Night Train to Lisbon- Emily Grayson

 They met on a night train to Lisbon. She was a wealthy American beauty of eighteen, sheltered and coddled her entire life. He was a brilliant young British scientist from humble beginnings. But it is 1936, and war looms. Suddenly their unexpected romance becomes something much more dangerous…

  Emily Grayson is well-known for books she has written such as The Gazebo and The Fountain. Her newest book is called Night Train to Lisbon and is a compelling story about a young woman in 1936.

Once upon a time,’ her mother would begin, and Carson WetherellCarson Wetherell is an 18-year-old girl who has lived a life of privilege in a wealthy town in Connecticut. Her Aunt Jane, who is married to an English man, invites Carson to spend the summer of 1936 in a villa in Spain. Carson grudgingly agrees to go on the trip and the adventure begins.

While on a train travelling to Lisbon, Carson meets Alec Breve, a young British scientist. The two young people get to know each other on the train. They later meet again in Spain and ultimately fall in love. Carson has been raised in a society of arranged marriages which would insure and perhaps increase a family’s wealth and statue. She knows that her affluent family would have difficulty accepting a low-paid British scientist.

Carson’s Uncle Lawrence, who works for British intelligence, complicates the plot. He shocks Carson by telling her that Alec Breve is not really a scientist. He is a spy for the Germans who are becoming an increasingly larger threat to Europe and the world. Carson is stunned and does not know who to trust, her uncle or her new-found love.

The story progresses and ultimately Carson learns the truth about Alec. In the meantime she must rapidly make decisions which will affect her life forever.

Night Train to Lisbon explains the uneasiness which existed in Europe during the 1930’s as Hitler’s ideas were being implemented. Countries which had suffered greatly in World War I were uneasy about the threat of another war.

The evolution of Carson from an young girl uncertain of her life’s purpose to a mature young woman makes Night Train to Lisbon an interesting story. Carson learns to believe in herself and make decisions by following her instincts. As a main character, Carson becomes a heroine in the resolution of her and Alec’s fate.