The Midnight Train

The Midnight Train felt like one of those quiet, emotional reads that sneaks up on you. At first, it has this almost magical, intriguing premise but as you get deeper into Wilbur’s journey, it becomes something much more personal. It really made me sit with the idea of regret and how easy it is to look back and wish we had done things differently.

What stuck with me most was how tender and human the story felt. Wilbur’s love for Maggie, especially those memories in Venice, was written in a way that felt so real, like you could almost feel the warmth of those moments slipping through his fingers. It made me think about the people and times in my own life that I’d want to hold onto forever.

There’s a quiet heaviness to the book, but show more it’s not overwhelming. It’s more reflective than sad. It gently nudges you to think about who you’ve been, the choices you’ve made, and whether you’d actually change anything if given the chance.

By the end, it left me with that bittersweet feeling..like a mix of nostalgia and acceptance. Not necessarily a tearjerker, but definitely one that lingers with you after you close the book. I feel like this is a book everyone should read. It is never too late to love harder, appreciate more and really savor all those moments that seem to be fleeting! show less

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this second, stand-alone work set in The Midnight World. Like the first, this is a cozy fantastical book about second chances; while The Midnight Library explored multiverses with a shot of changing the course of life, The Midnight Train follows a man who dies first thing, and replays his life in its joys and agonies... and then makes a hard choice that may cost him everything.

I found the book slow to start, but the second half picked up. I appreciated its self-awareness of the Scrooge set-up for redemption. The book has a beautiful romance at the core and goes deep into a well-rendered Yorkshire through the 1950s through 1970s. Yes, you can see the ending coming from way down show more the track (pun intended), but this is a cozy and a book like this is necessary sometimes. show less

The book begins in 1974 with Wilbur Budd on a romantic honeymoon in Venice, Italy with his new wife Maggie. Fast forward to 2026, and we meet Wilbur again, living alone, very rich, but very lonely. He dies with Maggie on his mind. And then a train arrives, and takes him on a journey back through his life, to see just what went wrong.

In his younger days, Wilbur Budd was a book seller par excellence,. So as he himself would tell you, there is a reader for every book, and a book for every reader. Although this book has gotten rave reviews, I’m afraid I was not the reader for this book. I found it trite and predictable, with characters who were a bit caricatured. But I seem to be quite alone in that assessment, validating Wilbur’s faith show more early in life that there are some books that are perfect for some readers, and some that simply aren’t. show less

This is a tale of a man named Wilder who is taken on a train ride of his whole life after he dies. This train stops at random events and locations, and Wilber gets to see the domino effects of some of the decisions he made in his life. As his now "ghost" self is looking upon these moments, he realizes some small decisions were more impactful than he originally thought and rooted in something much deeper.

Haig does a wonderful job weaving together the past and present of Wilber's life while explaining philosophical lessons along the journey. This book encourages readers to pause and really soak in the present and the people surrounding you.

Some quotes that jumped out at me:

"It was so strange, how life became so clear with hindsight. Like show more a puzzle that can only be solved in reverse."

"Maybe sometimes bad actions were just good motives without a map."

"The incredibly annoying thing about being dead was that you got all your priorities in order, just when it was too late to do anything about them."

Having read previous books by Haig, I knew a little bit about what to expect from this read. It felt like the pace of this story was a little bit slower than the first of this "series," but it was still enjoyable. It reminded me so much of "It's A Wonderful Life" but with a different intention at the start. I think the overall themes in the story were really meaningful, and good reminders for our daily life. I do think, however, I was wanting more from the end of the story and how everything unfolds.

I received an ARC from Viking Penguin via NetGalley. A positive review is not required & all opinions are my own. show less