Off the Rails

Narrator Edoardo Ballerini's skill at portraying many accents enhances this look at traveling the world by train from 1986 to 2017. Severgnini shares his experiences and impressions of the places he visits, fellow travelers, and diverse trains. Ballerini gamely delivers Severgnini's condescending remarks about fellow passengers and bias against some of the places he visits, particularly the U.S. Current events and history add interest, but the humor doesn't work despite Ballerini's lively delivery. It's odd to hear of Severgnini holding a bobblehead Donald Trump in Europe, which elicits little conversation. Listeners will benefit from descriptions of luxury and modest trains and how train travel has changed through the years. Pertinent quotes from books and music regarding the glory--and mystery--of traveling by train are also entertaining. S.G.B. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine