A Train in Winter

By: Caroline Moorehead

Narrated by: Patience Tomlinson

Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's Summary

In Paris, January 1943, 230 French women resisters were rounded up and sent on a train to Auschwitz - the only train, in the four years of the German occupation, to take women of the resistance to a death camp. The youngest was a schoolgirl of 15, the eldest a farmer’s wife of 68; there were among them teachers, biochemists, sales girls, secretaries, housewives and university lecturers. The women turned to one another, finding solace and strength in friendship and shared experience. Forty-nine of them came home.

Drawing on interviews with survivors and their families, on archival research and original sources, A Train in Winter covers a harrowing part of our history but is, ultimately, a portrait of ordinary people, of bravery and endurance.

©2011 Caroline Moore (P)2012 Isis Publishing Ltd

documentary

What disappointed you about A Train in Winter?

It sounded like a documentary not a story.

What could Caroline Moorehead have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

the voice and accent is boring like listening to a history lesson

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Nothing like the blurb . . .

This book was supposed to be about a group of women who survived under the horrible French occupation in WWII - and how it impacted their lives. It would better be described as a detailed history of the gruesome lives that men and women lived during this time in French history. On top of this is the falsetto voice of the narrator. She may be good at elocution - but she is miserable to listen to! (sorry about the dangling participle!)

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Too many names and dates and facts

What disappointed you about A Train in Winter?

There were too many names and dates distracting from the story line.

What was most disappointing about Caroline Moorehead’s story?

There were too many names and dates distracting from the story line.

How could the performance have been better?

Performance was ok....

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

frustration

interesting story

What did you like best about A Train in Winter? What did you like least?

reality of deeds during war

did not like lack of ending detail

Would you be willing to try another book from Caroline Moorehead? Why or why not?

yes: good story teller

What does Patience Tomlinson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

do not know

Do you think A Train in Winter needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

yes: characters not completed or closed

Any additional comments?

none

Gripping account of the struggle to survive

Would you listen to A Train in Winter again? Why?

I would recommend the book to anyone interested in the impact of war on ordinary people, or the history of France in a period that still remains surrounded by some taboos. It is important that details be included in any account even though some make for difficult listening. The book was moving and inspiring in its description of human endurance and above all the importance and strength of such an ordinary experience as friendship in such extraordinary circumstances.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator's tone of voice was not entirely attractive to listen to and I cannot understand why more care isn't taken to find a narrator who can pronounce French properly when it is so pre-eminent in the narrative. Even the most common names were completely mangled by this narrator - more than a little irritating.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Many.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Devastating

Would you listen to A Train in Winter again? Why?

I might try to listen to it again, but the subject matter is so hard to deal with that it parts of it will be a struggle to bear.

What aspect of Patience Tomlinson’s performance might you have changed?

Whilst her performance is good and measured, her French pronunciation is often excrutiatingly bad. Why wasn't this checked by a native French speaker? To pronounce 'soeur' as 'sueur' (sweat) for instance is just plain wrong, and there are many more.

Women of Extreme Courage

Where does A Train in Winter rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the most interesting.

Any additional comments?

A compelling story you can't help but follow to it's end.

A very good and well researched book

It was as if you were there going through their life's traumas.
A very realistic account of there lives.
So very sad.