Ugh... I wanted to like this, I really did. The problem is, it just wasn't that good. I'm doubtful even whether this would have been published if it wUgh... I wanted to like this, I really did. The problem is, it just wasn't that good. I'm doubtful even whether this would have been published if it was a debut novel.
Yep, there was some moments I was riveted, but 50% of the time I was confused and wondering who was who. It wasn't until the second half of the book that I finally got my head round all the characters. I loved the first person storytelling in Girl on the Train, but somehow it just doesn't work here, probably because there are just too many people to care about any one of them.
This isn't a bad book, but it isn't a good one either. The real shame is that it could have been so much better, it had so much promise that never delThis isn't a bad book, but it isn't a good one either. The real shame is that it could have been so much better, it had so much promise that never delivered. Like many others I found it by accident while looking for The Girl On The Train, but opening chapters were intriguing enough to persuade me to carry on reading.
I love the premise of the book, exploring the way two lives collide through a chance meeting on a train. The ensuing capers and amateur detective work see a grieving journalist explore the apparent 'suicide' of their fellow passenger. However, on closer inspection not all is quite as it seems...
Girl on a Train is easy light reading. I read most of it sat around the staff room between breaks in theatre cases. It's one of those books that doesn't take a lot of concentration and I managed to plough through it quickly. However, as it progressed the story got more and more predictable and in the end darn right ridiculous. When the killer was revealed I couldn't stop rolling my eyes. It seemed like a real cop out on the part of the author.
Part of me feels Girl on a Train only deserves two stars on grounds of the plot, but I love A J Waines style of writing. She can really bring words to life on the page, and for all its faults the first half of the book was excellent. While 3 stars is fairly charitable, it kept me entertained through a few slow days in theatre....more