The Girl on the Train is a book that I've been meaning to read for a while now, as I have seen it listed on several book lists floating around on the internet. Basically, it seemed that a lot of hype was surrounding this book and I wanted to see if it lived up to what people were saying about it. Overall, I can say that this was a very thrilling book to read, and it managed to hold my interest and keep me on the edge of my seat through the entirety of the plot.
First, I'll give a brief summary of The Girl on the Train. The book begins by introducing you to the character of Rachel, a divorced and jobless woman with a drinking problem. She spends much of her time riding the commuter train between her home and London, and every day she looks out the window at the same couple who are always outside on their deck. She paints them as the "perfect couple" in her head, and even nicknames then Jason and Jess. But one day Rachel sees something shocking happening on the deck, and suddenly finds herself caught up in a massive mystery that reveals the truth behind this flawless duo and everyone involved in their life.
I will admit that when I first picked this book up to read it, I was fairly skeptical as to how good it was going to be. However, it turns out that The Girl on the Train has a lot going for it. First of all, Hawkins does a fantastic job creating a plot that very quickly engrossed me. It only took a few pages of reading before I found myself very interested in what was happening. To put it simply, this book is a real page-turner, and I found myself thinking about what might happen later on in the book when I wasn't reading it. The Girl on the Train is also written very well; I like how the commentary switches between characters (Rachel, Megan, and Anna), and the author is very deft at descriptive writing. She gets in the heads of her characters, and creates a cinematic setting where the plot unfolds.
Overall I thought that The Girl on the Train was a very entertaining and thrilling work of fiction. However, there were some things that fell short for me. The first is that every single character in this book I just wanted to slap, to be blunt. Every main character is equally unlikable, and I found myself shaking my head at their ridiculous antics throughout the book. The other negative note that I want to mention is that the last quarter of The Girl on the Train lost me a bit. The majority of the book, especially towards the begining, was masterful at pulling me into the plot and I found myself constantly wanting to know what happens next. However, towards the end when the storyline starts to become clear to the reader, it almost became too over the top and simply was too unbelievable to connect with. I felt that this book quickly deescalated from being a really good thriller to an exaggerated, overblown and almost comical novel.
Ultimately, I found myself torn on what to rate this book. I came so close to giving it 3 out of 5 stars, but in the end I opted to give it 4 simply because it's just so addictive. It's a speedy book to read; despite its over 300 pages in length, I guarantee you'll blow through it in a few days. I would highly recommend this book if you typically enjoy thrillers, and even if you don't I think it's at least worth a read.
Author: Paula Hawkins
Genre: Mystery/thriller
First, I'll give a brief summary of The Girl on the Train. The book begins by introducing you to the character of Rachel, a divorced and jobless woman with a drinking problem. She spends much of her time riding the commuter train between her home and London, and every day she looks out the window at the same couple who are always outside on their deck. She paints them as the "perfect couple" in her head, and even nicknames then Jason and Jess. But one day Rachel sees something shocking happening on the deck, and suddenly finds herself caught up in a massive mystery that reveals the truth behind this flawless duo and everyone involved in their life.
I will admit that when I first picked this book up to read it, I was fairly skeptical as to how good it was going to be. However, it turns out that The Girl on the Train has a lot going for it. First of all, Hawkins does a fantastic job creating a plot that very quickly engrossed me. It only took a few pages of reading before I found myself very interested in what was happening. To put it simply, this book is a real page-turner, and I found myself thinking about what might happen later on in the book when I wasn't reading it. The Girl on the Train is also written very well; I like how the commentary switches between characters (Rachel, Megan, and Anna), and the author is very deft at descriptive writing. She gets in the heads of her characters, and creates a cinematic setting where the plot unfolds.
Overall I thought that The Girl on the Train was a very entertaining and thrilling work of fiction. However, there were some things that fell short for me. The first is that every single character in this book I just wanted to slap, to be blunt. Every main character is equally unlikable, and I found myself shaking my head at their ridiculous antics throughout the book. The other negative note that I want to mention is that the last quarter of The Girl on the Train lost me a bit. The majority of the book, especially towards the begining, was masterful at pulling me into the plot and I found myself constantly wanting to know what happens next. However, towards the end when the storyline starts to become clear to the reader, it almost became too over the top and simply was too unbelievable to connect with. I felt that this book quickly deescalated from being a really good thriller to an exaggerated, overblown and almost comical novel.
Ultimately, I found myself torn on what to rate this book. I came so close to giving it 3 out of 5 stars, but in the end I opted to give it 4 simply because it's just so addictive. It's a speedy book to read; despite its over 300 pages in length, I guarantee you'll blow through it in a few days. I would highly recommend this book if you typically enjoy thrillers, and even if you don't I think it's at least worth a read.
Author: Paula Hawkins
Genre: Mystery/thriller
Pages: 323
Year Published: 2015
My Rating: ★★★★☆
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