What do you think?
Rate this book
Railroad Man
by Alice DiNizo for Readers Favorite
"Railroad Man" is a highly well-written but very sad story of a good man, Mick, who is forced by his sense of honor into a loveless marriage. Mick, his longtime love and cousin, Marianne, Flo, Jack, Mick's fellow worker and next door neighbor Ackerman, Mick's mother and sisters Sophia and Sadie, and all the major and minor characters in this story are believable and three-dimensional. The plot line follows smoothly to the story's end where the reader finds that Mick has created his own world after suffering many tragedies. Readers everywhere should put "Railroad Man" on their list of must-read books.
"Railroad Man" is a highly well-written but very sad story of a good man, Mick, who is forced by his sense of honor into a loveless marriage. Mick, his longtime love and cousin, Marianne, Flo, Jack, Mick's fellow worker and next door neighbor Ackerman, Mick's mother and sisters Sophia and Sadie, and all the major and minor characters in this story are believable and three-dimensional. The plot line follows smoothly to the story's end where the reader finds that Mick has created his own world after suffering many tragedies. Readers everywhere should put "Railroad Man" on their list of must-read books.
106 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
10 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
About the author
Alle Wells
5 books122 followersAvid reader and book reviewer, Alle Wells, writes Southern tales filled with strong characters packed with Southern charm. Her inspirational stories of strength and courage have been compared to the works of great authors like Fannie Flagg and Anne Rivers Siddons.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 20, 2012
I find very little time in which I'm able to read. However after reading the reviews of Railroad Man I made an exception and sat down to what I consider an excellent read. True to life the characters are well written with a story line made to make it a page turner. I read until the end without interruption.(unusual for me)It is easy to visualize being a friend of Mick and I found his pursuit of happiness an interesting journey of misery as well as good fortune. After all, love has no boundaries within a man's heart. The story is well founded and descriptive in every aspect of the man's life. The book is excellent and I highly recommend this book to anyone young or old. Congratulations Alle Wells on a job well done and I look forward to reading more of your work in the future. I purchased this book on Amazon.com and this is an unsolicited review.
June 9, 2012
It's 1933 and Mickey MacDonald is one of the lucky ones, having secured a job with the railroad when so many people are out of work. Mickey is riding high; he's young and has his whole life ahead of him. But when he's told he can't marry the girl he's loved since childhood, he begins heading down the wrong road which leads him to unhappiness. But that is not the end – there is much more!
Railroad Man tells a realistic story of railroad man Mickey MacDonald and spans a period of over 50 years of his life. This is not a fairytale romance with a happily-ever-after ending, but it is not a sad story either. Most of us have had love, success, heartache, failure and loss, and so has Mickey. In Railroad Man, author Alle Wells immerses us in a time in history when life was hard and people had to be tough to survive. She succeeds in portraying this time period with perfection and gives the reader a feel for what the early to mid-1900s were like. This novel is truly a unique story and is perfect for anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
Railroad Man tells a realistic story of railroad man Mickey MacDonald and spans a period of over 50 years of his life. This is not a fairytale romance with a happily-ever-after ending, but it is not a sad story either. Most of us have had love, success, heartache, failure and loss, and so has Mickey. In Railroad Man, author Alle Wells immerses us in a time in history when life was hard and people had to be tough to survive. She succeeds in portraying this time period with perfection and gives the reader a feel for what the early to mid-1900s were like. This novel is truly a unique story and is perfect for anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
January 17, 2012
Railroad Man was a wonderful book. I loved the characters so much. They felt like they were people I already knew and cared about. The dialogue was brillantly written and real. I wanted everyone to find happiness and love, but you'll have to read it for yourself to see if they do or not.
May 2, 2012
..I truly enjoyed this novel and couldn't say enough about the quality of the writing and how the story moved me. Brilliant, sublime, everything that I'm looking for in a good story. Can't wait to read more of Alle's work
August 1, 2012
I finished Railroad Man a couple of days ago and was so moved I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Mickey grows up in the deep South of the 1930’s, a region just as hard hit by the Depression as any other part of the country. His Daddy is dead, and he grows up in the family homestead on 500 acres with his mother and two older sisters. Lewis and Aunt Sarah are the African Americans who help around the house, and Marianne is Mickey’s true love.
Everything goes sour for Mickey when his Uncle Johnny Mack won’t even consider letting the two get married. Mickey leaves town and joins the railroad, starting on a long and successful career. I was mesmerized by the way women played such a significant role in Mickey’s life, from his wife Flo to his cousin Marianne, his mother, and his sisters.
The events in Railroad Man are not uniformly happy, just as life itself is no walk in the park. The author gets it just right in this saga of the old South, as there is not a drop of sentimentality to be found anywhere here. This book is a spectacular achievement in the southern storytelling vein of Flannery O’Connor.
Everything goes sour for Mickey when his Uncle Johnny Mack won’t even consider letting the two get married. Mickey leaves town and joins the railroad, starting on a long and successful career. I was mesmerized by the way women played such a significant role in Mickey’s life, from his wife Flo to his cousin Marianne, his mother, and his sisters.
The events in Railroad Man are not uniformly happy, just as life itself is no walk in the park. The author gets it just right in this saga of the old South, as there is not a drop of sentimentality to be found anywhere here. This book is a spectacular achievement in the southern storytelling vein of Flannery O’Connor.
January 16, 2012
Railroad Man by Alle Wells----A Very Enjoyable Story
Alle Wells has written a wonderful book that gives us a glimpse into life in Georgia in the 1900s, through the story of Mick McDonald, the Railroad Man. Mick is a good man who seems to have a lot of difficulty with the ladies and he doesn't understand why.
Due to Alle's great writing, many times I was drawn right into the story and felt like I was there among the characters, experiencing it right along with them. I felt sorry for Mick who in trying to do the right things, ends up making his own life a mess.
Alle has clever way of beginning and ending the tale. The beginning makes you wonder what could have caused Mick's life to turn out the sad way it did. The story then shows how his choices in life events resulted in that final situation. But the time frame this story takes place, would have made other choices almost impossible for him. There is a cute little surprise at the end of the story in the way Mick has chosen to deal with his situation.
Alle Wells has written a wonderful book that gives us a glimpse into life in Georgia in the 1900s, through the story of Mick McDonald, the Railroad Man. Mick is a good man who seems to have a lot of difficulty with the ladies and he doesn't understand why.
Due to Alle's great writing, many times I was drawn right into the story and felt like I was there among the characters, experiencing it right along with them. I felt sorry for Mick who in trying to do the right things, ends up making his own life a mess.
Alle has clever way of beginning and ending the tale. The beginning makes you wonder what could have caused Mick's life to turn out the sad way it did. The story then shows how his choices in life events resulted in that final situation. But the time frame this story takes place, would have made other choices almost impossible for him. There is a cute little surprise at the end of the story in the way Mick has chosen to deal with his situation.
November 8, 2012
From my Amazon review:
This is one of the most enjoyable books I've read for a long time. I call it comfort food because the author relates the story in such an easy and conversational manner that you hardly realize you are turning pages. Now, even though I refer to the book as comfort food, that does not mean the story is comforting. Mickey sees more tragedy in his life than a single souls should have to bear. And even though it is hard to watch, you never really lose the feeling of being home, being in a place of comfort.
I liked that I didn't have to think too much to enjoy it. I just had to sit and take in the story as it was fed to me. Authors can have a hard time balancing descriptive narration with moving the story along. Not so in this case. Alle uses an economy of words, yet brings forth vivid colors, scents and sights that complete the package of this wonderful book.
I absolutely recommend this wonderful book.
This is one of the most enjoyable books I've read for a long time. I call it comfort food because the author relates the story in such an easy and conversational manner that you hardly realize you are turning pages. Now, even though I refer to the book as comfort food, that does not mean the story is comforting. Mickey sees more tragedy in his life than a single souls should have to bear. And even though it is hard to watch, you never really lose the feeling of being home, being in a place of comfort.
I liked that I didn't have to think too much to enjoy it. I just had to sit and take in the story as it was fed to me. Authors can have a hard time balancing descriptive narration with moving the story along. Not so in this case. Alle uses an economy of words, yet brings forth vivid colors, scents and sights that complete the package of this wonderful book.
I absolutely recommend this wonderful book.
January 24, 2012
I finished Alle Wells’ LAME EXCUSES and immediately started on RAILROAD MAN, and then finished it in one sitting! Ms. Wells’ writing is so engaging. It captures the range of emotions Mick MacDonald feels as he loves and loses; frets over the future of his beloved steam engine railroad; and then adapts to diesel engines and the life that his choices bring him. She draws out the passions and imperfections of a strong man, one who lives up to his responsibilities but can’t resist the pull of his life as it might have been.
Ms. Wells has a talent for creating characters that linger. From Mickey’s stern mother, loving sisters, and the delightful Lewis and Sara, to the love of his life Marianne and his grasping, materialistic wife Flo, these are all people I recognize. Her prose is clean and beautifully descriptive. Joy, despair, triumph, and tragedy – Ms. Wells’ RAILROAD MAN has it all.
Ms. Wells has a talent for creating characters that linger. From Mickey’s stern mother, loving sisters, and the delightful Lewis and Sara, to the love of his life Marianne and his grasping, materialistic wife Flo, these are all people I recognize. Her prose is clean and beautifully descriptive. Joy, despair, triumph, and tragedy – Ms. Wells’ RAILROAD MAN has it all.
April 23, 2012
Mickey MacDonald is a railroad man and his story spans about fifty years from when he was a young man laying tracks to making train runs all over the southeast. His story is as much about the women as the trians in his life.
Mickey's life is skillfully chronicled. It is shaped by his interactions with these women, his mother, sisters, wife, even housekeeper. Mickey uses his job and the women to facilitate his one great desire, being with Marianne. He is infatuated with her from his youth through his last days.
This is a great love story with the growth of railroading in the United States, the great depression, and better times serving as more than a background. I greatly enjoyed Mickey MacDonald relating his tale and bringing me along on his emotional ride through his happy and sad times.
Alle Wells is a marvelous writer who packs her story in a neat package without the bubble wrap.
Mickey's life is skillfully chronicled. It is shaped by his interactions with these women, his mother, sisters, wife, even housekeeper. Mickey uses his job and the women to facilitate his one great desire, being with Marianne. He is infatuated with her from his youth through his last days.
This is a great love story with the growth of railroading in the United States, the great depression, and better times serving as more than a background. I greatly enjoyed Mickey MacDonald relating his tale and bringing me along on his emotional ride through his happy and sad times.
Alle Wells is a marvelous writer who packs her story in a neat package without the bubble wrap.
May 25, 2012
As an Indie Author, I have made it my mission to read other Indie Authors and, as yet, haven't been disappointed. RAILROAD MAN is another fine example of writing talent out there just waiting to be discovered.
Spanning fifty-one years, RAILROAD MAN tells the story of Mick MacDonald and the people in his life. It's a quiet story about ordinary people doing ordinary things, told in an extraordinarily engaging way. It was hard to put this one down. It has it all: love, loss, birth, death, good times and bad times. The characters are well crafted, and the atmospherics take you back to a different time and place where you can almost see the sights and smell the air. It will make you laugh, it will make you gasp, it will make you cry but above all else, it will entertain you. Well done Alle Wells!
Spanning fifty-one years, RAILROAD MAN tells the story of Mick MacDonald and the people in his life. It's a quiet story about ordinary people doing ordinary things, told in an extraordinarily engaging way. It was hard to put this one down. It has it all: love, loss, birth, death, good times and bad times. The characters are well crafted, and the atmospherics take you back to a different time and place where you can almost see the sights and smell the air. It will make you laugh, it will make you gasp, it will make you cry but above all else, it will entertain you. Well done Alle Wells!
February 10, 2013
Railroad Man ist ein Roman, der ein ganzes Leben umspannt. Es beginnt Ende der zwanziger Jahre und endet in den Siebzigern. Der Ich-Erzähler fühlt sich in großer Liebe zu einer jungen Frau verbunden, doch sie dürfen nicht zusammen sein. Diese Liebe bestimmt sein ganzes Leben und das der Menschen, die ihm nahe sind. Der Roman ist sehr kurz und schafft es dennoch, das Wesentliche eines Lebens darzustellen.
Wegen des Titels hatte ich etwas mehr über Eisenbahnen zu lesen gehofft. Der Protagonist ist zuerst beim Bau des Schienennetzes dabei und später als Lokführer. Aber mehr als dass er es tut, erfährt man nicht. Etwas geschichtliches Hintergrundwissen hilft beim Lesen, die Zeit der Depression, die Subkultur der Hobos. Liest man aber nur das, was da steht, erfährt man dennoch ein Leseerlebnis, das berührt.
Wegen des Titels hatte ich etwas mehr über Eisenbahnen zu lesen gehofft. Der Protagonist ist zuerst beim Bau des Schienennetzes dabei und später als Lokführer. Aber mehr als dass er es tut, erfährt man nicht. Etwas geschichtliches Hintergrundwissen hilft beim Lesen, die Zeit der Depression, die Subkultur der Hobos. Liest man aber nur das, was da steht, erfährt man dennoch ein Leseerlebnis, das berührt.
August 6, 2012
This was a moving and tragic tale of a railroad man...the intertwining love story is deep and rich. The author has created a believable cast made all the more believable by the unfortunate circumstances they are thrown into. The conventions of the early years dictate the outcome of two young lovers over the span of a lifetime.
While the story is told through the eyes of a railroad man, it has little to do with the railroad and a lot to do with his personal life. It's fascinating to move through time and see the changes that take place in the 21st century morally,economically and technologically.
While the story is told through the eyes of a railroad man, it has little to do with the railroad and a lot to do with his personal life. It's fascinating to move through time and see the changes that take place in the 21st century morally,economically and technologically.
April 13, 2012
Mickey MacDonald reminisces on his life as a railroad engineer during the Great Depression and the following fifty years. All he wants from life is some joy, which seems to elude him as he has to deal with the women in his life.
Told in flashbacks, the author takes us on a trip to the past when life was simpler (or so we think). With the descriptive narrative, one can get the feel of what it was like in the south during that time. The beginning years take up most of the chapters, as the later years go by fast; almost like real life. One has to feel for the old man Mick.
Told in flashbacks, the author takes us on a trip to the past when life was simpler (or so we think). With the descriptive narrative, one can get the feel of what it was like in the south during that time. The beginning years take up most of the chapters, as the later years go by fast; almost like real life. One has to feel for the old man Mick.
November 18, 2012
Although it was not what I expected, this was an enjoyable book. From the title, I expected a story centered on a railroad theme. Although the beginning of the book followed this theme, it soon became clear that the story was about the personal life of a man who happened to work for the railroad. In fact, the railroad was merely a backdrop for the main story.
The characters and their relationships are well developed, and the story was compelling. All in all, an enjoyable read.
The characters and their relationships are well developed, and the story was compelling. All in all, an enjoyable read.
October 4, 2012
"Railroad Man" is not about the railroad, it's about Mickey and his life from the 1930's to 1974. Mike is raised by his mother and two older sisters, is head over heels in love with his cousin Marianne and obligated to Flo. This book was a quick read, it ended to soon... I want to read more books by Alle Wells.
July 26, 2012
A better rating would be 3.5 stars. It's a quick read of a man looking back over his life as a railroad man and reliving his joys and travails -- for most of which he only had himself to blame. I don't believe that was the author's intention, however. Its stereotypical characters and the predictability of the action detract somewhat. But it is a pleasant way to wile a way a few hours.
March 27, 2012
Interesting, short read.
June 6, 2012
Railroad Man is superb. It drew me in from minute one. It is in my
opinion an unusual book, because it takes an ususual look at the
way men and women interact.
opinion an unusual book, because it takes an ususual look at the
way men and women interact.
July 18, 2012
enjoyed this book..........a must read
March 31, 2013
I just couldn't finish it this book. It was easy an easy read, as it went by quickly, but I had to force myself to read it. I was shocked that I read as much as I did.
December 3, 2012
I really enjoyed this book.
January 8, 2013
No bad but a bit short...
June 27, 2016
Entertaining; quick read
Good , quick read. Tells of relationships that last, are lost, or not meant to be. Personal choices have lasting consequences.
Good , quick read. Tells of relationships that last, are lost, or not meant to be. Personal choices have lasting consequences.
July 25, 2012
An excellent story. Couldn't put this down. Highly recommend.
October 20, 2012
Really good story about the life of a railroad employee during and after the Depression.
December 30, 2012
Very well written book.
Read
April 18, 2013Well written book. Will read more books written by Alle Wells
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews