It was a good book. Takes place in Italy. ( )

I loved it! ( )

Digital audiobook narrated by Tim Campbell
3.5*** (rounded up)

NOT to be confused with The Orphan Train or other books on that subject, this is a story based on true events, set in post-WW2 Italy. Children from impoverished families in the south were sent north to wealthier communities / families who could care for them. Amerigo, the central figure in this novel, is one such child.

I was not previously aware of this effort in post-war Italy, but I can understand how some parents would make the wrenching decision to send their children away for a chance at a better future. It is interesting to see how these actions by adults were interpreted by the children who were placed – for their own good – in far flung area with complete strangers, some of whom did not treat the children well. But Amerigo is lucky in that the family he joins welcomes him and his foster father recognizes and nurtures Amerigo’s love of music. But this nurturing environment is temporary, and as the country recovers from the deprivations of war, Amerigo is reunited with mother.

A child’s love for his mother may be unwavering, but who can blame him for wanting more than his mother can give, especially once he’s had a taste of those riches? How can the mother reconcile her original selfless decision to send her child to safety with the result of a child who is returned so different from the one she sent away – a child who has been exposed to “more” and naturally wants more now?

While the novel raised some interesting questions (and I look forward to my F2F book club discussion), I was left somewhat dissatisfied. The novel is told in four parts. The first two parts take place in 1946 chronicling Amerigo’s journey north and his experiences there; Part three covers his return to his mother, still impoverished; and Part Four jumps forward to 1994 when 50-year-old Amerigo returns for a visit to Naples. I wish Ardone had spent some time on the intervening years to give us more insight into Amerigo’s development. As it was I didn’t fully understand the person Amerigo became.

Still, there were several scenes that really captured the emotion of the situations both young Amerigo and middle-aged Amerigo experienced.

The audiobook was narrated by Tim Campbell, who did a fine job. He’s believable as both a seven-year-old frightened and impressionable young boy and as a 50-year-old man reflecting on his relationship with his mother.

The story does remind me of other similar situations of which I’m aware. Of course, the aforementioned orphan trains in Depression-era USA, but also the millions of children who were evacuated during WW2 to other countries, in efforts to spare them the horrors of war. One woman I know through a mutual professional association was a child when, first, she and her mother had to leave their Jersey home to avoid the Nazi occupation of that island, and later when her mother sent Jayne from London to the US to avoid the worst of the Blitz. Nine-year-old Jayne landed in a suburb of Milwaukee with a well-off family, where she lived for her formative years. When she returned to England to rejoin her mother she was a 16-year-old teenager and not at all happy to be uprooted from her friends in the USA. Once she was of age, she wrote to her foster father in Wisconsin, who welcomed her back and agreed to help her get established here. Our book club read her memoir - This Token Of Freedom - in 2015. The same book club will be discussing Ardone’s book in January 2022. ( )

Set in Naples after WWII, life is hard for Amerigo Spranza and his mother. He and his friend, Tommasino run the streets looking for rags and sometimes attend school - math is Amerigo's best subject. Word comes that a "children's train" will send some children to northern Italy to places where they can achieve an education and better life - maybe returning and maybe not.

Amerigo's mother, Antonietta, is seemingly cold and distant, but life has been hard for her. She makes the decision to send Amerigo north on the train. Here he is taken in by a loving family, has a room of his own, and experiences a loving family life. He expresses a love for music and is given violin lessons.

Months later he is forced to return to Naples. His mother and he clash as he struggles to get back to an earlier life. After his violin seemingly disappears, his mother tells him "it is for the best." After an argument, he runs away to the train station and manages to board the train along with a woman and her children.

The last part of the book is years later when Amerigo now goes by the last name of his northern family and is a renowned violinist traveling the world for concerts. He is returning to Naples after hearing of his mother's death and finding out that she had another child, Augusto who is imprisoned along with his wife leaving a young son alone. The last part of the book makes the entire book worth reading and Amerigo deals with the guilt and remembrances of his mother and his earlier life and the fortune he has also received from his other family.

Not usually a fan of first-person narratives, this one is believable yet touching without sentimentality. Good story. ( )

1946: in the aftermath of World War II, seven year old Amerigo lives with his mother, Antoinetta in the ravaged and defeated town of Naples, Southern Italy. Amerigo and his mother try to make ends meet as best they can, but collecting rags and mending means they are just scraping by. A Communist group offers refuge for the children of the South, placing children on a train to live temporarily with families in the North. Antoinetta makes the decision to put Amerigo on one of the trains. Amerigo is confused and upset; however, once he is with his temporary family in the North, Amerigo receives new shoes, clothes, plenty of food and the feeling of a warm and loving family. His northern family also develops his love for music. Amerigo returns home to find that nothing has changed while everything has changed.
The Children's Train is a powerful and heartfelt story of hope, finding home and family. Most of the story is told from seven-year-old Amerigo's point of view. Amerigo's voice is rambling, taking in everything as a child would see and understand it. Most interesting were the views of his mother and his home. Antoinetta came off as harsh, but surviving. Amerigo would always say that many things were not her strong point, realizing that his mother did not show affection in typical ways. The story examines Amerigo's views of politics and hospitality versus charity as he became used to life in Northern Italy. I was intrigued as Amerigo begins to see the impact of the decisions adults madee for him and that love can have many different forms. The last third of the book skips to the year 1994 when Amerigo returns to Naples and begins to see the further impact of his mother's decisions. This was the most moving part of the story for me as Amerigo realizes the different paths that his life could have taken.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )