Two
lost souls brought together by the chaos of war.
A train
journey into the past.
A love that echoes through
time.
Paddington
Station, present day
A
young woman boards the sleeper train to Cornwall with only a
beautiful emerald silk evening dress and an old, well-read diary full
of sketches. Ellie Nightingale is a shy violinist who plays like her
heart is broken. But when she meets fellow passenger Joe she feels
like she has been given that rarest of gifts…a second
chance.
Paddington
Station, 1944
Beneath
the shadow of the war which rages across Europe, Alex and Eliza meet
by chance. She is a gutsy painter desperate to get to the frontline
as a war artist and he is a wounded RAF pilot now commissioned as a
war correspondent. With time slipping away they make only one
promise: to meet in Berlin when this is all over. But this is a time
when promises are hard to keep, and hope is all you can hold in your
heart.
From
a hidden Cornish cove to the blood-soaked beaches of Normandy in June
1944, this is an epic love story like no other.
A
dual timeline novel. Night Train To Berlin ties together the history
of an emerald green dress, a clock and a night train journey from
London Paddington To Penzance.
In
1944, Lady Eliza Arbuthnot (nee Grey), is a wartime artist and meets
former RAF pilot, Joseph Alexander (Alex) Levine on the night train
to Cornwall. Both are alone with tough personal decisions to make.
They share a table in the dining car and over the course of the
evening, they get to know one another. On arriving in Cornwall, they
part ways only to meet again and begin a heart-wrenching relationship
set against the backdrop of WWII.
Armed
with her suitcase and violin, Ellie Nightingale boards the night
train to Penzance. She is travelling to a cottage she has
spent
many childhood holidays. On-board, she meets Joe Burton from Leeds.
Over the course of the journey, they realise a mutual coincidence,
sparking the beginning of a tentative romance.
The
author skilfully weaves the past with the present as the links
between the two couples are unravelled. The synchronisation of the
train journeys makes it easy to follow important aspects of their
stories. The strongest timeline is Eliza and Alex's in WWII which
includes vivid descriptions depicting the horror of war particularly
around the time of the D-Day landing and beyond.
All
the characters are likeable and relatable, although Eliza's attitude
is questionable sometimes. Alex is a proud war hero, who takes risks.
Ellie is sweet, in a fragile way. Joe is the one we don't learn so
much about.
The
ending is satisfactory. Ellie and Joe are happy for now while Eliza
and Alex's is ambiguous. It leaves the reader to contemplate what
happens subsequently. Although it's difficult to fully grasp what the
author intends for us to understand. Overall, a captivating novel
with an encompassing, epic love story.
***arc
generously received courtesy of 0ne More Chapter via NetGalley***
