The Railway Man cover art

The Railway Man

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Railway Man

By: Eric Lomax
Narrated by: Bill Paterson
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

A naive young man, a railway enthusiast and radio buff, was caught up in the fall of the British Empire at Singapore in 1942. He was put to work on the 'Railway of Death' - the Japanese line from Thailand to Burma.

Exhaustively and brutally tortured by the Japanese for making a crude radio, Lomax was emotionally ruined by his experiences. Almost 50 years after the war, however, his life was changed by the discovery that his interrogator, the Japanese interpreter, was still alive - their reconciliation is the culmination of this extraordinary story.

©1995 Eric Lomax (P)2011 Random House Audio Go
Europe Japan Military World War II War Singapore Railroad Imperialism Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking Veteran Transportation
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Forgotten Highlander cover art
Stubborn Buggers cover art
Forgotten Voices of the Great War cover art
Wild Swans cover art
Soldiers and Slaves cover art
Concorde cover art
Life's Too Short to Cry cover art
The Latter Days at Colditz cover art
The Slow March of Light cover art
When We Had Wings cover art
A Thousand Splendid Suns cover art
The Cooler King cover art
All But My Life cover art
Broken Angels cover art
Beneath a Scarlet Sky cover art
The 21 Escapes of Lt Alastair Cram cover art

What listeners say about The Railway Man

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    207
  • 4 Stars
    57
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    190
  • 4 Stars
    48
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    194
  • 4 Stars
    40
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Masterly

If you could sum up The Railway Man in three words, what would they be?

Gripping, moving and compelling

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lomax himself, his command of the prose and descriptive ability put you alongside him as he travels his lifes' path

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When he finally forgave his nemesis

Any additional comments?

I can only recommend that you purchase and listen to this book. You will be moved.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Riverting, Captivating, Inspiring

I could not stop listening to this fantastic book. A brilliant insight into a period of modern history that must never be forgotten. Written so fluently and Bill Paterson's narration is excellent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Moving story, well told and read.

Where does The Railway Man rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 3.

What did you like best about this story?

The story is bravely told by someone who has suffered trauma. It is very moving, well written and compelling.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I found all of the book interesting. It is a journey and no scene stands out. It is all relevant.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would if I had the time!

Any additional comments?

A wonderful book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Privilege

This book has been a privilege to listen to. I cannot imagine the strength of character this took to complete.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Honest account, heavy going but well written

It's tough to listen to in many places- a mans true account of being a pow in Japan. But it is a hope filled book and has a hope filled ending. Worth reading and educational too

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

harrowing story

a story of survival, comradeship and forgiveness. very well narrated, I would recommend to anyone

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

the railway man<br />

this story was fascinating of one mans experience through capture, the strength to survive the brutality astounds me and to forgive.rest in peace Mr lomax.

on the narrator bill patersons reading was brilliant and never dull great.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

Such a wonderful story of pain and forgiveness! I loved it and will listen again



Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

whow

loved it. very hard listening at times. opens your eyes to what really went on

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Railway Man

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a truly harrowing telling of those men who were tortured to death in their thousands for the completion of the Burmese railway track. And yet the story is told with such honest and positive detail that it remains in the heart and mind long after the last chapter.

What did you like best about this story?

If you have heard this story only from published films it will be an eye opener for you into what really happened during this brutal regime. The story is one of compassion and understanding with an ending which is as unexpected as it is satisfying.

Have you listened to any of Bill Paterson’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any of Bill Paterson's other performances but found that his steady, calm tones perfectly measure the mental landscape of this prisoner of war as he struggles to remain human in the most inhuman of circumstances and later attempts to reintegrate back into a society that did not understand how to heal his mental wounds.

Any additional comments?

This is not the kind of book I would normally read but the story was well constructed and I was propelled towards the last sentence of the book wanting more yet feeling exhausted with the journey. I will certainly be listening to this again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!