Rolling Home: A Cross Canada Railroad Memoir
by Tom Allen | Nonfiction | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: 0670884731 Global Overview for this book
ISBN: 0670884731 Global Overview for this book
1 journaler for this copy...
I bought this book at a charity shop in my neighbouring city of Brantford, ON. I don't know much about it but I love trains, so it seems interesting.
My husband and I have talked several times, especially throughout this celebratory year, about the importance of the railways in the growth and development of our country. As we have travelled this year we've seen some important rail-related sites-- stayed at one of the chateaux and spent a day at another, stopped in the Kicking Horse Pass to see the spiral tunnels, etc. It's very interesting although, sadly, I have never taken a train in Canada (with the exception of local transit systems like STM, TTC, GO, etc). I've read a few books on the subject, but you see surprisingly little literature relating to the trains when you consider how important they have been (and to an extent still are!) to our society. I'm excited about this book, which won the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction.
In celebration of the sesquicentennial, I have dedicated my bookcrossing activity to the reading and sharing of Canadian stories. I am including this book in my Canada 150 project.
My husband and I have talked several times, especially throughout this celebratory year, about the importance of the railways in the growth and development of our country. As we have travelled this year we've seen some important rail-related sites-- stayed at one of the chateaux and spent a day at another, stopped in the Kicking Horse Pass to see the spiral tunnels, etc. It's very interesting although, sadly, I have never taken a train in Canada (with the exception of local transit systems like STM, TTC, GO, etc). I've read a few books on the subject, but you see surprisingly little literature relating to the trains when you consider how important they have been (and to an extent still are!) to our society. I'm excited about this book, which won the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction.
In celebration of the sesquicentennial, I have dedicated my bookcrossing activity to the reading and sharing of Canadian stories. I am including this book in my Canada 150 project.
I finished reading this book last night, or in the wee small hours of this morning. I thought it was quite an enjoyable read.
While the author's personal/political viewpoints come through sometimes, I didn't find him to be pushy about them as I have found with some other books (by different authors) in this genre. I thought this book was much more focused on the travel and the people met while travelling than some travel memoirs. I've found that some of them are more social commentary than true travel memoirs, and I liked this better.
As I said in my previous entry, I've never *really* taken the train in Canada, but I still found some things in the book pretty relatable. I have travelled across most of the country-- largely by car-- and I found some of the author's thoughts/sentiments relatable because of those experiences. For the most part, I enjoyed the author's style of writing and their were a couple of passages I thought were especially lovely-- the first paragraph on page 187, and a section that begins on page 279 and runs until about the middle of 280.
As of right now, I'm not sure when or where I will release this book. I am setting aside for the time being with the intention of finding a good place to set it free!
While the author's personal/political viewpoints come through sometimes, I didn't find him to be pushy about them as I have found with some other books (by different authors) in this genre. I thought this book was much more focused on the travel and the people met while travelling than some travel memoirs. I've found that some of them are more social commentary than true travel memoirs, and I liked this better.
As I said in my previous entry, I've never *really* taken the train in Canada, but I still found some things in the book pretty relatable. I have travelled across most of the country-- largely by car-- and I found some of the author's thoughts/sentiments relatable because of those experiences. For the most part, I enjoyed the author's style of writing and their were a couple of passages I thought were especially lovely-- the first paragraph on page 187, and a section that begins on page 279 and runs until about the middle of 280.
As of right now, I'm not sure when or where I will release this book. I am setting aside for the time being with the intention of finding a good place to set it free!
