From the Bookshelf of 2015 Snagged @ The Library Challenge…

The Girl on the Train

Paula Hawkins

Start date: February 12, 2015

Finish date: February 13, 2015

Discussion: Feb 2015

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Feb 2015

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By TheGeekyBlogg… · 44 posts · 16 views

last updated Mar 04, 2015 02:10PM

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Oct 02, 2016 Bj rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller-not-romance, fiction-not-romance, audiobooks, library-loan, 2016, 4-stars, gift

4 "Which Flawed Character Did It?" Stars.

Alcoholism, adultery, jealousy, and murder are the undercurrents that define this psychological thriller. The main premise is that a woman goes missing and every character is flawed such that any of them could have done it, but who is ultimately responsible?

Told from multiple perspectives and time periods, The Girl on the Train will keep you guessing, even if you fail to genuinely like any one of the characters. In the end, I had correctly solved the cul 4 "Which Flawed Character Did It?" Stars.

Alcoholism, adultery, jealousy, and murder are the undercurrents that define this psychological thriller. The main premise is that a woman goes missing and every character is flawed such that any of them could have done it, but who is ultimately responsible?

Told from multiple perspectives and time periods, The Girl on the Train will keep you guessing, even if you fail to genuinely like any one of the characters. In the end, I had correctly solved the culprit by about 3/4 of the book, before the undeniable clues were revealed, so while the suspense was intriguing, it was not unsolvable or even as twisted as it could have been. All that said, this psychological thriller made for an interesting change of pace from my normal romance reads/listens.

One thing I will note for the audiobook enthusiasts is that while I was ultimately able to listen to the second half of this story, I found it much easier to read the beginning in order to better understand the setting and characters. It was not that the narration was bad--quite to the contrary--the narrators did a good job of acting out the emotions and bringing the characters to life. However, I felt that I needed a better familiarity with the characters before I was able to rely solely on the narration. To that effect, the fact that each chapter in the print version of this book had the name of the character's POV being shared at the top of each page, and the date of the viewpoint at the beginning of the chapter, made it infinitely more helpful given that three different British females' perspectives were being shared in alternating chapters and non-chronological time periods which take you back and forth in time.

All in all, The Girl on the Train is worth a read or listen, but be prepared not to really like any of the characters. The Girl on the Train is really more a story that will exercise and refine your sleuthing skills, although in the end it only really offers up only a moderate amount of difficulty in the suspense scales.

Source: Library-copy. ...more

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Aug 21, 2016 Mary rated it liked it

I can't give this book more than three stars. It wasn't a bad book but it was just ok. It failed to really draw me in. I did not like any of the characters. I did have some sympathy for Rachel but it only went so far. I did like the three voices each telling the story from their povs. The ending was somewhat anticlimactic as by that point their was only one suspect left who was believable. I am curious enough to see the movie when it comes out on dvd. ...more

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Jan 18, 2015 Suzanne (Chick with Books) Yester rated it it was amazing

Shelves: book-club-selection, books-read-2015

The Girl on The Train by Paula Hawkins… OMG! This has to be one of my absolute favorite reads so far this year! Murder, obsession, evil, jealousy, cruelty and heartbreaking at times, The Girl on The Train has what it takes to keep you turning those pages and let me tell you… the twist at the end will have your jaw drop! It is so deceptively simple in some ways, that as you are reading, suddenly the sun is setting, day turns into night and your eyes have not left the page. I wasn't furiously turn ...more

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Jan 12, 2015 Darlene rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, for-review, audio-1000, debut, mystery, read-in-2017

It’s hard to believe that this is Hawkins’ debut! She pulled me into the storyline like a pro, and she managed to keep me guessing right until the end!

The story is told from three points of view. By telling the story from multiple viewpoints, I feel that it adds to the dimension of the characters. First, we meet Rachel Watson. She rides the train from Ashbury to London and back each day so that her roommate won’t find out that she actually lost her job. She’s an alcoholic, and she frequently imb It’s hard to believe that this is Hawkins’ debut! She pulled me into the storyline like a pro, and she managed to keep me guessing right until the end!

The story is told from three points of view. By telling the story from multiple viewpoints, I feel that it adds to the dimension of the characters. First, we meet Rachel Watson. She rides the train from Ashbury to London and back each day so that her roommate won’t find out that she actually lost her job. She’s an alcoholic, and she frequently imbibes on the return trip home. She is a people watcher and very observant. The train usually stops at the same place every day, and she is able to get a good view of a particular home and its inhabitants. She sees who she thinks is the perfect couple: Jason and Jess, which aren’t their real names of course. She fantasizes about their perfect life in their perfect home, and she is taken aback when she sees Jess one day in a romantic clinch with another man! She becomes very incensed, and part of the reason for that is because Rachel’s ex-husband cheated on her. Rachel thought her marriage, like Jason’s and Jess’ marriage, was perfect and was oblivious to the fact that her husband was cheating on her with another woman. The story then jumps to Megan Hipwell’s point of view, who is Jess, and goes back in time to a year earlier so we get to see what transpired in the past leading up to what Rachel witnesses. Later in the book, a third point of view from Anna Watson is added, who is Rachel’s ex-husband’s new wife. Interestingly, Megan lives on the same street where Rachel lived with her ex-husband and where he now lives with Anna. When Megan goes missing, Rachel is driven to find out what happened to her and if this strange man that she spotted Megan with factors into the picture. Not only that, but Rachel went to her ex-husband's house that night to confront him, so she was in the area on the night that Megan disappeared but she was so drunk that she has gaps in her memory.

I like flawed and complex characters, and Hawkins treats us to a cast of them! Rachel as an alcoholic is completely unreliable, so I spent a good deal pondering whether things actually occurred the way that she thinks they did! Also, she is an outside observer and her impressions might be wrong or skewed by what her ex-husband did to her. Secrets, secrets, everyone has a secret! I have to admit that I didn’t particularly care for any of the characters, but that is okay! I found them all abhorrent in their own way, but I don’t have to like the characters to enjoy the story. Sometimes, it’s interesting to see how far down someone can fall or how messed up they become! Hawkins kept the tension in the story high, and I loved how she unraveled this mystery bit by bit. There was a red herring that threw me off, and I was completely blindsided by the ending. I love it when an author can do that! I really enjoyed this debut, and I am really looking forward to reading Hawkins' sophomore novel, Into the Water, which was released in May 2017.

There were three different narrators for the story’s multiple points of view: Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey, and India Fisher. All of them were wonderful, so it doesn’t surprise me that this audiobook was the Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award and 2016 Audie Award Winner for Best Audiobook of the Year. Each narrator brought the personality of her character to life, and I think the audiobook was enhanced by using different narrators for each viewpoint. In particular, the narrator for Anna was so convincing that she really made me hate her! I assume it was India Fisher, since she was the third narrator listed and Anna’s perspective was the third one introduced.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook for voluntary review consideration.

This review was posted on my book blog:
http://darlenesbooknook.blogspot.ca/2... ...more

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Nov 07, 2016 Jackie's Bookbytes rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, i-own-it

Disgusted more than I care to discuss. I finished reading the Girl on The Train and found it terribly annoying. So, I listened to the second part of the audio.(view spoiler)
Disgusted more than I care to discuss. I finished reading the Girl on The Train and found it terribly annoying. So, I listened to the second part of the audio.(view spoiler) Suffice it to say, The Girl On The Train wasn't my cup of tea, and I almost didn't finish it. I would read a few chapters and put it down, never to pick it up again for weeks at a time. I was bored of the characters. In fact, I hated everyone in this book. I mean it is typical for someone who drinks, to lose their job because they can't function normally. I don't know, but depression is a significant factor in her losing her job. No amount of make-believe is going to help Rachel apparently. (view spoiler) ...more

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