The Train of Small Mercies

On the day Robert F. Kennedy's funeral train is slated to make its way from New York City to Washington, DC, the sun shines brightly on a nation in mourning. In each of the states along the way, people are preparing to watch the train pass by and pay their respects to a man who had inspired an unusual kind of hope in politics. In The Train of Small Mercies, author David Rowell spotlights a person from each state who will see the train and gives us a glimpse of their lives on that day.First, there's Lionel Chase, following in his father's footsteps as a porter for Penn Central. This day, of all days, is his first day on the job. In New Jersey, 10-year-old Michael spends the day playing with his friends and planning to see the train from the treetops while trying to forget the trauma of being a casualty of his parents' divorce. In Maryland, the West family, whose son Jamie has returned from Vietnam missing a leg, waits for the train and also for the reporter coming to interview Jamie about his experience in Vietnam. In Delaware, Edwin and Lolly turn the day into a party of sorts, celebrating their newly purchased pool with friends as a distraction from their struggles with infertility. In Pennsylvania, disappointed housewife Delores evades her husband's political disapproval by dragging her youngest daughter Rebecca along on a stealth trip to see the train with a series of lies that may just end in tragedy. In Washington, DC itself, Maeve, a prospective nanny for the Kennedy family waits for the train's arrival, realizing her job prospects have changed but still hoping for a new start.Each of these narrative strands are touched upon in brief chapters labeled with the state in which they take place. There is little to connect each to the others except for the expectation of the train itself and a pervasive sense of Americana. In a beautiful early summer day shot through with the grief of the funeral train, Rowell draws out a little piece of each ordinary American's story. Each story has its own heartbreak to go with the larger heartbreak of a nation, and each story seems, improbably, to hold the promise of better days for these Americans whose private griefs are mingled with the somberness of the day. Somehow, though it doesn't always make sense and the bands of connection are thin, at best, Rowell manages to use these six stories to convey the feeling of a nation in flux, filled with people who, even after being knocked down, somehow dust themselves off and carry on. Upon turning the last page, I had to agree with other reviewers that I hadn't managed to get my hands around the plot, if there was one, so I definitely don't think this book is for everyone. That said, I don't think it necessarily needed a plot. The compelling authenticity of the characters, the vivid snapshots of their lives, and the overarching connection of the funeral train itself were more than enough to create the feeling of sadness with the promise of hope for redemption that made this book an unexpectedly touching novel that has stuck with me.

A fine book following the stories of different people as they react to the death of Robert Kennedy and live their lives as his train passes by on the way from New York to Washington. It is a pleasant read and not as sappy as the title may suggest.

Quite enjoyed this book, I received it as a give-away on this site. The novel encompasses a single day, that in which the funeral train of RFK travels from New York to Washington. The stories in this book, chaptered from the locations on the East Coast that they represent, represent a cross section of the society as it was at that time. Viet Nam War vets, students who were deferred, tha familes of Vets, Republicans, Democrats, hippies, Irish Americans, Black Americans, and this one little kid that I can't fit in. Most anyone born before 1970 can relate to this story. I wasn't born when these events occurred, but I have pictures that my parents took of RFK at a rally when he visited our small town, and my memories of how much they respected and honored him. The highlight of their day was when he came in to eat at the same home town Italian restaurant that they had retreated to after the day's events. This book made me feel closer to my parents, and think more deeply about RFK meant to various segments of society.

Fiction, Historical, AmericanI was an impressionable 13-year-old when Robert Kennedy was assassinated and I’ve had an interest in RFK since then. So when I heard that this book centred on the train carrying Kennedy’s body from New York City to Washington D.C. for burial, I was intrigued.Alas, although there was potential, there was no story.Read this if: you enjoy very low-key anecdotes about everyday life. 3 stars

I little touch of history which I enjoyed. I am a believer in syncronicity, so I would have liked the Charactors to be connected in a more significant way. This would have been an easy task. Still a look into what could have very easily been fact.

Well written about a heart wrenching period of American history when the country was embroiled in the Vietnam War, riots on college campuses and in our nation's capital, and the killings of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy—all within a very short period of time. These were all events that bring back unbelievable sadness. This story focuses on the lives of various fictional characters as Robert Kennedy's funeral train passes through their towns on its way to D.C. and Arlington Cemetery. I found it difficult to transition back and forth between these families repeatedly. Because of the short sequences dealing with each, it was difficult to relate to these characters. Their stories were for the most part left hanging at the end. But it was an interesting approach to an important event and I would like to thank David Rowell for addressing it with compassion and understanding.

Just finished this book yesterday and I'm still thinking about it today. If you like historical fiction, this one tells the stories of several separate characters all of whom are trying to see - in one way or another - RFK's funeral train in 1968 as it travels through their state. It's a debut novel by the author and I really liked it , it's a quick and compelling read.

1968 just about broke America's heart with assassinations, riots and war protests. After Robert Kennedy was killed in Los Angeles, apparently on the brink of winning the Democratic nomination for the presidency, tens of thousands mourned the loss of promise and felt sorrow for his pregnant widow and other family members.The funeral train that carried RFK's body from New York to Washington, D.C., for interment at Arlington National Cemetary became one of those great national events when people come together. It is possible that 2 million people waited along the tracks of the route to pay their respects. For photographs of that journey, there is a poignant archive of Paul Fusco's work.David Rowell uses the train's voyage as the focal point of his first novel, The Train of Small Mercies, and through the stories of many characters presents a narrative of quiet hope that arrives when least expected. It is not always evident along the journey that any of the characters will see hope, and not everyone has a happy ending. The climax of many characters' stories is melodramatic, especially for two cases when things go drastically wrong at the end.Among those encountered during the journey are a not-quite-young married couple celebrating their first pool party with another couple in a working class version of John Cheever's world, a boy who takes an unexpected fishing holiday with his father, and a mother who wants to see the funeral train despite her husband's political stance. The couple with their above-ground pool embody Rowell's most successful story that reflects the passing of the Kennedy promise. The boy who goes fishing and the mother, who takes her young daughter on a long car ride to pass the time before the train goes by, show different perspectives in how the dynamics between a husband and wife can affect their children in drastic ways. Their stories are interesting, but it's not certain why they would be tied to the train. They might have been even stronger had they been the dual focus of a book not tied to a great national loss. Here, they do not resonate but rather only rise to the level of provoking a "oh, my" moment before getting lost in the maelstrom of the many other narratives in Rowell's book.Among the other stories are those of a young Irish girl who was set for an interview as nanny to the Kennedy babies, and the son of a proud railroad porter whose first ride on the job is on the train itself. Their stories are nearly lost in the criss-cross rush.And that's the problem with this book. The stories are not all fully developed. Some look on early to eventually take on more significance than they do. The more significant stories are not allowed room to breathe and blossom. In real life, these characters would not have necessarily have that privilege of being given the space they deserve. But because an author took the time to give them names, they deserve that space. Even on their own, most of the stories would work. But if they are to be parts of something greater, such as the passing of an era in American politics and society, they do need to contribute to that something greater. Only one of these stories does that. The others are reduced to the level of faces not clearly seen when a train goes by, no matter how slowly it's going down the tracks.

In the Train of Small Mercies, David Rowell essentially gives us a snapshot of a single day in the lives of six very different people. The date is never given, but those of us who are old enough to remember will never forget the events of June 1968 and the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Using the day of RFK's funeral and the interminable trip of his funeral train from New York to Washington D.C. as the backdrop, the author introduces us to a cast of characters who have nothing in common except their struggles with personal hopes, dreams, disappointments and disasters.We meet Lionel Chase, a young college student who, on his first day working as a Pullman porter, is assigned to serve aboard the Kennedy train. He'd really rather be with his pregnant girlfriend in North Carolina. Michael Colvert, a fifth-grader whose father is quite absent from his life, comes dangerously close to disaster as he and his buddies play on the rails waiting to catch a glimpse of the casket as the train rolls by; Delores King, a huge Kennedy fan married to one of RFK's most ardent detractors, sneaks her young daughter out of the house to go see the train, and in doing so, puts her daughter in grave peril.Further along Edwin Rupp is having a pool party, and hoping this opening of his personal swimming venue will somehow put some spice back into his sagging relationship with his wife. Their yard not only has a new pool, but the train tracks run right along the fence line, perfect for viewing the rolling funeral cortege. We also follow Maeve McDerdon, Irish nanny extraordinaire, whose appointment to interview with Ethel Kennedy for a position minding the newest little Kennedy is abruptly cancelled because of the funeral. And finally, we meet Jamie West, recently returned (minus one leg) Vietnam vet, whose life, like all the others in this saga, will never be the same, and who is just beginning to reconcile his past dreams with his future opportunities.Each of these characters has flaws, each has dreams, each puts his or her life on hold for this one day, to watch the train go by. Their stories are connected only by the train tracks, and the national day of mourning. Otherwise, they are simply and crisply presented as six short stories, all of which have elements of hope woven into them.I usually enjoy this format in fiction, but..... while the writing was superbly readable and descriptive, and the characters well drawn, I found it difficult to find a thread that really pulled them together as tightly as I've come to expect. There were continual mentions of RFK and his influence, sprinklings of expectations from segments of the population about the premature ending of not only his candidacy but also his life, but I just could not feel them congealing into a whole work. It's a well-written, well-edited piece of fiction. I just wish the six stories hung together in a more specific and coherent whole.

The lives of 6 different people and families are touched by the death of Robert Kennedy. All either live close to where the funeral train is going to pass or have some connection to the train or family. Yet when I finished the book I felt the story was incomplete and although this takes place in only one day in the life of these people, I never really felt that I knew them. There was a disconnect, I did however, like the history and the story flows well and is a relatively quick read.

The Short of It:Compelling and thought-provoking… The Train of Small Mercies affords us a tiny glimpse of people made somber by tragedy.The Rest of It:In New York, a young black porter struggles through his first day on the job-a staggering assignment aboard Robert F. Kennedy’s funeral train. In Pennsylvania, a woman creates a tangle of lies to sneak away from her disapproving husband and pay her respects to the slain senator, dragging her child with her. In Maryland, a wounded young soldier awaits a newspaper interview that his parents hope will restore his damaged self-esteem. And in Washington, an Irish nanny in town to interview with the Kennedy family must reconcile the lost opportunity and the chance to start her life anew.I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like this one. As the train moves through each state, you feel as if you are one of the mourners, waiting for the train to come through town. There is so much going on with these people. They all have their own challenges and somehow, they come together for this one purpose. What I enjoyed most is that the story flows effortlessly. As the train winds its way through these states, the pace of the story never falters and although the story’s point of view alternates between characters, the momentum is never lost.I eagerly turned the pages and enjoyed this one quite a bit. The Train of Small Mercies will appeal to all types of readers.

In June 1968 Robert Kennedy's funeral was held in New York. Afterward, his casket, his family and friends, the press and others were carried by train to Washington, D.C. where he was buried near his brother, President John F. Kennedy. This novel's core is that train and what Bobby's death meant to Americans, using the stories of six characters who view the event from different perspectives.Anyone who remembers 1968 knows what a devastating impact Bobby's murder had on us as a nation. It seemed like the world was off its axis; first the president, then Dr. Martin Luther King, and finally Bobby Kennedy. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was frightened, thinking that our best leaders were being assassinated one after another. What would become of us? We all, regardless of party affiliation felt terrible for Ethel Kennedy and the children, especially the child yet to be born who would never know his father.These characters reflect those feelings. A mother crying for Ethel and the children, a Vietnam vet who came home missing a leg, a young black man working his first day as a conductor assigned to that very train, a boy who has just been returned to his mother after being kidnapped by his father, and others. All are affected in different ways, most realize what a momentous tragedy it is.I liked this book but wasn't thrilled about the way it was written. Having said that, I don't know how the author would have done it any other way. It is definitely worth reading.

I had looked forward to reading this debut novel by David Rowell since I was an impressionable teenager when Robert Kennedy was shot just after winning the California primary. I felt his idea of watching the unfolding of the funeral train's progress from New York to Washington as seen through the eyes of a variety of characters would be interesting. Unfortunately, I found the stories missing their mark. From the dispassionate veteran to the bewildered mother, the coming of the train was really only a small focus in their lives. The most meaningful stories came from an Irish immigrant who had a talent as a nanny, just about to be interviewed by Ethyl Kennedy, and a young African American who is assigned to the funeral train as a porter on his first day at a summer job his father has gotten for him. Each of these characters has a more legitimate reason and connection to the story's main event, thus the reader cares about their involvement. The rest of those we get a glimpse at...a shallow office worker looking for more in life than a safe job and a failing marriage or the distracted mother that seems to not understand the seriousness of a fall her child has taken from atop a playground apparatus are not as compelling. Their role in this story is superfluous and never feels important enough for us to care. I think the story of this day in history is well worth remembering and for readers too young to have witnessed this tragedy, reading "The Train of Small Mercies" is still a good beginning.

Thank you, David Rowell, for transporting me to a time before I was born and giving me a glimpse of what Senator Robert Kennedy truly meant to our nation in 1968. My generation will always remember where we were on September 11th. Your work of fiction provided me with another generation's "Where Were You" the day Robert Kennedy's funeral train crossed the east coast to bury a man who could have changed our country through presidency. Glimpsing just one day in your characters lives left me craving more.

David Rowell's The Train of Small Mercies follows RFK's funeral train from NYC's Penn Station to DC's Union Station. Along the way he offers insight into the lives of those who were waiting to catch a glimpse of the train. This fictional account of a major historical event shows the balance between individual and society. Pool parties, accidents, illness, and work go on despite more global issues. Rowell presents this picture through the events in the lives of six individuals along the funeral train route. The chapters are named after the geographic location along the route rather than the individual who lives there creating a counter balance that we individuals are just part of the bigger picture.The Train of Small Mercies is an easy and enjoyable read.

The Train of Small Mercies takes one event—the journey of Robert Kennedy's funeral train from New York to Washington—and explores disparate narratives surrounding the event. The resulting “novel” is more like a collection of related short stories. The lack of resolution and cohesion is a bit frustrating, but the writing is very well done, and the characters are compelling.

For someone, like me, who was too young to really appreciate the feeling of the nation on the day the train rolled through with Bobby Kennedy's body on board, this is a wonderful book. David Rowell really captures the culture of the nation, as well as the feelings that people had about Kennedy's murder.He does this by weaving the stories of six different character sets and the stories of their lives on the day they are waiting for this funeral train to come through. If I had one tiny complaint, I would say that six characters is quite a few to follow, especially since their stories did not intersect at all -- the train was the only common denominator. I understand why the author did it this way, but it would have been kind of cool if there would have been some other factors that entwined the characters together. Also, the book left so many things hanging (it was just one day, after all!) -- I wanted to know what was going to happen next.An author to watch, for sure!

With the passage of Robert Kennedy's funeral train from New York to Washington as a framework, David Rowell fills this book with small details that make the stories come alive. Rowell creates six stories from the hundreds of thousands of people who watched RFK's funeral train pass by (or, in one case, were on the train), and gives us a glimpse into a day in the lives of ordinary (fictional) Americans who were touched in ways large and small by his life and death. This book is definitely not about RFK, though. It's about these six sets of characters that Rowell has so realistically created.

this is a really excellent book that show us many of the little dramas that unfolded on the same day RFK's body is taken by train from New York to Arlington National Cemetary. My biggest quibble with the book is that it ended too abruptly. I really want to know how all those dramas were resolved! I also wondered about the liklihood of the ex-wife of one character returning to China. This story takes place a few years before the U.S. had any sort of relations with China, unless it was Taiwan?

The Train of Small Mercies is a collection of short stories set on Saturday, 6/8/68 and linked around the train that transports Robert F. Kennedy’s family and remains from his funeral that morning in NYC to his burial that night in Washington DC.The stories are more slice-of-life glimpses than full-arc narratives, each broken into vignettes and interwoven with the others in a way that builds tension in each story (some minimally, some excellently) while advancing the day. I liked the structure, but the book otherwise ... not so much. It’s a journalist’s debut novel and I was often bumped by dialogue that read like narration; by heavy-handed reveals of character and period; and by an omniscient point of view that pulls beautifully close-in and then confuses when it jumps to another character. And RFK’s funeral train was relegated mostly to conceit -- a basis for stories that have little to do with RFK or the day. The author uses a note at the end of the book to tell the history of the day; I wondered why he didn’t tell it via the stories?

Day-in-the-life stories of ordinary Americans, although the day was an extraordinary one, because it was the day they were witness to the funeral train that carried Robert Kennedy to DC. Appreciated this new author's writing very much, liked the characters, and this book made me want to learn more about that time in our history.

There are moments of writing in this book that are so stunning I would actually stop, think about them, and then go back to read them again. David Rowell's writing is quietly brilliant (you never feel overwhelmed, just appreciative), with incredibly fresh metaphors (he's a master at these).I opted to give four stars rather than five because I had a difficult time getting started with this book. There are short vignettes about various families or individuals, and I believe they were too short for too long; I found myself going back to the front as I tried to remember, "Now who is this?" I think I'm a careful reader, but perhaps this is my problem alone.About one-third of the way through, though, I was in love with the book. Howell manages to create characters that are believable, who lead fairly ordinary lives, and yet their stories are compelling. That is talent. This book is much like a photo album picturing brief moments in the lives of a few Americans in a time of tragedy in our country. Sometimes the pictures are so sharp and raw it's almost unbearable (for me, the images of Roy and Jamie were particularly poignant); other times they're a bit less in focus, but still interesting. You will never really see the whole story of these lives, but what you do see tells you a great deal.

David Rowell's novel "The Train of Small Mercies" is, on the surface, an easy read. The book is broken up into small vignettes each one following the track of a different story line all of them taking place on the same day with one common thread, the funeral train of Robert F. Kennedy and it's trip from New York to Washinton. Each story is completely different one from the other and Rowell does an excellent job of capturing the human response to an event as horrible as the death of Senator Kennedy. As I've said, The Train of Small Mercies is an easy read. Rowell keeps his language simple and his story lines very straight forward. It isn't until one has finished the book and had time to reflect on these varied pictures into the lives of average Americans that the full impact of this book is felt. David Rowell did an excellent job of capturing America and Americans during a time of shock and sorrow. Each character responded in his or her own way and all responses were spot on. The novel had a feel of a train ride... of looking out of a window on a moving train...... of glancing at the scenery and only being privey to the small knowledge gained from a passing glance.Much like the loss experienced when a politician is assassinated, the short stories in this book do not have closure or resolution but then, does a country really ever have closure when something like this happens ? In leaving the stories open ended David Rowell instills much the same feeling in the reader as the feelings experienced by an America which has lost a great statesman.This is a first novel......well done..... I highly recommend this story. Also looking forward to more from Mr. Rowell.

Remember the car trips as a child when you watched the houses you passed wondering who lived there, what were the like...sometimes you were lucky enough to have your voyeuristic desires filled by an actual scene of life. Perhaps two children squabbling over a swing and whose turn it is, tugging the chains two and fro, hissing, squealing, maybe calling names. Then your car glides on by, The story of the swing is left behind. You never know who wins the war, or perhaps it all ended when one lost her grasp and banged her head on the curb, or maybe his best friend came up with a new pack of army figures and all interest in the swing is lost. There is no resolution; you are only left to wonder. Much of the art of The Train of Small Mercies is owed to this gliding past life stories in progress, being granted permission for see a bit, but then the train moves on, and we are left to wonder. Some readers may be apt to fuss about the lack of "closure,"; we have become such suckers for closure these days, but tidy resolutions would have devalued the whole story.The premise is that on the torpid summer day that the funeral train carrying the body of the slain senator and Presidential candidate, Bobby Kennedy, people are making plans to watch the train pass by so that they might honor the beloved Senator, a man to whom so many in the nation were looking towards for the fulfillment of of their hopes. Thus, hope becomes a central theme in the novel. The author chooses roughly a half dozen people from whom to spin his story: a young Irish nanny who was to be interviewed for a position with the Kennedy family, a boy who has already had his summer marred by trauma and confusion, a no longer young man who hopes to have an inaugural pool party in his above ground pool in hopes of recapturing something vague, a black college student who is working the first day of his summer job with the train company, a woman who must create a web of deceit to see the passing of the funeral train since her husband is dead set against the Kennedys, and a young man and his family learning to adjust to his disability since his return to Vietnam, plus be at their best for the young reporter who is coming to interview him. Finally, there is the concierge at the Churchill Hotel where the Irish girl is staying. Rowell imbues each glimpse into these ordinary peoples' lives with a poignancy and concern. His device off offering a glimpse into one set of characters' lives then gliding off to another creates an added wonder and curiosity. I do not want to say suspense since that word lacks the subtly for the actual sense created. Perhaps, heightened concern best names the feeling. These people are so very really, so fraught with sincere hopes and concerns that it is impossible not to care for them. While there is no resolution to any of the vignettes, their stories are no way diminished, in fact they are left more alive and subject to our wonder.

This book is the story of what was happening in the lives of several people on the day Robert Kennedy's body was carried by train from New York to Washington for his funeral. The details of this historical event are rendered factualy. The characters lives are fictional, their stories inspired into the imagination of the author from photographs he saw of the estimated 500,000 to 2 million people who turned out that day to show their respect along the railroad tracks.The time and the passions are evoked skillfully. The stories have you holding your breath as you flip pages to find out what is going to transpire. Take this journey back to 1968, you will experience the ride of a lifetime.