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    The Christmas Train
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    The Christmas Train
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    The Christmas Train
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Christmas Train

    Written by David Baldacci

    Narrated by Tim Matheson

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    One of America's most critically acclaimed storytellers, David Baldacci has enthralled millions with his popular novels. Showcasing his remarkable versatility, Baldacci gift-wraps a beloved holiday classic...

    THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN

    Disillusioned journalist Tom Langdon must get from Washington, D.C., to L.A. in time for Christmas. Forced travel by train, he begins a journey of rude awakenings, thrilling adventures, and holiday magic. He has no idea that the locomotives pulling him across America will actually take him into the rugged terrain of his own heart, as he rediscovers people's essential goodness and someone very special he believed he had lost.

    David Baldacci's THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN is filled with memorable characters who have packed their bags with as much wisdom as mischief...and shows how we do get second chances to fulfill our deepest hopes and dreams, especially during this season of miracles.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateAug 1, 2005
    ISBN9781594833175
    Unavailable
    The Christmas Train
    Author

    David Baldacci

    David Baldacci is one of the world’s bestselling and favourite thriller writers. A former trial lawyer with a keen interest in world politics, he has specialist knowledge in the US political system and intelligence services, and his first book, Absolute Power, became an instant international bestseller, with the movie starring Clint Eastwood a major box office hit. He has since written more than forty bestsellers featuring Amos Decker, Aloysius Archer, Atlee Pine and John Puller. David is also the co-founder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across the US. Trust him to take you to the action.

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    Reviews for The Christmas Train

    3.5/5

    528 ratings47 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Banned from flying due to an unfortunate incident, journalist Tom is forced to travel by train to the west coast. Not a fan of train travel, he decides to make the most of the situation and write about his trip, meeting people and taking down their stories. It becomes really interesting when he discovers his former girlfriend, the one who got way, onboard. Much happens in this delightful Christmas tale dosed with romance, intrigue, crime, natural disaster, and subterfuge. Maybe it is a bit contrived, but that just makes it an exciting yet happy Christmas tale.
    • 3/5
      Romance, mystery and Christmas. What more could you ask for? A nice, heart-warming Christmas story.
    • 4/5
      I try to read a Christmas book once a year. I did start this right after Thanksgiving and luckily finished it before the end of January. I enjoyed this story of trains, lost love and thievery. A lot of information about trains I didn't know about and the characters were very interesting. Of course, there has to be a disaster striking the train and what a disaster it was! Of course there was a good ending and a surprise I did not see coming. The bonus story was different but definitely too short since I have so many questions... ah to tease me with a three page story!
    • 4/5
      A cute story about love. Takes place on a train over Christmas. Sort of predictable.
    • 5/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
    • 4/5
      I grabbed this based on the time of year and the primary thought of "Oh! A Train book!" I'm a big train fan. So this definitely seemed up my alley. I don't regret grabbing this book. A journalist forced to train travel in December. There is plot afoot already. This is my second Baldacci book and I like the light feel and the good air. Maybe more details than should be given, though the character is noting some of these. He enjoys the history of the trains almost as much as I do. And one screw up. Capital Limited sleeper cars are double decker, but the lower deck is the sleepers. The upper deck are observation domes. Just hearing some of the things is bringing back some memories. It's well written. And humor is laced with mystery, is laced with train lore.I'm feeling like the theft plot line was just snuck in there at the last minute and doesn't have enough play in the story line. It's almost ignored. I also felt like the romance plot line, combined with the marriage plot line, overwhelmed the book more than it should.The final few twists were interesting, though I should have expected SOMETHING. Honestly, the reveals of who certain characters were at the very end made the rest of the book more interesting. I might want to reread it, now that I know the ending, just to see what I missed...I'd recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      Pretty good Christmas story. A little unrealistic but Christmas magic explains it, the are even a few surprises which was nice.
    • 2/5
      The very best I can say about this book is that it is thoroughly mediocre. The aughor does write grammatical sentences. The plotting could have been OK... if every single event had not been telegraphed way in advance, to spare the readers any risk of a surprise. Of the 2 "twist" parts of the ending, one was completely predictable, and the other not even remotely plausible.Also, it is full of "heartwarming lessons" about the Spriti of Christmas, the nature of God, and these are just trite and usually smarmy.The "humor" is particularly badly done, and even scenes that ought to read like a farce simply don't; the writing is both too wordy and too earnest to be amusing.The only use I can see for this book is if there is noting better available, and/or you need something to read that has uterly no risk of getting you engrossed or making you think.
    • 3/5
      A host characters ride a train together right before Christmas. A quirky story filled with mystery, intrigue and love - all told in a lighthearted manner. Not a typical Baldacci story. A good book to bring out at Christmas time.
    • 4/5
      Great little read. Read it every year.
    • 3/5
      Once I chose this book to read, I knew it was a safe choice. I've had Baldacci in my sights since I read the synopsis for The Camel Club. But ever since I got my kindle, I've had bigger fish to fry. This is a story that runs along the lines of cutesy holidaying harmless do-gooder people travelling, then stuck in a train. It's a gift to be able to write about coziness, celebrity, humaneness etc. Dickens had it in spades. I mean I will never review A Christmas Carol, but that book is a masterpiece. Here, as soon as the crowd switched trains to go to LA, things went figuratively downhill. Long story short, the twists at the end were pretty crude and prodded no surprise from me(I don't mean I guessed the twist, it just didn't induce surprise). The best passages in the story revolve around Tom, and his view of his success and his contact with better people around him. It's not a waste of time to read this book though. Could be better but I'm not complaining.
    • 4/5
      This was so much fun! I loved that this story took place on a train traveling across our beautiful country. The humor was entertaining and all of the characters were colorful and unique. In fact, even though I know this was written in modern times, I visualized the characters as the movie stars from the silver screen, with Danny Kaye playing our frustrated, world-traveled, journalist-hero. He made the perfect Tom in my mind. The plot moved quickly, with several stories that all came together in the close confines of the train. The last few chapters were really exciting, too. I loved the ending, especially since I thought I had the big "mystery" all figured out, buy I was so WRONG! Ha!

      This would be a great story to listen to while cooking Christmas cookies in the kitchen, wrapping presents, or making any holiday preparations. It will definitely get you in the Christmas spirit! Enjoy!

    • 4/5
      Read this book for my library's book club; the second Baldacci novel. I like his style of writing and this book is the perfect little Christmas adventure. Could almost see it being made into one of those Hallmark Christmas movies. Good set of characters and lots of fun facts and stories about trains, especially Amtrak... and especially two lines, the Capitol Limited and the Southwest Chief. This novel has love, adventure, scheming, mystery, and heart. A corny, but good read... especially at this time of year!
    • 3/5
      This had the potential to be a really fun book, but it read at times like a propaganda piece for Amtrak, lobbying heavily for American rail.

      It was a typical Christmas book in that there are numerous characters fulfilling different roles, a bit of a problem to solve, and a happy ending. It was very easy to read and had a bit of a twist at the end. I would recommend this.
    • 2/5
      Not a romance kinda girl. But it's Baldacci so I said: Why not? The answer is because I'm not a romance kinda girl. This very short book was tedious and slow moving. There was some interesting information about trains and Raton, Colorado (my home state) but otherwise it was a snooze fest. Right up until disaster strikes and then it was just laughable. I'm think Baldacci needed to do less research on trains and more on blizzards in Colorado. How all was resolved, on multiple fronts, in two pages literally had me laughing out loud.
    • 3/5
      The Christmas Train is the story of Tom Langdon, a hard bitten war correspondent who sets off on a cross country train trip just before Christmas. It was one of his late father's last requests and Tom has finally decided to fulfill it. Along the way he meets a variety of interesting people. He is also reunited with the love of his life, Eleanor. He let her walk out of his life and has always regretted it.It's very typical of the style of book that is popular as a Christmas read. You already know it's going to be filled with heart warming stories and quirky people who band together and help each other during the Christmas season. Sometimes when writers go outside their usual genre, the result can be disappointing. While I much prefer Baldacci's thrillers, he does tell a nice feel-good story. I wouldn't rush out and buy this but if you're planning a Christmas read, it has an enjoyable story line, likable characters, and a positive message.
    • 3/5
      This was headed for a five star rating until the cheesy and, in my opinion, totally unneccesary and unbelievable ending. The characters were varied and nicely developed with enough twists and turns in the plot to create a great tale. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it, the stupid surprise ending not withstanding. You might want to skip the last two pages and leave yourself with a fine story, well told.
    • 3/5
      Every year around the holidays I pick one christmas book off of my shelves to read in the month of December to get me in the holiday spirit. It's strange to me that the last few years the christmas books i've picked up have been a mystery of sorts. This one felt more holiday-centric then the one I read last year, which despite the holiday cover and title, had very little holiday "spirit".This wasn't my favorite Christmas book i've ever read, but I've definitely read worse. This was a solid read, that had average characters (None of which I really connected with or felt a strong pull towards), and a pretty well layed out storyline.I've read one other David Baldacci book, and unlike more of his mystery/thriller novels, the one book I read was more on the romance side, and I really enjoyed that one. I like Baldacci's writing style, just felt no real connection with the characters in this story, but if your looking for a decent holiday read, then pick this one up!! It's just not a book that really got me into the holiday spirit, which is what I typically want from a Christmas read.
    • 4/5
      Tom Langdon, a seasoned and weary war correspondent/journalist, takes a cross-country trek by rail from D.C. to L.A. As per his father's death bed request, he plans on making a story out of it, in honor of a similar journey that Samuel Clemens a.k.a. Mark Twain allegedly took but never finished writing about. He meets some truly interesting characters, makes some friends along the way, becomes part of solving a mystery aboard the train, gets roped in to be best man at a young couple's wedding, and comes face to face with the one woman he ever loved--and lost. Add to the mix "the perfect storm" of dangerous winter weather and quite a few surprising twists. I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes info regarding train travel and the history of how the railroad really made our country great. Baldacci was able to get the point across of really what a shame it is that more funding isn't provided to improve our railroad system within the U.S., and he makes you feel the nostalgia and sense of loss that long-time lovers of rail travel feel as they sense the eventual demise of passenger railways in our country because people prefer to get to where they are going quickly and don't take the time to sit back and enjoy the journey itself. I like the idea of some employees really loving their jobs and spending upwards of 20 years working for Amtrak. I hope that's true. I know the few times I have traveled on Amtrak, I was quite impressed by the employees who would actually spend time playing games with my kids, teaching them magic tricks, and making sure we had everything we needed. There really are good people working the rails, especially the "old-timers". The whole time I was reading this, I enjoyed the kind of old-fashioned feeling the writer evokes. He mentioned the Cary Grant movie, "North by Northwest", and I feel he somehow brought that type of black-and-white dignified kind of romance to life again in this book. Although, admittedly, this book's main characters, Tom and Eleanor, did not have the same kind of chemistry that Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint so smokingly portrayed!
    • 3/5
      When I glanced at the title I thought of N. Sparks and then was surprised that it was written by David Baldacci. I did like this book - certainly had a top 10 best seller as Baldacci's suspense novels are but it was a quick read, interesting and a "feel good" book.
    • 5/5
      Facing a personal airline travel ban but needing to get to from DC to LA, journalist Tom Langdon had to formulate a plan. He decides to go by train and to turn that adventure into a story. The pace moves along nicely in this not-too-long modern-day Christmas book. It has a bit of everything; some romance, some adventure, and a nasty winter storm.I read it in December of 2004. I might read it again next year.
    • 3/5
      So I found a Christmas story by the well-known suspense writer David Baldacci in the bargain bin, and figured it was worth a go. I'm glad I didn't pay full price. This story of a 40ish, world-weary journalist who takes a train trip cross-country to meet an occasional girlfriend, only to rediscover lost love and joy in life, reads like a Hallmark movie. There is the occasional bit of effective pathos, and a twist at the end I should have seen coming. But Grisham's departures from his normal style are fun reads that I felt he enjoyed writing. Baldacci's book feels like he needed to make some extra bucks for Christmas.
    • 3/5
      I liked this book, it was different for me, a reader of murder and mayhem. In my opinion, it could almost be considered a cozy mystery, with a little masculinity, light on the mystery told with sarcastic humor.
    • 4/5
      I finished Baldacci's THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN. It's quite a change from his other books. There's something for everyone in this one -- interesting characters, a little mystery, some love interest, a snowstorm in the mountains, some soul-searching, a few surprises, and a happy ending. What more could you want in a Christmas story??? Plus interesting facts about the railroads. All of that in only 260 pages.
    • 2/5
      I was in need of a "filler" book and borrowed this from someone at work. Seasonally appropriate for December reading. My first Baldacci, I believe. Your basic Mass Market sort of thing, but kept my interest and fairly well-written. I would read this author again.
    • 5/5
      I'd waited a year to read this book. My mother gave it to me last Christmas but I didn't have time to read it. All year long I toyed with wanting to read it but it never seemed right. My decision to read Christmas books during the month of December allowed me the opportunity.I don't typically go for the sappy, feel-good Christmas stories. Fortunately this book wasn't like that. Yes there was a happy ending, but the characters were charming and flawed. The book revolves around Tom. He's a fortyish journalist who loses his patience with the TSA and ends up losing his flying privileges in the United States. Needing to get from Washington, DC to California for Christmas, he decides to ride the rails. I've traveled short distances by train and while they were good experiences, they weren't quite like Tom experienced on his long -haul trains. The story brings up a whole host of quirky characters, like the young couple planning to get married on the train and Agnes Joe, a lonely but feisty woman who isn't all she seems. The biggest surprise for Tom was running into his long lost love, Eleanor. Tom and Eleanor face challenges as they try to get to know each other after so many years apart. They struggle to face the past and why they broke up. They also face the weather, when the train gets caught in a winter storm. Christmas is nothing like any of them planned, but it was better than they ever expected. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a little love, and a little adventure at Christmastime (or anytime really). If you love trains, you need to read this book. If you don't love them, read it anyway! You'll want to have your own cross country adventure.
    • 3/5
      Journalist Tom Langdon decides to take an Amtrek train from D.C. to Los Angeles for Christmas to meet up with his current love interest Leila. He's been banned from the airlines and thinks that this will be an opportunity to write the train travel story Mark Twain never wrote. There's mystery (train thief aboard) and love (a couple aboard getting married; his old girl friend is also aboard) in the plot. Somehow I got the feeling that this was a "quick write" that had not been scrutinized in its editing process as most books would be. There are places where the story gets bogged down and other places where you wish more detail were provided.
    • 4/5
      The Christmas Train is a book about Love and unity. The train is full of many stories all designed to create a beautiful dream. The main character went on the train in honor of his father. The meeting of his old flame put zeal into the story. David B.'s The Christmas Train is a great write. It is such a page turner. I enjoyed the speed and the how interesting each character's story is displayed. The book is a great Christmas story. A story of friendship, family and love.
    • 2/5
      I have never read anything by Baldacci before, and was recommended this title by my boyfriend who reads Baldacci religiously. While I did enjoy the story line, it took quite some time for him to actually get to the point. The dialogue was pretty dull and it took way too long to get to the point.
    • 3/5
      Romance, mystery and Christmas. What more could you ask for? A nice, heart-warming Christmas story.