The Railway Man

By: Eric Lomax

Narrated by: Bill Paterson

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

Eloquent, detailed, a bit dry, but great ending

Eric Lomax must have been a serious ISTJ (in Myers-Briggs parlance). He loved trains and stamp collections and lists and clocks, etc. He did a good job of relating the details of his experiences, many of which were horrific, but his writing lacked a bit of the storyteller's touch and human insight. But that shouldn't take too much away from this excellent WWII autobiography. I especially appreciated the last part of this book when he meets up with his former 'torture interpreter'. I highly recommend this book to anyone who's interested in the history of allied POWs in south-east Asia during WWII.

The narrator was perfect.

A Journey of Forgiveness

This is such a good testimony to the art is forgiveness. Very nicely recorded.

A good book for anyone who also enjoys history.

Amazing

First of all, the narrator has a gorgeous voice, a beautiful accent but crystal clear. I could listen to him all day. The story can be gruesome or depressing at times but the author weaves in so many beautiful moments of humanity, hope, and kindness.

From hatred to forgiveness

The Railway Man, by Eric Lomax, is the story of an innocent young man who had a passion for everything trains. Lomax joined the Royal Signal Corp and was captured by the Japanese in 1942. After a detailed map he sketched and a crude radio he built were discovered and confiscated by his guards, Lomax was interrogated on suspicion of being a spy. The interrogation was brutal and seemed likely never to end The interpreter was as cold and cruel as the questioners and was the person Lomax hated most after the war. Lomax was physically and psychologically devastated after his ordeal. He had fantasies of killing the interpreter. But 50 years after it was over Eric Lomax learned the interpreter was still alive and was tormented by his complicity in the interrogation of a particular British POW. Although it seems impossible, Lomax was the very man who Nagase Takeshi must seek forgiveness from to ease his own suffering and guilt. Through a series of near misses and some misunderstanding the two meet. And with the grace and dignity that often only the elderly can display the two former enemies become comfortable together. In the end the two men also became friends. Both Lomax and Takeshi experience great happiness in their final few years through forgiveness and understanding. Do not miss this tale of the ultimate goodness of some men.

Incredible!

Everything about this Audio book, especially the books itself, is amazing. It’s an incredible story that I could not recommend more to anyone who is remotely interested in WW2 History, stories of forgiveness or even a simple human story.

An incredible well read account

This book courageously tells a story of pain, suffering and years of sorrow and injuries that never heal. And yet it is balanced with one mans desire to face his fears and answer questions that plagued him for 50 years. This book is well written, riveting and well narrated. I highly recommend it to people of all ages. There is a strong message.... One of compassion and forgiveness.

Very Powerful!

This was a great book with a very powerful ending. It was well written, and well read.

Profoundly moving

What an inspiration. It puts my petty grudges in a whole new context. I am so grateful that Eric Lomax shared his story, and I will try to live closer to his standard. How lucky we are to have such guiding lights.

Beautifully read. Riveting. Listened straight through.

Tough!

It's a very tough listen. I thought I could feel the pain Mr Lomax endured myself. I also thought there was no way in this world I could ever survive what he went through. The speaker was great.

So Much Better Than The Movie

I recently watched the movie which was made from the basic story in Eric Lomax's excellent book. It's not anywhere near as dramatic as the truth from Lomax's memories.

The Railway Man tells a full story and Eric Lomax comes across as a wonderfully warm human, capable of great forgiveness and kindness to the people who wrecked his physical body.

Obviously suffering from PTSD but before it was actually diagnosed and men were finding themselves capable of being human instead of being 'stiff upper lip' automatons, Lomax had little support for his post war issues, except a loving wife who wished him to become a happier and healthier man.

The beginnings of mutual forgiveness between Lomax and his tormentors was 50 years in coming. For those 50 years both tortured and torturer suffered from the actions that took place during this terrible time of Japanese nationalism and strict idealism of the Japanese racial superiority.

Listing to this story cleared up much for me about WWII..I was an infant in 1943, and have recently begun reading histories and biographies of that time period. This biography/history did a great deal both for opening my eyes and allowing me to see the true reason behind forgiveness and compassion.

I highly recommend listening to or reading the book instead of viewing the movie, which is a loose adaption of the book and stars Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth. Both give great, understated performances and its a movie worth watching-after you read the book.