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Mr Norris Changes Trains

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 803 ratings · 62 reviews

After a chance encounter on a train the English teacher William Bradshaw starts a close friendship with the mildly sinister Arthur Norris. Norris is a man of contradictions; lavish but heavily in debt, excessively polite but sexually deviant. First published in 1933 Mr Norris Changes Trains piquantly evokes the atmosphere of Berlin during the rise of the Nazis.

Paperback, 230 pages

Published July 4th 2001 by Vintage Classics (first published 1935)

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Feb 27, 2013 Jeffrey Keeten rated it 3 of 5 stars

”What repels me now about Mr Norris is its heartlessness. It is a heartless fairy-story about a real city in which human beings were suffering the miseries of political violence and near-starvation. The "wickedness" of Berlin's night-life was of the most pitiful kind; the kisses and embraces, as always, had price-tags attached to them, but here the prices were drastically reduced in the cut-throat competition of an over-crowded market. ... As for the "monsters", they were quite ordinary human be...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Kinga rated it 4 of 5 stars

Berlin in the 30s, the political unrest grows but the demimonde parties on.

The narrator, William Bradshaw, lives there nicely as an expat giving English classes and enjoying life. This is pretty much all that we know about him, he doesn’t even explicitly reveal his sexual orientation. In fact, this first person narrative tells us very little about narrator and focuses entirely on the person of Mr Norris, a perfect English gentlemen, a charming scoundrel.

William meets Mr Norris on the train in...more Berlin in the 30s, the political unrest grows but the demimonde parties on.

The narrator, William Bradshaw, lives there nicely as an expat giving English classes and enjoying life. This is pretty much all that we know about him, he doesn’t even explicitly reveal his sexual orientation. In fact, this first person narrative tells us very little about narrator and focuses entirely on the person of Mr Norris, a perfect English gentlemen, a charming scoundrel.

William meets Mr Norris on the train in the first chapter, and, sadly, there aren’t that many trains afterwards. Sadly, as I love reading about what happens on the trains. Mr Norris, while keeping up the appearances of a refined Englishman of delicate sensibilities, seems rather murky.
William’s favourite pastime becomes watching Mr Norris, and, gosh, is that boy observant! He notices everything, every furtive glance, every twitch of the mouth, every tense muscle.

“’Do you know what time we arrive at the frontier?’
Looking back on the conversation, this question does not seem to me to have been particularly unusual. It is true that I had no interest in the answer; I wanted merely to ask something which might start us chatting, and which wasn’t, at the same time, inquisitive or impertinent. Its effect on the stranger was remarkable. I had certainly succeeded in arousing his interest. He gave me a long, odd glance, his features seemed to stiffen a little. It was the glance of a poker-player who guesses suddenly that his opponent hold a straight flush and that he had better be careful. At length he answered, speaking slowly and with caution:
‘I’m afraid I couldn’t tell you exactly. In about an hour’s time, I believe. ‘
His glance, now vacant for a moment, was clouded again. An unpleasant thought seemed to tease him like a wasp; he moved his head slightly to avoid it."

I told you; nothing goes past this boy. But you get used to it and become equally obsessed about every change in Mr Norris’ body language, trying to read what he’s not telling you (and that’s quite a lot.). Isherwood has created a rich and fascinating character (apparently he didn’t create him from scratch, as Mr Norris was modeled on Gerald Hamilton) whom we can’t help but cut a lot of slack, despite the fact he is obviously a total scumbag. As a reader, I found myself just as gullible as William while believing (like him) that I had it all under control and saw Mr Norris through.

I liked this book a lot but maybe I’m wrong to like it. Isherwood himself ended up hating it saying it was dishonest and shallow. I think he is being too hard on himself. Literally on himself, because the narrator, William Bradshaw, is more than just an alter-ego; it’s the author himself. Isherwood came to the conclusion that it was William who was the villain of the novel, insensitive to the misery and horror that was surrounding him in the prewar Germany.
If I were Chris, I wouldn’t beat myself about it so much. His descriptions of the state of the decaying German society were powerful. And I felt the sense of impending doom. (Although it was maybe because I knew how it all escalated). Anyway, he wouldn’t be the only one to dismiss the seriousness of the situation. How do you think Chamberlain felt?

There is so much more awesomeness in this book like dominatrix scenes, a sleazy homosexual baron playing footsie under the table, a Communist pimp, but I think you should read it all for yourself.

(less)

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Jul 16, 2008 Scott rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: spies, 1930s

A down-and-out English 'gentleman' with a slippery past and dubious intentions ... a brutal and ubiquitous secretary who knows too much ... a boxer turned Communist street brawler ... a monocled baron with a queer penchant for young adult fiction ... and an odd assortment of blackmailers, bankrupts, and Nazis make up the eccentric cast of Christopher Isherwood's semi-autobiographical novel Mr Norris Changes Trains (1935). Through the eyes of Willie Bradshaw, a naive young Englishman living in Be...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Tfitoby rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lit

An entertainment set during the growth of the Nazi party? It actually works too. Published before things went horribly wrong in Europe this collection of events chronicling the friendship of Mr Norris and Mr Bradshaw stands the test of time and history remarkably well.

As Isherwood himself said of this novel much later in his life, it is shallow and it is filled with frivolity whilst being set during a dark time in world history, but that doesn't change the fact that it is an enjoyable read perha...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Alec rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Christopher Isherwood's "Mr. Norris Changes Trains" is a lover's memento to Gerald Hamilton, an eccentric charlatan who served as the inspiration for the principle character of Mr. Norris and with whom the young author shared an ill-advised mésalliance. Set during the societal inquietude of the Wiemar Republic, Isherwood's semi-autobiographical novel is a sketchbook of desperate characters and dangerous situations in antebellum Germany on the eve of Hitler's ascension as Chancellor.

Despite the f...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Literary Relish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Written in 1935 as the first of his ‘Berlin Novels’ (Goodbye to Berlin being the second) Isherwood writes the story of his alter-ego, teacher William Bradshaw who, on a train travelling from Holland into Berlin, encounters and subsequently forms an intriguing friendship with Arthur Norris; a hilarious, evasive, effeminate and often rather sinister middle aged man.

As the mystique surrounding his new found friend and his occupation grows, Bradshaw follows Arthur around pre-war Berlin. From party t...more Written in 1935 as the first of his ‘Berlin Novels’ (Goodbye to Berlin being the second) Isherwood writes the story of his alter-ego, teacher William Bradshaw who, on a train travelling from Holland into Berlin, encounters and subsequently forms an intriguing friendship with Arthur Norris; a hilarious, evasive, effeminate and often rather sinister middle aged man.

As the mystique surrounding his new found friend and his occupation grows, Bradshaw follows Arthur around pre-war Berlin. From party to restaurant to communist hub, this story is imbued with tension and populated with characters whose appearance seemed so grotesque as to be rather cartoon-like at times:

‘There was no mistaking his warmth. He had a large blunt fleshy nose and a chin which seemed to have slipped sideways. It was like a broken concertina. When he spoke, it jerked crooked in the most curious fashion and a deep cleft dimple like a wound surprisingly appeared in the side of it. Above his ripe red cheeks, his forehead was sculpturally white, like marble. A queerly cut fringe of dark grey hair lay across it, compact, thick, and heavy. After a moment’s examination, I realised, with extreme interest, that he was wearing a wig.’

(Bradshaw meets Arthur Norris) p.3

Having little time to concentrate on anything major this month (a nightmare of a mood to be in when you’re trying to read Salman Rushdie!) Christopher Isherwood proved to be the perfect antidote. His prose is neat and evocative, his characters unusual and the setting exciting. However, it appears that that is all there really was to it! Although a couple of our book group members found Arthur Norris a difficult character to get along with, spoiling the book somewhat for them, the majority found this to be an entertaining read but were unable to elaborate as to exactly why it was so enjoyable, myself included!

Although William Bradshaw is supposed to be Isherwood’s alter-ego (Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood) the author very cleverly ensures that his narrator is as neutral, unexciting and asexual as possible; allowing the big personalities of the novel to shine and for us, as readers, to easily place ourselves in Bradshaw’s position. Hobnobbing with Arthur, his communist ‘associates’ and the fishy Baron Pregnitz in the cafés and bars of 1935 Berlin, it is fascinating to see Isherwood effectively portray the danger and tension of the place at the time, particularly given what we all know about what happened next…

Isherwood criticised himself intensely later on in life for what he felt was a naive portrayal of this historically significant and harrowing period. I personally feel he was rather harsh on himself. Although the tension we all picked up on in the novel may have been amplified by our own knowledge of Germany under the Nazis; despite the amusing characters and bizarre situations they find themselves in, behind the action in Mr Norris Changes Trains lies a disarming honesty and darkness that betrays genuine acknowledgement of the very real danger lurking in the background. After all, how was he to understand the full extent what would eventually happen come 1939…!?

Isherwood has been introduced to me at the perfect time in my life (thank you Jess!) Writing with simplicity and a unique sense of style, Goodbye to Berlin and A Single Man have now taken pride of place on my wish list.

http://relishreads.wordpress.com/2012...(less)

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Aug 09, 2012 Bogdan rated it 4 of 5 stars

странная персона писателя ишервуда, выплывшего в последние годы, с одной стороны, после фильма «кристофер и ему подобные», а с другой – после экранизации «холостяка» томом фордом, конечно, интересный материал. его повесть «салли боулз», позже вошедшая в «прощай, берлин», в свое время экранизированная как «кабаре» с лайзой минелли, конечно, характеризирует и стилистику, и тематику произведений. берлин конца 20-х – начала 30-х годов, когда ишервуд сам находился в германии и занимался преподаванием...more странная персона писателя ишервуда, выплывшего в последние годы, с одной стороны, после фильма «кристофер и ему подобные», а с другой – после экранизации «холостяка» томом фордом, конечно, интересный материал. его повесть «салли боулз», позже вошедшая в «прощай, берлин», в свое время экранизированная как «кабаре» с лайзой минелли, конечно, характеризирует и стилистику, и тематику произведений. берлин конца 20-х – начала 30-х годов, когда ишервуд сам находился в германии и занимался преподаванием английского. но однобокого восприятия вроде «гей в берлине веймарской републики на пороге прихода фашизма» совершенно недостаточно для понимания и оценки – особенно такой, на первый взгляд, лёгкой штучки вроде «трудов и дней мистера норриса» (оригинальное название – «мистер норрис меняет поезда»).

как ни обещает название, действие преимущественно разворачивается вокруг совсем не мистера артура норриса, а вильяма брэдшоу, молодого англичанина, живущего в аберлине и промышляющего уроками английского для немцев. они встречаются в поезде, и это случайное знакомство растягивается более чем на два года, от 1930 до начала 1933 года. артур норрис – странное боязливое существо предположительно мужского рода, маленькое и невразумительное, носящее разнообразные парики, предающееся радостям какой-то тайной коммерческой деятельности, симпатиям коммунистической партии, бегству от многочисленных кредиторов и косметическим процедурам. в числе его излюбленных занятий – садо-мазохистские удовольствия в обществе некоей анни, косвенно причастной через своего любовника отто к коммунистической партии, а также – через бывшего поклонника вернера – к нацистской партии.

увлекательность книги в первую очередь базируется на том, что даже прочитав первую половину, ты все равно теряешься в догадках, к чему и зачем все идет и построено именно таким образом. загадочной практически до самого конца остается и деятельность самого артура норриса, и его странная связь с бывшим секретарем шмидтом, преследующим его до сугубо фантасмагорического финала, и роль чопорного барона куно фон прегница, поклонника мускулистых арийских тел и приключенческо-эротических фантазий на тему «юноши на необитаемом острове», а также место и роль коммунистической берлинской ячейки и ее предводителя байера.

как ни странно, но именно «кабаре» является максимально близким по духу отображением невероятной атмосферы зарождения психоза и тотального фашиствования от штурмовых отрядов до клинического нацизма в атмосфере раскрепощенного и привыкшего к тотальной свободе берлина. время действия романа – кратчайший промежуток между экономическим кризисом 1929 года и окончательным приходом гитлера к власти, когда жизнь, стараясь убежать от всевозможный проявлений краха, устремилась, с одной стороны, к безудержному карнавалу\кабаре-варьете, а с другой – к «твердой управляющей руке», способной внести некоторую стабильность в исключительно нестабильную ситуацию. безумие и безоглядность в преддверии катастрофы. сама она – еще далеко и не проглядывает через опереточные действия, ишь в последний миг всплескиваясь в финале романа, смягченная ироничным взглядом ишервуда-брэдшоу. своеобразная прелюдия к неописуемому. наполовину комический, наполовину пародийный, приключенчески-шпионский, социально-психологический роман о немыслимой эпохе, написанный свидетелем и участником эпохи.

роман о «веселом чистилище»(less)

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May 05, 2012 Anne-Bénédicte rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-literature, classics

Set in the early thirties in Berlin, Mr. Norris changes trains is a slow-paced novel, recounting the “adventures” of William Bradshaw, an English expatriate. As the Weimar Republic stumbles to an end, the narrator portrays the seedy atmosphere of the capital. Associating with radicals –whether Nazis or communists-, petty criminals and prostitutes, naïve Bradshaw takes part in the secrets and political schemes surrounding his new friend without truly scraping at the varnish covering Norris’ myste...more

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May 03, 2012 Jillwilson rated it 2 of 5 stars

I first read Mr Norris Changes Trains in 1984. God knows what I made of it then. I wanted to read some Isherwood after reading Eric Larson’s book about Berlin in the 1930s. I wanted to see what a fictional representation of this era looked like. It’s a strange and slight novel. The narrator presents as being gullible and naïve. The Mr Norris of the title is entirely untrustworthy. In a way, these three qualities echo some key elements of the times but despite this overlay, the author doesn’t do...more I first read Mr Norris Changes Trains in 1984. God knows what I made of it then. I wanted to read some Isherwood after reading Eric Larson’s book about Berlin in the 1930s. I wanted to see what a fictional representation of this era looked like. It’s a strange and slight novel. The narrator presents as being gullible and naïve. The Mr Norris of the title is entirely untrustworthy. In a way, these three qualities echo some key elements of the times but despite this overlay, the author doesn’t do much with the narrative.

Of the novel, Wikipedia says “Although Mr Norris Changes Trains was a critical and popular success, Isherwood later condemned it, believing that he had lied about himself through the characterization of the narrator and that he did not truly understand the suffering of the people he had depicted. In an introduction to a 1956 edition of Gerald Hamilton's memoir Mr Norris and I, Isherwood wrote:
What repels me now about Mr Norris is its heartlessness. It is a heartless fairy-story about a real city in which human beings were suffering the miseries of political violence and near-starvation. The "wickedness" of Berlin's night-life was of the most pitiful kind; the kisses and embraces, as always, had price-tags attached to them, but here the prices were drastically reduced in the cut-throat competition of an over-crowded market....As for the "monsters", they were quite ordinary human beings prosiacally engaged in getting their living through illegal methods. The only genuine monster was the young foreigner who passed gaily through these scenes of desolation, misinterpreting them to suit his childish fantasy.”

Isherwood felt unable to fully write about his sexuality in this novel which explains some deadened undercurrents. The plot circles around secrets, betrayals, politics and identity without ever really going anywhere with any of these themes. It is slight.

The Telegraph commented: “While Isherwood was attracted to Berlin by the ready availability of homosexual partners there, he always had a keen journalist’s instinct for being in the right place at the right time. “Here was the seething brew of history in the making,” he wrote, “a brew which would test the truth of all the political theories, just as actual cooking tests the cookery books. The Berlin brew seethed with unemployment, malnutrition, stock market panic, hatred of the Versailles Treaty and other potent ingredients.” “
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tv...)

Both the homosexuality and the seething brew of Berlin are faint shadows in the novel which is set in 1931-32. You get a taste “Berlin was in a state of civil war. Hate exploded suddenly, without warning, out of nowhere: at street corners, in restaurants, cinemas, dance halls, swimming baths: at midnight, after breakfast, in the middle of the afternoon. Knives were whipped out, blows were dealt with spiked rings, beer-mugs, chair-legs or leaded clubs; bullets slashed the advertisements on the poster-columns, rebounded from the iron roofs of latrines. In the middle of a crowded street a young man would be attacked, stripped, thrashed and left bleeding on the pavement; in fifteen seconds it was all over and the assailants had disappeared.” (p90) I wanted more of this reality. It was to have been called 'The Lost' which is a good description of what happened to the idea.(less)

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Mar 17, 2013 Ape rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: germany-holland-belgium-austria, history-fact-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It's so nice to pick up a book, not really knowing what it will be like or what it's about, and discover a well-written, fantastic little story.

Set in Berlin in the 1930s on the run up to the second world war, this is really a book about a "friendship" between Mr Arthur Norris, a middle-aged German and a twenty something Englishman called William Bradshaw. They get to know each other by chance on a train journey, and for the following two years they strike up a friendship of a sorts, Bradshaw in...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Asaf Bartov rated it 4 of 5 stars

This short novel was an excellent read.

The character of Arthur Norris, a worldly, likable scoundrel, is vividly and engagingly portrayed in Isherwood's limpid style. The narrator is a rather bland fellow, and constantly reminded me of _I Am A Camera_, the title of a play based on Goodbye to Berlin, another work of Isherwood's.

Other characters are equally well-portrayed, and I understand what made Isherwood's depiction of late Weimar Berlin so universally acclaimed. He has a gentle but apt way o...more

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Oct 16, 2011 Cliff rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: novels

The story is set in central Europe, mainly Berlin, in the 1930s, a period during which the Nazis struggled violently for, and eventually achieved, political ascendancy over the left. It was also a period of artistic ferment and sexual freedom, when Isherwood and many other British writers with a gay or bisexual orientation and left-wing sympathies resided in Berlin.

A young Englishman, William Bradshaw (the middle names of the author), meets an older Englishman, Arthur Norris, on a train travelli...more The story is set in central Europe, mainly Berlin, in the 1930s, a period during which the Nazis struggled violently for, and eventually achieved, political ascendancy over the left. It was also a period of artistic ferment and sexual freedom, when Isherwood and many other British writers with a gay or bisexual orientation and left-wing sympathies resided in Berlin.

A young Englishman, William Bradshaw (the middle names of the author), meets an older Englishman, Arthur Norris, on a train travelling from Holland to Berlin. Norris describes himself (perhaps truthfully) as a member of the British upper middle class who squandered his inheritance and subsequently has made a living through various vaguely described business ventures. These appear to have invariably ended with accusations of dishonesty and betrayal and with Norris forced to move on hastily to a new destination.

In spite of these ominous signs, and the warnings of his friends, William befriends Norris, enjoys his company and hospitality, and helps him through various scrapes. He is amused by Norris' peccadillos (Norris is a crossdresser who enjoys mild masochistic episodes at the hands of his favourite mistress) and Norris' attempts to propel him into a romantic relationship with a well connected German aristocrat who fantasises about adventures with adolescent boys on desert islands, attempts which are clearly intended to result, in some obscure way, in financial benefit for Norris.

The book has no plot to speak of, being mainly a humorous portrayal of the friendship between the naive young William and the devious and dishonest, but not malevolent, Arthur. The writing is intelligent and lucid, and the minor characters are well drawn. Isherwood later disowned the book, saying that his alter ego displayed a callous frivolity in the midst of what was a very dark period of human history, and indeed several of the characters meet sticky ends at the hands of the Nazis. I suspect that many readers will, like the later Isherwood, find it shallow and amoral, but I enjoyed it.(less)

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Jun 04, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned-books

I am becoming more of fan of Isherwood's work with every word I read. One of the things I like best about his novels is that a vast majority of them are so strongly influenced from the actual events and people that featured in Isherwood's life. Mr Norris in this novel is the fictional counterpart of Gerald Hamilton - maybe it's just me but in my opinion having the characters born from reality provides the whole book with an atmosphere which is overall a lot more believable and perfectly paced.

A...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Heather rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: crime fans

When I bought this book I was under the impression that I would be reading extensively about Mr. Norris' sexual deviancy along the lines of Venus in Furs and Selected Stories but I was mistaken. There was only a hint of alternative sexual activity. The picture on this particular edition deceived me as well. I imagined Mr. Norris to be a strong and sassy character but he was mainly weak.

There is a good deal of political conversations in this novel and I couldn't help but mentally doze off during...more

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Feb 18, 2010 F.R. rated it 3 of 5 stars

The other of Christopher Isherwood’s Berlin books is a proper novel as opposed to inter-connected short stories. A young man becomes involves with the twice as big as life Mr Norris – a charming rogue, crook and scoundrel. This is a gently humorous story of the friendship between the two and the various misadventures which arise, and the easy tone means that the gradual emergence of the Nazis is even more disturbing (although since this was published in 1935, Isherwood didn’t know how disturbing...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Mel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 20th-century-fiction, queer

I enjoyed this quite a lot. I think the first half was the best. The description of New year's eve and the partying and drinking was some of the best and most brilliant descriptions of being drunk I've ever read. I think it was a truly priceless piece. I also really enjoyed this crazy background of the misfits living in Berlin who all still had really strong political ideals. The communists and the S&Mers all in it together. The book gave an insidious and harrowing look at the rise of the Na...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Alan Annand rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was the first book I've ever read by Christopher Isherwood. Essentially it's a character study of a Mr Norris, an ex-pat Brit living in Berlin just before WW2. As seen through the eyes of the narrator, Mr Norris may or may not be a spy, and may or may not be gay, but his lifestyle and the company he keeps do raise some eyebrows. There's a very strong current of homoeroticism running through this book, albeit a muted one, perhaps because the book was written in 1935. Reminded me a bit of Gra...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Lorenzo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: british, aaa-my-library, 2012-readings

When a friend of mine heard that I was reading a book titled "Mr Norris Changes Trains", the first thing he said was "Chuck, I suppose?".

Poor Christopher Isherwood! Had he known about the main badass character of Walker Texas Ranger kicking his Arthur Norris out of common knowledge, I'm sure he would have chosen to call him differently.
By the way, popular culture betrayed Isherwood twice here. Just tell a female friend of yours what given name the surname "Bradshaw" (the main narrator of this n...more
When a friend of mine heard that I was reading a book titled "Mr Norris Changes Trains", the first thing he said was "Chuck, I suppose?".

Poor Christopher Isherwood! Had he known about the main badass character of Walker Texas Ranger kicking his Arthur Norris out of common knowledge, I'm sure he would have chosen to call him differently.
By the way, popular culture betrayed Isherwood twice here. Just tell a female friend of yours what given name the surname "Bradshaw" (the main narrator of this novel) brings to her mind and there you are: Carrie.

Does this ring a bell? I sincerely hope it doesn't.
But I'm afraid it does. Now, don't deny it!

Anyways, let's put first and second names aside for a moment. And let's forget that - Chuck or not Chuck - "Mr Norris Changes Trains" is a very unfortunate title. If I could rechristen this book, I would call it "The Fairy Godfather" (sorry Daniel Pennac) or, on a more silly note, "The Wig and the Moustache". But Mr Isherwood thought it otherwise.

This is an odd novel. Here we have a book which is at the same time a relic from the past and something modern.
Whereas Arthur Norris' look, speech and manners wouldn't displease Thackeray, the little Isherwood tells us about the foreign correspondent Helen Pratt is enough to make a Orianna Fallaci or a Katie Adie out of her.

This contrast is just the effect Isherwood wants.
For "Mr Norris Changes Trains" is set in a very well-defined place and moment of recent history: Berlin in the mid-thirties. That is precisely when Hitler seized power tightening his grip on a whole nation and - quite soon - changing for worse Europe as we knew it.
And that Berlin was caught between the carefree hedonism of its cabarets (heirloom of the 1920s) and an economic and political crisis which quite helped the Nazis to kidnap Germany and throw it to the dogs.

Isherwood is masterful in writing: no doubt about this. And where he excels is in Mr Norris himself. This affected Barry Lyndonesque man with more than a touch of effeminacy and seeking for masochistic pleasures is a marvelous creation.
Far less successful is how the British author writes about Mr Norris' business between Paris and Berlin: plotting and intrigues are definitely something Graham Greene is more apt to work on than his compatriot. Isherwood tries to tell us more about German communists but he somehow fails to be very convincing in that respect.

Nevertheless, this is a good and enjoyable novel, if only for Arthur Norris' antics.
I would have liked Isherwood saying more about Berlin in the 1930s but the German capital stands pretty much in the background here with the exception of a chapter or two. I guess how I should pick up "Goodbye Berlin" by the same author or try the earlier "Berlin Stories" cooked up by Robert Walser to get more of what I want.
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May 18, 2012 Jennifer W rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books, byt-1900-1940

I really liked this book, though it's kind of hard to say why. I think because most books from this time period are so focused on the Nazis and Hitler that it can be hard to remember that most people were just going about their lives. Although, the average person's life did change as a result of the Nazis, and there is some reflection of that here, too. I also tend to forget the process of eliminating all other political parties, especially the communists, so I liked that this book touched on th...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Dominika Mackiewicz rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an account of Berlin's world at the time of great changes, when
communists and Nazi party are fighting for the power in the country. Berlin's
intricate alleys, grumpy streets and citizens torn by the anger mixed with melancholy
set the background for a strange friendship of two men, who met by accident
in the train to Berlin: a perverse, yet very gallant hedonist Mr Norris and a smart
English man deluded by Norris's charm. Their and other relationships, as well as moral standards become que...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, classics

Christopher Isherwood's novels inspired one of my favourite musicals (Cabaret) and one of my favourite films (A Single Man); and so receiving a selection of his novels for my birthday back in March was really exciting. I decided to start with the book I knew least about, Mr Norris Changes Trains.

There isn't a great deal of plot within this novel; it mainly focuses on William Bradshaw's developing friendship with Arthur Norris; as Bradshaw and the reader try and figure out what Norris is all abou...more Christopher Isherwood's novels inspired one of my favourite musicals (Cabaret) and one of my favourite films (A Single Man); and so receiving a selection of his novels for my birthday back in March was really exciting. I decided to start with the book I knew least about, Mr Norris Changes Trains.

There isn't a great deal of plot within this novel; it mainly focuses on William Bradshaw's developing friendship with Arthur Norris; as Bradshaw and the reader try and figure out what Norris is all about. The introduction of any real dramatic plot does not take place until the final 1/3 of the plot, wherein Bradshaw finally begins to uncover Norris' true personality. The rest of the novel is more of a character study of Norris; and works very well at leaving the reader as mystified as Bradshaw as to his true intentions.

I really enjoyed many of the side characters; I wanted way more Helen-the English journalist, who seemed totally fascinating to me-and it's a credit to Isherwood's writing that a character who appeared about twice in the whole novel was so well painted. There was also the addition of Bradshaw's landlady who holds a fairly big torch for Norris, and a prostitute who Norris frequently hires to fulfil his rather...off the wall...sexual desires.

As a narrator, Bradshaw is pretty much perfect for this kind of novel. He buys in almost completely to the Norris myth, and readily admits his own bias and confusion over certain issues. Generally, Bradshaw is a perfectly okay character to spend the novel with. Norris, on the other hand, gave me bad feelings from the very beginning so the ultimate reveal was of little real surprise to me. It is worth nothing that, unfortunately, due to the time period that Isherwood was writing Bradshaw's homosexuality has to be very much tiptoed around, although there is one scene where he is described as holding another male character's hand. This prejudice is seen in the Baron von Pregnitz's (I think?) tale, and is one I found quite upsetting.

My favourite parts of the novel were Isherwood's descriptions (through Bradshaw) of the changing atmosphere in Berlin as the Nazis slowly rose to power. The contrast between the excitement of the early days of the Communist movement and the increasing police presence in the early 1930s is really well established.

For me, there was a little too much meandering around Norris, a character I already suspected, for me to really enjoy Mr Norris Changes Trains; although Isherwood's writing style is lovely and so I'm really looking forward to reading Goodbye to Berlin fairly soon.(less)

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Apr 11, 2013 Chris Meigh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

An intriguing read that was up and down at first but went up and up and up.

The story of Mr William Bradshaw who meets the intriguing Mr Norris on a train headed for Berlin is a wonderful piece of work which has Isherwood's seal firmly placed on it. The novel has interesting and well rounded characters and Isherwood clearly invested a lot of himself in his semi-autobiographical novel about life in Berlin with the backdrop of the rise of the Nazis.

The character of Mr Norris is an enigma, his sexua...more An intriguing read that was up and down at first but went up and up and up.

The story of Mr William Bradshaw who meets the intriguing Mr Norris on a train headed for Berlin is a wonderful piece of work which has Isherwood's seal firmly placed on it. The novel has interesting and well rounded characters and Isherwood clearly invested a lot of himself in his semi-autobiographical novel about life in Berlin with the backdrop of the rise of the Nazis.

The character of Mr Norris is an enigma, his sexuality, intentions, plans and past are up in the air and his personality changes as frequent as does his residence. Despite this ambiguity he is oddly compelling and I found myself liking him.

The backdrop of the novel is extremely interesting. Set during the rise of the Nazis in the 1930's it shows people's beliefs during this time. At first seeing the Nazis as a ragtag band of thugs but this soon transforms into strong anti-Semitic, pro Nazi beliefs and strong anti communist ideals. The fact that Mr Norris himself is a member of the KPD shows the great differences between groups in the early Weimar Republic.

I had a particular interest in this film because I'm hugely interested in this time period. The accuracy of the novel is a fantastic feature but I am aided by my knowledge of the time. I fear that if someone was to read it with little or no knowledge of the politicians and events of this time period then they may not enjoy it as much. Isherwood does not explain any of this and does perhaps assume to much.

One of my favourite points of the novel is the part in Switzerland; without ruining anything, it is very tense and compelling. I also liked Frl Schroder, the woman is incredibly lovably. Her aggression and defence of Mr Norris and William is brilliant and I did find myself laughing out loud.

Overall I found the book extremely enjoyable and read nearly half of it in one day once I got going.I would recommend this and look forward to reading Isherwoods other novels; in particular Goodbye to Berlin which combined with Mr Norris Changes Trains was the influence for the film Cabaret. (less)

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Jan 26, 2012 Sofia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-on-kindle, genre-classic

Mr. Norris changes trains is the first Isherwood novel I've read after a rather long fascination with him, both as an author and a person. It did not disappoint.

The novel starts on a train where William Bradshaw meets Arthur Norris. He is immediately taken by Mr. Norris and the almost impeccable wig he wears. After a slightly awkward train ride they become friends. The book goes on to describe the growth of their friendship through the troubled times just before the second world war.

The charac...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Ugh rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love a bit of moneyed debauchery, and if it takes place against a backdrop of pre-war Berlin, with more than a dash of politics and espionage thrown in for good measure, well then so much the better. If I were to nit-pick I might mention that I have little idea what, if anything, the reader is supposed to take from Mr Norris Changes Trains (if I were forced to guess I would say nothing more than enjoyment, and nothing wrong with that) and that the debauchery seems to be present for no more rea...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Darraghmc80 rated it 4 of 5 stars

The scene describing the party in the brothel near the start of this novel is a tour de force. You can nearly smell the place. Another thing I greatly like about the book is how well the minor characters are drawn - expert sketching. The overall impression left on the reader is of a morally confusing and turbulent time, everything in flux, nobody exactly as they seem to be. Mr Norris himself is a brilliant mystery, a character to puzzle over.

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Oct 27, 2011 Brian Robbins rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having had this on the bookshelves for years, decided at last to read it. It was a great find put off for far too long.

The character of Mr Norris was very hard not to like, despite all his weaknesses - and there were many.

The end of the novel as he performs his forced tour with Schmidt was like the anti-Quiote with his anti-Sancho P. Very moving and horrifying in parts, but ultimately the humour came through.

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Mar 27, 2011 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Dark, ironic and atmospheric, Mr. Norris Changes Trains is an intriguing character study - not only of Mr. Norris himself, but also the strange crowd who follow his every movement. But most fascinating of them all is William Bradshaw, our first-person narrator, who finds himself drawn to Norris.

My complete review is on my book blog, Book to the Future:

http://booktothefuture.com.au/?p=1498

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Jan 10, 2012 Louise rated it 3 of 5 stars

this is the first Isherwood book I've read,(though know who is, from tv and film adaptations of his work) so it was quite odd to come acrosssuch familiar characters..
an enjoyable book,with a great sense of fun coming from Mr Norris, but a not too subtle background of the rise of the Nazi's..
I left the house singing "tomorrow belongs to me".....

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Jul 08, 2012 Miss Kamala rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

CITAZIONE

Il rimorso non è adatto alle persone anziane. Quando queste ne sono assalite, il rimorso, non le redime, non le purga né risolleva, ma le degrada soltanto e le rende miserabili, come una schifosa malattia.

http://www.incipitmania.com/incipit-p...

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Sep 22, 2012 Winnie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I think Christopher Isherwood's style of writing is so deceptive. On the face of it the subject matter seems unutterably mundane but he somehow just reels you in with his wonderful prose and before you know it you have finished the book and realise that you have thoroughly enjoyed it.

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About Christopher Isherwood

Isherwood spent his childhood in various towns where his father, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army, was stationed. After his father was killed in the First World War, he settled with his mother in London and at Wyberslegh.

Isherwood attended preparatory school St. Edmund's, Surrey, where he first met W. H. Auden. At Repton School he met his lifelong friend Edward Upward, with whom he wrote t...more Isherwood spent his childhood in various towns where his father, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army, was stationed. After his father was killed in the First World War, he settled with his mother in London and at Wyberslegh.

Isherwood attended preparatory school St. Edmund's, Surrey, where he first met W. H. Auden. At Repton School he met his lifelong friend Edward Upward, with whom he wrote the extravagant "Mortmere" stories, only one of which was published during his lifetime (a few others appeared after his death, and others were summarised in his Lions and Shadows). He deliberately failed his tripos and left Corpus Christi College, Cambridge without a degree in 1925.

In 1925 he was reintroduced to W. H. Auden, and became Auden's literary mentor and partner in an intermittent, casual liaison, as Auden sent his poems to Isherwood for comment and approval. Through Auden, Isherwood met Stephen Spender, with whom he later spent much time in Germany. His first novel, All the Conspirators, appeared in 1928; it is an anti-heroic story, written in a pastiche of many modernist novelists, about a young man who is defeated by his mother. In 1928-29 Isherwood studied medicine at King's College London, but gave it up after six months to join Auden for a few weeks in Berlin.
Rejecting his upper-class background and attracted to males, he remained in Berlin, the capital of the young Weimar Republic, drawn by its reputation for sexual freedom. There, he "fully indulged his taste for pretty youths. He went to Berlin in search of boys and found one called Heinz, who became his first great love."

In 1931 he met Jean Ross, the inspiration of his fictional character Sally Bowles; he also met Gerald Hamilton, the inspiration for the fictional Mr. Norris. In September 1931 the poet William Plomer introduced him to E. M. Forster; they became close and Forster served as a mentor to the young writer. Isherwood's second novel, The Memorial (1932), was another of his stories of conflict between mother and son, based closely on his own family history. During one of his returns to London he worked with the director Berthold Viertel on the film Little Friend, an experience that became the basis of his novel Prater Violet (1945). He worked as a private tutor in Berlin and elsewhere while writing the novel Mr Norris Changes Trains (1935) and a series of short stories collected under the title Goodbye to Berlin (1939). A memorial plaque to Isherwood has been erected on the house in Schöneberg, Berlin, where he lived.

During these years he moved around Europe, living in Copenhagen, Sintra and elsewhere, and collaborated on three plays with Auden, The Dog Beneath the Skin (1935), The Ascent of F6 (1936), and On the Frontier (1939). Isherwood wrote a lightly fictionalized autobiographical account of his childhood and youth, Lions and Shadows (1938), using the title of an abandoned novel. Auden and Isherwood travelled to China in 1938 to gather material for their book on the Sino-Japanese War called Journey to a War (1939).

Having visited New York on their way back to the UK, Auden and Isherwood decided to emigrate to the United States. He met Gerald Heard, the mystic-historian who founded his own monastery at Trabuco Canyon that was eventually gifted to the Vedanta Society of Southern California. Through Heard, who was the first to discover Swami Prabhavananda and Vedanta, Isherwood joined an extraordinary band of mystic explorers that included Aldous Huxley, Bertrand Russell, Chris Wood, John Yale and J. Krishnamurti. He embraced Vedanta, and, together with Swami Prabhavananda, he produced several Hindu scriptural translations, Vedanta essays, the biography Ramakrishna and His Disciples, novels, plays and screenplays, all imbued with the themes and character of Vedanta and the Upanishadic quest.

At the age of 81, Isherwood died in 1986 at Santa Monica, California from prostate cancer.

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Quotes from Mr Norris Changes Trains

“I always say that I only wish to have three sorts of people as my friends, those who are very rich, those who are very witty, and those who are very beautiful.” — 4 people liked it

“I've always made it a rule to have a suit for every day of the week. Perhaps you'll tell me I'm vain, but you'd be surprised if you knew what it had meant to me, at critical moments of my life, to be dressed exactly in accordance with my mood. It gives one such confidence, I think.” — 3 people liked it

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