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Victoria Four-Thirty
London, 1937. A world famous composer, a honeymooning couple, a novelist in search of a plot, a German film star, a young crown prince and a sister of charity are among the disparate group of travellers on the boat train to continental Europe.
“It would be very interesting to know the life history of everybody on this train – why we are travelling on it …”
Set amid the political upheaval of the 1930s, this is the witty, insightful and bittersweet story of the passengers on the Four-thirty from Victoria. Each is facing a different journey, with their own hopes, fears and challenges; and for some, their lives will cross in unexpected ways.
The 80th anniversary edition of the newly rediscovered classic bestseller from the 1930s.
“It would be very interesting to know the life history of everybody on this train – why we are travelling on it …”
Set amid the political upheaval of the 1930s, this is the witty, insightful and bittersweet story of the passengers on the Four-thirty from Victoria. Each is facing a different journey, with their own hopes, fears and challenges; and for some, their lives will cross in unexpected ways.
The 80th anniversary edition of the newly rediscovered classic bestseller from the 1930s.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1937
31 people are currently reading
256 people want to read
About the author
Cecil Roberts
95 books4 followersCecil Edric Mornington Roberts was an English journalist, poet, travel writer, and novelist.
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January 5, 2017The Hook - Several of my friends who follow Simon Savidge and Thomas Otto who host The Readers-Book Based Banter Podcast highly recommended a book Thomas talked about in Episode #147. Thomas is an eclectic reader, one who is not apt to read the thrillers I love, but one who encourages me to get out of a genre rut and take a chance on something new. Thomas had also raved about The Magnificent Spinster by May Sarton which I read and enjoyed last year.
The Line(s) - ”Gawd love a duck!” exclaimed Jim, straightening his jacket, and reaching for his peaked cap. “one day, if I know something, we’ll have electric light, an indoor closet and bathroom, electric cooking---”
The Sinker - Cecil Edric Morington Roberts was born in May of 1892 in Nottingham. Victoria Four-Thirty falls all most smack dab in the middle of his prolific writing career, published in 1937. This seems fitting when you consider the subject matter of the story as a whole. I suspect you’d have to have your head buried in the sand (perhaps just as today) not to notice the political climate around you. Certainly a man of Roberts background in journalism during World War I would not miss the signs of unrest in the world. Though important this is not what I chose to focus on in this cautionary though charming story. I’m a people watcher. When waiting to board a plane, a train, a ship or a bus, or even just sitting in a bustling mall, I often wonder what the life story is of those around me. I even make up my own anecdotes about them. Cecil Roberts explores just this in Part I of this novel where he gives vignettes of several delightful and some dark characters who will all take the four-thirty train out of Victoria Station.
”It would be very interesting to know the life history of everybody on this train”
observes one character. This curiosity to know what the destination or future outcome of these passengers will be takes us into Part II as they converge on the platform to board their train.
It was a pleasure to meet these individuals and to share their journey to conclusions that are realistic, both heartening and somber. I feel each reader will have a favorite just as in life. A splendid read to start the New Year.
The Line(s) - ”Gawd love a duck!” exclaimed Jim, straightening his jacket, and reaching for his peaked cap. “one day, if I know something, we’ll have electric light, an indoor closet and bathroom, electric cooking---”
The Sinker - Cecil Edric Morington Roberts was born in May of 1892 in Nottingham. Victoria Four-Thirty falls all most smack dab in the middle of his prolific writing career, published in 1937. This seems fitting when you consider the subject matter of the story as a whole. I suspect you’d have to have your head buried in the sand (perhaps just as today) not to notice the political climate around you. Certainly a man of Roberts background in journalism during World War I would not miss the signs of unrest in the world. Though important this is not what I chose to focus on in this cautionary though charming story. I’m a people watcher. When waiting to board a plane, a train, a ship or a bus, or even just sitting in a bustling mall, I often wonder what the life story is of those around me. I even make up my own anecdotes about them. Cecil Roberts explores just this in Part I of this novel where he gives vignettes of several delightful and some dark characters who will all take the four-thirty train out of Victoria Station.
”It would be very interesting to know the life history of everybody on this train”
observes one character. This curiosity to know what the destination or future outcome of these passengers will be takes us into Part II as they converge on the platform to board their train.
It was a pleasure to meet these individuals and to share their journey to conclusions that are realistic, both heartening and somber. I feel each reader will have a favorite just as in life. A splendid read to start the New Year.
December 7, 2016
A near-perfect book, 4.5 stars.
When Thomas Otto of the podcast "The Readers" talked about this book back in February, my ears perked up, but it wasn't until he mentioned it again later on in the year that I really took notice. And I'm so glad I did! (FYI, Abebooks.com is a fantastic place to find old books, as this is out of print.)
This book had all the feels for me, a group of people meeting the 4:30 train in London's Victoria Station between the two World Wars. We are introduced to the 13 people in Part I, and in Part II, we find where their journeys took them. When I'm traveling, I love people watching and always wonder what a person's life is like. Here we are brought into that circle. Some happy, some sad, a couple surprising. As is life.
My copy's spine basically disintegrated in my lap as I read this book, and I'm still finding bits of paper all over the house. But it was definitely worth it. It already made it to the top of my 2016 reads!
When Thomas Otto of the podcast "The Readers" talked about this book back in February, my ears perked up, but it wasn't until he mentioned it again later on in the year that I really took notice. And I'm so glad I did! (FYI, Abebooks.com is a fantastic place to find old books, as this is out of print.)
This book had all the feels for me, a group of people meeting the 4:30 train in London's Victoria Station between the two World Wars. We are introduced to the 13 people in Part I, and in Part II, we find where their journeys took them. When I'm traveling, I love people watching and always wonder what a person's life is like. Here we are brought into that circle. Some happy, some sad, a couple surprising. As is life.
My copy's spine basically disintegrated in my lap as I read this book, and I'm still finding bits of paper all over the house. But it was definitely worth it. It already made it to the top of my 2016 reads!
June 23, 2016
Thomas of The Readers podcast recommended this out-of-print 1937 novel. On a whim, I tracked down a lovely hardcover edition online and have now finished reading it. What a delight!
A dozen characters of various walks and stages of life and nationalities are on their way to catch the 4:30 train out of Victoria station heading for the continent. Each character gets their own chapter; there is also an unlucky, thirteenth character who never intended to get on this train, and her story is quite compellingly told as well. All told, these thirteen chapters comprise two-thirds of the novel.
So you've got, for a random selection, an extremely successful novelist whose inspiration has dried up; a boy prince who, his father having just been assassinated, is heading back to become king of his teeny-tiny nation; a pair of newlyweds on their honeymoon, not at all sure what to do with each other in the privacy of their sleeping car; an elderly nun who has just received bad news, returning to Transylvania to make the best of it; an ambitious young Greek guy, returning home to reunite with his Athenian girlfriend, who he hopes has waited for him all these years; a drop-dead-gorgeous, down-on-his-luck, partly Jewish movie actor, ill-advisedly returning to Austria to attempt a comeback; and so on, and so on.
I don't (Google doesn't) know much about the author, but man oh man, does he ever write about the young male characters alluringly; methinks there was more than a hint of mint animating Cecil Roberts' pen. I enjoyed the homoeroticism very much. One particular storyline resolves itself with a discreetly gay plot twist that was very well done, I thought, and quite deliciously shocking for a novel of this era.
My only criticism would be that the novel is written in a rather decorous style: lovely to read for the most part, but a tad incompatible with some of the darker plot lines.
The set up being so lengthy, I was skeptical that Cecil Roberts would be able to pull everything off in a way that satisfied my curiosity about all of the characters. He did; I was. The novel would make a great film.
Most of all, I am left wondering why this novel went out of print. It holds up well to other classics of the first half of the twentieth century, IMHO. What other reading experiences am I denying myself – is my culture denying me – because the books are no longer readily available?
Reading one such novel raises the question but does not answer it. Thus, I plan to search out and read at least four out-of-print novels a year from now on.
A dozen characters of various walks and stages of life and nationalities are on their way to catch the 4:30 train out of Victoria station heading for the continent. Each character gets their own chapter; there is also an unlucky, thirteenth character who never intended to get on this train, and her story is quite compellingly told as well. All told, these thirteen chapters comprise two-thirds of the novel.
So you've got, for a random selection, an extremely successful novelist whose inspiration has dried up; a boy prince who, his father having just been assassinated, is heading back to become king of his teeny-tiny nation; a pair of newlyweds on their honeymoon, not at all sure what to do with each other in the privacy of their sleeping car; an elderly nun who has just received bad news, returning to Transylvania to make the best of it; an ambitious young Greek guy, returning home to reunite with his Athenian girlfriend, who he hopes has waited for him all these years; a drop-dead-gorgeous, down-on-his-luck, partly Jewish movie actor, ill-advisedly returning to Austria to attempt a comeback; and so on, and so on.
I don't (Google doesn't) know much about the author, but man oh man, does he ever write about the young male characters alluringly; methinks there was more than a hint of mint animating Cecil Roberts' pen. I enjoyed the homoeroticism very much. One particular storyline resolves itself with a discreetly gay plot twist that was very well done, I thought, and quite deliciously shocking for a novel of this era.
My only criticism would be that the novel is written in a rather decorous style: lovely to read for the most part, but a tad incompatible with some of the darker plot lines.
The set up being so lengthy, I was skeptical that Cecil Roberts would be able to pull everything off in a way that satisfied my curiosity about all of the characters. He did; I was. The novel would make a great film.
Most of all, I am left wondering why this novel went out of print. It holds up well to other classics of the first half of the twentieth century, IMHO. What other reading experiences am I denying myself – is my culture denying me – because the books are no longer readily available?
Reading one such novel raises the question but does not answer it. Thus, I plan to search out and read at least four out-of-print novels a year from now on.
December 28, 2016
Somebody please bring this book back into print! It's absolutely delightful. I found myself reading slower to savor each chapter. Written in 1937, set in London's Victoria Station, with a cast of characters from various locales in Europe (plus two American women). It isn't just a fluffy, fun book though. There is a dark side to it: this is 1930s Europe. I found many sentences and sentiments that seemed so timely for our current political climate. Though we all bring our own slant to the books we read, right?
Thank you Chris (who thanks Thomas of The Readers) for recommending this wonderful book to me! I enjoyed it so much I'm tempted to add that extra star for a complete set. Stay tuned...I may do just that.
Thank you Chris (who thanks Thomas of The Readers) for recommending this wonderful book to me! I enjoyed it so much I'm tempted to add that extra star for a complete set. Stay tuned...I may do just that.
February 6, 2017
Thanks to Thomas of The Readers as well as Jana, Chris and Carol who all raved about this wonderful novel. My copy is from 1937 (I bought it on abebooks.com)and despite the occasional wheeze due to the age and smell, I completely enjoyed this book. In the first part, we are introduced to a disparate group of people boarding the 4:30 train out of Victoria Station (and one porter in the station) heading towards continental Europe. They are mostly headed to different places for different reasons and it was fun to read about them and their reason for travelling. While seeming to be a lightly written story, the serious worries of mid 1930s Europe creep in around the edges, portending the horrors to come. The second part follows the characters as they arrive at their destinations. While some arrivals go as planned, others surprised. Written 80 years ago, this book delighted me. I wish it was still in print (NYRB???, please?)so I could gift it and get a less allergy provoking copy. Of note, my 80 year old copy is still beautiful, if a little brown, but the paper has survived intact, a case of "they don't always make things like they used to."
January 8, 2018
I LOVED this book. It is a lovely, lovely story. Actually it's several lovely, well-written stories compiled in a very clever structure: Each chapter in Part I is about a passenger that will be boarding the 4:30pm train at London's Victoria Station and the chapters in Part II offer a glimpse of their lives upon reaching their destinations. Sometimes they cross paths with other passengers or people known by the other passengers, which I thought was a brilliant touch. Their stories are fascinating and run the spectrum from sheer happiness to utter despair, all wrapped up in secrets or obsessions or simply good natured intentions. The time period is not identified, but I imagine it to be set in the 1930's as the book was published in 1937. I was completely charmed by this book and cannot imagine why Cecil Roberts is not a more well-known author. I'm definitely going to be searching for and reading his other books. Thank you, Thomas (of The Readers and Hogglestock.com), for recommending it!
June 26, 2012
This isn't a single cohesive narrative, but simply a collection of vignettes detailing the lives of a group of people who take a specific train--the 4:30 departure from Victoria Station in London, terminating in Athens. It's interesting, for those of us who like old-fashioned and now outdated books, but not for those seeking novels.
March 13, 2017
Very enjoyable vintage read--profiles of a group of diverse strangers on a train, as their destinations and lives intertwine. The sense of place is vivid and palpable, the story is engrossing. We have Thomas Otto of The Readers podcast to thank for turning his listeners on to this great little novel.
July 19, 2020
Es una lectura muy sencilla y amable que nos habla de una docena de pasajeros que acuden a la estación victoria. La historia de algunos personajes me pareció muy interesante pero otros... eran como de relleno.
En general me ha gustado pero no me ha aportado nada.
En general me ha gustado pero no me ha aportado nada.
June 22, 2017
Written in the late 30's before the outbreak of WWII, this book follows several people who are taking the 4:30 train from Victoria Station to points on the Continent. The first part of the book introduces us to the travelers with a concise backstory on each. The second part of the book follows these characters as they depart the train at their various destinations. This is not a book of mystery or intrigue; it is a well-told story, very British.
It is a delightful read which I savored over a couple of months. It is out of print so if you are interested, you'll need to scour your local library, see if they can find it on interlibrary loan, or prowl the on-line used book resources.
It is a delightful read which I savored over a couple of months. It is out of print so if you are interested, you'll need to scour your local library, see if they can find it on interlibrary loan, or prowl the on-line used book resources.
October 31, 2018
Loved this interesting book, which is really more like vignettes about a diverse group of people all leaving Victoria Station on their way to Vienna and other destinations in the 1930s. Each story is compelling, and I loved the way some stories and characters intersected with others. A Hogglestock recommendation, and I highly concur!
July 24, 2025
I loved this book so much that the friend who loaned it to me has now given it to me!
I am eager to share it with like-minded reading friends.
Thank you, Linda!
I am eager to share it with like-minded reading friends.
Thank you, Linda!
March 29, 2016
I heard of this book from Thomas Otto on "The Readers" podcast. Being out of print I did not know if I would be able to find it, but I did using abebooks.com. My copy is a first edition (1937) and came from the library in a sanatorium in Paris Texas, complete with the borrower's card listing the names of readers. While from my perspective of reading it now, it is somewhat "historical," but when written it was contemporary fiction reflecting the mores and prejudices of 1937 England. The plot revolves around a number of characters whose only thing in common is they are on 4:30 train from Victoria Station in London to meet the Orient Express, you are introduced to them one at a time in a separate chapter. As the book progress their lives become intertwined and you learn the outcome of each character's trip. The plotting, while not original, works well with this book. It is a pleasant read that holds your interest to the end, even though some of the outcomes are somewhat contrived. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy fiction with a twist.
December 30, 2017
2.50 stars
A clever premise, but devoting 12 chapters to 12 different stories and then trying to tie them up in the remaining 11 chapters soon gets out of control. We end up with very short accounts that are haphazardly wrapped up in the end, almost as if the author had gotten bored with his own idea and finished it off in a slap-dash effort to get it done. There is some lack of continuity as well - a few of the stories do not start at Victoria which is the whole point of the book. There is a follow-up book but I'm not interested in more of the same.
A clever premise, but devoting 12 chapters to 12 different stories and then trying to tie them up in the remaining 11 chapters soon gets out of control. We end up with very short accounts that are haphazardly wrapped up in the end, almost as if the author had gotten bored with his own idea and finished it off in a slap-dash effort to get it done. There is some lack of continuity as well - a few of the stories do not start at Victoria which is the whole point of the book. There is a follow-up book but I'm not interested in more of the same.
March 29, 2018
This is quite a dated read. That said, some of the character set-ups (which form about the first 60% of the book) are very nicely done. Many of the concluding chapters were less satisfying for me.
January 21, 2026
Victoria Four-Thirty was recommended to me by Thomas when I mentioned on Bluesky that I liked stories set on trains. However, while it certainly does focus on a long-distance train journey (the Arlberg Orient Express), it is not your average train mystery or adventure novel. It doesn't even have a central protagonist. Instead, the first two-thirds of the book introduces us to thirteen different characters, each with their own chapter. For the most part, we meet them on the day they board the train in London, but then sometimes we go back into their life story if needed for context in terms of why they are on the train. So, for the honeymoon couple, we mainly see that morning, which is the day of their wedding. For others we get much more of their life story. In any case, each character is vividly drawn and these chapters make for interesting micro-stories within the larger context. The final third of the book is the train journey itself (from London to Athens via France, Switzerland, Austria, Yugoslavia) with each of ten chapters devoted to the resolution of one (or more) character's journey in the specific place they disembark (Paris, Vienna, Budapest, etc.). The characters sometimes interact with each other but in a fairly minimal way. As a side note, since this is very much an episodic novel, it made for great bedtime reading. 3.5 stars.
November 11, 2019
A period piece very much of its (inter-war) time, though probably too saccharine for today's tastes. The novel follows a number of travellers on the 4.30 train to Vienna from London Victoria in the mid-1930s, and the characters range from one of the boy railway porters to a boy king on his way back to his Ruritanian kingdom after the assassination of his father (obviously based on the Yugoslav royal family). The idea is not a bad one, but the writing is mired in cliche and some parts are really very cloying (the honeymooning couple in particular). The only really interesting point is that this novel may be one of the sources for the popular British idiom "Goodnight Vienna", meaning "it's all over". Apparently it was a very popular read in its time, but its time has passed. To read a novel in which the concept of a train journey through Europe is used to exceptional effect, you'd be much better with Stamboul Train by Graham Greene, which for my money has one of the most thrilling opening chapters in 20th century ficti0n.
June 30, 2021
I was delightfully shocked at this inter-war story. I expected a light, possibly intriguing historical read and instead I got an often riveting, surprising and brazenly told thriller (possibly an exaggeration but I did gasp out loud a few times).
The first twelve chapter the stories are told at such a gentle pace that I sometimes felt we should get on with it, and then in the second part of the book the plotlines moved at breakneck speeds wrapping up plotlines left and right.
I was pleasantly surprised by the majority of the opinions expressed by the author via his characters and there was even one gay subplot(??) Scandalous.
There are a few words in this out of print novel that modern readers might bristle at and the treatment of the Muslim characters as a whole is stereotypical in an almost backhanded way.
Overall as a reader I was not expecting the twists that came, and I enjoyed this read!
The first twelve chapter the stories are told at such a gentle pace that I sometimes felt we should get on with it, and then in the second part of the book the plotlines moved at breakneck speeds wrapping up plotlines left and right.
I was pleasantly surprised by the majority of the opinions expressed by the author via his characters and there was even one gay subplot(??) Scandalous.
There are a few words in this out of print novel that modern readers might bristle at and the treatment of the Muslim characters as a whole is stereotypical in an almost backhanded way.
Overall as a reader I was not expecting the twists that came, and I enjoyed this read!
September 8, 2021
i found this book last summer in a local market for a very good price. it's been this summer's reading (unlike everyone i barely read during the summer, compared to the rest of the year).
anyways!! while i did enjoy the book, the first half of it was very... meh? some of the character's stories were very interesting and some were not. given that there's not a clear argument, this book will not keep you hooked at all, at least in my case, until the second part. in my opinion, the second part of it far exceeds the first one. it's interesting to see the outcome of each character's travel: some are quite shocking i'd say, some not so much.
overall, i would give this book a 3.5. the prose, style and structure are definitely interesting. some of the character's stories are worth reading. however, it's not very much plot-driven, so... not for me!
anyways!! while i did enjoy the book, the first half of it was very... meh? some of the character's stories were very interesting and some were not. given that there's not a clear argument, this book will not keep you hooked at all, at least in my case, until the second part. in my opinion, the second part of it far exceeds the first one. it's interesting to see the outcome of each character's travel: some are quite shocking i'd say, some not so much.
overall, i would give this book a 3.5. the prose, style and structure are definitely interesting. some of the character's stories are worth reading. however, it's not very much plot-driven, so... not for me!
March 22, 2025
Lost interest in the second half
The first 13 chapters introduced us to 13 characters who are catching the 4:30 train from Victoria. Each one is like a short story, learning about each character which I quite enjoyed. The second half of the book we meet the characters again further on in their journey. However, by then I'd forgotten who each character was and had to flip back to remind myself. I also wasn't very invested in their story by then as there was too big a gap between introducing them and carrying on their story. I thought all the characters were going to intersect in the second half but they didn't. It's just several individual stories of people on the same train.
The first 13 chapters introduced us to 13 characters who are catching the 4:30 train from Victoria. Each one is like a short story, learning about each character which I quite enjoyed. The second half of the book we meet the characters again further on in their journey. However, by then I'd forgotten who each character was and had to flip back to remind myself. I also wasn't very invested in their story by then as there was too big a gap between introducing them and carrying on their story. I thought all the characters were going to intersect in the second half but they didn't. It's just several individual stories of people on the same train.
January 25, 2018
Estación victoria a las 4:30 llegó a mi de casualidad, fue un libro que rescaté después de que falleció mi abuela y una pequeña colección de libros iba a ser lanzada a la basura, este libro fue uno de los libros que salvé de esa colección, por consiguiente no sabía qué esperar de este libro.
Me llevé una gran sorpresa con la historia, o mejor dicho, las historias. El estilo de escritura clásica me pareció completamente adecuado al contexto y a los personajes y la forma en la que las vidas se entrelazan me pareció maravilloso.
Me llevé una gran sorpresa con la historia, o mejor dicho, las historias. El estilo de escritura clásica me pareció completamente adecuado al contexto y a los personajes y la forma en la que las vidas se entrelazan me pareció maravilloso.
January 3, 2017
Loved this book - definitely one of my favorites for the year. For the first half of the book, every new chapter introduces a new character's story and every time I thought "this one won't be as good - I want to stick with the last person…" and every time I got sucked in and didn't want the chapter to end. The second half of the book brings all the stories to their conclusion, overlapping with other characters. Really enjoyed it!
February 14, 2018
A delightful, uncomplicated yet totally satisfying read. I enjoyed the narrative, structure and pace of the novel. Humanity is shown in its different guises through the "stories" of the passengers on the train. This made me reflect on the need to demonstrate compassion not judgement for one another - a message as true, if not more so in the 21. Century as the era in which the book is set.
February 10, 2023
I was so mad at the begging because all ended suddenly and without explanation, but omg at the ending how everything makes sense and a lot of characters get to know each other, and the stories have a good ending (not necessarily a pretty ending, I mean a ending well written and well explained), and I love it, is such a good book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2024
Siempre me pregunté qué sería de la vida de las personas cada que viajo, y esta historia me acercó a ellas. Estoy infinitamente complacida y agradecida, he estado sumergida en la historia por muchas noches solitarias y solo por acompañarme en mis momentos más solos, sé que volveré a sus páginas.
March 2, 2018
I bought this as it was 99p on Kindle and had a lot of good reviews. I would rather have my 99p back. Dreadful.
July 3, 2018
What a wonderful book, and not what I was expecting at all. Well told and intriguing. I recommend you catch the train from Victoria Station at Four-thirty and find out what happens.
January 24, 2020
Te hace querer viajar por Europa en tren
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