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Summary and Reviews of The Christmas Train by David Baldacci

The Christmas Train by David Baldacci

The Christmas Train

by David Baldacci
  • Critics' Consensus (2):
  • Readers' Rating (4):
  • First Published:
  • Nov 1, 2002, 272 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Nov 2004, 304 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

A delightful journey filled with memorable characters who have packed their bags with as much wisdom as mischief...and a story that shows how we do get second chances to fulfill our deepest hopes and dreams, especially during this season of miracles.

Disillusioned journalist Tom Langdon must get from Washington to L.A. in time for Christmas. Forced to take the train across the country because of a slight "misunderstanding" at airport security, he begins a journey of self-discovery and rude awakenings, mysterious goings-on and thrilling adventures, screwball escapades and holiday magic.

He has no idea that the locomotives pulling him across America will actually take him into the rugged terrain of his own heart, as he rediscovers people's essential goodness and someone very special he believed he had lost.

Equal parts hilarious, poignant, suspenseful, and thrilling, David Baldacci's The Christmas Train is a delightful journey filled with memorable characters who have packed their bags with as much wisdom as mischief...and a story that shows how we do get second chances to fulfill our deepest hopes and dreams, especially during this season of miracles.

Chapter One

Tom Langdon was a journalist, a globetrotting one, because it was in his blood to roam widely. Where others saw only instability and fear in life, Tom felt graced by an embracing independence. He'd spent the bulk of his career in foreign lands covering wars, insurrections, famines, pestilence, virtually every earthly despair. His goal had been relatively simple: He had wanted to change the world by calling attention to its wrongs. And he did love adventure.

However, after chronicling all these horrific events and still seeing the conditions of humanity steadily worsen, he'd returned to America filled with disappointment. Seeking an antidote to his melancholy he'd started writing drearily light stories for ladies' magazines, home-decorating journals, garden digests, and the like. However, after memorializing the wonders of compost and the miracle that was do-it-yourself wood flooring, he wasn't exactly fulfilled.

It was nearing Christmas, and ...

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Christmas/Holiday books
I have the NIall WIlliams book on hold at my library, too (I love "Small Things Like These"; For pure fun, I like David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series & he usually has a very loosely-themed Christmas entry each year. "Christmas Train" by David Baldacci is a nice quick read. But my all-time fav...
-Carol_Ann_Robb


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Reviews

Media Reviews

Publishers Weekly
.....performs with good spirit, a lot of humor and only a bit of strain - a Christmas charmer set aboard a cross-country train.

Kirkus Reviews
Harmless, obvious, and about as full of surprises as a timetable.

Reader Reviews

Cheryl G. Kaye

Happiness Rings True
The Christmas Train, by David Baldacci, is a fast read for people looking for action, mystery, and doubt. It is a "who done it" sort of book with hope around every turn. Thank you for writing this novel.
E. Reiss

The Christmas Train
Despite seeming simple, this story is a story of so many human beings who have difficulty learning what life is really about. It is good to read any time of the year. It was hard to believe it was Baldacci at first until the complicated ...   Read More
Viky Pedigo

Christmas Cheer
For those of us who love train travel, this was the delight of the season. When you leave the station, the adventures begin! Add the unusual characters just waiting to be introduced, and the intrigue begins! Heartwarming with a little mystery adds ...   Read More
Linda Kapusta, Belvidere North H.S. Librarian

The Christmas Train, by David Baldacci
I chose this book for our book club to read this month December. This time of the year, there is an abundance of light holiday reads. This was one of them. The main character has been banned to train travel, and he has to make it from the east ...   Read More

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