The Art of the Engine Driver

Steven Carroll

3.78

289 ratings by Goodreads

9781504656443: The Art of the Engine Driver

ISBN 10: 150465644X ISBN 13: 9781504656443

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc., 2015

As a passenger train leaves Spencer Street Station on its haul to Sydney, a family of three-- Vic, Rita, and their son, Michael-- are off to a party. George Bedser has invited the whole neighborhood to celebrate the engagement of his daughter. Vic is an engine driver, with dreams of being like his hero Paddy Ryan and becoming the master of the smooth ride. As the neighbors walk to the party, the story delves into the lives of a bully, a drunk, a restless girl, and a young boy forced to grow up before he is ready. The Art of the Engine Driver is a luminous and evocative tale of ordinary suburban lives, told with an extraordinary power and depth.

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About the Author:

Steven Carroll was born in Melbourne. His first novel, Remember Me, Jimmy James, was published in 1992. The Art of the Engine Driver and The Gift of Speed were short-listed for the Miles Franklin Award, which the final book in the trilogy, The Time We Have Taken, won in 2008. Steven Carroll lives in Melbourne with his partner and son.

Review:

"Steven Carroll's subtly crafted novel is a poignant exploration of dashed hopes and suburban desperations...A rich and evocative novel with a strong sense of period." * Mail on Sunday * "An exquisitely crafted journey of Australian suburban life . . . fresh and irresistible" * Miles Franklin Literary Award Judges, 2002 * "Deceptively simple, this novel has a quiet force" * Sydney Morning Herald * "A veritable little gem . . . a beautiful discovery" * Elle France * "Subtle, true and profoundly touching . . . from the first lines of this very beautiful novel by Steven Carroll, an indefinable charm is at work" * Le Monde *

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