I liked reading this book. There’s a hint of the paranormal about Stationmaster Jay and his Great Grandson.

In the beginning I wondered why I was reading this book, but by the time I reached the end I wanted more. Question is, will there be more?

I was fascinated by Stationmaster Horace’s daily travails and tribulations, the minutiae of them recounted so humorously as to form the heart of the story. I’ve not read a book like this before and found it refreshing to read.

Not unlike ‘Oh Doctor Beeching’ but set in Victorian times, more believable, and actually funny.

IMHO the South Exmoor Railway, though fictional, has a very plausible history and situation, and good fiction like this is an excellent way to contextualise the bare facts of history. In this respect, I give Stationmaster five stars.

A very captivating read. Amusing characters.

I found the prose a touch dense in places but more accessible as the story progressed. I’ll read it again and expect to get more out of it a second time.

Interesting to compare 19th Century bedlam with 21st Century bedlam.

A most pleasing and interesting read. I think this book illustrates how railways begat us the modern environment; hectic, highly technical and loaded with exasperating complications. It seems to portray the era in which everyday lives went from being physically hard and mentally easy to physically easy and mentally hard, the transformation being spurred largely by Britain’s railway mania. I think this book is what those AI techno-bods would call a ‘deep dive’.

I call this a lovely book. It was given me by someone who thought I’d like it, and I did. What a baptism of fire for Stationmaster Jay, and what fun as the new Stationmaster finds himself being pulled in all directions from day one. I look forward to finishing it and finding out how Horace Jay gets on top of it all and wins the heart of his mysterious ‘belle in white lace’.