Analysis the girl on the train presents the idea that women are faced with numerous challenges and events that can lead them to do certain things that may affect their lives in very positive or negative ways. The girl on the train by paula hawkins crime thriller girl. It was the way in which hawkins bounced around with time and narration between a trio of toxic women, all of whom were struggling with the increasing difficulty of maintaining the finely tuned facades theyd presented to the world. It follows the lives of three women rachel, anna, and megan and the events. The novel debuted in the number one spot on the new york times fiction best sellers of 2015 list print and e book. The girl on the train rachel chapter 1 summary course hero.
For example, the defining moment of her life comes when, overwhelmed by grief after the death of her husband, dutchy, she gives her newborn daughter away. The girl on the train summary and analysis of pages 1 54. Vivians singular characteristic is her selfcontainment. The novel debuted in the number one spot on the new york times fiction best sellers of 2015 list print and ebook dated 1 february 2015, and remained in the top position for consecutive weeks, until.
Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Girl on the train author shoots down gone girl comparisons. This is what makes this book so appealing, the humanity of the characters. The girl on the train pages 1 54 summary and analysis. Worked as a journalist for fifteen years before turning her hand to fiction. Due to the structure of the novel, summaries and analysis sections are divided by page numbers, and chapters are also referenced by page number in addition to paragraphs. Orphan train major character analysis supersummary. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. If you liked gillian flynns dark and suspenseful gone girl, then you have to read paula hawkinss pageturner the girl on the trainand vice versa. Next to suspense and mysteries, it has become my go to genre for reading. Detailed analysis of characters in paula hawkinss the girl on the train. I picked up irma joubert national bestseller the girl from the train because the world war ii historical fiction has been picking at my soul.
The narrator states there isnt much to mark the grave, but they didnt want to leave it without remembrance. The debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other peoples lives, from the author of into the water. You are going to have to read the book to find out. The girl on the train summary rachel lives with her university friend, cathy, after she broke up with her husband and had no where to live. Yet since the relationship between truth and memory is often a slippery one, how objective or true can a memory, by definition, really be. On the train, niamh befriends dutchy, a twelveyearold boy, and takes care of carmine, a toddler. The girl on the train by klaudia gawronska on prezi. The girl on the train study guide contains a biography of paula hawkins, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Find a summary of this and each chapter of the girl on the train. We might have barbecued out back with friends, or gone to the rose and sat in the beer garden, faces flushing with sun and alcohol as the afternoon went on, weaving home, arm in arm, falling asleep on the sofa. Its the only constant thing she seems to have in her. Rachel emily blunt finally gets toms justin theroux true colors to come out, but it may be too late. They take niamh to the childrens aid society, and the agency sends niamh out to the midwest on an orphan train. This study guide specifically refers to the 2015 riverheadpenguin books hardcover edition.
By using three different narrators and skipping around in time, hawkins creates suspense and opportunities for different perspectives on an event. Paula hawkins debut novel the girl on the train is a suspenseful thriller filled with a complex plot, shocking. Tom is dead rachel and anna are questioned more of the truth about tom is revealed. Paula hawkins debut novel is a suspenseful thriller filled with a complex plot, shocking twists at every turn, and an ending that will both stun and leave the reader wanting more. You might want to set aside enough time to read the girl on the train twice once to enjoy, and another to appreciate how well hawkins has crafted the twists, turns and sleights of hand that make this hitchcockian thriller such a pleasure to read and wonder at. While murder may not resonate with most peoples daily lives, the the girl on the train, by paula hawkins brings mystery to the life of rachel watson, who could very well be any one of us. Just before dutchy goes home with a farmer in minneapolis, minnesota, he and niamh promise to find each other again someday.
Shes also the one the reader can most closely relate to, because like us, she is an outsider looking in. First, her novels protagonist, rachel, looks out through the window of a moving train on her daily commute. The girl on the train is clearly referring to rachel, as she is the only girl who gets on a train in this book. The girl on the train is a hokey mess the atlantic.
Main characters born 26 august 1972, brought up in zimbabwe, moved to london in 1989 and has lived there ever since. Analysis of the girl on the train 1905 words 8 pages. Rachel is a complicated and, at times, an unlikeable and unreliable character. The girl on the train is a 2015 psychological thriller novel by british author paula hawkins that gives narratives from three different women about relationship troubles and binge drinking.
Based on paula hawkins bestselling novel, the girl on the train is adapted for the screen by erin cressida wilson and taylor. Chapter summary for paula hawkinss the girl on the train, rachel chapter 1 summary. But rachel is prone to blackouts, irrationality and drunk. Its difficult to imagine any way these events could be rendered credible, but the girl on the train is further impaired by its narrative structure, which shifts from rachels discounted. The films executive producers are jared leboff and celia costas, and it will be released by universal pictures.
In her own perspective, she is a divorcee, deeply depressed over her infertility and a. Rachel is a sad and lonely alcoholic who drinks gin and tonic in a can. Learn all about how the characters in the girl on the train such as rachel watson and megan hipwell contribute to the story and how they fit into the plot. Analysis of the girl on the train 911 words bartleby. A narrator describes a burial site by train tracks, marked with only a tiny pile of stones. People who read a lot of detective stories, know the cliche progress of these kind of books. Every day, she takes the same morning and evening trains, observing the same suburban houses by the tracks.
Shes observing and coming up with stories for the people she sees. To complicate matters, the chapters switch around from one narrator to another. The girl on the train is a 2015 psychological thriller novel by british author paula hawkins that gives narratives from three different women about relationship. The girl on the train movie tiein by paula hawkins. Rachel, the girl to whom the title refers, is reeling from the collapse of her marriage to tom, and has lost her job because of her descent into alcoholism. The house she lived in with her husband, who still lives there, with his new wife and child. The girl on the train by paula hawkins book analysis. It follows the lives of three women rachel, anna, and megan and the events surrounding megans murder. This has led me to believe that 2015 didnt have better books in the mystery and thriller genre, hence the goodreads choice award going to the girl on the train. The book was a decent read the beginning was so slow that i was about to dnf it forever. The girl on the train, it turns out, is not exactly the second coming of agatha christie, but at least the novel had the good sense to disguise the obviousness of its whodunnit with keen. In july of 20, rachel watson is a female on a locomotive, a. The girl on the train, by paula hawkins paula hawkins gripping new thriller begins with bitter, dissolute rachel, who sees what she. But, the fact that i didnt like them didnt make them any less compelling to read about.
A crucial question in the girl on the train is how much rachel watson can trust her own memory. The point of view alternates among three characters. The girl on the train, by paula hawkins the new york times. In her own perspective, she is a divorcee, deeply depressed over her infertility and a failed marriage. The girl on the train agenda characterssummary plotline character 1 character 2 social connections conclusionquestions jill greenlaw by paula hawkins climax rachel stabs tom with a corkskrew. Analysis in beginning to read the girl on the train, the reader should note the parallel scenes that are shown and set up for later. The girl on the train book club discussion questions. Paula hawkins debut novel the girl on the train is a suspenseful thriller filled with a complex plot, shocking twists at every turn, and an ending. The girl on the train was first published in 2015, and met with an enthusiastic critical and popular reception. The girl on the train character analysis course hero. As the book is set in 2012 and 20, it is realistic that characters communicate. Orphan train characters from litcharts the creators of. In fact, i dont think i liked any of the characters in this book, although at times i could certainly empathise with them.
The girl on the train by paula hawkins is a psychological thriller that tells the story of three women and how their lives intersect. Shes also the one the reader can most closely relate to. The girl on the train is the story of rachel watsons life postdivorce. The girl on the train 2016 the truth comes out scene. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the sparknotes girl study guide has everything you need to ace quizzes, tests, and essays. The girl on the train by paula hawkins was a smash hit when it was published in 2015 by penguin books. The girl on the train was a working title that never got changed, and its a good title. Every day, she takes the train in to work in new york, and every day the train passes by her old house. The allure of the girl on the train was never the whodunit element of paula hawkins hugely popular pageturner. Orphan train characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. You have an observer rachel and the strangers shes observing. Paula hawkins debut novel the girl on the train is a suspenseful thriller filled with a complex plot, shocking twists at every turn, and an ending that will both stun and leave the reader wanting more.
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