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The Girl on the Train

by Paula Hawkins (Goodreads Author)

3.88 · Rating Details · 995,708 Ratings · 86,063 Reviews

The debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people's lives.

EVERY DAY THE SAME
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even s ...more

Hardcover, 323 pages

Published January 13th 2015 by Riverhead Books

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Community Reviews

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Apr 02, 2015 Emily May rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller-horror, 2015

"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 ...more

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Jun 09, 2015 Shelby *trains flying monkeys* rated it it was ok

Shelves: save-trees, liburry-book, everyone-loved-but-me, read-2015

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 tr ...more

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Feb 02, 2015 Wendy Darling rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult, thriller-suspense, uk, unreliable-narrator, psychological-thriller, penguin, january, 2015-publication, major-plot-twist, 2015-favorites, read-2015

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 t ...more

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Jan 18, 2015 Alexandra rated it did not like it

Depressing from start to finish. Most every single character was a hot mess. I have literally no idea why there are so many 5 star ratings. It kind of scares me. If this kind of garbage is what the masses find appealing...I mean..

I didn't care at all about the "mystery." It didn't even feel like there was one. It just felt like a tedious glimpse into the messed up lives of people I'd rather not know anything about.

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May 23, 2015 Regan rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-owned-read

Good read but the ending fell a little flat for me

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Nov 27, 2015 karen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: free-from-work

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 k 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. ...more

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Dec 28, 2016 Michelle rated it did not like it

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

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Dec 09, 2015 Kemper rated it liked it

Shelves: crime-mystery, addiction, 2015

“Esssscuse me. Is this seat taken? Thanks. I like to sits bys the wimdow. Would you likes 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 “Esssscuse me. Is this seat taken? Thanks. I like to sits bys the wimdow. Would you likes 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. They’re just the bestus. They’s just gorgeous and you can tells that they are for sure in loves 100%. You’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 was…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……..”

*****

That’s what this book feels like, 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 you’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 she’s not paying attention. Seriously, I might have liked this more if I hadn’t figured out who the culprit was about three minutes into the book.
...more

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Jun 21, 2016 Lisa rated it it was ok

Shelves: mystery, taming-the-tbr-2015, british

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 14, 2015 Holly rated it did not like it

Shelves: disappointing-reads, hot-mess, books-that-make-you-go-wtf, 2015

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 like 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 like I figured out who the main villan was within the first 20 pages. Never a ringing endorsement.

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May 09, 2016 Lola Reviewer rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, adult

Pfffiou... I feel like I've been holding my breath for 325 pages and only now finally exhaled.

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Aug 08, 2016 Steffi rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-and-thriller, hype, 2015

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 s 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 like 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 like 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 won’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 like Gone Girl did. But in my opinion she has utterly failed to do so.
...more

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Oct 12, 2016 Will Byrnes rated it liked it

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 cla ...more

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Oct 03, 2015 Delee rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, mystery-british, memory-loss, own, reviewed, i-saw-what-you-did, trains

4.5

Here we are 3 years after the release of Gone Girl- and every twisty turny page turning novel is STILL being compared. THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is no exception...but that was not what caught my attention. What persuaded me??? Train...Witness to murder...Hitchcock...Rear Window. Those words will get me almost every time...

photo 5a2779ed-9602-4977-8e68-e473f47e48fe_zpsqf7hxzdo.jpg

photo 5a2779ed-9602-4977-8e68-e473f47e48fe_zpsqf7hxzdo.jpg

Rachel is depressed, angry, and bitter. Gin and tonic- is her drink of choice- Wine comes in at a close second. Every day she takes the slow train from Asbury to Euston...and ev ...more

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Feb 23, 2015 Alejandro rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, novel

All aboard!!!

TRUST NO ONE

I have lost control over everything, even the places in my head.

What? “Trust No One”? Why is that sign on the railroad of this review? Is this a “The X-Files” story? Oh, no, but certainly the motto of that iconic TV series is a good advice to anyone who dares to aboard this train of thought in this very particular journey to the minds of three women that you may think that they are quite different, but...

...maybe not...

...or maybe they do...

...mmh...

...remember abo ...more

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Jan 19, 2015 Elizabeth rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction

This is the perfect weekend read. I settled into the story and spent most of Sunday (a dark and stormy afternoon) reading away.

Murder.
Public Drunkenness.
Infidelity.
Unreliable Narrators.

Treat Yo Self.

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Oct 12, 2016 Joanne Harris rated it liked it

This was a perfectly decent, well-crafted thriller, which I happened not to like very much, for reasons that have little to do with its craft or its quality. This sometimes happens, and it doesn't mean that others won't enjoy it. The plot is fast-moving and with some real surprises. The portrayal of alcoholism is great (although I would have liked it to go further into the more visceral details, rather than skimming the surface of the theme).
However (and yes, I know it's trivial, but) the title ...more

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Jan 27, 2017 Mohammed Arabey rated it liked it · review of another edition

الصوت الرتيب لسير القطار الروتيني علي قضبانه

هل تحب الجلوس بجوار الشباك؟ هل تخيلت يوما حال سكان هذا البيت الجميل المطل علي قضبان السكة الحديد الذي تمر عليه يوميا؟

قد تنسج قصصهم في خيالك، إن كنت واسع الخيال
ربما تخيلتهم سعداء..لتعوض ما تعانيه من وحدة، فراغ، إرهاق لأدمانك للشراب
كتلك الفتاة..فتاة القطار

تعال معنا في "رحلة الصباح والمساء"..في القطار..حيث يقل ريتشل من وإلي لندن يوميا، قطار الساعة الثامنة صباحا والسادسة مساءا

تعال إن كنت لا تمانع سماع "حديث الصباح والمساء" من ثلاث شخصيات مختلفة
ثلاث نساء
يعا الصوت الرتيب لسير القطار الروتيني علي قضبانه

هل تحب الجلوس بجوار الشباك؟ هل تخيلت يوما حال سكان هذا البيت الجميل المطل علي قضبان السكة الحديد الذي تمر عليه يوميا؟

قد تنسج قصصهم في خيالك، إن كنت واسع الخيال
ربما تخيلتهم سعداء..لتعوض ما تعانيه من وحدة، فراغ، إرهاق لأدمانك للشراب
كتلك الفتاة..فتاة القطار

تعال معنا في "رحلة الصباح والمساء"..في القطار..حيث يقل ريتشل من وإلي لندن يوميا، قطار الساعة الثامنة صباحا والسادسة مساءا

تعال إن كنت لا تمانع سماع "حديث الصباح والمساء" من ثلاث شخصيات مختلفة
ثلاث نساء
يعانوا الفراغ - الملل - الأهمال - القلق المستمر - يبحثن عن حب، عن شغف -يعانوا إخفاقات مختلفة
حديث مصاب بالملل مثل من يحكيه ... مصاب بالتشتت كدماغ شابة مدمنة كحوليات
مصاب بانه واسع الخيال
كبطلتنا
ريــتشــل Rachel

الأحـــداث
----
الاحداث سريعة ، لكن اسلوب سردها بطئ
اسلوب السرد المعتمد علي شكل "المذكرات"، المذكرات النسائية
كل من الشخصيات التي نقرأ لها بالأخص ريتشل يشعرن بالأنزعاج..بالقلق.. بشئ من التوتر وعدم الفهم بل والخوف
لذا يمكنك أن تتدرك أن الأسلوب سيكون متخبطا بعض الشئ
لكنه قادر علي ان يتسلسل لعقلك ببطء ويتملك قلبك
حيث انني بالرغم من اني امضيت وقتا اطول مما توقعت بصفحات الرواية الثلاثمائة، وجدتني اعتدها
اعتدت الرتابة
تلك الشبيهة بصوت عجلات القطار علي القضبان

"راتتاتت - راتتاتت - راتتاتت"
"صوت القطار الرتيب"

تبدأ الرواية هادئة كأي قطار يقلع..تقع في الرتابة.. تسرع احيانا لكنه ليس "القطار السريع، اكسبرس" .. هو قطار عادي
سائقته مدمنة كحوليات
ذات خيال واسع
تعاني الفراغ
ولنر بالمختصر حكاية ريتشل
البطلة الرئيسية
(view spoiler)

"راتتاتت - راتتاتت - راتتاتت"
"Rattattattt Rattattattt Rattattattt"

The story is like getting into this 'routine' Train, not express, just normal.
Looking into the window, if you're having free time, free imagination you'll see too much.

Rachel , Anna , Megan "aka: Jess"
and Tom , Scott "aka; Jason"
All have their Obsession, weakness, feeling empty...empty life..
Feeling unsuccessful, missing something.. worried about something..
All have their share of fear..
And most of All, Rachel.

Drunk, messy, ranty and obsessed Rachel.
with her poor empty life full of failure.
Nosy Rachel, with her wild imagination that makes her get into what's not her business.

And she's the narrating for 75% of the story, so you can see how it must be, a 200 pages expanded into 316 by drinking too much.

But then, at a point the Train start getting speed, and a disappearance makes life harder to everyone..

Everyone become a Suspect.
Most of all, again , Rachel.
Drunk Rachel who doesn't remember a thing...
just fear..

I really loved though it was a bit slow, too much pages where nothing big happens but
"Rattattattt Rattattattt Rattattattt"

I felt sleepy sometimes...as the tune of Train just going and going and going..
AND yet sometimes it jolt..sometimes it's really tense ... very thrilling.

And most of all, I can't just ignore that I LOVED the characters..
It has a way getting into your mind.
Specially , again, Rachel.

And you can see a resemble of Rachel in every character.
and it's very realistic.

Anna, Megan , Scott did sneak into their partners' emails and messages. Just like Rachel did.

Megan, Anna did feel the empty of their life, though they got everything.. Just like Rachel..who didn't got but a really nice friend 'Cathy' -God she's really an Angel-

Megan, Anna even Tom has mistakes, and they worried it'll haunt them again..just like Rachel.

and in the crime that happened , everyone is a suspect.
"Rattattattt Rattattattt Rattattattt"

Finally; why 3.5 "raised to 4" Rating?

It's not the ending, it's Shocking YES but you can guess it by the final third of the novel.
(view spoiler)
and the slowness or "monotonous" dairy of Rachel that felt sometimes as the sound of the train on tracks.

The very crafty drawing of the characters Specially Rachel , is the most that made me feel sorry for her, even connected to her. that's what made me change the rate at last..
(view spoiler)
So judging by the way I felt toward the characters.. I feel the writing was really good despite any flows I felt.

الشخصيات
------
ربما هذا ما حافظ علي تقييمي ل3.5 "او رفعه ل4 بالتقييم النهائي" .. لا الرتابة في صوت تحرك القطار الروتيني علي القضبان
الصفحات الطويلة القليلة الاحداث
المفاجأة التي من السهل التبوء بها بمجرد بدء الثلث الاخير من الأحداث

أنها فقط ريتشل
ورسم الشخصيات .. الكل له عيوبه..له مخاوفه
له الخوف من شخص ما.. له هوسه بشئ ما
يشعر بالفراغ في حياته
يتجسس علي شريكه
الكل مشتبه به

لذا ، رغم عيوب بطء الاحداث .. او النهاية التي شعرت بها كنهاية الافلام الاجنبية البوليسية العادية التي ذكرتني كثيرا بأفلام العصرية علي القناة الثانية في التسعينات
الا انني استمتعت بالعيش مع الشخصيات جدا برغم كل القسوة...والتصقا ببالي جدا طوال فترة القراءة

ويتهادي القطار اخيرا ويبطئ علي القضبان
وستستمر الحياة
واعجبني هدوء النهاية
واستقرارها اخيرا
(view spoiler)
كالقطار في محطته

محمد العربي
في القطار من 30 سبتمبر 2016
الي 4 أكتوبر 2016

...more

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Nov 07, 2016 Raeleen Lemay rated it liked it · review of another edition

*3.5*

I feel like the main reason I didn't love this book was because of my expectations being way too high. I had heard that it was "the next Gone Girl", and I can completely understand where that comparison comes from. Later in the book, a couple of the characters actually reminded me very strongly of Nick and Amy, which kind of just seemed like too much. I wanted to read something along the same vein as Gone Girl, but not an exact replica. This wasn't an exact replica, but there were enough si *3.5*

I feel like the main reason I didn't love this book was because of my expectations being way too high. I had heard that it was "the next Gone Girl", and I can completely understand where that comparison comes from. Later in the book, a couple of the characters actually reminded me very strongly of Nick and Amy, which kind of just seemed like too much. I wanted to read something along the same vein as Gone Girl, but not an exact replica. This wasn't an exact replica, but there were enough similarities that it sort turned me off a teensy bit.

As most people have said, this is one of those books where NOBODY CAN BE TRUSTED. All of the characters are horrible in some way, and you never really know who did what. There are sort of six main characters in this book (three men and three women, one of whom goes missing) and the synopsis tells us that (view spoiler) THAT TOOK AWAY FROM THE INTRIGUE A BIT.

Another thing that sort of deflated the BIG REVEAL for me was that I had a really twisted theory about one of the characters, and it didn't come true. This may not seem like a big deal, but I feel like the author inserted some very specific clues that led me in that direction, and I was disappointed that it didn't end up being true. (I'll talk more about this in the liveshow at the end of the month, so make sure you read the book so we can discuss it in all of its spoilery glory!)

The book overall was a pretty slow read, and the main thing that kept me going was the knowledge that there was a big twist later on, which I didn't necessarily see coming, but I didn't find to be that shocking either. The last 50 pages were the only ones that actually had me hooked, and I wish the entirety of the book had been more gripping, but I still thought it was pretty enjoyable, and I'm excited to talk about it at the end of the month!

...more

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Jan 27, 2017 Jaidee rated it did not like it

Shelves: under-two-stars-books

Half a "what the hell happened ?" star !!!

2016 Worst Read of the Year

Original Review written October 3, 2016

Update : October 25, 2016 (mini review of the film !!)

A couple of days ago 4 single girls (well women in their forties and fifties), my bf (convinced him to join us and he agreed if I took him to Denny's afterwards) and myself went to see this film. This is the main reason I read the book as we had planned this outing for months and then I read the book just before the film came out.

As y ...more

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Oct 09, 2016 Jeffrey Keeten rated it liked it

Shelves: book-to-film

”Yesterday---sensible, clearheaded, right-thinking---I decided I must accept that my part in this story was over. But my better angels lost again, defeated by drink, by the person I am when I drink. Drunk Rachel sees no consequences, she is either excessively expansive and optimistic or wrapped up in hate. She has no past, no future. She exists purely in the moment. Drunk Rachel...lies.”

There are certainly worse ways to spend your day than riding an S stock train into London.

Rachel rides the tr ...more

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Sep 04, 2015 Debbie rated it liked it

Shelves: crime-and-or-madness, addiction, debuts, mystery, couple-love-and-hate

Seems like this train took everyone to Gushland, but I got waylaid in Mediocre-ville. Comparing this book to Hitchcock is just laughable. Okay, okay, it does start out with intrigue, as the girl, Rachel, sits on the train day after day, and obsessively peeks at a house where she can see a man and a woman moving around. She gives them names and imagines a perfect life and perfect marriage for them. This voyeurism is pretty cool. A great beginning.

But I wish Rachel had stayed on the train. In fact Seems like this train took everyone to Gushland, but I got waylaid in Mediocre-ville. Comparing this book to Hitchcock is just laughable. Okay, okay, it does start out with intrigue, as the girl, Rachel, sits on the train day after day, and obsessively peeks at a house where she can see a man and a woman moving around. She gives them names and imagines a perfect life and perfect marriage for them. This voyeurism is pretty cool. A great beginning.

But I wish Rachel had stayed on the train. In fact, I wish the train had been the setting for the whole book and that the plot had turned into something twisty about mysterious commuters. Instead (and in my mind, tragically), Rachel gets off the train. And then the story is all about Rachel getting drunk, Rachel calling her ex while drunk, Rachel trying to remember things that happened while drunk, Rachel pissing off her roommate while drunk, and Rachel being ashamed about being drunk. And around and around. Yes, this gets really boring. We spend a lot of time inside Rachel’s head, and though this works in many books, it’s tedious here.

I will say that despite this, the first-person voice drew me in. Most of the book is Rachel’s voice, though two other women sometimes tell their stories. All three voices are articulate and make you feel all chummy with the narrator. The language has a good flow to it, and the book is easy to read and has a really nice tone.

On the flip side, all three women speak in the exact same way; their voices are interchangeable. This makes them seem less like real characters; I become aware that there is just one person and that’s the author. Not being able to create different personalities with their own voices is a common weakness in authors, especially new ones, but that doesn’t make it less annoying. It seems amateurish.

The plot is about a woman who goes missing. Rachel the drunken mess is a busybody who sticks her nose in and tries to find out what happened. The cast of characters includes her ex, his new wife, a therapist, and the fantasy couple Rachel saw from the train. The characters are well drawn but their behaviors don’t tell us enough to let us figure out whodunit. There just aren’t enough clues, which is always a letdown. I want to guess, and I want to have a chance of getting it right. The mystery is suddenly solved at the very end--all the suspense is saved up for those final 70 or so pages. The reveal is satisfying, and for me is a surprise, but the read is definitely uneven. The final scenes are well-written and action-packed, but the majority of the book is sort of slow and repetitive.

Oh, and not only was the book not like Hitchcock, it most definitely was not like Gone Girl, a truly spectacular psychological thriller. Once again, I’m left thinking, huh? Are you kidding me? How come I missed the train to Gushland? Rachel should have stayed on the damn train and I might have ended up in the same town as everyone else. Instead, as I said, Mediocre-ville for me.
...more

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Dec 17, 2014 Debbie "DJ" rated it really liked it

Shelves: thriller-mystery, addiction

Looking for a great thriller? Look no further, the train has arrived. Paula Hawkins has written a tightly woven mystery with painful secrets and startling truths reveled along the way.

The main character Rachael, is a heavy drinker, whose life is teetering on the edge. She has lost her husband, and her job. Yet, she continues to ride the train into the city every day, pretending to go to work. Along the way, Rachael creates a story about a perfect couple who's home backs the tracks, a home just a ...more

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Jul 12, 2016 Franco Santos rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: libros-en-digital

El hijo idiota de Gone Girl. Una decepción enorme.

El libro empezaba bien, con personajes bien desarrollados y una trama que prometía mucho. Sin embargo, conforme iba leyendo se iba volviendo lento y pesado. Daba vueltas alrededor de lo mismo y no avanzaba. También era cansino la mentira como herramienta para mantener el misterio. Si ese recurso se usa algunas veces, no hay problema, pero en La chica del tren se usa siempre. La autora no sabía qué hacer para mantener al lector enganchado y utili El hijo idiota de Gone Girl. Una decepción enorme.

El libro empezaba bien, con personajes bien desarrollados y una trama que prometía mucho. Sin embargo, conforme iba leyendo se iba volviendo lento y pesado. Daba vueltas alrededor de lo mismo y no avanzaba. También era cansino la mentira como herramienta para mantener el misterio. Si ese recurso se usa algunas veces, no hay problema, pero en La chica del tren se usa siempre. La autora no sabía qué hacer para mantener al lector enganchado y utilizó eso una y otra vez, y ya me molestaba. Cada vez que se hacía una pregunta, la respuesta era una mentira ("es que no estoy lista").

En cuanto a las personalidades de los protagonistas, ¡qué cliché! Es decir, ¿una borracha? ¡Nunca visto! ¿Un infiel? ¡Esto debe de estar buenísimo! ¿Una mujer pasiva? ¡No te lo creo!

NO.

Y esto es lo que más me molestó de todo: los huecos argumentales. En un libro de otro género lo perdonaría, pero en un libro de misterio, para mí, es un muy grave error. Un thriller tiene que concluir como un rompecabezas en el que cada pieza se ajuste a la verdad con simetría. En La chica del tren, sin embargo, hay muchas incoherencias. Empezando con los detectives (muy mal desarrollados, por cierto) más estúpidos de toda la Historia hasta vecinos que se volvieron sordos, este libro está plagado de fallas.

Y llegamos a la parte del final... Más predecible, imposible. Había leído algunos anuncios publicitarios que decían que tenía un plot-twist que "no vas a poder creer", y yo esperaba eso, algo que salvara un poco a este relato de la mediocridad en la que se estaba hundiendo. Por supuesto que no fue así. Un caso al que le tenía bastante fe ya que a medida que iba leyendo se volvía más y más complejo acabó con un cierre tan simplón, bobo, un intento de sorprender pero que se queda ahí, solo en un intento.

En fin, un libro que sirve únicamente para pasar el rato, eso sí lo logra, al menos. No obstante, es pésimo como thriller; no tiene nada que haga valer su popularidad. ...more

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Jun 08, 2016 Aj the Ravenous Reader rated it really liked it

Shelves: reality-bites, definitely-not-young-adult, something-dark, 2015-releases, yikes, suspense-thriller-mystery, psycho, contemporary

“There is something comforting at the sight of strangers safe at home.”

I admit that I’m no expert when it comes to this genre. In fact, as to date, I have only read three books including this that falls under this category, so I will have to base my review on the general impact of the novel to me to the best of my ability without any spoiler as I perfectly know that these kinds of books need to be read without spoiler.

In my personal opinion, this book passes the mystery-thriller-suspense-cr
“There is something comforting at the sight of strangers safe at home.”

I admit that I’m no expert when it comes to this genre. In fact, as to date, I have only read three books including this that falls under this category, so I will have to base my review on the general impact of the novel to me to the best of my ability without any spoiler as I perfectly know that these kinds of books need to be read without spoiler.

In my personal opinion, this book passes the mystery-thriller-suspense-crime criteria with flying colors! What makes me say this has a great deal to do with the hypnotic writing style of the author- there is something eerie but magnetic with it and it is a huge mystery to me how the author is able to put across layers of meanings in the simplest thoughts and the most mundane phrases the female characters who are also the narrators utter.

It is also noteworthy how the author, in order to craft this forbidding tale, deftly chose these three women who are most flawed and most foolish and yet are unexplainably capable of receiving the reader’s empathy. Of the three POV’s, I was most glued to that of Rachel’s (the major character) whose loneliness seems to magnify her imagination which consequently becomes the core of the plot. (Read the book for the story and the plot)

What strikes me more in the story is the absence of the dark comic tone which was very common in the other books I have read of the same sort. This exception, I think is what makes this book more realistic and well darker and more sinister.

It is also quite impressively baffling that the plot seems both linear and rounded at the same time. I felt like nothing happens so much but at the same time, it also felt like everything is happening and unraveling right under my nose and I couldn’t control my heart from hammering against my chest. There were times I had to stop reading and allow the creeps to surface above my skin.

Finally, I couldn’t help but notice how stories under this genre seem to have one common theme and that is how people will crucially suffer the worst possible consequence of (view spoiler). I just hope the moral purpose of stories like this reaches the intended audience.^^

One helpful tip in solving mysteries: Suspect the person who you least suspect or better yet, suspect everybody.^^ ...more

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Oct 24, 2016 Kai rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016

“I have lost control over everything, even the places in my head.”

The Girl on the Train captivated me from the first to the last page. Everybody was so messed up: the alcoholic main character, the promiscous victim, the desperate houswive. And don't even get me started on their husbands.
The unreliable narrator made this book so spectacularly intruiging. Everybody could've done it. Everybody had a motive. None of them an alibi. I figured it out at some point, but kept telling myself that the auth ...more

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May 14, 2015 Darth J rated it liked it

2.75 stars

This isn’t so much a mystery as it’s a character study. Once all of the major players are introduced it’s fairly obvious who done it, despite all of the red herrings. Here the characters are all living their own lives of quiet desperation, and that is precisely why this book has caught on: we can all identify somewhat with their situations.

Their lives haven’t turned out exactly as they planned; the people close to them aren’t whom they thought they were. From the outsider looking in, s ...more

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Sep 29, 2016 Helen Stavraki rated it really liked it

"Υπάρχουν άνθρωποι που ζουν μονάχοι..."
Αυτό ακριβώς μου ηρθε στο μυαλό μόλις τελειωσα το "κορίτσι του τρένου",ακομη και
ο τίτλος παραπέμπει σε κατι αόριστο,ανώνυμο και παγερά αδιάφορο για τους άλλους.
Το κορίτσι του τρένου ειναι μια γυναίκα πληγωμένη,φοβισμένη,αυτοκαταστροφική,εμμονική και απίστευτα μόνη.
Διαβάζοντας το βίωσα απο κοντα τις σκέψεις και τις εμπειρίες μεσα απο το μυαλό εκείνης που καθημερινά προσπαθεί να επιβιώσει ενώ αισθάνεται πως ουσιαστικά κάποια προσωπικά της γεγονότα την έχουν "Υπάρχουν άνθρωποι που ζουν μονάχοι..."
Αυτό ακριβώς μου ηρθε στο μυαλό μόλις τελειωσα το "κορίτσι του τρένου",ακομη και
ο τίτλος παραπέμπει σε κατι αόριστο,ανώνυμο και παγερά αδιάφορο για τους άλλους.
Το κορίτσι του τρένου ειναι μια γυναίκα πληγωμένη,φοβισμένη,αυτοκαταστροφική,εμμονική και απίστευτα μόνη.
Διαβάζοντας το βίωσα απο κοντα τις σκέψεις και τις εμπειρίες μεσα απο το μυαλό εκείνης που καθημερινά προσπαθεί να επιβιώσει ενώ αισθάνεται πως ουσιαστικά κάποια προσωπικά της γεγονότα την έχουν πεθάνει.
Έτσι απλά υποδύεται ότι εργάζεται, υποδύεται ότι δεν ειναι αλκοολική, υποδύεται πως ζει μια ζωή που θεωρεί πως της έκλεψαν
υποδύεται την φυσιολογική και πρωταγωνιστεί στο έργο που γραφει και σκηνοθετεί καθημερινά και αγόγγυστα.
Τα παντα της έχουν γίνει ρουτίνα και επανάληψη παλιών επεισοδίων τότε που η πρωταγωνίστρια ηταν ευτυχισμένη.
Μεσα απο αυτη τη συμπεριφορά της θεωρεί φυσική εξέλιξη το να αποδέχεται τελικα την εγκατάλειψη,την αποξένωση,την απαξίωση,τον εξευτελισμό, την απανθρωπιά και την εξαθλίωση πνεύματος και σώματος.
Δεν ασχολήθηκα με το αστυνομικό κομμάτι του βιβλίου -άλλωστε εχω διαβάσει πολυ καλυτερα αστυνομικά θρίλερ- αλλά με το ψυχογράφημα όλων σχεδόν των ηρώων και ειδικά με το κορίτσι του τρένου...
Μια ανελέητα μοναχική και πληγωμένη ψυχή, ίσως αδικαιολόγητα τόσο παραιτημένη και αρνητική στο να κοιτάξει μπροστά σβήνοντας
το πολύπαθο παρελθόν.
Μια ταπεινή ύπαρξη
που δεν μπορεί να βιώσει την αλήθεια λόγω του απίστευτου πόνου που της προκαλεί και πλάθει δικούς της κόσμους εκεί που επικρατεί η απόλυτη αγαπη, η αφοσίωση,η ευτυχία η σιγουριά!
Στο τελος μια σειρά γεγονότων όπου εμπλέκονται η αλήθεια με τη νοσηρή φαντασία ίσως φαίνεται μια ελπίδα καινούργιας αρχής για το μοναχικό κορίτσι του τρένου....αποδεικνύοντας περίτρανα πως
το να απαξιώνεις την ύπαρξη σου και να βυθίζεσαι στην θλιβερή μιζέρια ειναι δική σου
επιλογή....! ...more

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Oct 31, 2016 Emma Giordano rated it it was amazing

This book was INTOXICATING. I loved every single second of it. While I had gone into this story thinking it was going to be packed with suspenseful scenes, the mystery was really in the storytelling. It was unexpected but executed SOOOO well. A+ use of an unreliable narrator that propelled the story way beyond what I had originally anticipated. Not only was it extremely thrilling and kept me intrigued the entire time, but I seriously appreciated how accurate the representation of alcoholism was. ...more

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Dec 02, 2015 Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ (of badger and SNAKE) rated it really liked it

Shelves: knots-in-my-stomach, i-love-2015, mystery-thriller-horror, 2015-read

2015 reads : So. This is the ONLY GR award winner I actually liked.

۰•● One sudden disappearance.

۰•● Two train journeys a day while Rachel seeks happiness out of her life. Morning, evening, morning, evening. All these fucking useless days. I suffered for her, because she's so lonely and hopeless - yet her story could appear to be banal. Alcoholic, divorced, ashamed. So much shame on her shoulders, so much shame but not the force to change, not the force to fight. Because why fighting? Why figh ...more

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About Paula Hawkins

Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for fifteen years before turning her hand to fiction.

Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989 and has lived there ever since. The Girl on the Train is her first thriller.

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“Hollowness: that I understand. I'm starting to believe that there isn't anything you can do to fix it. That's what I've taken from the therapy sessions: the holes in your life are permanent. You have to grow around them, like tree roots around concrete; you mold yourself through the gaps” — 606 likes

“I have never understood how people can blithely disregard the damage they do by following their hearts.” — 393 likes

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