Long Train Passing

By Steven W. Wise

Book Overview

Wise's "Long Train Passing" is about a love affair between two handicapped people, a schoolteacher and a grave digger, drawn together because both wish to befriend a youngster named Jewel. Jewel shows... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0785277056
• ISBN13: 9780785277057
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc
• Length: 273 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.8" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

An exceptionally well written novel

This book is exceptionally well written and should be a classic of modern literature. Perhaps the reason why it has not risen to that status is because it is by a Christian author and is infused with Christian moral values. The prose style at times reminds me a little of Ray Bradbury. This is one of the finest books I have ever read.

Heartwarming

It is not often that I feel sad when a book ends. But I did when I finished reading "Long Train Passing". I felt like I really knew these people and they were genuine. The way that Steven Wise developed these charactors was wonderful. I wish there were more people in the world like Annabelle.Especially in a world where things like Columbine High happen. I reccomend this book to anyone with a heart, because it will definetly be touched!

Heartwarming tale of caring people in a Midwestern town.

Today, over thirty five years after it's debut on network television, The Andy Griffith Show remains extremely popular. I believe the major reason for it's continued popularity is the hidden desire for most of us to be able to return to a simpler time where problems were usually minor and always resolved in 30 minutes. Yet, some of us did grow up in our own versions of Mayberry USA, and while many of the things depicted on the program were fairly true to life, we also know that many of our problems were quite complex and rarely resolved quickly. Such is the town portrayed in the book "Long Train Passing" by Steven W. Wise. While the setting is 20 years before mythical Mayberry, it seems extremely familiar. For those of us who grew up in small Midwestern towns, "Long Train" hits close to home, and takes us quickly back to less complicated days. The characters depicted seem all too real, mainly because the author has taken them fairly faithfully from the real inhabitants of his hometown in rural Missouri. While the story is extremely entertaining, the real joy in reading this book is to see the characters come alive in print and to feel we would know them if we met them on the street. Here is a chance to go back to a time when many of the complexities of our modern society were not present, but the drama of life and the triumph of the human spirit coupled with love overcoming hate are as current as today. Spend a few hours and let the author spin his tale. You will be greatly rewarded for your investment.

A wonderful morally stimulating, well written novel.

Being an avid reader I often find it a challange to find a book that can hold my interest and touch my heart. This novel does both. Long Train Passing does a fantastic job of incorperating drama, suspense, and morality. It is the heart wrenching story of a kind hearted school teacher, who makes a great impact on everyone she comes in contact with. Everyone has, or should have, a memory of a special teacher who has made an impact on them. The person that inspired you, or changed you, in a way that made you a better person. For the people in this story, that person is Annabelle. She breaks down the emotional walls of a child that was deemed "unsaveable." She also makes the town that she is living in a better place for everyone. The amazing part, is that she does this in the midst of her own personal troubles and disapointments. She makes you realize that life is not worth living if you are the center of your own world. I have never read a novel that is so inspiring, and yet so full of action and suspense. It kept me on the edge of my seat, but also moved me to tears more than once. I could say that teachers will love this book, or women, or kind hearted people. But I'm not going to, that would be closed minded. There is not ONE certain type of person that I would recomend this novel to. I recomend it to ANY human with a heart. There is something in it for everyone!

A story of compassion that triumphs over bitterness.

What a find this book is! Steven W. Wise writes a story that in lesser hands may be sappy or over-sentimental. Instead, he tells a story of healing, compassion and understanding. The protaganist is a teacher named Annabelle Allen who is stricken with a physical deformity but blessed with courage and compassion. When faced with a very difficult student named Jewell Cole, she meets him with understanding and breaks through his pained exterior. She helps Jewell, who dreams of some day being a soldier, with the many battles he must face including an abusive father, receiving an education his father tries to deny him and learning to forgive and live. Also, WWII and the Korean Wars are backdrops in this novel of battles and struggles that must be met head-on. Each character faces conflicts with eventual integrity, lead by the righteous Annabelle. For readers who enjoy stories of triumphs in the moral struggle of life, this is a must-read. I look forward to reading more books by this author.