{"product_id":"9781448216680","title":"Train to Nowhere : One Woman's World War II, Ambulance Driver, Reporter, Liberator","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eTrain to Nowhere\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Anita Leslie\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA World War II memoir following the adventures of a female ambulance driver as she serves across four fronts witnesses the best and worst of humanity, and navigates the barriers imposed by sexism in the British Army.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eTrain to Nowhere\u003c\/i\u003e is a war memoir seen through the sardonic eyes of Anita Leslie, a funny and vivacious young woman who reports on her experiences with a dry humor, finding the absurd alongside the tragic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDaughter of a Baronet and first cousin once removed of Winston Churchill, Anita joined the Mechanized Transport Corps as a fully trained mechanic and ambulance driver during WWII, serving in Libya, Syria, Palestine, Italy, France, and Germany. Ahead of her time, Anita bemoans \"first-rate women subordinate to second-rate men,\" and, since the English army forbade women from serving at the front, joined the Free French Forces in order to do what she felt was her duty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWriting letters in Hitler’s recently vacated office and marching in the Victory parade contrast with observations of watching friends murdered and a mother avenging her son by coldly shooting a prisoner of war. Unflinching and unsentimental, \u003ci\u003eTrain to Nowhere\u003c\/i\u003e is a memoir of Anita’s war, one that, long after it was written, remains poignant and relevant.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith a new introduction by Penny Perrick.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A remarkable memoir . . . A wonderful saga of one brave young woman's war experiences.\" - \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Train to Nowhere\u003c\/i\u003e is the most gripping piece of war reportage I have ever read: particularly affecting is Anita Leslie's account of the Battle of Colmar, where her descriptions are almost too unbearable to take in. What a writer! Her observations, mixed with dry humour and compassion, place her at the heart of the conflict and somehow apart from it, as a good historian should be. Remarkable.\" - Joanna Lumley\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A vivid memoir, beautifully crafted, by a remarkable woman at a unique period in modern history. Her skills of observation are penetrating and make this book a marvellously accessible account of WWII. Unputdownable.\" - Mary S. Lovell, \u003ci\u003eAuthor of The Mitford Girls\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Anita Leslie was a lionhearted heroine of the first order, whose extraordinary bravery and sangfroid knew no bounds...An astonishing life and a fascinating book.\" - Anjelica Huston\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A triumph of a memoir. Anita Leslie bears testament to the many courageous women who lived and fought in World War II.\" - Amanda Foreman, \u003ci\u003eauthor of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"For every distressing episode there is the leavening effect of Anita Leslie’s indomitable spirit, her canny observations and wry sense of humour in the face of unimaginable adversity, all of which turned the book into something quite unexpected and extraordinary.\" - Dovegreyreader\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A vivid reminder that a woman can experience and write about a war, and seventy years on, her words stand the test of time: precise and compelling.\" - Kate Adie, \u003ci\u003eBBC Broadcaster\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"It's glorious! Had me utterly gripped, I couldn’t put it down. I wish I’d been able to meet her and ask her a thousand questions about the war.\" - Caroline Wyatt, \u003ci\u003eBBC War Correspondent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The emotional truths of front-line war revealed – a charming writer, bold, female and brave.\" - Fay Weldon, \u003ci\u003eAuthor of Death of a She Devil\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Train to Nowhere\u003c\/i\u003e speaks of another mood, a different time and a grittier generation...This, surely, is the second world war we want to rediscover in print.\" - Robert McCrum, \u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"If Evelyn Waugh's Mrs Algernon Stitch had been possessed of a heart, a sense of humour, and a glorious prose style, it could be said that she was a dead ringer for Anita Leslie. \u003ci\u003eTrain to Nowhere\u003c\/i\u003e is a glorious book, brought back to vivid life.\" - John Banville, \u003ci\u003eBooker Prize winning author of The Sea\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Gripping…concise, brisk, funny, vivid and honest.\" - Ysenda Maxtone Graham, \u003ci\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Anita Leslie's dispassionate account of her own extraordinary role in World War II is a rediscovered gem, and her harrowing description of the fighting in Alsace particularly stands out as one of the finest pieces of war reporting to come out of that or any other conflict.\" - Ray Moseley, \u003ci\u003eAuthor of Reporting War How Foreign Correspondents Risked Capture, Torture and Death to Cover World War II\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A sharply observed account of one woman’s unique war. Surreal, funny, dark, and profoundly moving. Gold dust.\" - Rick Stroud, \u003ci\u003eAuthor of Lonely Courage\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Train to Nowhere\u003c\/i\u003e is a delightful read and very enlightening, Anita's obvious bravery and dedication is evident. I finished it with a feeling of admiration for Anita.\" - Victor Gregg, \u003ci\u003eauthor of Rifleman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Nobody else has written about the war like this, a mixture of savagery and fun; perhaps Evelyn Waugh comes closest.\" - Penny Perrick, \u003ci\u003eAuthor of Telling Tales: The Fabulous Lives of Anita Leslie\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"It remains one of the most remarkable insights into life on the frontline, offering a sometimes harrowing, sometimes heartwarming, but always candid account of five years fighting the Nazis.\" - Dan Townend, \u003ci\u003eDaily Express\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Calm, youthful candour ... forthright acceptance of the whole duty of war service.\" - \u003ci\u003eObserver, 1948\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A terse, keen reticence and the summing up of deadly situations in a line or two.\" - \u003ci\u003eThe Times, 1948\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781448216680\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Bloomsbury Caravel","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40673551581390,"sku":"9781448216680","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_d421db24-dddb-4259-8ec4-4288ee7d6a3f.jpg?v=1639888003","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781448216680","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}