Mr Norris Changes Trains

By Christopher Isherwood

On a train to Berlin in late 1930, William Bradshaw locks eyes with Arthur Norris, an irresistibly comical fellow Englishman wearing a rather obvious wig and nervous about producing his passport at the frontier. So begins a friendship conducted in the seedier quarters of the city, where Norris runs a dubious import-export business and lives in excited fear of his bullying secretary, his creditors, and his dominatrix girlfriend, Anni. As the worldwide economic Depression strangles the masses and the Communists make a desperate stand against Fascism and war, Norris sells himself as political orator, spy, and double agent. He also sells his friends. Like its companion novel, Goodbye to Berlin, Mr Norris Changes Trains offers unforgettable characters struggling in the vortex as the Nazis rise to power.

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Published May 28, 2013

201 pages

Average rating: 6

3 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

CristPhD
Atmosphere of interwar Europe in Mr Norris Changes Trains fits surprisingly well with modern travel narratives, where rail journeys still expose the same mix of uncertainty, chance encounters, and shifting identities along the way. Similar impressions often appear in real passenger feedback on long-distance rail travel, including discussions around services like amtrak reviews, where comfort, scheduling, and consistency shape the overall journey just as much as the destination itself.

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