The Girl on the Train in What's the Name of That Book???

Mar 08, 2016 El rated it it was ok

Shelves: 21st-centurylit, peer-pressure

Everyone has been raving about this book for so long now, including my endocrinologist. He mentioned it to me last year, being used to seeing me with a book in my hand at each of my appointments, and he insisted I read it. Like maybe as part of my treatment. I said I'd get around to it originally. He was all "But it's the next Gone Girl!" as if that would be reason for me to drop everything to pick this book up. Keep in mind, I gave Gone Girl (and Dark Places and Sharp Objects) three stars. It w Everyone has been raving about this book for so long now, including my endocrinologist. He mentioned it to me last year, being used to seeing me with a book in my hand at each of my appointments, and he insisted I read it. Like maybe as part of my treatment. I said I'd get around to it originally. He was all "But it's the next Gone Girl!" as if that would be reason for me to drop everything to pick this book up. Keep in mind, I gave Gone Girl (and Dark Places and Sharp Objects) three stars. It was good, but not amazing.

This wasn't amazing, nor did I find it particularly good either.

I found the writing to be clunky and, at times, a bit confusing. One moment the character is doing one thing and then the next she's on the train, but there's no transition, so it's jarring. I don't like that.

As far as a mystery goes, it was okay, though rather uneventful and somewhat obvious. I'm not one of those people who goes out of her way to try to figure out the plot twist or the whodunit, and then complain about how I'm so smart that a book didn't work out for me. That's not the case here, I swear. I didn't go into it trying to figure it out, but knew that something would happen (because people keep talking about something happening), and it just sort of made sense to me. The thing that makes this book different from many other like it is a lot of the perspective is from the woman on a train. But there even wasn't nearly enough of that for what I expected. (view spoiler)

Anyway, it was fine, and I would love to be able to tell my endocrinologist that I read it finally except he's leaving the system and I'm in mourning over it. I should send him an email telling him reading this book made my non-existent thyroid hurt.

It felt to me as if the author was trying too hard to be the next Gillian Flynn (which is an unfair statement to make about any author, and I apologize for that) and/or to be the next Andrew Weir and get the book turned into a movie pretty quickly. The latter has happened again, so kudos on that. I will see the movie when it's released, and I'm already eager about one of the casting choices.
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Mar 17, 2016 Ray (user2637) rated it really liked it

3.5 to 4 stars. A bit repetitive, probably by design, but a little too much for my taste.

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Apr 19, 2015 Jeff rated it it was amazing

Shelves: cult_books, hardboiled_crime_read

Okay, interesting back story on how I came upon The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I really didn't pay any intention to this book before I started noticing insane numbers on the hold list for this book. A good example is The Philadelphia Free Library which has, as I write this review, 1172 patrons on the hold list for it.

It was then I remembered getting a copy of it when it first came out and, like The Other Typist and A Pleasure and a Calling, wasn't sure I'd ever get around to reading it, ...more

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Aug 09, 2015 Sharon rated it liked it

Decent. Quick read. Depressing people in depressing situations

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May 03, 2015 Cindy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Suspenseful and well written.

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Feb 25, 2015 Joy Lynne rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2015

"I don't know where that strength went, I don't remember losing it. I think that overtime it got chipped away, bit by bit, by life, by the living of it" pg 91 ...more

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Apr 10, 2015 Jen rated it really liked it

Shelves: murder_mayhem_et_al, audio

I'm actually looking forward to the upcoming movie, because I think it will clear up some of the confusing points of this book - multiple points of view, multiple characters that weren't superly well distinguished made it a little hard to keep track of. At first I was annoyed by the main character, but then I recognized her despair. ...more

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