The Girl on the Plane

9780385682329_0I went to the Bahamas for a few days last week with a girlfriend and was very ambitious in the amount of reading material I packed for the trip.

Not only did I download The Girl on the Train on my Kindle, but I packed about 20 pounds of magazines — a few Peoples, Oprah, the Vanity Fair Oscar issue — along with my fairly heavy journal into my carryon bag. I almost tried to squeeze my new, 500+ page hardcover copy of All the Light We Cannot See into my suitcase — on top of the four pairs of sandals, running shoes, straw hat and separates that would have lasted me over a month on the island — but decided at the last minute to pry it out of the bag. I slipped in an extra pair of shoes instead.

Which was a good thing because I didn’t even crack open the latest Entertainment Weekly (not even the back page to check out EW Bullseye!), much less an actual book.

Do you know how you really connect with some people more than others and never run out of things to talk about? You can just jump from topic to topic? That’s how it is with the gal I went away with. And when we weren’t examining each other’s histories and solving each other’s various and sundry personal and professional issues, we were enjoying pitchers of rum punch and roaming around the resort carrying our wine glasses.

In other words, we were busy little bees.

And while I never would have gotten through All the Light We Cannot See on the trip, I did manage to bang out The Girl on the Train flying back and forth. I even stayed up well after midnight upon my return to finish the last few chapters.

Two thumbs up.

There’s been a lot of press that the British import is the new Gone Girl and while I did not find the main narrator of Train, Rachel, anywhere near Amazing Amy’s sketchy status (I mean, hard to top that nut), she does make for a fairly unreliable narrator in her own way.

The thriller is hard to put down as the story unfolds and Rachel’s heavy drinking creates holes in what she’s able to piece together, which was a little unsettling for someone to read after mainlining pina coladas poolside for a few days.

According to some of the reviews I’ve looked at after I finished the book, it’s apparently not perfect. And Rachel can make some really annoying decisions. But it’s super fun and sometimes, fun is enough for me.

I mean, it’s not like I’m marrying the book or anything.

So if you’re starting to think about what to pack for your upcoming Spring Break trip and, like me, favor easy-breezy over Camus (Smartypants: you know who I’m talking to) for your beach reading, give The Girl a whirl.

Tell me: What are you packing to read for Spring Break?

Hey look! Here's, like, the one photo I took on vacation while we were squeezing out the last drops of the one perfect beach day and obligatory bottle of white wine.

Hey look! Here’s, like, the one photo I took on vacation while we were squeezing out the last drops of the one perfect beach day coupled with the obligatory bottle of white wine.

Can’t handle reading a whole book right now? Sign up instead to get all my posts sent directly to your inbox. Just plug your email into the “receive new post in your inbox.” 

You can also follow me on Facebook and on Twitter.

15 thoughts on “The Girl on the Plane

  1. Coincidentally I am heading out this weekend on a ski trip and then on a two week trip abroad with The Girl On The Train. I’m thinking I’ll need a backup since every review I read says it is one of those books you just can’t put down. With all the air hours I’m going to log do you have any other suggestions?

    • Lisa, you are DEFINITELY going to need something else to read! If you’re doing an e-reader, I hear “All the Light You Cannot See” is amazing. I’m only on the first few pages. If you haven’t read Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild,” I say you need to get on that. And Alexandra Fuller’s “Leaving Before the Rain Comes” is also sitting only nightstand. But, who cares? You’re taking a fabulous two-week trip! Enjoy … 🙂

  2. Thank you! We are going to Japan next month and I will need A LOT of reading material that will keep me engaged for that flight! I will let you know if I finish it in one sitting! Oh! And I just love your blogs!

    • Japan! Wow! Actually, I’m going to Hong Kong with two of my kids for spring break and am also looking for stuff to keep me busy for the 16-hour flight. YIKES! Let me know if you come up with any great picks and SO glad you like the blog … xo

  3. I just finished “Me Before You” which I loved! I was going to bring “Glitter and Glue” on spring break but may run out and get it tonight in memory of Greenie who just passed away today. Maybe I’ll bring your recommendations with me in April instead.

    • Liz, I’ve heard “Me Before You” is great. Will put on my list. I just love Kelly Corrigan and was so sad to see the news about Greenie. Will make “Glitter and Glue” that much better. Hope you’re going somewhere warm in April! xo

  4. I can relate! Just got back from an annual “mom’s trip” I take with my friend and have a backache from all the books I hauled in my carry-on that I planned to read… on the 3 hour plane ride!

  5. I just looked at Girl on a Train on Amazon a few days ago. I will have to read it. I see some other recommendations in your comments. Have you ever done blog post for your book recommendations? I love getting recommendations from people. I’m not a snob; I read everything.:)

    • Hi Amanda! I love doing posts about what we’re all reading and always seem to get tons of feedback when I do. I’m with you, I’m open to reading just about anything. I’ll do a call out in the next few days. Great idea … 🙂

  6. The Girl on the Train is on the short list, so I’ll be reading it soon. I typically don’t like thrillers, but really enjoyed Gone Girl and the buzz about this book has intrigued me. Right now I’m finishing The Book of Joe (by Jonathan Tropper) and next up is A Fall of Marigolds, by Susan Meissner, for my book club.

Comments are closed.