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Extended Audio Sample The Girl on the Train: A Novel Audiobook, by Paula Hawkins Click for printable size audiobook cover
4.29 out of 54.29 out of 54.29 out of 54.29 out of 54.29 out of 5 4.29 (55 ratings) (rate this audio book) Author: Paula Hawkins Narrator: Clare Corbett, Louise Brealey, India Fisher Publisher: Penguin Random House Format: Unabridged Audiobook Delivery: Instant Download Audio Length: Release Date: January 2015 ISBN: 9780698189621
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The #1 New York Times Bestseller, USA Today Book of the Year, now a major motion picture.
 
The debut psychological thriller that will forever change the way you look at other people's lives.
 
“Nothing is more addicting than The Girl on the Train.”—Vanity Fair

“The Girl on the Train has more fun with unreliable narration than any chiller since Gone Girl. . . . [It] is liable to draw a large, bedazzled readership.”—The New York Times
 
“Marries movie noir with novelistic trickery. . . hang on tight. You'll be surprised by what horrors lurk around the bend.”—USA Today
 
“Like its train, the story blasts through the stagnation of these lives in suburban London and the reader cannot help but turn pages.”—The Boston Globe

“Gone Girl fans will devour this psychological thriller.”—People 
 
 
EVERY DAY THE SAME
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

UNTIL TODAY
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
 
 
 
 




From the Trade Paperback edition. Download and start listening now!

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Quotes & Awards

  • I’m calling it now: The Girl on the Train is the next Gone Girl. Paula Hawkins’s highly anticipated debut novel is a dark, gripping thriller with the shocking ending you crave in a noir-ish mystery. Bustle 
  • Rachel takes the same train into London every day, daydreaming about the lives of the occupants in the homes she passes. But when she sees something unsettling from her window one morning, it sets in motion a chilling series of events that make her question whom she can really trust. Woman’s Day
  • Hawkins’s debut novel is a tangle of unreliable narrators, but what will have readers talking is her deft handling of twists and turns and her eerily fine-tuned narrative. This is one creepy, dark thriller. . . . The book is smartly paced and delightfully complex. Just when it seems Hawkins is leading us one way, Rachel, Anna, or Megan change the game. Nothing can be taken for granted in The Girl on the Train, not even the account of the girl herself. Las Vegas Weekly 
  • Psychologically astute debut . . .  The surprise-packed narratives hurtle toward a stunning climax, horrifying as a train wreck and just as riveting. Publishers Weekly (starred review) 
  • [A] chilling, assured debut. . . . Even the most astute readers will be in for a shock as Hawkins slowly unspools the facts, exposing the harsh realities of love and obsession's inescapable links to violence. Kirkus (starred review)
  • intricate, multilayered psychological suspense debut, from a staggered timeline and three distinct female narrators. Rachel, who is unabashed in her darker instincts, anchors the narrative. Readers will fear, pity, sympathize and root for her, though she's not always understandable or trustworthy. . . . En route to a terrorizing and twisted conclusion, all three women—and the men with whom they share their lives—are forced to dismantle their delusions about others and themselves, their choices and their respective relationships. Shelf Awareness
  • Hawkins’s tale of love, regret, violence and forgetting is an engrossing psychological thriller with plenty of surprises. . . . The novel gets harder and harder to put down as the story screeches toward its unexpected ending. Minneapolis Star Tribune
  • A gripping, down-the-rabbit-hole thriller. Entertainment Weekly Hotlist 
  • The Thriller So Engrossing, You'll Pray for Snow: Send in the blizzards, because nothing as mundane as work, school or walking the dog should distract you from this debut thriller. A natural fit for fans of Gone Girl-style unreliable narrators and twisty, fast-moving plots, The Girl on the Train will have you racing through the pages. Oprah.com
  • It's difficult to say too much more about the plot of The Girl on the Train; like all thrillers, it's best for readers to dive in spoiler-free. This is a debut novel—Hawkins is a journalist by training—but it doesn't read like the work of someone new to suspense. The novel is perfectly paced, from its arresting beginning to its twist ending; it's not an easy book to put down. . . . . What really makes The Girl on the Train such a gripping novel is Hawkins' remarkable understanding of the limits of human knowledge, and the degree to which memory and imagination can become confused. NPR.org 
  • [L]ike Gone Girl, Hawkins's book is a highly addictive novel about a lonely divorcee who gets caught up in the disappearance of a woman whom she had been surreptitiously watching. And beyond the Gone Girl comparisons, this book has legs of its own. GQ.com
  • Paula Hawkins’ thriller is a shocking ride. US Weekly 
  • An ex-wife indulges her voyeuristic tendencies in Paula Hawkins’s film-ready The Girl on the Train. In the post-Gone Girl era, crimes of love aren’t determined by body counts or broken hearts, but by who controls the story line. Vogue  
  • The Girl on the Train [is] a harrowing new suspense novel…a complex and thoroughly chilling psychological thriller… The Girl on the Train is one of those books where you can’t wait — yet almost can’t bear — to turn the page. It’s a stunning novel of dread.  New York Daily News 
  • The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is a psychologically gripping debut that delivers. The Missourian
  • The Girl on the Train is the kind of slippery, thrilling read that only comes around every few years (see Gone Girl). BookPage 
  • Hawkins, a former journalist, is a witty, sharp writer with a gift for creating complex female characters. Cleveland Plain Dealer
  • What a group of characters, what a situation, what a book! It’s Alfred Hitchcock for a new generation and a new era. Terry Hayes, author of I Am Pilgrim
  • The Girl on the Train is as tautly constructed as Gone Girl or A.S.A. Harrison'sThe Silent Wife, and has something more: a main character who is all screwed up but sympathetic nonetheless. Broken, but dear. . . . No matter how well it's written, a suspense novel can fall apart in the last pages, with an overly contrived or unbelievable ending. Here, The Girl on the Train shines, with its mystery resolved by a left-field plot twist that works, followed, surprisingly, by what you might call a happy ending. Newsday
  • There’s nothing like a possible murder to take the humdrum out of your daily commute. Cosmopolitan
  • This month we're gearing up for Paula Hawkins's mystery The Girl on the Train. Its three narrators keep readers guessing as they try to suss out who's behind one character's shocking disappearance. Can you figure out who did it before they do? Martha Stewart Living
  • What a thriller! People Style Watch 
  • Hawkins keeps the tension ratcheted high in this thoroughly engrossing tale of intersecting strangers and intimate betrayals. Kept me guessing until the very end. Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the Detective D. D. Warren series
  • I simply could not put it down. Tess Gerritsen, New York Times–bestselling author of the Rizzoli and Isles series
  • Gripping, enthralling—a top-notch thriller and a compulsive read. S. J. Watson,New York Times–bestselling author of Before I Go to Sleep
  • Be ready to be spellbound, ready to become as  obsessed. . . . The Girl on the Train is the kind of book you’ll want to press into the hands of everyone you know, just so they  can share your obsession and you can relive it. Laura Kasischke, author of The Raising 
  • Artfully crafted and utterly riveting. The Girl on the Train’s clever structure and expert pacing will keep you perched on the edge of your seat, but it’s Hawkins’s deft, empathetic characterization that will leave you pondering this harrowing, thought-provoking story about the power of memory and the danger of envy. Kimberly McCreight, New York Times–bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia 
  • The Girl on the Train has more fun with unreliable narration than any chiller since Gone Girl. . . . The Girl on the Train is liable to draw a large, bedazzled readership too. . . . The Girl on the Train is full of back-stabbing, none of it literal. Janet Maslin, The New York Times
  • The Girl on the Train marries movie noir with novelistic trickery. . . hang on tight. You'll be surprised by what horrors lurk around the bend. USA Today
  • Like its train, the story blasts through the stagnation of these lives in suburban London and the reader cannot help but turn pages. . . . The welcome echoes ofRear Window throughout the story and its propulsive narrative make The Girl on the Train an absorbing read. The Boston Globe
  • [The Girl on the Train] pulls off a thriller's toughest trick: carefully assembling everything we think we know, until it reveals the one thing we didn't see coming. Entertainment Weekly 
  • Gone Girl fans will devour this psychological thriller. . . . Hawkins’s debut ends with a twist that no one—least of all its victims—could have seen coming. People 
  • Given the number of titles that are declared to be 'the next' of a bestseller . . . book fans have every right to be wary. But Paula Hawkins’ novel The Girl on the Train just might have earned the title of 'the next Gone Girl. Christian Science Monitor 
  • Hawkins’s taut story roars along at the pace of, well, a high-speed train. …Hawkins delivers a smart, searing thriller that offers readers a 360-degree view of lust, love, marriage and divorce. Good Housekeeping
  • Paula Hawkins has come up with an ingenious slant on the currently fashionable amnesia thriller. . . . Hawkins juggles perspectives and timescales with great skill, and considerable suspense builds up along with empathy for an unusual central character. The Guardian
  • Paula Hawkins deftly imbues her debut psychological thriller with inventive twists and a shocking denouement.  … Hawkins delivers an original debut that keeps the exciting momentum of The Girl on the Train going until the last page. Denver Post
  • “The Girl on the Train, Hawkins’s first thriller, is well-written and ingeniously constructed.  The Washington Post
  • The novel is at its best in the moment of maximum confusion, when neither the reader nor the narrators know what is occurring The Financial Times
  • This fresh take on Hitchcock’s Rear Window is getting raves and will likely be one of the biggest debuts of the year. Omaha World-Herald

  • “Hawkins keeps the tension ratcheted high in this thoroughly engrossing tale of intersecting strangers and intimate betrayals.”

    Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author

  • “Gripping, enthralling—a top-notch thriller and a compulsive read.”

    S. J. Watson, New York Times bestselling author

  • “Hawkins delivers a smart, searing thriller that offers readers a 360-degree view of lust, love, marriage, and divorce.”

    Good Housekeeping

  • “Gone Girl fans will devour this psychological thriller…Hawkins’ debut ends with a twist that no one—least of all its victims—could have seen coming.”

    People

  • “[A] twisty thriller.”

    USA Today

  • “[The Girl on the Train] pulls off a thriller’s toughest trick: carefully assembling everything we think we know, until it reveals the one thing we didn’t see coming.”

    Entertainment Weekly

  • “Hawkins keeps all these fibs, threats, and innuendoes swirling through her book, to the point where they frighten and undermine each of her characters. ”

    New York Times

  • “Paula Hawkins’ addictive debut [leads] into a new stratum of the psychological thriller genre. At times, I couldn’t help but think: Hitchcockian.”

    Amazon.com, editorial review

  • “Intricate, multilayered psychological suspense.”

    Shelf Awareness

  • “Psychologically astute…The surprise-packed narratives hurtle toward a stunning climax, horrifying as a train wreck and just as riveting.”

    Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  • “Even the most astute readers will be in for a shock as Hawkins slowly unspools the facts, exposing the harsh realities of love and obsession’s inescapable links to violence.”

    Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
  • Selected for the January 2015 Indie Next List
  • A January 2015 LibraryReads Pick
  • A BookPage Top Pick for January 2015
  • An Amazon Best Book of the Month for January 2015
  • Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
  • A Wall Street Journal bestseller
  • A 2015 Amazon Best Books of the Year Selection for Audiobooks and Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense
  • A Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2015 Selection for Popular Fiction
  • A BookPage Best Book of 2015
  • A New York Times Best Book of 2015
  • A 2016 Anthony Award Nominee for Best Crime Fiction Audiobook
  • Winner of the Audie Award for Best Audiobook of the Year

Listener Opinions

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Tucker | 12/31/2017

    " Interesting. Different. Not too violent (a Huge plus). I really liked listening to the therapist’s voice and diction. I also enjoyed listening to his advice. This book keeps your attention. Thank you. "

  • 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Mason | 7/25/2017

    " Very entertaining, the end as a little bit disappointing. Worth a listen! "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 craig | 5/21/2017

    " very enjoyable, paula does a great job in her story telling. ive heard it twice "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Diane | 4/9/2017

    " First book I purchased. I really enjoyed it. I didn't find it hard to follow at all as others have said. It caught my attention immediately. Intriguing with many twists & turns! "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Chap | 2/10/2017

    " I was seeing "The Girl on the Train" everywhere and it got my interest, so I downloaded the book. At the same time a good friend of mine told me that he read the book and was disappointed. I generally like what he likes so I thought to myself, well, that was a waste of money. At first I had a hard-time following what was going on but then I got it. This was a fantastic read that got better and better when the author added in the missing pieces. I highly recommed this book. "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 megan | 1/11/2017

    " This is one of my most favorite audiobooks yet! Yes, you can take the time to read the novel yourself, but why do that when you can listen so much faster?! The suspense would build up so quickly that many times I was thankful I could listen instead of read, just because listening was faster. Great buy! "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Karah | 12/21/2016

    " Amazing book! Sad to finish it, but at least I can see the movie! "

  • 4.333333 out of 54.333333 out of 54.333333 out of 54.333333 out of 54.333333 out of 5 Nadine | 12/13/2016

    " Rachael is a train wreck, oops, yes she rides the train everyday into town. This is a character that you have to identify with on some level if you've ever felt like life has crushed you in some way. I liked getting into the head of the person everyone is recoiling from because she's looking and acting so terribly. I enjoyed this book, it's a thriller, but also a commentary on how life's disappointments can affect you. "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 liz | 12/6/2016

    " I enjoyed this book very much. Made my 8 hour trip fly by. After reading the book, I saw the movie and fell asleep at the beginning. It did get better but the book is far better than the movie. "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Kathy | 12/3/2016

    " I didn't start out enjoying this book as every character had a different issue in their personality and life and I had a hard time keeping track but in no time I found myself hooked and waiting to find out who the killer was. Great twist at the end. Would recommend this and can't wait to see the movie. "

  • 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Andrew | 10/30/2016

    " a bit slow start but excellent way to pass drive time. "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Marie | 10/25/2016

    " Such a well written story....keeps you guessing!! Wanted to finish before seeing the film, well done! "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Charla | 10/21/2016

    " Definitely a great book. Wired and twisted story line yet in a good way. This book slowly revels bits of information little by little and leaves you astonished the more the story is unrivaled. The ending of this book is very unexpected, alarming and awesome in my opinion. The narration was great as well. "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Danna Rae | 10/17/2016

    " keeps you thinking by going back and forth from dates. great book "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Gris | 10/16/2016

    " The intricacy and flashbacks required that I listen twice, much like all great stories. I found it a little too complex and tedious the first time, not being able to follow the timeline but when I listened more carefully, I was able to make the connections and understood how it came together in that one night! Brilliant! "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Sue smith | 10/4/2016

    " Omg I absolutely loved this story. I hate to read so audiobooks are perfect for me. U can take them with u just like a real book in your phone or other device. I can't wait to see this movie now. I'm going next Tuesday. Wonderful. "

  • 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5 J Locke | 9/21/2016

    " I found this book tiring- it constantly put me to sleep. The way it was written with name changes ,narrator changes, and time changes made it difficult to follow. Plus the coincidences add up to total disbelief - so many unbelievable people just happen to end up on the same block. Really! You can't skip and it is difficult to skim though it because of the way it is written. An important "clue" might be all that narrative to help you solve the thing. The only way to do this is to see the moving, if at all. "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Peter Duggans | 9/18/2016

    " Fascinating story and it was my 1st ever audio book, which made the experience all that more enjoyable. I'm going to go see the movie this week with my wife and I'm hoping it's as good as the book. The story kept u interested til the end and I don't think anyone would have guessed the outcome. The twists and turns along with the ins / outs of the characters, made the story gripping. "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Christina | 8/16/2016

    " Excellent story. Gripping and suspenseful. There were enough twists and turns to keep you engaged. Well written and narrated so that you could completely visualize both the characters and the scenery. "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Sally | 5/18/2016

    " I loved the story! It was very engaging right to the end. It had good twists and made you react to various situations by the descriptions - you could almost feel like you were in the character's shoes. I really enjoyed the narration too. First of all, it was in British/English. Being American myself, I love accents. It made it that much more entertaining for me. Also, the different voices for the different characters was a great addition! "

  • 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Jess | 4/23/2016

    " Good book with a few surprise moments. Dragged a little at some points, but I ended up liking it. Give it a chance if you are looking for an interesting book. "

  • 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Melissa | 4/19/2016

    " this story intricate follows different lives, but allows you to feel you understand everyone's perspective. "

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About the Author

Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for fifteen years before turning her hand to fiction. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989 and has lived there ever since. The Girl on the Train is her first thriller.

About the Narrators

Clare Corbett, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, studied at the Welsh College of Music and Drama. After winning the Carlton Hobbs audition, she was chosen to be on BBC Radio. After leaving BBC she went on to narrate several children’s books, including Over the Moon, I Rule Dogsbottom School, and Boy Beware. She has transitioned into reading young adult novels, including many installments in the Doctor Who series.

Louise Brealey, AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator, studied history at Cambridge University before studying acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Manhattan. On television, she appeared in the long-running medical drama Casualty on BBC One in 2002, appearing in ninety-six episodes. Afterwards, she appeared in the BBC serialization of Charles Dickens’ Bleak House, as well as Hotel Babylon, Law & Order: UK, Ripper Street, and in all series of Sherlock as Molly Hooper.

India Fisher is a British actress and voice artist. She has appeared in the television series Dead Ringers and provided the voice for the character of Sophia Winchell in the BBC animated webcast series Ghosts of Albion. She narrates BBC One’s cookery program MasterChef and performs voice-overs for television advertisements. She has also appeared in several episodes of the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Elephants to Catch Eels and has provided voices on a number of science-fiction audio dramas.

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