soon learns that Eleanor is among the Hollywood band. Shockingly (maybe not it is a Xmas story), her current director persuades Tom and Eleanor to work together on a project with him. If Tom can work with Eleanor who he still loves and wants back in his life permanently, his career will regain the momentum it lost when her departure sent him spinning into a state of inertia. Though the small levels of suspense seem contrived, this holiday romance is a fun tale filled with solid characters, especially the lead protagonists, and plenty of train lore. The story line is at its best when Tom and Eleanor take center stage, as both appear so real that the audience will believe they shared a train ride with both of them. Most of the other passengers provide humor so that those fans of warm Yuletide tales will take delight in David Baldacci¿s engaging by the fireside amiable tale. Harriet Klausner

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

wonderful.

Absolutely fantastic

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Christmas Train

We loved the storyline and all of the quirky characters. A fabulous read, uplifting, and a boost for the Christmas spirit. Highly recommended.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Holiday book!

Like many others, this was also my first Baldacci. I was lucky enough to find it at the local library in it's unabridged version. I rarely read/listen to the same book twice, but this one was worth owning :)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Charming reading

This is a great book if you just want to escape the drudgeries of a long day. Grab a glass of wine and enjoy!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Reviewed by Anne B. for Readers Favorite We all knew David Bald

Reviewed by Anne B. for Readers Favorite

We all knew David Baldacci was more than capable of penning a thriller but recently he has stretched his wings by adding a new genre to his repertoire. I quickly fell in love with his new style when I read "One Summer". "The Christmas Train" reinforced my belief that he is multi-talented. I’ve been surprised at the mixed reviews of this book. I believe readers have stereotyped Baldacci and are unwilling to accept changes in his repertoire. "The Christmas Train" is written in a style that will take readers to the past; they will think of Mark Twain and his humorous tales. In is story we join Tom Langdon as he sets out on a cross-country train trip right before Christmas. The trip was his father’s last request, but for many years Tom put off the long and revealing journey. He boards the train in Washington DC and plans to debark in Los Angeles. Along the way he meets a variety of interesting people. He talks with each one and manages to get them to share their story. Steve and Julie is a young couple planning to be married on board despite their parents’ disapproval. In one capacity or another Tom touches the lives of each rider. Tom’s own life is drastically changed when he is reunited with Eleanor, a woman from his past.

David Baldacci caught my heart in this book. I want to read more books like this one. "The Christmas Train" captures the good in people. Baldacci includes romance, a bit of mystery, more than a little humor, adventure and characters that are unforgettable. If Mark Twain were still with us he’d pat Mr. Baldacci on the back and say well done. I’ve always wanted to take a cross country train trip and now that Mr. Baldacci has teased me with this tale, my resolve is even stronger to ride the rail.

Awesome book!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was my first by this author. I loved reading about life on a train. Made me want to take my first train trip!

mistake

when am I going to learn to take advantages of the free samples before spending the money. I think everyone should. I never would have wasted the money on this.

Stop that train!

I found it very difficult to get into, and have 40 pages left, and no desire to finish. Just not my thing, that happens with book clubs sometimes.

Highly Recommended Reading, especially for the Holiday Season!

Read this book the week between Christmas and New Year--nice way to extend the holiday mood! Would love to see this story as a well-done movie!

Check it out.

Very good reading. Especially this time of year.

Anonymous

Very good!! Never wanted to stop reading"

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

This is the best Christmas book I have read. I read it every year and it never gets old. It has a little bit of everything you want. Read it now!

great book

the christmas train by david Baldacci
journalist heads to his girlfriends house for christmas. has to use the train from DC to LA and he
meets up with a variety of different people and hears their stories.

a mystery arises when everyone is missing something special to themselves. they try to solve it together.

everything is in an upheaval when the train stops due to the weather. wow this whole book changed and
it continued on to a good ending.

All Aboard

I enjoyed this book. This was my first read for me by this author. It really was a joy over the xmas holiday.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Read!

This is the very first David Baldacci book I have read and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I always read holiday theme books from November through December and this was the best one I read this year. It was an interesting plot with well developed characters, that really drew me in. I felt like I was a passenger on the train. I will definitely be reading more of this authors works this year.

Where is this going??

Coworker recommended this author. I like the writers style so I will give him another chance but this book is just DRAGGING for me. I had to put it down so I could move on. I hate not finishing a book! I will force myself eventually but not really looking forward to it. LOL!

So-So

As others have noted, the ending was a little too predictable, although creative nonetheless. I found much of the dialogue to come off as hackneyed, and a lot of the descriptive passages cliche and contrived. The part when Eleanor and Tom ventured out into the storm for help was completely unnecessary and again, contrived. It was a pleasant enough read and I have to admit, once I was into it I wanted to see how the two would get together, but by time I finished the book I realized I didn't rteally care.

What an ending!

This story not only touched my heart but lifted my spirtis. It is well written and keeps the reader wanting more. This is a pager turner with a shocker in the first few chapters, then another towards the middle of the book and fianlly a few at the end. I did not see the end coming and I am glad I didn't. I love this book and the message it has to send. I willkeep this book for years to come !

What a 'feel good' book....

Having read everything written by Baldacci, I decided to give this one a shot and am I glad I did. The characters were great and the story line ended up being a very nice, enjoyable surprise. Well worth the short time needed to read it.