The Girl on the Train: The multi-million-copy global phenomenon

Paula Hawkins

Jan 2015 · Random House

About this ebook

THE RUNAWAY GLOBAL BESTSELLER

'Gripping, enthralling - a top-notch thriller and a compulsive read.' SJ Watson, bestselling author of BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP

Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She's even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. 'Jess and Jason', she calls them. Their life - as she sees it - is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy.

And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough.

Now everything's changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she's only watched from afar.

Now they'll see; she's much more than just the girl on the train...

***PAULA HAWKINS' NEW ADDICTIVE THRILLER, THE BLUE HOUR IS AVAILABLE NOW***

Ratings and reviews

No idea what the hype's all about. The plot was derivative and the characters dull and thoroughly unlikeable. That the main character keeps making the same mistakes and can't just leave things alone is really irritating. That said if you want to read a story about an alcoholic loser who nearly gets herself killed and hasn't grown as a person in any way by the end of the novel, jump right in. Seriously awful.

The book has a bit to commend it: the storyline is unusual and not chronological, creating interest. Having said that, I found the "voices" of the three female characters too similar. A great novel would not need to rely on heading the chapters with the character's name. Also, the character of Rachel comes over as patheticically flawed, and hence her inner life starts to make for tedious reading. I don't think I've read so many references to alcohol abuse in one book before! Nevertheless, an easy read.

I found the protagonist' line of thought astonishingly irritating. She is weak, insecure, an alcoholic and depressed. Much of the plot revolves around how the protagonist thinks how pathetic her life is. The quality of writing is not astonishingly good either. So I hated the plot, hated the character, found neither inspiration nor insight in the book and did not particularly enjoy Paula's writing. Maybe I would have liked it better if I could relate to the character more.

About the author

PAULA HAWKINS worked as a journalist for fifteen years before turning her hand to fiction. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989 and has lived there ever since. Her first thriller, The Girl on the Train, has been a global phenomenon, selling 23 million copies worldwide. Published in over forty languages, it has been a No.1 bestseller around the world and was a No.1 box office hit film starring Emily Blunt.

Into the Water, her second stand-alone thriller, has also been a global No.1 bestseller, spending twenty weeks in the Sunday Times hardback fiction Top 10 bestseller list, and six weeks at No.1.