I once read a book by a former alcoholic where she described giving oral sex to two different men, men she'd just met in a restaurant on a busy London high street. I read it and I thought, I'm not that bad. This is where the bar is set.

oh, yeah - this one is going to be a must-read for those people looking to find their next Gone Girl experience. it's an incredibly fast-paced and engrossing psychological thriller, and i was on board as soon as i read the editor's bit of ARC-copy, even though i know that writing those things is part of the job and not at all unbiased. but it's hard not to be swayed when you read:

Within days of my introducing the manuscript in March, people from every department were regularly pulling me aside to testify to how much they loved the read, how they couldn't put it down. At a recent meeting, a colleague who was twelve pages from the end was secretly reading them under the table because she could not stop. Another had the manuscript propped up next to her phone so she could read between calls, and last week in the elevator, people around me suddenly started competing over who'd read it fastest, and who was more surprised by the ending. You know you have something special when it becomes watercooler talk for months on end.

it would take a very stubbornly cynical person to see that as anything other than genuine enthusiasm.

and the book definitely delivers. it is an absolute page-turner with a number of unreliable narrators ranging from the self-deluded to the spotty memory of the blackout drunk.

i am too busy reading on my daily commute to notice my fellow passengers unless they are smelly/behaving in an unstable manner (frequently), or exceptionally attractive (MUCH less frequently), but apparently this is a thing that commuters do - notice their fellow travelers, making up stories about their lives, speculating about what they do when they're not in the in-between moments of their day. and rachel does it more than most. rachel is blisteringly lonely, drowning the sorrows of her failed marriage with grim determination and canned gin and tonics and endless bottles of wine. she has lost her job because of her perpetual drunkenness, but rather than tell her flatmate, she keeps taking the train into london every day, pretending to go to work, but actually just getting drunk in various places, and happily fantasizing about the young couple she watches every day from her train window; a couple who live a few doors down from her old house, where her ex-husband tom still resides with his new wife and baby girl.

still reeling from tom's infidelity to her, she nonetheless would love to be back with him, and in this golden couple she observes and imagines, calling them "jess and jason," she sees the life she could have had with tom. one day, while commuting/gazing voyeuristically, she witnesses "jess" on her front lawn with another man, in what appears to be a romantic clinch. she is outraged at this display, as personally offended as if the infidelity were being committed against herself. shortly after this episode, she learns that "jess," actually named megan, has disappeared, and feeling connected to this couple she has never actually met, she insinuates herself into the investigation, meeting with both the police and megan's husband, actual name scott.

the story is told from three perspectives: rachel's, megan's, and tom's new wife anna, and covers all the traditional viewpoints of the typical domestic drama: the jilted lover, the other woman, the cheating wife. all three of these women are simultaneously sympathetic and repellent, which is tricky to pull off. and as for the mystery of megan's disappearance itself, well that path splits and splits again in a wonderful head-spinning journey where not a single character avoids suspicion (except MAYBE tom and anna's infant daughter); i think there are seven characters in total who appear to be the culprit at one point or another, and each seems as plausible as the next. it is a fantastic ride, and hawkins does a great job with both the mystery elements and the character development, with great attention to detail, and fully established backstories and motivations. even when you cringe at some of the choices, they completely make sense for the character. it is a lot of fun, and terribly addictive. much better than a meeting, i kid you not.

come to my blog!free-from-work940 s Kemper1,390 7,301

“Esssscuse me. Is this seat taken? Thanks. I to sits bys the wimdow. Would you s a little bit of wine? You know what they say, a little vino would be keen-o. No? Mores for me then. Oh, check it out. *BURP* WhatwasIsaying? Oh, sees that house over there going by? That used to be my house. True story. Me and my husbadand lived there. But the ole bastard cheated on me and lefts me and then he marriesss that stupid cow and then he knockeded her up and now they got a stupid cow kid and they lives in my house! Can you believes that? I means, it’s not my house now, but it usesed to be. Now he the rottens old bastard lives there with his stupids new wife and their stupid battery….Did I say battery? I meant baby. I’ve hads a few gin & tonics...And a little wine...*BURP*

Anyhows, letsus not talk about my stupid ole ex-husband. See that other house? The ones just a couple a few doors downs from my old one where you can totallys see their deck? A beausfiful couple lives there. TheyÂ’re just the bestus. TheyÂ’s just gorgeous and you can tells that they are for sure in loves 100%. YouÂ’d never catch *BURP* that guy cheatins on her, I can promise you that! I watch them every time I goes by on this here trainy-train with my glasses of wine as I ride, and I can just tell that their greatests most happiest couple who ever wasÂ…Lots better than the my stupid ole ex. Seeing them be such a absofantabulous couple rights by where I used to live is the one part of my stupid day I enjoy when I ride this train.

Wass that you say? She’s missing? Been in all the papers? Thattsus just terriblez… Geez, I can’t imagine how I *BURP* missed that news…. Since Saturday, you says? … I think I was down there last Saturday..Thass right. I remembers now. I had a couple of drinkies and went to sees my ole husband to tells him that I still love ‘em….Err.. I mean that I hate ‘em.. Thass right. I hate ‘em! But I had ones or twos too many, and I blacked out…. And I had a cut on my head the next day and a feeling that I’d seen something terribles…. Do ya think maybes I saw something? I better go *BURP* tell the cops about this….But first Imma gonna puke all over your shoes. Sorry about this……..”

*****

ThatÂ’s what this book feels , that you got stuck sitting next to a sloppy drunk who is telling you this story, and maybe you feel a little bad for her even as youÂ’re trying to avoid her spilling her drink on you. After listening to her inebriated babblings for a very short while you immediately know more about her situation than she does, and you could easily tell her what she missed. But then you catch a whiff of her breath so you just try to sneak away when sheÂ’s not paying attention. Seriously, I might have d this more if I hadnÂ’t figured out who the culprit was about three minutes into the book.2015 addiction crime-mystery1,375 s Emily May2,058 312k

"Something bad happened."
Are you ready for a faster-paced, creepier Gone Girl?

Woah. This is one unsettling little thriller and the best bit about it is that no one can be trusted, including the three female narrators who share the storytelling of this book. I literally read this entire novel in one sitting and I now need to find the words to convince you to go get your hands on it. RIGHT NOW.

Between an alcoholic, a liar and a cheat, who can you trust? These are the three women at the centre of this book: Rachel, Anna and Megan.

Have you ever sat on the train, glanced at the people around you or out of the window, and made up stories about them? Maybe you've even gone so far as to invent names for these people and imagine their perfect or not-so-perfect lives.

Rachel is that girl on the train who takes her mind off her own life by imagining the lives of others. Specifically the lives of "Jess and Jason" who live at the house outside her train window when the train stops at the same red signal every morning. But then one morning, things are not as they are supposed to be and Rachel sees something that completely shatters the "Jess and Jason" image which exists in her head.

Now she is pulled into their lives. Unsure exactly what she knows but certain she cannot rest until she finds out.

This book is just full of secrets. Everyone has them. It's about all the little mysteries that exist just outside of what we see on the surface. What goes on behind closed doors? How much can you ever really know a person? What horrors exist in that black spot of your memory from Saturday night?

It was fascinating, gripping and oh so very creepy. Hawkins has been added to the small group of thriller authors on my "must buy" list.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr2015 mystery-thriller1,792 s2 comments Shelby *trains flying monkeys*1,668 6,358

I read this book due to the fact that everyone else read it.
Yes, mom I would jump off the cliff right behind everyone else.


These are some fucked up characters. I think the new trend in books where every one of the characters is an asshole may be the way to go if you are writing a book that you want to take the world by storm with. The thing is...It gets frigging boring. I wanted a bus to hit them all. Repeatedly.


May go sorta spoilery:
You have Rachel. Rachel is a drunk, she gets on the 8:04 train every morning and then on again in the afternoon on her way home. Pretending to go to work. (She got fired for drinking and basically acting a damn fool)..so she goes on that same train every day.
Sometimes she can't wait to take a drink before she gets home.

She sees "Jess and Jason" everyday. Or that's what she calls them in her head. They live near her old home. Where she lived with her ex-husband (who cheated on her). Coincidence? I think not.


She sees Jess kissing a guy that isn't Jason. So her little mind starts to working. Then Jess aka Megan goes missing.
Rachel then decides to go to the police with what she knows. Then the police find out she is not the most reliable of witnesses and tell her to stay out of it. Of course, that's not happening.


Now for the twist. That one I saw coming and kept thinking "no way" it can't be that easy. This book wouldn't be so popular.
I need to stay away from super, duper popular books.

Because, I'm just calling Bullshit.

The writing is not bad in this book, so I'm not giving it the rating for that. I'm giving it the rating because I personally hated it.
#trollscankissmyfatass


everyone-loved-but-me liburry-book read-2015 ...more2,472 s Michelle438 77

I just sent a 3 page, 3,000 word email about why I didn't this book to a friend, and I still feel the urge to express myself. I suppose that tells you just how much I disd it.

This thing is a hot mess, the writing is clumsy, there are things that don't make any sense, the characters are pathetic and the opposite of complex. The women in this book are either defined by the men they are dating/married to, or by how they feel about being a mother (and by that I mean, do they already have a child, do they want a child, or does their character arc end with getting excited about being pregnant?) Bleugh. The 'plot twist' is easy to guess not even halfway through the book, and the who-dun-it moment, where we find out who the bad guy is, while predictable, doesn't make any sense to me, considered how this book is written and what we know about the characters. Exposition, people. There isn't any. You might argue that it's because of the unreliable narrator, but I'm not buying it. Good writing works its way around it. Also, I didn't know 'thriller' translated to 'no character development'.

And have I mentioned the clumsy writing? Because I was getting secondhand embarrassment 85% of the time. This book was, above all things (that I honestly didn't care about), awkward.1,194 s emma2,113 67k

this. book. suuuuuuuucks.

i can't believe it was an international sensation. i can't believe it was adapted into a movie starring actual queen emily blunt. i can't believe it SOLD A SINGLE COPY. (i didn't buy this one. my mom did. so there.)

this is just...a straight up bad book on every level. the characters are so insanely unlikable it's cartoonish. it'd be funny if it didn't make EVERY SECOND OF THIS BOOK, EVERY PAGE, EVERY WORD, A FRESH HELL TO FIGHT THROUGH IN ORDER TO GET TO THE NEXT ONE, WHICH IS, GUESS WHAT, ALSO HELL.

this would be maybe O.K. or at least survivable if this book was scary or thrilling or spooky or intriguing at all, but guess what, IT ISN'T. just some lady getting blasted on vodka and riding a train. looking out some windows. sometimes sneaking a peek at a house.

the entertainment potential is almost overwhelming.

honestly all i really want from a thriller = some thrills. that really does not seem too much to ask for, considering IT'S THE F*CKING NAME OF THE WHOLE ENTIRE GENRE. and the reveal of this makes it even worse.

bottom line: straight up one of the worst books i've ever read. are there people who this book? if so, HOW????

(this is part of a project i'm doing where i write mini- of books i read a long time ago. this parenthetical insert is a constant snoozefest)1-star mystery-thriller-horror-etc non-ya ...more935 s15 comments Wendy Darling1,800 34.2k

4.5 stars Everyone in this book is absolutely terrible, and as a result, this book is a masterpiece in character study and development. It's also a well-written, precisely plotted psychological thriller, and deftly sketches one unreliable narrator after another. I guessed the culprit not too far into the book, but that didn't spoil my reading experience at all, particularly because the author drops so many diverting and convincing red herrings into the story.

I think it's also interesting that the central character, Rachel, challenges readers to think about how much we assume about--and pre-judge--other people based on our limited knowledge of them. To feel pity, disgust, frustration, compassion, and so much more for one character is a rare thing.

Recommended to fans of Before I Go To Sleep, and for YA readers, fans of Dangerous Girls and Nova Ren Suma. 2015-favorites adult character-study ...more1,347 s1 comment Holly510 535

What a huge disappointment.
The concept sounded amazing, and it got off to a promising...if slow...start. But it quickly turned into this messy, melodramatic story that was neither surprising, or original. Much in Gone Girl, there was not a single likable character in the entire book. That wasn't the main problem for me, though. I could see the ending coming from a mile away. Actually more I figured out who the main villan was within the first 20 pages. Never a ringing endorsement.
2015 books-that-make-you-go-wtf disappointing-reads ...more630 s Regan469 113k

Good read but the ending fell a little flat for mebooks-owned-read916 s Jayson2,264 3,632

(A-) 83% | Very Good
Notes: It's about escapism, lack, and how plausible suggestion autocorrects figments into memory and strangers into circles.300-399-pp author-african author-british ...more678 s5 comments Steffi ~mereadingbooks~218 76

this review and more on my blog -> mereadingbooks

Caution. There might be some ranting ahead.

This has frequently been called the next Gone Girl. And yes, that is to some extend why I wanted to read this. I wanted something suspenseful; an unreliable narrator; and lots of “what the hell?!”- moments. Out of these three things I got one – an unreliable narrator. But one written so clumsily and shallow that I was annoyed, not intrigued, by her.

The plot’s mystery falls flat because it is done in such a heavy-handed way. The shift between narrative points of view and the two timelines seem an artificial way of keeping the reader in the dark. The alcohol-induced blackouts of the main character just add to that feeling. I constantly thought “oh, how convenient that she does not remember that” and “oh, how convenient she can recall a tiny detail now”. It was simply clumsy and trite.

However, the worst thing about Rachel, the protagonist and main narrator, weren’t the clichés about alcoholism and divorced women. These aspects annoyed me to no end but the absolute worst thing about Rachel and the two other female narrators was how pathetic they were. Throughout the book I got the feeling that Paula Hawkins must hate women; hate them with a passion. Women in this novel are portrayed as unstable (going on batshit crazy), weak, dependent (on men), and insecure. Every single woman mentioned defines her personality in relation to a man. They doubt themselves, their capabilities and decisions. The men, in contrast, are all mysterious but strong and sure of themselves. They are there to give definition and meaning to their wives, girlfriends, mistresses, and sons. Even those women on the side-lines of the plot are only defined by their relationships to men.

For instance, Rachel’s mother; she is only mentioned two or three times and the one time she actually gets a few lines is when she explains how she’s not able to help her daughter at the moment because she has a new “friend” and she doesn’t want to scare him off that! Seriously? Also, Rachel’s roommate is supposed to be the one thinking clearly; she tries to keep Rachel sober and wants her to go to AA meetings, get a grip on life, and so on. Still, even the supposedly reasonable character is defined by her boyfriend. When she’s not home she is with him and when he is out of town for some reason she sits at home waiting for him. And these are only the minor female characters in this novel.
Rachel, Anna, and Megan are all pathetic in their very own way. They pine about the men that leave or reject them; they doubt their life decisions and still wonÂ’t change anything in order not to upset their men. And every single thought they have is about how their decisions or actions might affect their husbands, ex-husbands, boyfriends, or lovers.

I know I’m ranting a bit here, but this really really annoyed me. I also know what Hawkins was trying to do. She wanted to show the dark side of domestic life – just Gone Girl did. But in my opinion she has utterly failed to do so.
2015 crime-and-thriller hype595 s1 comment Matthew1,221 9,555

I tried to enjoy it! I swear I did! The hype told me that I had to!

I wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. I never really cared about the story and ALL of the characters were unable. Sometimes characters are unable in a good way, but not this time.

At no point was I excited to be reading this.

Side note added 4/5/2017: Kinda silly how “Girl” is in so many titles lately. It has to be intentional to ride the coattails of other successful titles. I noticed on my library site that there is another popular checkout called Girl on a Train - I wonder how many people thought they were getting the other one!

Update 4/14/2018 - Dropped from two to one star because renewed interesting in my review due to a suggested grammar correction reminded me how much I didn't this book - so I couldn't stick with two stars.2015 gr_awards_2015 kindle ...more529 s Will Byrnes1,327 121k

I read this one out of curiosity. Aware that it had been a huge market success, I wondered if it merited the sales. According to Riverhead, The Girl on the Train is, or was, the fastest-selling adult hardcover fiction debut ever. And that is a shame. With so many great books being published every year that do little or no business, for this one to have secured a first class ticket on the book-sales express can only be dispiriting to the good and great writers everywhere toiling away in third class on the oft-delayed local.

I do not mean to say that The GirlÂ… is a bad book. Although I believe it to be seriously flawed, it is most definitely entertaining and will no doubt help hundreds of thousands of readers while away a few hours of their (our) lives, getting from this station to that. But if you want a psychological thriller that doesnÂ’t disregard red signals you would do better to book a seat elsewhere.


Paula Hawkins

Rachel Watson has had a tough go of it. When her hopes of having a baby with hubby Tom did not work out, she landed in a trough of post-hope depression, and self-medicated with a steady flow of what seemed happier spirits. It did not work out. Now, divorced and unemployed as a result of her drinking, growing larger and pastier by the day, Rachel rides the commuter train to London on weekday mornings, pretending she is still working, pretending she still has a life. The ride takes her past her old neighborhood, offering a nice, mood dampening view of a stretch of railroad-edge homes. She used to live in one of those, before her ex bought out her interest. A few places away from her former home there is a couple she sees most days. She imagines lives for them, nursing this fantasy for quite some time, until she learns that the woman has vanished, and the game is afoot.

The notion for the story occurred to Hawkins on her regular train ride in London some years back. She calls it “Rear-Window-ish,” noting that it is hardly unusual for train riders to be curious about the lives being lived in the houses they pass, and just as ly for those on the ground to wonder about those passing by. I used to go to college on the District line,” she said. “It goes very, very slowly and you can look into people’s houses. I did idly wonder about what you would do if you saw an act of violence or something suspicious. It’s quite normal, everyone is curious about other people’s lives.” - from an article in the StandardThis irregular Watson will not make anyone forget the investigative Doctor, let alone his illustrious partner, but Rachel feels compelled to find out whatever she can, using the knowledge she has gleaned from her daily observations. We expect our investigators these days to be a bit down on their luck, and to throw back maybe more than their share of amber liquid. But Rachel Watson doesn’t have a drinking problem, she has a drinking catastrophe. How is she to figure out whither the missing lady has gone, or perhaps who made her go missing, how is she to judge whether the lady’s anger-management-challenged husband, the other man she saw at her place, or someone else might be somehow involved, if her drinking causes her to have more blackouts than London during the blitz.

The tale is told in staggered chronology, from three perspectives. RachelÂ’s, the missing personÂ’s, and AnnaÂ’s, she being the woman with whom RachelÂ’s ex cheated while he was still with Rachel, and whom he subsequently married. Or she said, she said, and then she said. The timelines converge at the end. Most sections are divided into sub headings of morning, evening, afternoon, that sort. It makes for many short passages, good, appropriately, for reading on a train.


This is an example of the S stock used on the District line Hawkins once rode

The pace of the tale is quick, clickety-clacking along without exceeding posted limits, advancing nicely to the big climax. Truthfulness comes in for some attention, as it seems everyone has something to hide. If you are looking for able characters, you might try the Hogwarts Express. The folks here tote enough baggage to merit their own cars. I suppose Rachel is sympathetic, but seems almost as much an agent of her misery as a victim. Making her pathetic and annoying was, I expect, a way to make her real, make her sympathetic, and that works, to a point.

Will Rachel find out what happened with the missing woman? Will her ex take out an order of protection against her, as she keeps calling and showing up at his place? Is the missing person merely missing? or worse? Can Rachel stay sober long enough to figure anything out? You might very well care. Clearly, judging by sales, many do. But, while I did, a little, I felt pushed away by this book. I felt cheated, as an actual audience member, as if riding on a disoriented express. I do understand that the unreliable narrator is simply a story-telling mechanism and that Rachel falls into the Madman classification within that, but when she changes her story about a significant piece of information the story went off the rails for me. So, while there is plenty to enjoy about The Girl on the Train, while there is plenty of tension-release-repeat, and while many readers are bound to be transported by the story, relating to or rooting for one or more characters at least some of the time, the one thing a reader demands from an author is honesty, and when trust is lost so is the benefit of the several hours we spend together. The locomotive was transformed, for me, into a hand-car trapped in a siding. ItÂ’s elementary.

Review first posted – 7/10/15

Publication date – 1/13/15
Movie opened - 10/7/16

=============================EXTRA STUFF

While this may be the first novel by Paula Hawkins, it is not the first novel that Paula Hawkins wrote, or published. She got work writing chick-lit under the name Amy Silver, an experience that she says was great training. Hawkins, born and raised in Zimbabwe, was 17 when her family moved to London. She had wanted to be a foreign correspondent her father, but decided that war zones were just too scary. Check the Guardian piece if you are interested in getting more info on the author.

Links to the authorÂ’s personal, Twitter, Twitter as Amy Silver, and FB pages

Hawkins does a GR Notes and Highlights for the book. It is informative.

Excellent intel in this piece in The Guardian

Here is the article from the Standard cited in the review, 'My District line commute inspired bestselling thriller,' says London author Paula Hawkins ,

An interview with the author in Entertainment Weekly The Girl on the Train author Paula Hawkins talks about her next thriller, by Clark Collis

August 11, 2021 - Hawkins did a Q&A on GR, answering many questions you might have about the book. Definitely worth a look. I do not know when these notes and highlights were entered. I became aware of them on 8/11/21.

A few great train reads. Now donÂ’t bug me about the brevity of this. I know there are only a gazillion. Do feel free, however to add your favorite train books in the comments. I will be happy to add those to this list if you . I have not gotten around to installing links for all of these, but I expect you guys can manage

4.50 from Paddington by Agatha ChristieÂ’s
Murder on the Orient Express by AC
Closely Watched Trains by Bohumil Hrabal, Edith Pargeter
The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton
The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux, or several other train books by this author
M Train by Patti Smith - recommended by Mona
Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith
A Train in Winter by Caroline Moorehead - recommended for inclusion by Dianne

Not to be outdone, TRAIN TUNES
Can't You See - recommended by Murf the Surf
Casey Jones – this version by Allan Hirsch
Chatanooga Choo-Choo – Glenn Miller Orchestra - recommended by Clif
Folsom Prison Blues (I hear that train a’comin) – Johnny Cash
I’ve Been Working on the Railroad – Pete Seeger
Last Train to Clarkesville – The Monkees
Last Train to Lhasa - Banco de Gaia - recommended by Rand
Locomotive Breath – Jethro Tull – the vid is cadged together, but this is what it should sound
Midnight Train to Georgia – Gladys Knight
MTA - The Kingston Trio
Take the A-Train – Duke Ellington
The Train Song – a bit of silliness from Armstrong and Miller
Goodbye World (Sad song when Dad jumps from the train) – from Korean Zombie flick Train to Busan - recommended by Jay G.
Under Your Thumb by Goodley and Creme - recommended by Lesleyfiction mystery thriller549 s Lisa750 153

I am so disappointed in this one. It started out promising enough, but the writing and the drama got old fast. There was really only one person who could have done it, and because of that I kept thinking it must be someone else. But it wasn't someone else. It was THAT PERSON. By the time the big reveal happened, I was so ready for the whole thing to just be over already. I started out thinking I had a 4 star book in my hands. Halfway through I was looking for an excuse to give it 3 stars. Finally, with about 30 pages left, I knew that 2 stars was going to be a gift. Well I'm in a generous mood (or kind of disappointed in myself for buying into the hype) and 2 stars is what I'm giving it. My advice (which you probably shouldn't take because everyone else is loving it) is to skip this one entirely. A weak 2 stars.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full reviewbritish mysteries-and-thrillers taming-the-tbr-2015494 s Teodora 404 2,151

4.45/5 ?

Full review on Blog: The Dacian She-Wolf
Autor del comentario:
=================================