Bible Verses & Mythology – The author used both at different times as a means to explain what René thought and felt. I thought they were overdone. I loved the characters in this book. There were some pretty big developments for Xanthe in her personal life in this story and I loved seeing how supportive everyone in her life turned out to be. I found the characters in the past to be just as likable and I found myself hoping that Xanthe would be able to help their situation. I loved getting to know Xanthe better as she learned more about her abilities. Paula es un libro diferente al resto de los concebidos por la autora. Esta vez no es una novela de ficción en la que nos sumergimos en los viajes de seres asombrosos pero irreales, inexistentes más allá de las páginas. No. En Paula, la autora escribe sobre la pena insondable de tener a un ser amado atrapado en un estado comatoso impenetrable. Entre las frías paredes de un hospital y después, en la comodidad del hogar pero aún junto a un cuerpo incapaz de responder a su desesperación, Allende escribe. This time Xanthe travels to the Regency period and once again, I love the attention to the historical detail in the story. Her mission always depends on her being able to navigate these details which are very delicate. It is not as easy as one would think. This is a masterful story of perseverance in the wake of being traumatised by abuse, loss and grief, and the giving up of old ways to begin a new life.

Korelitz, Jean Hanff (30 January 2015). " 'The Girl on the Train' by Paula Hawkins". The New York Times. Whenever a man “liked” Pym, and they often did, she decided they were boring and ran in the other direction. Perhaps this was because, as Dulcie Mainwaring, the heroine of No Fond Return of Loveputs it, “It seemed […] so much safer and more comfortable to live in the lives of other people – to observe their joys and sorrows with detachment as if one were watching a film or play.” Or, as Pym herself confided to a friend when in her late 40s, “I love Bob, I love Richard, I love Rice Krispies … perhaps it is better in the end just to love Rice Krispies.”It is then that a beautiful antique wedding dress sings to her. Realizing the dress and her adversary are connected in some way, she answers the call. She finds herself in Bradford-on-Avon in 1815, as if she has stepped into a Jane Austen story. I particularly liked how Saunders played with empathy. Typically, there is one protagonist -- maybe a few if you're playing with timeframes -- but Saunders switches between Rene and Leon, turning them into antagonists and heroins so rapidly that you can't quite tell whether you're supposed to like them or not. Interestingly though, whilst we always hear from Rene directly and can access her interior thoughts, we cannot for Leon (he remains distant). We only ever understand Leon through Eve, which of course makes all knowledge of him rather unreliable... In short, I loved the complexity of characterisation.

Allende alternated telling her family's story with the present situation of Paula's illness. We learn about Allende's grandparents, the real life inspiration for Esteban and Clara Trueba in House of the Spirits. Allende inherited Clara's propensity to communicate with spirits and shared a special relationship with Paula as she lingered between death and life. Later she tells us how the overthrow of her uncle Salvador Allende's government lead the family to seek asylum in Venezuela. It was in Caracas that Allende became a published novelist and lead her to both fame and a new life in the United States as she reached middle age. Yet, just as Allende made a name for herself, Paula fell ill. No one should have to bury their children, but Allende put her career on hold so that her daughter would not suffer during the end of her life. This book is as much of a letter to Paula as it is to preserve her memories. Admiro la valentía que ha mostrado la autora, para lograr poner en palabras una de las etapas más difícil y desgarradoras de su vida, una situación para la que una madre nunca estará preparada para vivir. Pulver, Andrew (13 July 2015). " 'The Girl on the Train' film to be set in US not UK". The Guardian. Paula Spencer gives some sort of resolution to this, fifteen years on, Paula is almost 50 and is more or less off the drink. Unlike it's predecessor, where the prime focus was Paula and the emotional and physical trauma she's dealing with due to her abusive marriage, this book focused more on Paula's kids and how her alcoholism and terrifying marriage to Charlo really messed them up or at least that's what I think the main focus is.Parineeti Chopra to star in official Hindi remake of 'The Girl On The Train' ". The Week. 24 April 2019 . Retrieved 6 August 2019. This passage comes toward the end of the book, which means we will leave Paula to her everlasting struggle, and things won't be tidy for her: In “Requiem for a Friend”, Rilke wrote: “And at last you saw yourself as a fruit, you stepped / out of your clothes and brought your naked body / before the mirror, you let yourself inside / down to your gaze; which stayed in front, immense, / and didn’t say: I am that; no: this is.” poet Pablo Neruda, he advises her to use her creative talents to write fiction; advice she will eventually take. Further, the author recalls the victory of Salvador Allende in 1970, only to contrast it with the events three years later when the military coup under Augusto Pinochet fully disrupts the life she had in Chile. The first part of the book ends with the heavy atmosphere of a Chilean police state and terror that is yet to be fully comprehended.

When the family moves to Rapid City, the gulf between parents and children widens and worsens. The parents are constantly battling each other when Al comes home. His disdain for Leon is as obvious as his favoritism for René. Sides are clearly drawn: Eve defends Leon; Al prefers René. Al even ignores Leon's many accomplishments playing baseball and never attends a game. The epic battles and the abusive punishments doled out to Leon result in both Leon and René being diagnosed with PTSD as adults. Leon turns to self-destructive behavior, while René tries to excel at everything. A whirlwind of adventures ensues as Xanthe heeds the call of a beautiful antique wedding dress that sings to her. She's had this ability her whole life. Meet the Cast: The girls from Paula Hawkins' "The Girl On The Train" (Exclusive Audio Clips)". Books on Tape . Retrieved 1 January 2017. Un libro conmovedor y un gran homenaje para su hija, y en donde la autora nos muestra su faceta más familiar y nos permite adentrarnos en su intimidad. A través de él, y como medio de catarsis emocional, la escritora intenta liberarse de la agonía y del dolor que le produce el estado de su hija, volcando en cada página un diario en donde nos pasea entre el presente y el pasado.Siegel, Tatiana (28 September 2016). " 'Girl on the Train' Author Shoots Down 'Gone Girl' Comparisons". The Hollywood Reporter.

This is an amazing read. I thought it was even better than The Woman Who Walked Into Doors. Paula is a brilliant character. There are no holds barred about her frailties and her issues. She’s nearly 48 and is an alcoholic who is on the dry. Leanne, her daughter, daughter of an alcoholic, is a sad and damaged character who is becoming an alcoholic herself. Leanne has few friends, and suffers from terrible excema. There is a lot of tension between Paula and Leanne that’s very well depicted by Doyle.This is one series you definitely want to start at the beginning with as it references things and characters in the previous books. Ballet in South Dakota – I don’t want to offend anyone from South Dakota, but ballet just isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when I think of a small town in The Mount Rushmore State. Yet, ballet played a huge role in The Distance Home. Leon, René’s older brother, was the first to start in ballet in the hunt to find a place for him to succeed. And, succeed he did. He was soon joined by René, later by younger sister, Jayne and finally even their mother, Eve. Ballet became a huge part of their lives, very nearly taking over. It was an escape that offered freedom and a sense of normalcy sadly missing from their lives. But, for Leon especially, it came with very high costs. René watched Leon’s demise as her own status rose. Paula cleans offices, as well as cleaning for private clients. She’s promoted to supervisor at work. The extra money makes a difference. Being chosen as supervisor is good for her decimated self esteem. With Paula and the drink: 'She knew she'd always be trying to give it up. She knew she'd always be fighting'.