The Train Was on Time (European Classics) [Paperback]

Heinrich Böll (Author), Leila Vennewitz (Translator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0810111233 | ISBN-13: 978-0810111233 | Publication Date: April 27, 1994

Heinrich Böll’s taut and haunting first novel tells the story of twenty-four-year-old Private Andreas as he journeys on a troop train across the German countryside to the Eastern front. Trapped, he knows that Hitler has already lost the war ... yet he is suddenly galvanized by the thought that he is on the way to his death.
 
As the train hurtles on, he riffs through prayers and memories, talks with other soldiers about what they’ve been through, and gazes desperately out the window at his country racing away. With mounting suspense, Andreas is gripped by one thought over all: Is there a way to defy his fate?

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Böll has feelingly symbolized a guilty Germany doing pennace for its sins through suffering and death."--TIme

  --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 110 pages
• Publisher: Northwestern University Press (April 27, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810111233
• ISBN-13: 978-0810111233
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,562,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Der Zug war pünktlich, March 7, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Train Was on Time (European Classics) (Paperback)

I had to read this for a senior-level university class on the wars of the Twentieth Century. I read it originally in English, although I have since re-read it in the original German. I remember very clearly the day I sat down to read it. I had to read it and its companion novel, "Where were you, Adam?", and I was running behind on my reading. I had just finished the first novel, and I sat down to read the second novel-only 110 pages. And something happened that rarely happens to me reading: I was so affected that I cried. I sobbed through a good half of it...

The story is of a young German soldier who leaves Paris on a train on a Wednesday in September of 1943 and he is absolutely positive he will die on Sunday at 6:00am. He has numerous opportunities to leave the train (on pain of court-martial, of course), and yet he cannot and will not. He feels powerless to resist his fate.

Heinrich Böll was a master. And, while this is not one of his more famous novels, it is splendid. I strongly encourage you to pick this one up.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Fatalistic", June 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Train Was on Time (European Classics) (Paperback)

Poigniant and startling, The Train was on Time explores the idea of fate, and people's overwhelming concern with the future. Boll's sensitive writing allows this grim story to shine beyond its catastrophic end.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enter The Twilight Zone, June 23, 2001

By 

Michael J. Armijo (Marina Del Rey, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Train Was on Time (European Classics) (Paperback)

This is a remarkable book that is only about 100 pages long. The author, Heinrich Boll, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1972. It's clear as to why he won the Prize after reading this book. It's a well-written European Classic. I forget how I discovered it. I think I saw it listed as required reading for a Literature class somewhere in New York. It's about a German Soldier and his adventure on a train as he envisions and wonders how he will die. The 'Twilight Zone' ending comes only too SOON. Great book with some great lines...like the one that reminded me that life is beautiful and that cheese, white wine, bread and cookies make for a glorious meal. It's true. I tried the simplicity of this glorious meal, today, on this summer afternoon of June 23,2001.