So I have heard about this book for a while - it's been a NY Times bestseller for the longest time - but I just got around to reading it. And I just have to say wow.
Rachel is the girl on the train. She lives in suburban London and has lost her husband and her job because she has a drinking problem. But everyday she rides the train back and forth so her flatmate thinks she is going to work. One of the places where the train always stops has a row of houses where a seemingly perfect couple - and also Rachel's ex-husband, Tom, new wife, Anna, and baby - live. Then the woman from the perfect couple disappears.
So Rachel knows that she was there at that train station the night the woman, Megan, disappeared, but she was so drunk she doesn't remember what happened. But she thinks she can help clear Megan's husband, Scott, of any suspicion, so she contacts him. Then the whole Rachel-Megan-Scott-Tom-Anna thing just gets crazy. I don't want to give anything away.
The novel is written from the different perspectives of the three women, mostly Rachel and Megan but a bit from Anna as well. I wasn't completely surprised by the ending but it did take me a bit to catch on. There's a very Gone Girl quality to the story that's quite appealing. It will be interesting to see how they make the movie work.
This was a great book, and I couldn't put it down.
The Girl on the Train
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Monday, August 1, 2016
The Martian
I really enjoyed this movie, and my cousin's rocket-scientist kid recommended the book. He wasn't wrong, this is a great read.
If you are unfamiliar with the story, astronaut Mark Watney gets left behind on a manned mission to Mars when the rest of his crew thinks he has died. When he realizes he is alive and alone, he has to figure out how to survive. The problems - and there are many - include the fact that there is only enough food for 6 people for 100 days (or sols as they call them on Mars), and there is no way to get a rescue crew to Mars that quickly. Eventually he figures out how to establish communication with the folks at NASA, and a plan is established to get him home - provided he can keep himself alive long enough.
Mark is a great character with a wry sense of humor and amazing intelligence. I admit to skimming some of the more involved mechanical and scientific passages, but this was a thoroughly enjoyable read. If you saw the movie you'll notice that they left a bunch of stuff out, but they had to - it would have been a four hour movie if they hadn't.
The Martian
If you are unfamiliar with the story, astronaut Mark Watney gets left behind on a manned mission to Mars when the rest of his crew thinks he has died. When he realizes he is alive and alone, he has to figure out how to survive. The problems - and there are many - include the fact that there is only enough food for 6 people for 100 days (or sols as they call them on Mars), and there is no way to get a rescue crew to Mars that quickly. Eventually he figures out how to establish communication with the folks at NASA, and a plan is established to get him home - provided he can keep himself alive long enough.
Mark is a great character with a wry sense of humor and amazing intelligence. I admit to skimming some of the more involved mechanical and scientific passages, but this was a thoroughly enjoyable read. If you saw the movie you'll notice that they left a bunch of stuff out, but they had to - it would have been a four hour movie if they hadn't.
The Martian
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