The Girl on the Train: A Novel by Paula Hawkins (Epub)

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Ebook Info

  • Published: 2015
  • Number of pages: 326 pages
  • Format: Epub
  • File Size: 0.30 MB
  • Authors: Paula Hawkins

Description

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 started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life–as she sees it–is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

User’s Reviews

Review “The Girl on the Train has more fun with unreliable narration than any chiller since Gone Girl. . . . The Girl on the Train is liable to draw a large, bedazzled readership too. . . . The Girl on the Train is full of back-stabbing, none of it literal.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times “The Girl on the Train marries movie noir with novelistic trickery. . . hang on tight. You’ll be surprised by what horrors lurk around the bend.”—USA Today “Like its train, the story blasts through the stagnation of these lives in suburban London and the reader cannot help but turn pages. . . . The welcome echoes of Rear Window throughout the story and its propulsive narrative make The Girl on the Train an absorbing read.”—The Boston Globe “[The Girl on the Train] pulls off a thriller’s toughest trick: carefully assembling everything we think we know, until it reveals the one thing we didn’t see coming.”—Entertainment Weekly “Gone Girl fans will devour this psychological thriller. . . . Hawkins’s debut ends with a twist that no one—least of all its victims—could have seen coming.”—People “Given the number of titles that are declared to be ‘the next’ of a bestseller . . . book fans have every right to be wary. But Paula Hawkins’ novel The Girl on the Train just might have earned the title of ‘the next Gone Girl.”—Christian Science Monitor “Hawkins’s taut story roars along at the pace of, well, a high-speed train. …Hawkins delivers a smart, searing thriller that offers readers a 360-degree view of lust, love, marriage and divorce.”—Good Housekeeping “There’s nothing like a possible murder to take the humdrum out of your daily commute.”—Cosmopolitan “Paula Hawkins has come up with an ingenious slant on the currently fashionable amnesia thriller. . . . Hawkins juggles perspectives and timescales with great skill, and considerable suspense builds up along with empathy for an unusual central character.”—The Guardian “Paula Hawkins deftly imbues her debut psychological thriller with inventive twists and a shocking denouement. … Hawkins delivers an original debut that keeps the exciting momentum of The Girl on the Train going until the last page.”—Denver Post“The Girl on the Train, Hawkins’s first thriller, is well-written and ingeniously constructed.” – The Washington Post “The novel is at its best in the moment of maximum confusion, when neither the reader nor the narrators know what is occurring” – The Financial Times “This fresh take on Hitchcock’s Rear Window is getting raves and will likely be one of the biggest debuts of the year.”—Omaha World-Herald “Hawkins’s tale of love, regret, violence and forgetting is an engrossing psychological thriller with plenty of surprises. . . . The novel gets harder and harder to put down as the story screeches toward its unexpected ending.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune “A gripping, down-the-rabbit-hole thriller.”—Entertainment Weekly Hotlist “The Thriller So Engrossing, You’ll Pray for Snow: Send in the blizzards, because nothing as mundane as work, school or walking the dog should distract you from this debut thriller. A natural fit for fans of Gone Girl-style unreliable narrators and twisty, fast-moving plots, The Girl on the Train will have you racing through the pages.”—Oprah.com “It’s difficult to say too much more about the plot of The Girl on the Train; like all thrillers, it’s best for readers to dive in spoiler-free. This is a debut novel—Hawkins is a journalist by training—but it doesn’t read like the work of someone new to suspense. The novel is perfectly paced, from its arresting beginning to its twist ending; it’s not an easy book to put down. . . . . What really makes The Girl on the Train such a gripping novel is Hawkins’ remarkable understanding of the limits of human knowledge, and the degree to which memory and imagination can become confused.”—NPR.org “[L]ike Gone Girl, Hawkins’s book is a highly addictive novel about a lonely divorcee who gets caught up in the disappearance of a woman whom she had been surreptitiously watching. And beyond the Gone Girl comparisons, this book has legs of its own.”—GQ.com “Paula Hawkins’ thriller is a shocking ride.” –US Weekly “An ex-wife indulges her voyeuristic tendencies in Paula Hawkins’s film-ready The Girl on the Train. In the post-Gone Girl era, crimes of love aren’t determined by body counts or broken hearts, but by who controls the story line.” –Vogue “The Girl on the Train [is] a harrowing new suspense novel…a complex and thoroughly chilling psychological thriller… The Girl on the Train is one of those books where you can’t wait — yet almost can’t bear — to turn the page. It’s a stunning novel of dread.” –New York Daily News “The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is a psychologically gripping debut that delivers.” –The Missourian “The Girl on the Train is the kind of slippery, thrilling read that only comes around every few years (see Gone Girl).” –BookPage “Hawkins, a former journalist, is a witty, sharp writer with a gift for creating complex female characters.” –Cleveland Plain Dealer “The Girl on the Train is as tautly constructed as Gone Girl or A.S.A. Harrison’s The Silent Wife, and has something more: a main character who is all screwed up but sympathetic nonetheless. Broken, but dear. . . . No matter how well it’s written, a suspense novel can fall apart in the last pages, with an overly contrived or unbelievable ending. Here, The Girl on the Train shines, with its mystery resolved by a left-field plot twist that works, followed, surprisingly, by what you might call a happy ending.”—Newsday “I’m calling it now: The Girl on the Train is the next Gone Girl. Paula Hawkins’s highly anticipated debut novel is a dark, gripping thriller with the shocking ending you crave in a noir-ish mystery.” –Bustle “Rachel takes the same train into London every day, daydreaming about the lives of the occupants in the homes she passes. But when she sees something unsettling from her window one morning, it sets in motion a chilling series of events that make her question whom she can really trust.”—Woman’s Day “Hawkins’s debut novel is a tangle of unreliable narrators, but what will have readers talking is her deft handling of twists and turns and her eerily fine-tuned narrative. This is one creepy, dark thriller. . . . The book is smartly paced and delightfully complex. Just when it seems Hawkins is leading us one way, Rachel, Anna, or Megan change the game. Nothing can be taken for granted in The Girl on the Train, not even the account of the girl herself.”—Las Vegas Weekly “Psychologically astute debut . . . The surprise-packed narratives hurtle toward a stunning climax, horrifying as a train wreck and just as riveting.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “[A] chilling, assured debut. . . . Even the most astute readers will be in for a shock as Hawkins slowly unspools the facts, exposing the harsh realities of love and obsession’s inescapable links to violence.”—Kirkus (starred review) “intricate, multilayered psychological suspense debut, from a staggered timeline and three distinct female narrators. Rachel, who is unabashed in her darker instincts, anchors the narrative. Readers will fear, pity, sympathize and root for her, though she’s not always understandable or trustworthy. . . . En route to a terrorizing and twisted conclusion, all three women—and the men with whom they share their lives—are forced to dismantle their delusions about others and themselves, their choices and their respective relationships.”—Shelf Awareness “This month we’re gearing up for Paula Hawkins’s mystery The Girl on the Train. Its three narrators keep readers guessing as they try to suss out who’s behind one character’s shocking disappearance. Can you figure out who did it before they do?”—Martha Stewart Living “What a thriller!”—People Style Watch “Hawkins keeps the tension ratcheted high in this thoroughly engrossing tale of intersecting strangers and intimate betrayals. Kept me guessing until the very end.”—Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the Detective D. D. Warren series “I simply could not put it down.”—Tess Gerritsen, New York Times–bestselling author of the Rizzoli and Isles series “Gripping, enthralling—a top-notch thriller and a compulsive read.”—S. J. Watson, New York Times–bestselling author of Before I Go to Sleep “Be ready to be spellbound, ready to become as obsessed. . . . The Girl on the Train is the kind of book you’ll want to press into the hands of everyone you know, just so they can share your obsession and you can relive it.”—Laura Kasischke, author of The Raising “What a group of characters, what a situation, what a book! It’s Alfred Hitchcock for a new generation and a new era.”—Terry Hayes, author of I Am Pilgrim “Artfully crafted and utterly riveting. The Girl on the Train’s clever structure and expert pacing will keep you perched on the edge of your seat, but it’s Hawkins’s deft, empathetic characterization that will leave you pondering this harrowing, thought-provoking story about the power of memory and the danger of envy.”—Kimberly McCreight, New York Times–bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ This is one of those books that you keep reading despite the fact that you’ve realized many times that it is thoroughly unenjoyable. You keep telling yourself to stop it and find that you’ve swiped yet another page on your Kindle. There are NO, repeat NO, likable or sympathetic characters. This is a sad group of dysfunctional, alcoholic, abusive, self centered, narcissistic, weak willed people. And Oh yes, some of them turn out to be murderers. Not everything that I read, needs to be a feel good novel but in reflection, this book had no redeeming value whatsoever and left me feeling depressed and annoyed that I hung in there until the end. I would have given it fewer stars but felt that, in fairness, I did keep going until the bitter end and that probably justified my 3 star rating. I do not recommend this book.

⭐ In a word: crap.I took this book with me on a beach vacation because I wanted something to breeze through, something to entertain me. I do not ask for much in my beach reads: plot, some coherent writing, character development. I gave this book more than a fair shot. But I’m stopping at page 175.Poor writing, flat characters, and the author’s sexist tone seeps off every page. Every female psychosis is on display here: dressing the part, feeling worthless, feeling like a child, sexual motivation behind how men act, women’s revenge, “I’m a force to be reckoned with,” “all these men,” the list goes on….I can’t take it anymore. Life is too short to read bad books like this one.I hate it1/5 Goodreads1/5 Amazon

⭐ Hard to believe anyone likes this book. I struggled to finish it although the ending wasn’t very well camouflaged. There was not a single character in the book that a reader could like. They all seemed to have deep psychological problems which came together to result in the murder that is the central theme. I would like to say something good about this book but for the life of me I can’t think of a single thing. The book is presented from the point of view of the three lead female characters so it switches from one to the other. This didn’t produce significant continuity for the plot and as the book droned on more life details were added which makes you wonder how anyone so damaged could survive in the world. Save your money and read a synopsis on line.

⭐ I’m probably one of the few people who will submit a review like I am about to do. I really don’t understand what all the “hype” was about this book and I certainly don’t understand how this book made it to the top sellers of 2015! I am an immersion reader and in this case (with this book) I am very glad I was. Half way through reading this book I was going to stop reading and just chalk it up to “The first book ever that I have never finished.” However, thanks to the wonderful narrators at audible, I trudged through the rest of the book, hoping that it would get better, (and it did, the last 4 chapters! ) Excellent ending! It’s just ashame that the reader has to go through 80 percent of the main character who’s an alcoholic whining, lying, “falling off the wagon,” feeling sorry for herself, and waking up to blackouts where she’s thrown up! So sorry, not my “cup of tea as they say!” The story just seemed to go on and on and I didn’t think Megan’s (Jess ) whoever, character was defined enough as the others were. I don’t know maybe I’m just tired of the whole alcoholic, enabling, dysfunctional relationships, you can look around and find them on every corner, I don’t need to read about them! That’s just my opinion and I’m sticking to it……

⭐ It took me about 6-8 months before I wanted to read this book. I asked several people I saw reading the book what they thought and a lot of people said it was just OK. When I started this book I almost put it right back down. I did not like the authors writing style. It was choppy. After about 2 chapters I was hooked. Although the style is choppy throughout, this book held my interest totally. I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed all the characters, and I could feel emotion with each one. I felt she developed the characters beautifully. Normally I don’t like this jumping back and forth between characters but in this case it was totally necessary to get a total view of what each character was feeling. I thought the ending was not as great as the rest of the book but it was by no means a deal breaker. I would highly recommend this book.

⭐ I finally succumbed and bought this book to see what all the hoopla was about and, no, I haven’t seen the movie. I found it to be a super entertaining read. I finished it in the ‘wee smalls,’ unable to put it down. What I really liked about it was that though I thought I’d figured out who the evil doer was at the very beginning, the author kept leading me astray … so that I abandoned my first impression only to be surprised at the end when I found that I was right from the start!The story is told from alternating points of view which I liked, too.The novel is dark and fast-paced, the characters are complex and the plot is compelling. Highly recommended for thriller fans. Five big, bright, shiny stars

⭐ A gripping page-turner, but not until about 2/3 into the book, which maybe is par for thrillers. I almost didn’t bother finishing at about halfway, when I read the one-star poor reviews here. I identified with their complaints: unlikeable, neurotic characters; but NOT with their disappointment of the story’s resolution. I found it very satisfying and gripping to the very last page. Hawkins writes prose very well, capturing the mood of the trains and London boroughs, writes almost poetically about the weather and countryside, but the inner dialogue of the women characters is a bit excessive. The characters seem soulless with not a drop of the milk of human kindness (classic thrillers don’t feature high-minded characters either, but at least they have some sardonic flair, bumbling endearment, or harmless quirks, which this book lacks). It also would have helped if more overt physical features of the characters were delineated – just to form a picture in the reader’s mind of who was speaking in the next narrative, because they all seemed to have the same weary, jaded, cynical personalities, speaking the same dialect, being self-centered. The men characters seem also clones of each other, almost as sex objects in a reverse sexism. Still, on into the story, you really want to find out what really happened: the core of the mystery, and what will happen. I give it a high rating because: 1. It evolved into a fascinating story, and; 2. I was left with a thought-provoking look into my own life: my experiences and relationships and identifying with that feminine conundrum of believing what a man says but desperately trying to prove him wrong, and when proving him wrong, feels her confidence erode and her self-loathing sprout as he unabashedly attempts to justify himself, either with the truth or more lies.

⭐ I really don’t see what the big deal was with this book. It was so boring and I was over it half way through. I only read to the end to see if anything exciting would happen but it dragged on and I was so glad to be done. Reminder me a bit of Gone Girl (which I didn’t care for much either). Definitely won’t be recommending

⭐ The writing is good though you really need to keep note of the date written at the top of every chapter. The twists and turns of the story are intriguing enough to keep me going till the end of the story.Now, what’s my problem? I couldn’t get into any of the characters. The main character, Rachel, is so irritatingly stupid she makes unbelievably stupid decisions even when she is sober. And for the rest… none is likeable except maybe Cathy, but Cathy is a minor character just hovering in the background.There are a few people in this story who I’d like to see justice done unto them but are let off easily. The twist at the end is written too late in the story we are offered only a fleeting background story on the real villain. I still don’t understand where his actions come from and why he acted the way he did, especially towards the main character.The way I see it the author concentrated so much on developing the intrigues, twists and turns she hadn’t put much effort in character development.

⭐ Note: This review does not compare the book to the movie as I’ve not seen the movie.The first quarter of this book is really DEPRESSING. The reader learns that Rachel is an ex-wife who was dumped by her husband Tom so he could marry his mistress Anne. When married to Tom, Rachel had wanted to get pregnant; but she couldn’t and so she started to drink. After Anne married Tom — and then got pregnant right away – Rachel’s life really spiraled downhill, basically becoming a perpetual drunk with no ability to resist her daily liquor as she needed to forget how bad each and every day had become. Living vicariously, as she took the train to and from work, she saw glimpses of Megan and Scott (who lived on the same street as Tom and Anne), a couple who were living the kind of idyllic life she had hoped she would have had herself.But wait! Rachel sees Megan kissing someone else. Is Megan having an affair? And then Megan disappears? Where? Why? It’s a mystery that must be solved.Much more than a mystery, this book is about the characters. Initial impressions may be misleading. No one is as perfect as they may appear to be. Can anyone get their act together?Bottom line: Dysfunctional characters being dysfunctional with each other. An interesting but depressing story.

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