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The Railway Man

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About this listen

 A naive young man, a railway enthusiast and radio buff, was caught up in the fall of the British Empire at Singapore in 1942. He was put to work on the 'Railway of Death' - the Japanese line from Thailand to Burma. Exhaustively and brutally tortured by the Japanese for making a crude radio, Lomax was emotionally ruined by his experiences. Almost 50 years after the war, however, his life was changed by the discovery that his interrogator, the Japanese interpreter, was still alive - their reconciliation is the culmination of this extraordinary story. Asia Europe Japan Military Military & War World War II War Singapore Railroad Imperial Japan Imperialism Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking Veteran China

Critic reviews

What a great book. What a great man (Harry Ritchie)
Forget the grueling films, just read the brilliant books
This beautiful, awkward book tells the story of a fine and awkward man. Here, I think, is an account that rises above mere timeliness and comes near to being a classic of autobiography (Ian Jack)
When I turned to the book, the complexity of Lomax's emotions came alive and burned off the page
Of all the billions of words that have been written about the Second World War, with the exception of Churchill's Nobel Prize winning history, it is not an exaggeration to say there is no account of it more worth reading that this. Wistfully romantic, historically important, startling, horrifying and ultimately electrifyingly uplifting, The Railway Man is as indispensable as any book can be. (Tom Peck)
This is a harrowing but very honest and ultimately compassionate memoir
Now is the time to read the true life story of Scot Eric Lomax... A story of courage and survival
It made me cry, I felt angry at man’s inhumanity to man and yet uplifted by the way Eric finally came to terms with the suffering he’d endured and was able to forgive (Lesley Pearse)
A story worth preserving (Iain Campbell)
A powerful autobiography that shines a light on a difficult period in history (Sally Newall)
All stars
Most relevant

If you could sum up The Railway Man in three words, what would they be?

Gripping, moving and compelling

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lomax himself, his command of the prose and descriptive ability put you alongside him as he travels his lifes' path

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When he finally forgave his nemesis

Any additional comments?

I can only recommend that you purchase and listen to this book. You will be moved.

Masterly

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This is a moving story, parts of it horrific, but the ending makes you realise what true forgiveness is.

Amazingly moving

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made all the more poignant as it is true. brings home horrors of war time

amazing story

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A tough and moving story, well written and very well read. I have recommend it to friends already.

Very moving

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I could not stop listening to this fantastic book. A brilliant insight into a period of modern history that must never be forgotten. Written so fluently and Bill Paterson's narration is excellent.

Riverting, Captivating, Inspiring

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