Review: Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Spoilers)

[C73OakleyH]

I'll try my best to remember all that I mentioned the first time 'round.

In response to: What was the point of the red-haired man?
I believe the red-haired man helps us understand just how screwed-up, for lack of better words, Rachel really is. She has this warped perspective of how to behave in a relationship with another man, her hesitancy and actions with the red-haired man show us this in a more comprehensive view. Her timid ways and lack of trust in a male stranger are due largely in part to the destruction of her trust in her marriage with Tom. We, as readers, don't know it yet, but she's also so timid around the red-haired man because anytime she was drunk, her actions were completely embarassing, not only this, but Tom made sure to use her drunken rampages to his advantage. His controlling and abusive behavior leads Rachel to automatically create this barrier that she does with the red-haired man. This leads me to my next point, Scott. Rachel doesn't necessarily trust Scott in the healthy way that we would hope most women to trust a married man, but in an obsessive and fictitious way. She has the lucid fantasy where she knows Scott and Megan, and she has categorized him as a loving husband, hard working man, all leading her to feel as though they have had a connection. When she comes to terms with Scott, the desperately violent and grieving husband (of a woman who she categorized incorrectly, for the most part), I think she gets a glimpse of her problem as it is, unhealthy relationships with men.
In response to your question: Why did Rachel go to the therapist who she thought kidnapped or killed Megan?
I think she does this because, in a lot of ways, she knows that she needs outside help. All the bottles of wine in the world can't make her problems go away. I think she uses the excuse of her obsession with Megan and Scott's case as a way to get said help. She doesn't want to be acutely aware of all her issues yet, I don't think she was ready, and I think that she wants it to be "surface" help if you will --- just brushing the surface of her problems because of the weak and vulnerable state that she's in.

Also, in an attempt to answer your question about why all the men are so violent, I'd like to think this goes with why all the women are so very similar. All of the women are so profoundly tied to emotions with or about children in some way, and I think this shows us a real-life glimpse into Paula Hawkins' and the struggles she may have witnessed or struggled through. Just as with the violent men, I think this is her way of weaving in her real-life elements and also trying to ease some of the tension from the women characters -- you yourself said it, most of those women are not like-able, and I think a lot of readers relate to that. But, once you throw the dynamic of treacherous and uncontrollable men into the plot, it's easier to give those women excuses and understand why they behave in the ways that they do. (Sidenote: I don't believe Scott was violent, I think he was not a trusting husband [valid] and became violent in his state of grieving)

[Camartinsky]

I just read this book. I think it was mediocre-the characters got on my nerves a bit and I could see the twist coming a mile away

[Ham]

Like everyone says, if you liked Gone Girl, then you will like The Girl On The Train. Rachel, the main character, is a drunk who lost her husband due to him cheating on her and lost her job as well. The book did a good job on keeping you wondering about the murder. Rachel takes the train everyday to "work" and passes by the same people and buildings. One of these people is a woman named "Jess" and her boyfriend. One day Rachel sees Jess with another man at her house and not long after, she is missing. It later turns out that she has been murdered and the mystery begins. I never would have guessed Rachel's ex husband would have been the one to commit the murder. As it turns out, he is an absolute crazy. The way Tom's character developed from the beginning to the end, was really a dramatic change. He is a master of minds and can change himself for anyone. This book really does have an unpredictable end.

[steampunk_girl]

This book had a slow start but when the pace picked up the book began to get interesting you wouldn't have guessed the plot twist would be about the same general topic because usually they are totally different. I felt sympathy towards most of the characters at times which is why I started to warm to them. So this story wasn't completely realistic? What story is one hundred realistic? But the aspects that were left you wondering. Overall I found this book quite pleasant and it left me wanting more. About the red haired guy I feel like he and Rachel may end up together if a sequel is made.

[Jenny_G]

I thought this book was great. I agree there were some flaws in some of the characters, but not to the point that it made me not enjoy the novel. I think you also saw a lot of growth in most of the characters, and some of their weaknesses were simply due to the fact that they were being lied to, or because you only knew them through one persons perspective.
I thought this was a great read, that kept you guessing, and changing your mind on who you thought was the murderer. A lot of books in this genre, I can guess early on, but this book kept my guessing right to the end.

[Alexa_Fernandez]

This book reminds me of Mad Men, because although you really don't like any of the characters, you get sucked in by the story and writing. I see Rachel as a woman who's so desperately unhappy, she tries to consume Megan's life. That alone was enough for me to stay captivated by her story. I can also understand the notion that at some point or another, we romanticize someone else's life and envy them (or even want to be them).

[Lizard14]

This book is a thriller/mystery. Hawkins really makes you feel for the main character and you get sucked into her life and journey. It is so well written and fast paced I couldn't put it down. I read this in 2 days! I think that may be the fastest I ever read a book. I needed to know what was going to happen next and I needed to make sure our main character was safe! This is definitely a must read.

[nikki_breyer]

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN is a dark, haunting and depressing psychological thriller that I really loved. I read it in two days because I could not wait to see what happened next!!! Leah is a interesting, strange character who would literally do anything for a drink. Her daily train rides take you on a wild murderous adventure that you can not predict!!

[Mbogue3]

I must say that I did not enjoy this book. I felt myself having anxiety just reading it. I could not put it down because I just wanted it to end! The characters annoyed me and I didn't even want to look at a bottle of wine!

[Kourtney Bradley]

I was not a fan of the actions of choices of any of the women in the book, but it definitely did not cause me to dislike the book. The story line was fantastic in my opinion. Also, I believe there are times when you are not supposed to like/connect to any of the characters. I was pleased with the book and would give it a great rating.

[sienacarroll3]

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, it was very hard to put down. The twists were predictable at times, but I couldn't stop reading regardless.

[Mreed0131]

I too enjoyed this book in a morbid way. Although it is hard to see peoples lives falling apart, there was something that kept me reading. I think it was because I had to see her out all the pieces of her life back together. I am also a people watcher by hobby and find it plot thrilling.

[Lissy_1992]

I recently read the book 'The Girl on the Train' and have a few thoughts and questions.

First of all, I loved the idea of the book. It was something I haven't encountered before- a thriller from a different perspective- not from the thick of it (at least not at first). Most thrillers are from characters in the centre of the crime/problem, but I loved the idea of this character Rachel glimpsing something when passing by on the train. As a rather nosy train-traveller, it had me hooked from the start as it seemed pretty realistic.

I also loved that Rachel is an extremely unreliable narrator, due to alcoholism and overall being slightly unhinged. It left me on the edge of my seat as I could never be too sure of what was truth and what was her distorted perceptions.I quite liked not being able to take the information for granted. This continued with the other narrators- all characters are not as they seem, defying stereotypes and keeping your attention.

It took me a while to digest that the narrator alternated between each character (in first-person) every chapter. It was quite hard to keep going back and piecing it together with the dates each character thought/did something, but once I got in the swing of it it was extremely clever and effective. Does anyone have any thoughts on this, as a reader? Did you follow it, or was it just a bit confusing for you?

Overall, I would very much recommend the book- it was a rollercoaster ride and unpredictable in a lot of ways

[Lolly4532]

I am so glad I found this review! I read this book a few months ago for a book club, and it was the most painful thing I have ever had to get through, and I'll be honest, I didn't finish it. I found a very detailed plot summary that allowed me to get through the last third of this book, and even the plot summary was dreadfully boring! So, seeing that other people didn't like this book makes me feel not alone.
I think maybe the characters aren't relate-able, or it's just so apparent that they're all making terrible decisions that it can't be overlooked. I know we've all encountered other characters in other books that have made us say "Okay, you really shouldn't do that" or just yell "WHY!?" into the universe, but every single thing these characters did was just the opposite of what any sane person should do. And there wasn't anything redeeming about any of them. I sympathized with Rachel for about a minute, and then I started to agree with her roommate. I just couldn't help but feel like "yes, bad things are happening to you, but at the same time, you make the worst decisions ever and if you'd just stop drinking..."
I got so annoyed seeing all the previews for the movie because I just wanted to forget this horrible thing ever existed. But I'm with cehedley in that I really wanted to like this book because it was something different and it had a lot of promise. Instead it just ended up being a colossal waste of time.

[Suzie56]

I thought the Girl On The Train was interesting yet a but boring at the same time. Even though It was an easy read I am glad I read the book first because now I have no desire to see the movie.
Not really a book I would recommend.
I give it a 2