On The Slow Train, Michael Williams
On The Slow Train, Michael Williams
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On The Slow Train
Twelve Great British Railway Journeys

Author: Michael Williams

Narrator: Michael Tudor Barnes

Unabridged: 7 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/04/2010

Synopsis

Brought to you by Penguin.

Never was the sadness of the end of an affair so poignantly expressed than in Flanders and Swann's elegy The Slow Train:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6OHD2uCpfU

This audiobook will take the reader on the slow train to another era when travel meant more than hurrying from one place to the next, the journey meaning nothing but time lost in crowded carriages, condemned by broken timetables. On the Slow Train will reconnect with that long-missed need to lift our heads from the daily grind and reflect that there are still places in Britain where we can stop and stare. It will tap into many things: a love of railways, a love of history, a love of nostalgia.

It will be a paean to another age before milk churns, porters and cats on seats were replaced by security announcements and Burger King. These 12 spectacular journeys will help free us from what Baudelaire denounced as 'the horrible burden of time.'

© Michael Williams 2010 (P) Penguin Audio 2010

About Michael Williams

Michael Williams (PhD, University of Pennsylvania) is Emeritus Senior Professor of Old Testament Studies at Calvin Theological Seminary, a member of the NIV Committee on Bible Translation and the Chairman of the NIrV Committee. He is the author of Deception in Genesis, The Prophet and His Message, Basics of Ancient Ugaritic, The Biblical Hebrew Companion for Bible Software Users, How to Read the Bible through the Jesus Lens, Hidden Prophets of the Bible and is editor and contributor of Mishneh Todah. His passion is to provide curious believers with knowledge of the Old Testament and its culture so that they may grow in their comprehension and appreciation of redemptive history and be adequately prepared to promote and defend the faith through word and action. Michael resides in Florida with his wife, Dawn.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Nick on January 13, 2018

A little disappointing unfortunately. It wasn’t the subject matter - I like a bit of British rural travel writing, just as I like the same kind of thing on television too - but more the handing of the theme. Too me there was a bit too little beauty in the descriptions and too little depth, and conve......more

Goodreads review by Nancy on November 21, 2020

To be honest, I almost stopped reading this book when I was two-thirds of the way through. I really liked the history and the descriptions of the different places. All of this seemed to be getting repetitive after a while and I very nearly didn't finish the book. I also would have liked to have one......more

Goodreads review by Paul on December 22, 2024

If you like trains you will like this book, written a real enthusiast with a great feel and knowledge for railways and their history. This book, its title taken form the beautiful song by Flanders and Swann describes the story of a series of lines which were either shut by Beaching or destined to be......more

Goodreads review by Danny on February 24, 2019

A very well written travel book, where the author documents his journeys across the UK using many of the country's forgotten secondary routes. From suburban London routes to rural back lines, there's a bit of everything in here, and following reading the book, my list of places to visit has grown so......more

Goodreads review by Les Chatfield on December 17, 2017

Bucolic measurement amblings Very pleasant awayday trundle down the secondary railways of Britain. It reads like an old steam railway trip to nostalgia junction. However this is today's railway!......more

Quotes

The author does take us along memory lane , but his description of each route also encapsulates a taste of 21st century Britain gleaned from talking to the people he meets along the way ... an intriguing social snapshot. Heritage Railway

The author's superb narrative, interspersed with dry humour, acute observations and some excellent anecdotes that make you feel feel you know he lines so well that you want to travel on them ... there are some wonderful bitter-sweet moments emerging from the pages, as the reader is taken on a fascinating series of journeys ... I enjoyed this book immensely. It's a great anytime read and hope the publishers can be persuaded to to commission a second volume. Railway Magazine

Williams manages to meet a range of characters who enliven the book and provide evidence of a Britain that is as forgotten as the lines on which he travels. That is the strength of the book. Williams does not just offer the journey but takes us through the history of each line and importantly meets the people who have campaigned to keep them open or ensure their smooth operation ... The Oldie

A magical world barely changed since the golden age of rail Daily Mail

On track to a trip back in time Daily Telegraph

Captivating Sunday Express

Deep in our soul, the railways represent an idyll that we love Independent

A celebration of the delights of rail travel in the 21st century Hampstead and Highgate Express

A eulogy to a lost world Camden New Journal and Islington Tribune

The author takes the reader on 12 historic railway routes that still offer much of the same charm as when rail was the way to travel. There may not be a steam loco on the front, but there's no doubting the author's enthusiasm for railways and rail travel Steam Railway

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