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. The girl on the train study guide contains a biography of paula hawkins, literature. 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. The girl on the train analysis people who read a lot of detective stories, know the cliche progress of these kind of books. The novel debuted in the number one spot on the new york times fiction best sellers of 2015 list print and e book dated 1 february 2015, and remained in the top position for consecutive weeks, until. Four life lessons i learned from reading the girl on the. 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. Out of our three point of view characters, rachel and megan both have dual personalities, but. Even though girl on the train functions as a gone girl spinoff wherein the first movies main characters are reimagined in a slightly more bizarre situation it misses the most essential. After id finished it and pondered for a while what all the fuss was about, it suddenly struck me, as hard as as if someone had hit me square on the forehead with a hardened bread pellet, that hidden. The novel has a complexity that stems from its use of the firstperson voices of rachel, anna, and megan, which demonstrate the literary technique of the unreliable narrative voice.
The girl on the train written by paula hawkins, is a physiological and pageturning thriller. She is a 33yearold woman, divorced, unemployed, and an alcoholic. There is a mysterious murder and the writer makes it obvious who are the guilty ones, one by one. Emily blunts outstanding performance isnt enough to keep the girl on the train from sliding sluggishly into exploitative melodrama. Or, if you were to ask anna or megan, our other two point of view characters, shes. Paula hawkins has waved these comparisons off, however, saying in an interview with the hollywood reporter. The girl on the train by paula hawkins was a smash hit when it was published in 2015 by penguin books. Readers sometimes conflate the likability of characters with a compulsion to care about their fate, but with a protagonist so. Orphan train characters from litcharts the creators of.
Like its train, the story blasts through the stagnation of these lives in suburban london and the reader cannot help but turn pages. The girl on the train agenda characters summary plotline character 1 character 2 social connections conclusionquestions jill greenlaw by paula hawkins climax rachel stabs tom with a corkskrew. The writer uses character and characterization theory and the hierarchy of needs theory by abraham maslow to analyze the data. The girl on the train by paula hawkins book analysis. That all changes when she witnesses something from the train window and megan is missing, presumed dead. Its the only constant thing she seems to have in her. Heres where youll find analysis of the story as a whole.
Complete list of characters in paula hawkinss the girl on the train. Megan appears to be the books most complicated character, both because we spend the least amount. The problem with the book, though, was that it was also frequently a hokey mess, and tate taylors new adaptation of the girl on the train takes the worst parts of the novel excruciating. The missourian the girl on the train is the kind of slippery, thrilling read that only comes around every few years see gone girl. The girl on the train a novel by paula hawkins summary.
The author of the girl on the train on playing voyeur from carriage windows, domestic violence, and breaking dan browns bestseller chart record sun. Lessons learned from the girl on the train the books. The girl on the train by paula hawkins is a psychological thriller that tells the story of three women. Hawkins manages to create an exciting story line using characters that the general public can relate too. The girl on the train is the story of rachel watsons life postdivorce. This study guide consists of approximately 46 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the girl on the train. See a complete list of the characters in girl and indepth analyses of the mother and the daughter.
This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of the girl on the train by paula hawkins. The most significant characters of strangers on a train are guy haines and charles bruno, who possess a sort of jekyll and hyde level dynamic. It had sold an estimated 15 million copies worldwide by october 2016. Amy dunne is a psychopath, an incredibly controlling and manipulative, smart, cunning woman. Their interactions drive much of the conflict of the. The girl on the train, by paula hawkins unofficial. Literature study guides the girl on the train characters. 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. The girl on the train has been compared frequently to gone girl by gillian flynn, as both novels employ unreliable narrators and deal with suburban life. 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. Emily blunt in the girl on the train movie new characters are introduced while others are altered as the tate taylordirected film also features more detail about what happens in the tunnel. Learn everything you need to know about rachel watson, megan hipwell, and more in the girl on the train. The girl on the train, by paula hawkins the new york times. The girl on the train by paula hawkins book analysis by.
Detailed analysis of characters in paula hawkinss the girl on the train. The girl on the train character analysis 883 words. Rachel watson is a young, overweight woman in her early thirties, who serves as one of the three narrators. Girl is a short story by jamaica kincaid that was first published in 1978. But if you think thats all it is, youd be very, very wrong because the girl on the train is more, so much more than just those two things. Rachel watson is a young, overweight woman in her early thirties, who serves as one of the three narrators of the novel the girl on the train by paula hawkins. Rachel watson from the girl on the train charactour. The girl on the train is a hokey mess the atlantic.
The house she lived in with her husband, who still lives there, with his new wife and child. Paula hawkins gripping new thriller begins with bitter, dissolute rachel, who sees what she believes to be a perfect couple, every morning on the train to. 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. So now that you have a basic understanding of the story, i think its time to introduce the main characters. By using three different narrators and skipping around in time, hawkins creates suspense and opportunities for different perspectives on an event. It provides a thorough exploration of the novels plot, characters and main themes, including alcoholism, murder and psychology. The girl on the train is a psychological thriller with themes including substance abuse and domestic violence. 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.
The protagonist of the story, she is the titles girl on the train. The girl on the train character analysis course hero. Shes also the one the reader can most closely relate to, because like us, she is an outsider looking in. We spend over half the book with rachel watson, our titular girl on the train.
Each day, rachel takes the train to work in london, heading past the town of witney. The girl on the train character analysis 909 words. This engaging summary presents an analysis of the girl on the train by paula hawkins, which follows rachel, who is struggling with alcoholism, depression and the collapse of her marriage, and lives vicariously through the people she sees from her train window every morning. The main narrator, rachel watson, catches glimpses of a seemingly perfect couple, megan and scott, everyday while she commutes on the train to work. Her train happens to stop across from one particular house almost every day, and rachel has created imaginary identities, jason and jess, for the man and woman she sees frequently in their back garden. A narrator describes a burial site by train tracks, marked with only a tiny pile of stones. The girl on the train is clearly referring to rachel, as she is the only girl who gets on a train in this book. She goes every day on the same morning and evening trains, observing the same suburban houses beside the tracks. This study guide specifically refers to the 2015 riverheadpenguin books hardcover. Orphan train characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. The girl on the train by paula hawkins is a psychologically gripping debut that delivers.
Rachel struggles to move on from her past relationship with tom, struggles with drug use that affects her mindset megan struggles with insomnia caused by the fear and guilt of her past, struggles to move on from her past, struggles with her. About the girl on the train the girl on the train summary. Book summary the novel begins on a train trip in which the narrator and a childhood friend, jim burden, share words about the past. Hawkinss girl is a less flashy, but altogether more solid creation. Therefore it need a free signup process to obtain the book. Megan is another firstperson narrator of the novel and the subject of rachels fantasies.
This is what makes this book so appealing, the humanity of the characters. Every day, she takes the train in to work in new york, and every day the train passes by her old house. Welcome,you are looking at books for reading, the the girl on the train a novel by paula hawkins summary analysis, you will able to read or download in pdf or epub books and notice some of author may have lock the live reading for some of country. 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. Unlock the more straightforward side of the girl on the train with this concise and insightful summary and 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 a novel by paula hawkins summary analysis. 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. Rachel watson is the most pathetic main character of a novel i have ever read. Tom is dead rachel and anna are questioned more of the truth about tom is revealed. A detailed description of the girl on the train characters and their importance. The girl on the train pages 1 54 summary and analysis. The main narrator, rachel watson, catches glimpses of a seemingly perfect couple, megan and scott. The narrator states there isnt much to mark the grave, but they didnt want to leave it without remembrance. Rachel is a mess for most of the novel, being still in love with tom and. Rachel is the exwife of tom watson, and now lives with an old friend from college, cathy. However, there is one house that she watches every day, naming the people in it, jess and jason. The girl on the train is a mystery and suspense novel by paula hawkins. The welcome echoes of rear window throughout the story and its propulsive narrative make the girl on the train an absorbing read. It follows the lives of three women rachel, anna, and megan and the events surrounding megans murder, ultimately bringing the lives of the three women together.