Moonlight Express: Around the World By Night Train

by Monisha Rajesh

A FINANCIAL TIMES READERS BOOK OF THE YEAR

From the author of the smash-hit Around the World in 80 Trains comes a new globetrotting journey - this time celebrating the peculiar magic and mayhem of the night train.

'Nobody writes trains like Monisha Rajesh' Irvine Welsh
'Hugely entertaining' The Times
'A moonlit express train to travel writing heaven. This is Monisha Rajesh's wittiest and most irresistible adventure yet' William Dalrymple

The wonder of the night headlamps ablaze, passengers boarding after sunset and leaving before sunrise, slipping in and out of compartments unseen. For Monisha Rajesh, the singular thrill of sleeper trains inspired a new journey around the world – one filled with moonlit landscapes, cosy compartments and quirky companions.

From Austria's Nightjet to the Caledonian Sleeper and the Santa Claus Express, Rajesh invites us on an adventure aboard the world's most wondrous night trains. Along the way, she samples reindeer stew in Scandinavia, retraces the original route of the Orient Express, sips on pisco sours aboard the Andean Explorer, and watches the sun rise over the Potomac River on the Silver Meteor to New York.

A decade ago night trains were giving way to budget airlines and high-speed rail. But as people search for slower and more environmentally friendly ways to travel, night trains are in the midst of a renaissance. By turns romantic and hilarious, Moonlight Express brings us along for the ride – and drops us back at the platform before sunrise.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Adventure, Trains, Memoir

414 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2025

About the author

Monisha Rajesh was born in King’s Lynn in Norfolk and grew up all over England. She read French at the University of Leeds and taught English at a high school in Cannes before studying postgraduate journalism at City University London. She has written for the London Evening Standard, The Guardian, TIME magazine and The New York Times.

Reviews

[Sophy H · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I'm DNF'ing this one as I'm not feeling the love at all.

Having experienced the excitement and unexpectedness of a night train myself, I thought I'd really enjoy this one. Instead, the stories pretty much ran into each other.

Monisha boards a train somewhere in the world, we get a brief description of the compartment and maybe the dining car and the itinerary, and then we get reams of information about the people she travels with. Honestly, I was hoping for more. More about the countries she visited, the scenes from the window, the destinations. Instead I got the life stories of complete randomites on a series of trains. Not what I was expecting or wanting.

Disappointing. So I'm walking away.

[V · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book by Monisha Rajesh that I’ve read, and unfortunately, I find a recurring issue across all her works. While her talent and unique perspective are evident, her travel writing often carries a subtle tone of otherness, always observing with a smirk from the outside looking in, seemingly without any desire to truly engage or learn. There’s a persistent sense of “look at the foreigners,” which can feel distancing rather than inclusive. Given her evident skills and opportunities, I had hoped for a more progressive, empathetic, and inclusive approach to travel narratives, one that bridges rather than separates cultures.

[Anthony Frobisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world is in a state of constant flux. Always moving, changing, rarely still. Most of us crave the certainty of home, the sanctuary of our bedrooms and the comfort and familiarity of our beds. Yet while we sleep, there are people crossing borders and landscapes, linguistic zones, embarking and alighting from places well-known and seldom heard of.
The night train, the sleeper, is a unique way of travel. A microcosm of life full of a myriad of interesting characters, thrown together by the need to travel by train. A shared journey in the cover of darkness, a shared experience being rocked to sleep or shaken awake, shared meals in communal dining cars, shared glasses to new friendships made.
Monisha Rajesh writes with passion not only of the night trains she boards, the cities and landscapes she passes through, but more how each journey is made, is infused by the people she encounters. A place is made by its people and night trains are no exception.
Each journey is beautifully captured, you feel as if you are sat sharing a drink and a meal on the next table to Monisha, or emerging bleary eyed from a disturbed sleep in an adjoining compartment.
As with her previous journeys around India and then the world by train, Monisha has a brilliant eye for detail, and recording the unusual and extraordinary, as well as the routine and ordinary - from a luxury cabin at 3,800m in Peru, people attend to children, markets bustle and daily lives continue.
Moonlight Express is a wonderful book. Night trains are such a special way to travel and had sadly been in decline. A post pandemic resurgence has led to more routes opening. I am sure Monisha Rajesh will spur many more people to ditch the plane in favour of the unique and unmatched experience of a sleeper train.

[Christina Bulley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monisha, as usual, took me on an adventure with her through her writing. Loved the descriptive use of language to narrate her adventures and what comes out so much through this one is her passion for train journeys and her love for personal connection through these journeys. For me, this one also took me into the personal life of the author and this really resonated with me. I couldn't put this down and kept waiting for more. Brilliant writing Monisha and as always you keep me wanting for more.

[Ellie (bookmadbarlow) · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Around the World in 80 Trains, I was happy to see the author bring out a book specifically about night trains. There is something that makes me want to travel by one.
The author details her travels around the various night trains and talks of her love for that way to travel. This is a great book to read over the course of a few days, picking up a chapter and then researching more that journey.
The thing I would love to be added though, is maps or photos, showing the routes and what the trains looked like.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, first and foremost, a stunning travel memoir. The author's love of trains absolutely shines through the writing and I love the in-depth descriptions of the trains and the journeys that embarks on. Perfect for anyone who has ever been curious about the singular experience of riding a night train. Rajesh connects with the other passengers, sharing their stories of where they're headed and why they are opting for this form of travel which made for an incredibly interesting read.

However, what I loved most about this book was the way Rajesh didn't shy away from the uglier side of travel. She talks in depth about how the history of the railway is often rooted in slavery, as well as a touching story and interview with a man who, as a child, escaped a train headed to a concentration camp during the Second World War. She will also be the first to raise the point of classism within the railways, given the exceedingly high prices of night trains in particular, (I am sure I will only be able to experience this vicariously through reading).

Through her travels, Rajesh also takes the time to reflect on the negative impact that tourism has on many places, including those she visits herself. While there are no easy answers to be found, I felt it extremely interesting and thought it showed a lot of depth from the author to genuinely give thought to this, particularly as a travel writer - which could easily lend itself to encouraging others to do the same.

All in all I absolutely adored this book. I hadn't read any of Rajesh's work prior to being sent this book, but I absolutely adored this and simply can't wait to read more of her work.

A huge thanks to Bloomsbury for gifting me this book. I don't think it is one I would have picked up myself ordinarily but I'm incredibly glad to have read it.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into some sections, but I really enjoyed traveling around the world with Monisha. I certainly learned a lot about new places and it gave me itchy feet to go traveling!

[Maj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rajesh does it again. This book felt so magical to me, not because of the trains she rode, but the fact that I’ve seen her life evolve throughout her books, her friends, her family, it’s truly been such an honour to follow this journey with her.

[Britta]

Lovely collection of travels and insights.

[Sunshinegirl95 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! So colourful and descriptive!!

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love trains and travel but for some reason this book didn’t quite gel with me. It’s a detailed and rich telling of train travel but I can’t explain it - except that for me it lacked a little bit of soul. It felt like all narrative and no heart. I think a lot of people will really enjoy it.

[Jeremy Radcliffe · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good and informative read about the various sleeper train routes. A good book but for the frequent rambles about discrimination, colonialism, her ‘correct’ ways to bring up children and about her being ‘weary of wealthy white westerners’ forgetting about her own wealthy western touristy travels around the world.
A writer who clearly loves trains but has a bit of a chip on her shoulder.
Not an author worthy of my custom.

[Poornima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Monisha’s 'Around the World in Eighty Trains', I expected nothing less than a rich, immersive travelogue that would chug me through countries, cultures, and carriages of every kind. ‘Moonlight Express’ did not disappoint. Though this book focuses primarily on sleeper trains, it retains all the ingredients that make her writing irresistible: the thrill of new encounters, the history woven into each train line, and the vivid cultural tapestry of the many lands she traverses.

What elevates her narrative are the small yet unforgettable vignettes she threads throughout—quirky fellow travellers, the occasional irritations of long journeys, and those fleeting but breathtaking moments of wonder: a sunrise spilling across the horizon, or a sudden flurry of birds lifting into the sky. These details transport the reader onto the tracks beside her, so vividly that one almost hears the wheels clattering beneath their own feet.

This time, Monisha goes further, not shying away from the political realities she encounters. Her reflections on Israel and Palestine are particularly poignant, especially when she relates the tragic loss of innocent children to the lives of her own young daughters. She also speaks out clearly and without compromise when confronted with racism—a stance that feels both admirable and necessary. As an author of Indian origin, I found this deeply affirming. It is heartening to see someone from our community voice these truths openly, rather than diminish or dismiss them, as so often happens.

'Moonlight Express' left me both enthralled and restless. Mentally, I journeyed with Monisha through every sleeper train she boarded; practically, it has left me with the impossible desire to replicate those journeys myself. Ambitious, expensive, perhaps even impractical—but the curiosity and excitement she sparks make it feel almost inevitable.

[David Wagner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came in awaiting a great sprawling travelogue, got quite interesting review of number of trains. Felt a bit disappointed with the overall repeating structure: author boards the train, gives some basic review of what she sees (cool), meets random people and then sometimes tells us a bit about the country, sometimes does not. The overarching anti-imperialism/ emancipation tone is an interesting and fine addition, but the episodes blend a bit to each other.

However, what rubbed me the wrong way started in the second half and it just kept coming.

Gaza.
Disclaimer: even when coming from CZ, I am very much outspoken on "this is instrialised famine, opression, mass killing and crime against humanity". I agree with the author on the point and I appreciate it.
However - I came to read about trains AND to get to know other countries and people living there, the problems, everything. One episode about "it is horrible what is happening there" would be fully understandable, even humane, but when every single episode started to be much more about Gaza and even more obnoxiously, how much is the author an ally and how horrible are people who do not share her exact perspective I was annoyed. Perhaps a bit more than annoyed, because this book is not only quite a strange place to put the argument, but it also completely overtook the emotional and factual journey through other lands. Train through Andes deserves full attention on the country and it´s people, not a winding episode about the author and her like minded friend who...met up there. And were allies. With pins.
In the end, it even sounded as less of a naration about Gaza and it´s plight and more as a tale of virtue of the author. I really do hope that was not the goal, but it was very hard for me to read that differently - and it made the problem of "each episode is kinda the same" even more dificult.

[Aadesh Tharu · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★½☆ (3.5 stars)


I wept silently in my living room after turning the first few pages. The notion of boarding a night train and having the world slide by while strangers' lives touch against yours—it was almost intimate, almost holy. I could imagine myself bracing on the window, seeing city lights disappear into countryside shadows, sensing the burden of my own thoughts mix with theirs. And that's just the beginning…


How the author described the sound of the train at 2 a.m.—"like a heartbeat echoing over empty rails"—stuck with me. I couldn't help but envision the quiet riders, all lost in their own places, and feel oddly bonded to them. If you ever traveled by yourself, you'll catch it in your bones. The small things—a couple of oldsters sharing a whispered joke, a child scribbling notes in dim lamplight—made me nostalgically want for journeys never made. I'll confess, however, the mid-points lagged for me; some of the city minutiae wandered a mite, and I found myself forgetting where I was. Maybe that was the point—leaving you sitting in the suspended quietude of nighttime travel, though?


Perfect if you enjoy reflective travel writing, muted observations, and stories that feel like whispered chats. Skip if you need plot-in-driven action or brisant pace—it's more a flava of mood than pace. Either way, I'm happy it was produced. I read this over tea in the evening hours—maybe that's why it lingered so long. For readers who enjoyed The Dutch House or Hamnet and can tolerate slow, atmospheric storytelling.

[Amy Abdelnoor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful, lively and entertaining tribute to sleeper trains. It's not just that Rajesh's interest in how railways connect us geographically is engaging and evocative; it's not just that her personal style means we feel we are in friendly conversation with her, it's also that Rajesh digs deeper: she's intrigued by the relationships we make on board trains - especially those of the night variety - by the chance encounters, by the ways the railways arrived in the first place and the importance they've held for communities and societies for decades and longer. But more than this, Rajesh's humanity is what makes her an important - and vital - writer: she faces head on the truth that those who are privileged to be travelling by sleeper train often travel side by side with those who are using the trains for more prosaic reasons; those for whom journeys on trains have gone from life-ending to life saving. And most of all, she recognises that in tandem with her travels and her writing, like all of us the world over, the last two years have been marked by a terrifying, terrible, all consuming horror - to be travelling through our daily lives in the presence of a live streamed genocide. It was this humanity and this truth that marked Rajesh's book out for me and which gives it its place on my shelf.

[Haxxunne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warm, engaging and succinct
—
Rajesh’s warm and engaging book offers an alternative to cheap air travel which can be expensive on the planet, slowing down the pace of life and giving a glimpse into a world that seemed to be fading away, of romantic voyages in softly clacking carriages across moonlit landscapes, passengers’ every whim catered to as they shared their nights with strangers newly made into friends. Of course, this is all a romantic fiction—or is it?

Rajesh shows us that the romantic trips are available, some having been revived post-pandemic, but night trains are also commuter services in places where there is little other transport infrastructure, in Eastern Europe, India, Turkey, and she describes these travellers in such succinct detail that I felt the train coalesce around me. Rajesh does bring in the personal, being a brown mother of brown children and how seeing Gaza in the news reminds her of her own children, but also how she as a child had a fear of the dark which has never fully gone away. I think that the book focuses so fully on night trains and the world inside them that the world outside the train windows might jar when Rajesh reintroduces it, but she makes the journey the destination, and I thank her for it.

[Alison Cubitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

From childhood, Monisha Rajesh feared the dark. As an adult, she’s hit upon an extreme coping mechanism—travelling around the world by sleeper train, roughing it in budget carriages and living it up in luxury digs.

Her prose is evocative and a pleasure to read. Whether writing about her fellow travellers or capturing the allure of arriving in a new city at daybreak, Rajesh draws the reader into her world. She deftly balances the wonder and nostalgia of luxury train journeys with the more pragmatic, no-frills reality of European night trains.

Through her travels, Rajesh comes to see that darkness, once a source of anxiety, can also bring peace. Her insights are as much about self-discovery as they are about exploring new landscapes.

What truly distinguishes this book is Rajesh’s perspective. Her reflections as a young, single traveller—without dependents—contrast with her experiences as a mother of two, when anxiety became a constant companion. She shares candid thoughts on the challenges faced by parents, particularly mothers whose jobs involve travel.

Thanks to my local library, I was lucky enough to read this in hardcover. Highly recommended.

[Gracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, light read on a subject never researched/read about in a nonfiction fashion as an adult. Monisha’s writing keeps her readers engaged with detailed descriptions as she travels from train to train trip. She provides her opinions on culture, race, and world news as she experiences the current news in the country where she’s traveling - this touch brought a gratifying humanism to her writing (she writes professionally, but includes what all humans do include - their own mind’s wanderings and worldviews, whether it’s “appropriate” according to the “societal rules” (more and more trends instead of foundational ethics or morals) in present history).
However, as with many writers, her opinions overtook the plot: to learn about and see the night train trips through an experienced traveler’s eyes. Everyone she encountered seemed to be observed as a foreigner that she didn’t truly enjoy or see beyond being a subject for her book.
Not sure who’d I’d recommend this to, but her experiences on trains (minus the seemingly constant emphasis on climate change being the main reason to travel on trains) has incited a desire to look into train travel more often when going overseas :)

[Jamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moonlight Express takes the reader on an atmospheric journey through a series of overnight train rides across continents. The author recounts her travels carriage by carriage, weaving together descriptions of landscapes glimpsed in the half-light, encounters with fellow passengers, and the unique rhythm of life on the rails.

The book’s strength lies in the way each journey is set so vividly. From the rattle of the tracks to the quiet intimacy of shared compartments, the scenes feel alive. Her openness to conversation and connection adds warmth, and the thrill of new encounters comes through clearly in her stories.

At times the narrative felt uneven, with certain sections lingering longer than necessary, but overall it provided an engaging window into the experience of crossing the world by night train.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Luci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last year I read and reviewed Monisha Rajesh's second book, Around the World in 80 Trains, written about Rajesh's travels in 2015 with her fiancé Jem, and published in hardback in 2019 (also available in paperback and ebook formats). I really enjoyed her thoughtful account and her observations of some of the people she met on her travels, but had a sense that restrictions of time and money were sometimes an issue - some parts of the book felt rushed, and there were places she couldn't possibly fit in.

So I was quite excited to read about this new book through a friend's blogpost, https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2......

Now married to Jem with two daughters, Rajesh has continued to travel, but now between home, work and family responsibilities, and rather than trying to cram everything into one great trip, Moonlight Express is about a series of journeys taken over several years, often travelling with friends who share her obsession with train travel (she has shared adventures with Jamie and Marc in previous books), sometimes with family - the Royal Scotsman from Edinburgh to and around the Highlands with her mum, Finland's Santa Claus Express with her husband and children. She also meets up with some friends made through online conversations, who take her to some of their special places and/or offer invaluable help with her journey and access to behind the scenes insights. Most of the book is about European travel but there are also journeys in India, the US, Peru and Turkey.

As in her Around the World book, Rajesh's writing style is witty and self deprecating, and she interacts in more depth with other travellers, hanging out in buffet cars and spaces where there is a chance to talk to strangers. She is not usually completely alone, and I think this might make it easier to strike up conversations while knowing that she has some back up, for safety. It is interesting to see travel writing from her perspective as a British Indian woman.

There are 16 pages of colour plate photographs in the middle of the book (a shiny new hardback borrowed from the library), some of trains and some of travelling companions and other friends met along the way. They are quite clearly labelled, making it easier to relate them to the relevant pages of text.

I look forward to reading about Monisha Rajesh's other train travels in India, and any future books and articles she may write. I've already recommended both Moonlight Express and Around the World to my library book group friend.

[Our_readingjourney · Rating 4 out of 5]

MOONLIGHT EXPRESS & MONISHA RAJESH

In Moonlight Express Monisha Rajesh takes us readers on an unforgettable train journey as she retraces the original route of the Orient Express. This isn't a travelogue she captures not only the journey but also shares the connections she made whilst undertaking the long journey beautifully canvassing her stories along with the magnificent landscapes.
Her writing is so immersive that you will feel as if you too are a passenger going alongside with her on this journey. Having explored one country of Europe myself via train ( Switzerland) after reading this I want to explore more routes via different trains in future just by reading this.
This book will be perfect for anyone who loves the beauty of trains or anyone who simply lives reading about the beauty of life itself that presents around us.
A definite pleasure read!

[Jane Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly exceptional and inspiring insight to overnight train travel. This explores the nostalgia of overnight express trains, dining cars, the magic of staring out of a window and meeting the eyes of a complete stranger, a snapshot in time. I’ve always enjoyed Monisha’s love of trains, it shows how much she truly cares about the entire process and the people you meet along the way, the potential relationships that can be formed or solidified during a shared experience. This book has left me with an excitement for future adventures, I’ve already booked and planned a train journey purely from reading this book. I’ve caught the travel bug again, thank you!

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m such a big fan of Monisha’s writing have first picked up 80 trains India at the library some years ago and seeing this published I jumped to preorder. There were parts that I adored like Finland and Sweden and even Turkey. However, the paragraphs about colonising and Gaza became a bit too much for me. They’re important but I read travel books for the escapism of them and here and there it just felt a bit shoved in. But that’s just my personal opinion and just wasn’t what I was expecting. All in all a good read

[Leona · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know a reading experience is a success when you are pausing to look up the various train routes and are jealous of the author. A vital part of a good travelling adventure is the people that your guide encounters. Those small interactions bring insight, entertainment and empathy to Rajesh and to the reader. The writing style makes you feel part of those conversations and the vivid landscapes in the background, leave you with the longing of the armchair traveller.

This is my first encounter with Rajesh and it won’t be the last. Discovering new authors is always a joy and hopping onto the Moonlight Express was a sublime way to travel vicariously through someone else.
A journey you don’t want to miss!

I received an early copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

[James Kassouf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moonlight Express: Around the World by Night Train by Monisha Rajesh is a travelogue chronicling her journeys on sleeper trains across four continents. The book offers a mix of humor, cultural observations, and reflections on the resurgence of night train travel. While some readers appreciate the intimate portrayal of train travel and its characters, others find the narrative occasionally meandering. Overall, it's a nostalgic and insightful exploration of nocturnal rail adventures.

[Valerie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this book only for someone who loves travel, especially by train. I love overnight train trips so much of this book resonated with me. However, there were times when the book dragged. The good thing is that if she was writing about a trip that I didn’t find interesting, I could skip ahead to the next chapter.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was quite disappointed by this, particularly compared to her last two train travel books. Aside from coming across as very distracted throughout, there wasn’t very often this was about the train or where she was, it was more about the people she was travelling with or whatever was bothering her at the time.

[Jason Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second of Monisha's books that I've read and equally as enjoyable as the previous.

This was a great insight into a number of sleeper trains across the world and left me itching for more adventures and the people we meet along the way.

[El_pa3lo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the unique journeys, thoughtful conversations and immersive descriptions about the joys and challenges of travelling on night trains

Didn’t like the rushed statements on global politics and observations that sometimes felt condescending toward the visited places