RivenDell PublisHing NOrthwest

A New Release

Publication Date: November 1, 2020

Join author Robert Goldstein and his wife, Melinda Denson, on a seemingly idyllic trip to celebrate his retirement by traversing Canada on the remnants of its once robust transcontinental train service. More than a routine travelogue, the author describes what happens when two individuals marry late in life, then spend a week crammed in a train compartment. Goldstein is determined to cure his inner restlessness and obsession with being on time, even inventing a new philosophy - Zen Train Mind - to keep on track. Denson constantly reminds her new husband that the trip is about relaxation, defeating anxiety and being in the moment. Initial success is met with retrenchment as The Canadian falls hours behind schedule. The author's penchant for checking timetables, composing letters to railroad officials and politicians, and concocting crazy schemes to encourage speed transforms the trip into a comedy of confinement. When not worrying about the train's pace, the author provides rich descriptions of the land the train passes through, as well as of the Herculean effort required to build Canada's cross-country railroad.

Reviews

D. Donovan, senior reviewer

Midwest Book Review

The Last Passenger Train - A Rail Journey Across Canada joins other outdoor odysseys undertaken by Robert M. Goldstein and opens with an iconic 'temple', the Union Train Station in Toronto, Canada, home of the last transcontinental train in the country.

Goldstein is in the nearly-deserted station an hour before he is to board. This affords him the time to describe its beauty in detail, leading readers into the world of his rail journey before he even gets on the train.

Part of the compelling pleasure of reading The Last Passenger Train lies in its ability to present a "you are there" feel to the journey, making at-home readers feel like they, too, are undertaking Goldstein's rail excursion. His ability to describe the sights, smells, and sounds of every facet of the trip makes The Last Passenger Train a wonderful armchair read: "At 9:00 p.m., the Great Hall is nearly deserted, seemingly occupied only by our echoing footsteps and the thrum of roller bags from a handful of potential passengers in the vast chamber, now dimly lit and looking more like a mausoleum than a train station."

The other piece of this equation of attraction lies in the story's personal touches. Goldstein includes the kinds of social and interpersonal interactions which are the hallmarks of a journey. These lend additional emotional draw to his account: "Where are we? I grab the map from the little holder by the side of my bunk. Have we reached Rupert’s Land? Mindy rolls her eyes. After 40 years of friendship and a year of marriage, she knows me well. I need to know where I am. I attribute this to a genetically programmed instinct that clicks in when I am traveling, particularly on a train, though the phenomenon also occurs in cars and, with the advent of seat-back viewing screens, on airplanes. On a train, one must have a timetable and a map. Without these indispensable tools of the control freak, I become merely a Nervous Nellie, furtively glancing about, not sure where I am."

As he views the passing, changing countryside from the train window and remarks on the sights, sounds, and politics of Canada, readers are drawn into a story that is thought-provoking as much as observational. It's refreshing to read a train journey that begins with the ride and moves into the kinds of reflective changes that take place in the traveler as he moves through his environment. Too many pieces focus on the journey and destination over the inner reflections and changes that travel brings.

Rail buffs and fans of Canadian subjects will be the most logical readers of this travelogue, but anyone interested in journeys, changes, and relationships alike will find The Last Passenger Train moves beyond documenting a single travel experience to reflect on broader issues. The result is a compelling rail journey that readers are invited to experience along with the author.

All aboard!