Oh, my poor heart! I knew right from the synopsis that this novel was going to be emotional, touching, romantic, and thought-provoking, but it certainly tugged at my heartstrings.

We’ve all heard that when you are on your deathbed, your life flashes before your eyes, but for Wilbur Budd, he is going to embark on a train ride through all of the pivotal points in his life. Would you want to see certain times in your life: the painful, sorrowful, heartbreaking moments? Would you have deep regrets about how you lived or how you treated people? Would you be proud of the life that you lived or would you want to go back and try to change the course if you could?

I couldn’t help but think of A Christmas Carol while I was reading this, with the exception that our character has already passed away. He had his chance at life, but what if he could do something to change the outcome? Wilbur Budd lived to be eighty-one years old. He had lived a successful life in an industry that had meant so much to him in his formative years, but the best memories of his life all centered around Maggie.

The Midnight Train was a captivating read. I enjoyed getting acquainted with Wilbur and the other characters as we rode the train throughout his life. Wilbur had lived an interesting life filled with interesting people, but the train didn’t just take you through the good times, it also made you revisit the worst times as well. Seeing the good times is one thing but having to watch yourself relive the hardest times would be unbearable.

This novel made me think, it made me feel, and it made me so glad to be a reader. Perhaps we could all learn a lesson or two from Wilbur Budd’s life and live ours to the fullest.

*5 Stars