These two books have been on everyone's radar lately, and for good reason: both offer very unique and intriguing premises. They both just sounded promising to me, so I picked it up right away. Unfortunately, I didn't love them as much as I thought I would.
Station Eleven
Rating: 3 stars
For this book, the author brings a fresh take on the post-apocalyptic genre. Its idea is different, and I don't recall ever reading a book like it. I loved that. It's why I picked it up in the first place. And while I was reading it, I realized one thing. The book's greatest strength lies in the author's prose and writing style without a doubt. Her writing is effortlessly poetic. It reminded me of a lot of The Night Circus in some ways.
Having said that, I have to admit that I found the rest of the book a bit underwhelming. To put it simply, I was bored with it. It couldn't grab my attention, and I didn't feel like it was going anywhere. I tried hard to finish it, and at times, I felt like I just needed to finish it, just to say I did. That's not exactly a good thing. So I guess what I'm saying is that while I appreciated its effort and its literary merit, I didn't fall in love with it as much as others did.
Rating: 3 stars
For this book, the author brings a fresh take on the post-apocalyptic genre. Its idea is different, and I don't recall ever reading a book like it. I loved that. It's why I picked it up in the first place. And while I was reading it, I realized one thing. The book's greatest strength lies in the author's prose and writing style without a doubt. Her writing is effortlessly poetic. It reminded me of a lot of The Night Circus in some ways.
Having said that, I have to admit that I found the rest of the book a bit underwhelming. To put it simply, I was bored with it. It couldn't grab my attention, and I didn't feel like it was going anywhere. I tried hard to finish it, and at times, I felt like I just needed to finish it, just to say I did. That's not exactly a good thing. So I guess what I'm saying is that while I appreciated its effort and its literary merit, I didn't fall in love with it as much as others did.
The Girl On The Train
Rating: 3.5 stars
I enjoyed this a bit more. While not perfect and not a favorite, it definitely kept me interested throughout, which is a crucial thing for me. I at least kept wanting to turn the page.
Rating: 3.5 stars
I enjoyed this a bit more. While not perfect and not a favorite, it definitely kept me interested throughout, which is a crucial thing for me. I at least kept wanting to turn the page.
However, I didn't find it that "thrilling," which is unfortunate, because it is a thriller after all, and when I read from that genre, I expect the usual feeling of reading with bated breath. I didn't experience that with The Girl On The Train.
Don't get me wrong, I thought it was intriguing and entertaining enough, and I do recommend this for others to try out for themselves, but for me, it just didn't blow my mind.
Don't get me wrong, I thought it was intriguing and entertaining enough, and I do recommend this for others to try out for themselves, but for me, it just didn't blow my mind.
What did you think of these two books? Did you love them? Or were you left a little underwhelmed like I was? Maybe something's wrong with me that I just didn't love it as much as others did? I don't know. Share your thoughts.
Station Eleven was beautifully written, but I, too, was a little disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI liked the writing in Station Eleven and although I NEVER read post-apocalyptic novels, this one held my attention throughout. Am on the library hold list for The Girl on the Train.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy Girl on the Train!
DeleteI enjoyed the suspense of TGOTT. But I never liked any of the characters one bit. That makes for difficult reading, but I felt the story itself was unique enough for me to keep reading and enjoy it overall.
ReplyDeleteI was on the fence about Station Eleven, but I just don't think it's for me. Probably going to pass on trying it.
So true, I also didn't really like the characters as much. I just didn't care, and that's tough to keep reading when you don't really care.
DeleteI really liked Station Eleven, but similarly gave it three stars. I read Last Night in Montreal by Mandel a few months ago and liked it a lot more. Her writing is beautiful. I'm tempted by The Girl on the Train, but the comparisons to Gone Girl have put me off a bit because I wasn't a fan xo
ReplyDeleteI really liked Gone Girl, and so maybe that's why I thought Girl on the Train was a bit underwhelming for me.
DeleteI've been curious about Girl on the Train, but I might wait for the hype to die down a bit. I loved Station Eleven. I wonder if the audio really helped with that. I felt completely caught up in the story. I think so much of it has to do with my mood as well. It was just a perfect fit for what I wanted that day : )
ReplyDeleteI can see what you mean that it can be a 'depending-on-the-mood' book. It was the second book I read, and I was excited with the other books I had in line. Maybe that's not a fair thing to do!
DeleteI've been going back and forth on The Girl on the Train. I'll keep it on my TBR, but won't becrunning out to find it.
ReplyDeleteI'd recommend you to try it out just to see if you like it! :)
DeleteI thought The Girl on the Train a so-so read. Intriguing but didn't blow me away. I have yet to read Station Eleven, though.
ReplyDeleteYeah exactly. It was good but didn't blow me away either.
DeleteNo, nothing is wrong with you! I enjoyed Station Eleven more than you did, but I'm a theatre/music kid so that made it right up my alley!
ReplyDeleteI can see why you'd like it if you are a theatre/music kid! I do love theatre/music, but yeah, it wasn't for me. Maybe it was my mood at that time while reading it. Maybe one day I'll give it another try. haha.
DeleteI have to recommend reading the book The Girl on the Train: A Novel.
ReplyDeleteI finished reading it today, and I think its a very interesting book to read.
I brought mine off Amazon and I got it in only 2 days.
Here is a link for the book on Amazon:
http://amzn.to/2bmQFNj