Time Of Arrival

by Susan Sallis

It is 1951, and the train from Bristol to Paddington is preparing to leave. Albert, the driver, whose father and grandfather before him worked on the railway, says goodbye to his wife with mixed feelings - their seeming inability to have a child has overshadowed their happy marriage. Jenny, clumsy but lovable, longs to make a success of her job in the restaurant car, where she attracts the interest of Marvin, the steward. The passengers - some regulars on the line, others making a rare visit to London - settle down for the journey. But as they near their destination, disaster strikes...

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

286 pages, Hardcover

First published January 9, 2002

About the author

Susan Sallis was the author of over twenty bestselling novels, many of them set in the West Country. She was born in Gloucestershire and lived in Somerset with her family. She died in 2020.

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of characters to get to know at first,but all become all linked to a train journey and it's aftermath.Very good read.

[Margaret Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first time I have read this author, and to be honest It was hard going. It was an Amazon recommend, and the blurb sounded interesting. Basically this is in 3 parts. Part 1 before the disaster, Part 2 dealt with the disaster Part 3 after the disaster. It is set not long after WWII in 1951. Part deals is stories of the lives of the people who work on the train and some of the passengers. in the early chapter it describes some the passengers - who become 'The Story' The following chapters are mainly taken up by the life so far. 1 Chapter per person or couple. by the last chapter in this section I was lost to who was who. In the middle it was the disaster, as the blub says there was a disaster I am sure I am not spoiling anything to say the train crashed. It was in this section that part of the story became fantasy. The departure of the train was 8.45 am from Bristol on an April morning. A female survived the disaster, went to her meeting in London, they arranged for a car to take her home to Bristol after the meeting. She asked the driver when she got home if she would like to have a drink or something before she went back to London. The driver said no thanks as she wanted to get back before it got dark ! Remember this is 1951 therefore No Motorways and roads would not be the standard of today. I know traffic would be light. But the disaster took place at about 10 am. With everything that went on and what the female managed to do I am surprised that they made it back to Bristol in the light. Then the 3rd part, a few loose ends that we did not really know the outcome, some we did. I was pleased I did eventually manage to finish the book, a lot of pages I had to read 2 or 3 times to try to understand what is going on, sometimes I could not follow it.

[Veronica-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a glorious book. I really enjoyed reading about a varied group of people with insights into each one's personality and their very different lives and emotions. The build up was a gentle lead-in but shocking in its detailed tragedy. Once there, the reader thoroughly cared about each individual and anxiously awaited news of each person's fate. A winner in my opinion and highly recommended.

[V Brewster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cracking read.

Again not disappointed. I was totally involved with the characters. Susan Sallis never disappoints. Highly recommend this book. A page Turner.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an American, its a hard read to grasp England English lingo. I could only get through about 90 pages before I was over it. I wont rate it negatively because I didnt dislike the story line.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dated but charming novel about how life can change people, neighbourliness, and friendship. An easy read.

[Julie O'Rourke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to get into this book and did not finish. I intend to try again.

[M.K. Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. Loved the characters and their back stories. Unusual to find a novel with no nasty characters. A nice easy read.

[Sharon Reeves · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, lots of characters, and they all come together in the story, one of Susan Sallis' better stories.

[Ruchi Agarwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting turn of events. Feel pity for the child Caroline who dies in the accident, could have changed that I feel.