The Girl on the Train - Review

The last time I was on a train, I saw one of my fellow passengers reading “The Girl on the Train”. Since my favorite authors has nothing new on the shelf, I decided to give “The Girl on the Train” a try.

Synopsis

Three women, three men, connected through marriage or infidelity. Each is to blame for something. But only one is a killer in this nail-biting, stealthy psychological thriller about human frailty and obsession.
     Just what goes on in the houses you pass by every day? 
     Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and evening, rattling over the same junctions, flashing past the same townhouses.The train stops at the same signal every day, and she sees the same couple, breakfasting on their roof terrace. Jason and Jess, as she calls them, seem so happy. Then one day Rachel sees someone new in their garden. Soon after, Rachel sees the woman she calls Jess on the news. Jess has disappeared.
     Through the ensuing police investigation, Rachel is drawn deeper into the lives of the couple she learns are really Megan and Scott Hipwell. As she befriends Scott, Rachel pieces together what really happened the day Megan disappeared. But when Megan's body is found, Rachel finds herself the chief suspect in the case. Plunged into a world of betrayals, secrets and deceptions, Rachel must confront the facts about her own past and her own failed marriage.
     A sinister and twisting story that will keep you guessing at every turn, The Girl on the Train is a high-speed chase for the truth.

To be fair, I’ll post five reviews. A one, two, three, four and five star review.

1 - I did not like the drinking and drugs

By Dianne B May 10, 2015

I did not like the drinking and drugs! It was very slow-going as far as reading. We need upbeat books. This one was a downer!I do not like to criticize, but it was a waste of my time!

2 - Two stars - Slow moving

By Susan W May 11, 2015

I wanted this book to be better than I found it. It was a twisting story, but moved too slowly

3 - Good ideas but seemed lacking in execution

By Sydney May 11, 2015

I liked the idea of the book but not the complete execution. It's difficult for the reader to really like or relate to any of the characters. Although I did feel like the descriptions of Rachel's battle with alcohol to be sometimes somewhat compelling. I really did feel her want/need for a drink.

4 - Excellent read

By Ms S68 May 11, 2015

Very exciting mystery. The author made me feel like I was there. Every emotion and every situation practically jumped off the pages

5 - The best book I've read... EVER!

By Teddy W May 11, 2015

My favorite book- Hands down! I loved it!

Personally I agree with Dianne B who gave “The Girl on the Train” a one star review. I didn’t like the main character’s excessive drinking either. In fact, Rachel was the most unsympathetic main character I’ve ever come across.

Throughout the story, I lost count of how many glasses of wine and gin and tonics this girl pours down her throat. She drinks when she’s happy, she drinks when she’s mad, she drinks when she’s frustrated, she drinks for breakfast, lunch and dinner and if she wakes up in the middle of the night, she goes looking if there are any wine dregs in a bottle left. Then she wonders why she has blackouts. Here’s a suggestion … stop drinking!!!

It’s also a bit of a mystery where this alcoholic finds the money to support her habit. She got fired because of her drinking, and she can’t find another job for the same reason, so where does her money come from? The writer doesn’t mention unemployment checks, nor welfare, so maybe wine and gin and tonic are free in England.

I also wonder what kind of message Paula Hawkins sends to her readers with this alcoholic main character. That it’s okay to get drunk when things get rough? That alcohol is the solution to all problems? How do recovering alcoholics get through this book without falling off the wagon? Did Paula Hawkins think about that?

Her clinginess toward her ex-husband is equally annoying. Phone calls at every hour of the day and night, emails, surprise visits … it’s a miracle she didn’t become the victim of the killer.

All in all, if “The Girl on the Train” is Paula Hawkins debut novel, she won’t sell a follow up to me. They might give it to me for free and I’ll pass on it.

This is what comes of trusting a new author … a horrible disappointment.

The Girl on the Train - Review

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The last time I was on a train, I saw one of my fellow passengers reading “The Girl on the Train”. Since none of my favorite authors had nothing new on the shelf, I decided to give “The Girl on the Train” a try.

Synopsis

Three women, three men, connected through marriage or infidelity. Each is to blame for something. But only one is a killer in this nail-biting, stealthy psychological thriller about human frailty and obsession.
     Just what goes on in the houses you pass by every day? 
     Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and evening, rattling over the same junctions, flashing past the same townhouses.The train stops at the same signal every day, and she sees the same couple, breakfasting on their roof terrace. Jason and Jess, as she calls them, seem so happy. Then one day Rachel sees someone new in their garden. Soon after, Rachel sees the woman she calls Jess on the news. Jess has disappeared.
     Through the ensuing police investigation, Rachel is drawn deeper into the lives of the couple she learns are really Megan and Scott Hipwell. As she befriends Scott, Rachel pieces together what really happened the day Megan disappeared. But when Megan's body is found, Rachel finds herself the chief suspect in the case. Plunged into a world of betrayals, secrets and deceptions, Rachel must confront the facts about her own past and her own failed marriage.
     A sinister and twisting story that will keep you guessing at every turn, The Girl on the Train is a high-speed chase for the truth.

To be fair, I’ll post five reviews. A one, two, three, four and five-star review.

1 - I did not like the drinking and drugs

By Dianne B May 10, 2015

I did not like the drinking and drugs! It was very slow-going as far as reading. We need upbeat books. This one was a downer!I do not like to criticize, but it was a waste of my time!

2 - Two stars - Slow moving

By Susan W May 11, 2015

I wanted this book to be better than I found it. It was a twisting story, but moved too slowly

3 - Good ideas but seemed lacking in execution

By Sydney May 11, 2015

I liked the idea of the book but not the complete execution. It's difficult for the reader to really like or relate to any of the characters. Although I did feel like the descriptions of Rachel's battle with alcohol to be sometimes somewhat compelling. I really did feel her want/need for a drink.

4 - Excellent read

By Ms S68 May 11, 2015

Very exciting mystery. The author made me feel like I was there. Every emotion and every situation practically jumped off the pages

5 - The best book I've read... EVER!

By Teddy W May 11, 2015

My favorite book- Hands down! I loved it!

Personally I agree with Dianne B who gave “The Girl on the Train” a one-star review. I didn’t like the main character’s excessive drinking either. In fact, Rachel was the most unsympathetic main character I’ve ever come across.

Throughout the story, I lost count of how many glasses of wine and gin and tonics this girl pours down her throat. She drinks when she’s happy, she drinks when she’s mad, she drinks when she’s frustrated, she drinks for breakfast, lunch and dinner and if she wakes up in the middle of the night, she goes looking if there are any wine dregs in a bottle left. Then she wonders why she has blackouts. Here’s a suggestion … stop drinking!!!

It’s also a bit of a mystery where this alcoholic finds the money to support her habit. She got fired because of her drinking, and she can’t find another job for the same reason, so where does her money come from? The writer doesn’t mention unemployment checks, nor welfare, so maybe wine and gin and tonic are free in England.

Her clinginess toward her ex-husband is equally annoying. Phone calls at every hour of the day and night, emails, surprise visits … it’s a miracle she didn’t become the victim of the killer.

All in all, if “The Girl on the Train” is Paula Hawkins debut novel, she won’t sell a follow-up to me. Actually, they might give it to me for free and I’ll pass on it.

This is what comes of trusting a new author … a horrible disappointment.

Guest blogger of the day ... Robin

(Since Conny asked me to do my own intro here, I figured I’d give you the whole backstory. If I missed anything, just ask in the comments. I’ll probably answer…)

I was born… Oh, wait – that intro has already been used. Hmm. Okay, well, I WAS born. Almost, um, 50 years ago. Ugh, that sounds like my mother… Let me try again:

Obviously I WAS born. After that, I can pretty much divide my life into parts: childhood – pretty good, teens – had a blast, early adulthood – eh, and everything since – FANtastic! My husband and I have five kids between us, two of his, two of mine, and one of ours. And three grandkids, all extremely smart and incredibly cute. Of course.

I grew up in the St. Louis, Missouri area and gradually moved across the state, then to Colorado for not quite two years, and then Texas; we were down there for eight years. Back to St. Louis for an aborted attempt at law school, and then I got bored.

We opened our bookstore in October 2011, after a brainstorm in late July. My first book came out the following August – the inspiration of which was a really weird dream that came from eating salsa too late one night. While I was procrastinating on my second book a few months later, again in October, I thought, “Hey, I’ll start a publishing house!” So I did.

And here I am.

My friend, fellow author, and client Conny Manero mentioned that I could perhaps do a guest post on her blog about… bowling. Bowling? Well, I do enjoy the sport. And, yes, I could reminisce over a few interesting things that I’ve experienced in that realm. So, sure, why not?

When I was a kid, maybe 8 or 9, my parents were in a bowling league. I didn’t often get to go along, since it was their night out, so to speak, but they did take me sometimes on Saturdays. Had a lot of fun, and no, back then there were no bright pink kids’ balls and no bumpers – you either got gutter balls or a decent score, entirely dependent on your own efforts.

My mom’s co-leader for my Junior Girl Scout troop was a professional bowler and, since in those days there was no “bowling badge,” she helped our troop create one. I remember thinking it was way cool – we learned all about the game and how to keep score. And, like all good Girl Scouts in the 70s, we embroidered the badge ourselves!

The bowling alleys back then were smoky, mysterious places, with snack bars and actual bars; waitresses would bring your food and drink to your lane so you didn’t have to miss any of the action. There were all kinds of leagues: senior, adult, kid, and lessons and parties and special game nights. Going bowling was an event, not just a stopping place to hang out and maybe bowl a few lines. A lot of people had their own balls and shoes, and a lot of them wore team shirts – you know, those colorful polyester ones with the team name emblazoned on them. Hey, it was the 70s!

When I was fifteen, like many kids, I wanted to get a job. Guess what was just up the road? A brand new bowling alley! Perfect. I managed to get hired and I ran the snack bar. I worked after school, sometimes until 2:00 a.m. No pesky state laws to get me off work by 10:00 p.m. on school nights! I remember one night, after working there a week or so, I bolted upright out of a sound sleep and woke myself up saying, “That’ll be fifty-two cents, please!” That was the price of a large Pepsi, with tax.

And yes, a couple times when the bar was swamped and the bartender had to run to the restroom, I’d jump over there and pull beers. No one batted an eye. Besides the Pepsi and the beer, I made burgers, fries, onion rings, nachos, SteakUm sandwiches, and probably a few other things I’ve forgotten about. Then, after we closed, I’d clean everything, fryers and grill too. Still remember how to clean that grill: we had this big black block of… something, and had to screw in a heavy metal handle. That’s what we scrubbed it with, till it shone. Ick.

A bunch of guys from my high school worked there too – they’d unjam the pins, retrieve balls, and fix the automatic scorers. They taught me how to do that too, and there were plenty of times when I had to jump over the counter and help a group out with their machine.

As an older teen, my friends and I bowled a lot. I wasn’t working there anymore, but I still knew most of the people who did, so we’d hang out and bowl on Friday nights. Had a blast! And over the years, I’d still bowl occasionally, always remember how our Girl Scout leader taught us to pick up the ball, line up the pins, and maneuver just right to get that perfect strike.

Well, it worked sometimes!

Thank you Robin.  For me, as a bowler, that was a very interesting post.