On a hot summer's night in the 1950s, the old and the new, diesel and steam, town and country all collide - and nobody will be left unaffected As a passenger train leaves Spencer Street Station on its haul to Sydney, a family of three - Vic, Rita and their son Michael - are off to a party. George Bedser has invited the whole neighbourhood to celebrate the engagement of his daughter. Vic is an engine driver, with dreams of being like his hero Paddy Ryan and becoming the master of the smooth ride. As the neighbours walk to the party, we are drawn into the lives of a bully, a drunk, a restless girl and a young boy forced to grow up before he is ready. The Art of the Engine Driver is a luminous and evocative tale of ordinary suburban lives, told with an extraordinary power. 'subtle, true and profoundly touching' Le Monde 'exquisitely crafted ...fresh and irresistible' Miles Franklin Literary Award Judges 'a little masterpiece' Hessische Allgemeine SHORTLISTED FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD, 2002 SHORTLISTED FOR THE PRIX FEMINA ETRANGER, 2005

Review

"Steven Carroll's subtly crafted novel is a poignant exploration of dashed hopes and suburban desperations...A rich and evocative novel with a strong sense of period." (Mail on Sunday)

"An exquisitely crafted journey of Australian suburban life . . . fresh and irresistible" (Miles Franklin Literary Award Judges, 2002)

"Deceptively simple, this novel has a quiet force" (Sydney Morning Herald)

"A veritable little gem . . . a beautiful discovery" (Elle France)

"Subtle, true and profoundly touching . . . from the first lines of this very beautiful novel by Steven Carroll, an indefinable charm is at work" (Le Monde)

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Specializing in rare, collectable and antiquarian books. Genre comprise; Australian literature, Australian history, Australian politics, first nation, military, music, poetry and railway books. Located at Cootamundra, country NSW the Little Shop of Books provides an array of books for both the avid reader and serious collector.

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The Little Shop of Books
NSW, Australia

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