The Great Train Robber

by Ronnie Biggs

Genres: Audiobook, Autobiography

400 pages, Paperback

Expected publication June 22, 2026

Reviews

[ei_tc Ryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The early chapters about the heist and 1960's England were colourful and with promise. What followed, the story of a man who could not face the truth in his life, a man who abandoned his wife and children, a man who didn't want to do a single honest days work - is a depressing yarn.
Biggs lacked integrity, creativity, drive, and a genuine goal. What we are left with here is the tale of a fame hungry individual with no self awareness and even less remorse.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alternative title: Ronnie Biggs: Delusional fuckboy.

Also apparently this is his... fifth?? autobiography. Jeez. Talking about beating a dead horse.

Thoughts:
lol when a career criminal says not to judge him because we all make mistakes. Sure, Ronnie, but my mistakes are working too much or not enough, eating too many snacks, and sometimes forgetting things if I didn't write them down. That's not exactly the same as robbing people and stealing their stuff whenever I get the chance.

He generally seems extremely pleased with himself, as does his buddy who wrote the book. A lot of eye rolling at that straight from the beginning.

After a general bunch of evading the law, he leaves his wife in Australia and goes on a whoring tour of Brazil where he, it seems, sticking his dick in anything that moves. After impregnating a local stripper, he considered turning himself in so he could go back to the UK and see his wife and children, but then he (with no explanation?) decided that no, it would be better to stick around in Brazil.

He has a pretty horrifying relationship to money. Every page is either "so then I got this awesome payout" or "I had no money". Insanely, he at some point owes a bunch of money to his local grocery store, and at least one of his side pieces, but still has a maid??

The book does an impressive job of twisting the truth to make him look like a good fella by certain standards. Sometimes, though, he oversteps the mark. For instance he follows the story of how he "chose" not to lead some samba group doing a dance inspired by him because he didn't want to "offend" the country that had taken such good care of him by bringing more attention to it housing a British fugitive, by the story of how he was making a movie (number x of many) about himself. Or maybe it was the global ad campaign for something. Or maybe it was one of the many books about his life. I don't quite remember, but it's clear that his motivations weren't what he says they were.

I did feel a degree of pity for him, when it comes to the part where he goes back to the UK. Multiple strokes is not something I want for anyone. Honestly, death sounds much preferable. Why the UK decided to take him back is beyond me. A nuisance of a man in need of that much healthcare is not something I would want in my country.

I spent a lot of time wondering how famous he really was, because by his own account he was somewhere between Jesus and Allah and Mao. Also I find it morally reprehensible to let someone coast along on a crime they did. And I'm team Whatshisface who wouldn't let him out of jail cause he had no regrets. Sorry not sorry.

[David Wasley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biggs certainly had a wild life. His sentence of 30 years hard time was absurdly disproportionate to the crime he committed. Murderers, terrorists and spies got less. Had it been a reasonable sentence it is more than likely that he would not have escaped and been on the run for 40 years in Australia and Brazil.

[Kristian Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed the beginning of the book and how the robbery all came about and what roles the individuals played. What happened on the run also was interesting but my god this guy loved himself, brags about adultery and just leaving his wife and kids why he enjoyed sunny Mexico, taking drugs and drinking with other women is not a personality I care to read about

[WyVern · Rating 1 out of 5]

By the end of this book you learn a lot about Ronnie Biggs' character. He is an egotistical man who cares only for himself, put his wife and sons through so much suffering, and despite being a horrible person seems to get most of what he wants in the end. The ending lines of the book highlight his mentality, he reflects that he regrets none of what happened and choices he made in his life... despite what his actions caused to those around him. This statement shocked me when i reflected on how his actions caused his children from his first marriage to have no contact with him, he left the marriage with his first wife (he claimed to love), and his actions led to a domino effect where years later they move to Australia and one of his sons dies tragically. Its not his fault directly, but i do wonder why there was no reflection on how his choices led down this path. It flies in the face of the no regrets thing.
People like Ronnie are better off left forgotten.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book on a flamboyant great train robber, was a story of the truth and his role. He by his own words said that he wasn't the brains or the master of the operation. This is more of his take of his life on the run. The first part of the book was colourful and vibrant how they carried the heist asd then the escape from Wandsworth, and then ultimately, their escape from the UK and onto Australia and ultimately, Brazil.

What we learn is not only the crime itself, then the story of a man who eventually abadoned his wife and lead a life on the run, escaping capture numerous time including legal loopholes. But what we learn that desite his flamboyant lifestyle he couldn't run forever. He return only when his health started to suffer. There are those that followed and supported him, owing to his excessive sentance, and of course his critics. I will leave your opinion of his up to you. Worth a read for inanely curious.

[F.R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been wary of the glamorisation of a certain kind of old school British villain, but I'm thinking a lot of the 1960s and crime at the moment, so I thought I'd give it a try. The Jack-the-lad character of Ronnie Biggs comes through, as does his rather odd life in exile. I wonder how frustrating for him it must have been to be always defined by the Train Robbery. As if that night was all which mattered from that point on.

I'm trying to keep track of when David Bowie cameos in books which aren't actually about him. This one is very slender. A couple of years after Biggs had arrived in Brazil, David Bowie sailed on the same ship that Biggs himself had used and when aboard wrote Aladdin Sane.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best book, poorly written and a story that’s been flogged more times than a horse.
I listened to the audio book and the narrator made it even worse with his monotone voice.
Biggs, basically a criminal who got sentenced to 30 years in prison for his part in the Great Train Robbery. He did the crime but didn’t do the time, went on the run and escaped justice until his health gave out. He then come back to the UK for the NHS and complained no end about how unfair it was to be locked up.
I was hoping I would see a different side to Biggs but nope.

[Kevin McAvoy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook just under 18 hours.
Glad I got this for free.
Biggs's life after the robbery is of value only to the gossip rags of the world.
I struggled to finish the second half as there was nothing of interest to me and I'm sure anybody else.
I can see he would cash in on any interviews that were put his way even the stupid record put out by Malcolm MacLaren. or mcLaren.
A waste of time book that you can safely ignore and you will save 18 hours of your life.

[Rebecca Nelson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Makes for a dull read.
Felt like I was stuck in that cringey conversation with that older generation relative who thinks it’s ok to talk certain ways about women, sex, his own adulterous life. How any of those women stayed friends with him I’ll never know. Perhaps he had a charm about him in real life that did not come across on the page. Glad it was only a library rental and I hadn’t wasted any money on buying it.

[Wendy Bamford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this a really interesting book. It was a amazing life that he had and I would recommend reading it to anybody

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read up to half the book and got bored.

[pierre bovington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read.
However, Biggs was a criminal, he says so in this book.
The train driver was coshed, an old fashioned expression for GBH.
He never recovered and died a few years later.