Name: Megan Parrott's review of Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
Item: Into the Water
Rating: 3
Author: Megan Parrott

Paula Hawkins

'Wondering if Into the Water could be as good as The Girl on the Train? It's better. A triumph.' Clare Mackintosh, bestselling author of I Let You Go. THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLER SIMON MAYO RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB CHOICE RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIME GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS BEST MYSTERY & THRILLER 2017 The addictive new psychological thriller from the author of The Girl on the Train, the runaway Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller and global phenomenon. In the last days before her death, Nel called her sister. Jules didn't pick up the phone, ignoring her plea for help. Now Nel is dead. They say she jumped. And Jules has been dragged back to the one place she hoped she had escaped for good, to care for the teenage girl her sister left behind. But Jules is afraid. So afraid. Of her long-buried memories, of the old Mill House, of knowing that Nel would never have jumped. And most of all she's afraid of the water, and the place they call the Drowning Pool . . . With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, satisfying read that hinges on the stories we tell about our pasts and their power to destroy the lives we live now. 'Paula Hawkins does it again! Into the Water is a moody and chilling thriller that will have you madly turning the pages. A gripping, compulsive read!' Shari Lapena, bestselling author of The Couple Next Door 'Fans of Paula Hawkins' The Girl on the Train rejoice: her second novel Into the Water is even better. A brilliantly plotted and fast-paced juggernaut of a read that hurtles to a heart-stopping conclusion.' Good Housekeeping (Book of the Month) 'A brooding and complex read that deserves to make a splash in its own right.' Sunday Mirror 'A twisting whodunit that leaves you both gratified and surprised (also the best kind) . . . Not just a brilliant thriller but also a furious feminist howl . . .' Stylist 'Paula Hawkins effortlessly follows the success of The Girl on the Train with this immersive novel . . . Told from multiple points of view, this is clever and twisty fiction with a ghostly edge.' Red

Into the Water

nienke

The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller and global phenomenon The Girl on the Train returns with Into the Water, her addictive new novel of psychological suspense. A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged. Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother's sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from--a place to which she vowed she'd never return. With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, twisting, deeply satisfying read that hinges on the deceptiveness of emotion and memory, as well as the devastating ways that the past can reach a long arm into the present. Beware a calm surface--you never know what lies beneath.

Megan Parrott

Count me among the crowd that enjoyed The Girl on the Train, so it made sense to follow up with Paula Hawkins' sophomore novel. The premise was quite intriguing – mysterious deaths connected by a menacing river – but in the end, I was a little disappointed. I like Hawkins' style of writing, but this book had far too many characters. I don't mind working to keep up, but it was a little tiresome with this one. I still think it's worth a try if you enjoy Hawkins and/or similar authors.

sarah

too many characters to keep track of and none of them really stood out to me, so I felt very detached from the characters. plot twist was lacking, and most of the book dragged.

Teba nabeel

Wtf is that ending damn.

This book made me feel so dumb 💀
I’ve read a book of the same author (the girl on the train) and this book only proved that she is an expert in this area of novels
So many characters it threw me off guard at first but then they grew on me quite quickly. Every now and then I found myself pointing fingers at who could be the killer (felt so stupid) and till the very last page where it was revealed, I didn’t guess 💀
This book is sad and gloomy and dare i say depressing but in a way that was captivating and alluring. 
Overall loved it.

Melissa Palmer

Book #38 Read in 2017
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

Similar to Girl on the Train, this book is full of not very nice characters. That being said, this book did not grab me as quickly as the other. I did not care about any of the characters. The story line was that this small town has women, descendants of witches, who drown themselves. Or is it murder? Told from alternating points of view, the mystery was decent but I was disappointed in this book overall. I borrowed this book from my town library.

Lamia Hajani

4 stars

I was a little hesitant going into this book because of the complaints from other readers about there being way too many characters, but I didn't find it all that hard to follow, surprisingly. I did have to go back a few times to remind myself who some characters were, but it was a very quick read otherwise. I was a fan of The Girl on the Train by Hawkins, so I guess I am not surprised that I latched onto her writing style in this book as well.

I will say that an issue I have with this book (and perhaps her other novel too) is that the characters are extremely unlikable. I understand wanting to make characters multifaceted and flawed, but many of her characters have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. That's an issue for me when reading because I believe it means that there is not enough depth to her characters - which isn't surprising considering how many characters she would have to draw out for this purpose. 

Overall, this is an easy 4/5 stars to give because the plot is creative and the writing is excellent.

Colleen

1 Star

This review contains spoilers. They are not all hidden because some are included as trigger warnings.

After the utter frustration that came from reading The Girl on the Train, I had no intention of reading Into the Water. But I got outvoted at bookclub. Again. 

I will try to get the comparisons to The Girl on the Train out of the way first. The two books do have many commonalities. They are both thrillers (but not thrilling), focus on unsolved crimes against women, have multiple points of view, unreliable narrators and a cast of characters that are 100% asshats. Admittedly, Into the Water did not leave me nearly as frustrated as The Girl on the Train. But that was mostly because I was not captivated enough to be aggravated by it. The only thing that I could say improved from The Girl on the Train was the removal of the long-winded purple prose. 

Into the Water revolves around a small fictional town in England which has a spot on the river called the Drowning Pool where many women have drowned over the centuries. Some were murdered. Some committed suicide. One woman becomes obsessed with the Drowning Pool and starts to write a book about it. Then she turns up drowned. This raises lots of questions and uncovers many secrets. Which is not hard to do when you have a town full of loathsome people who all have something to hide.

The biggest problem with Into the Water is the multiple points of view. There are ten POV. Yes, TEN! There was absolutely NO REASON to have ten different points of view!! There were only maybe four that were necessary. I had an extremely hard time trying to keep track of who the characters were and who was narrating. Their voices and personalities all blended together into one messy jumble. The narrative also flops around like a dying fish. Five POV are told in first person. The other five are in third person. One of the first person narrators also tends to talk to one of the dead characters in second person. On top of that were sections of the book that a character was writing. Those excerpts were basically useless. They were supposed to be about the history of the Drowning Pool, but really they were just that character's fictionalized imaginings about the events. At best they were red herrings. At worst they were completely pointless. 

On top of that, (yes, there is more!) the story is non-chronological. It skips all over the place. Some sections have the year listed, some have the day and month, and some have nothing at all. Who can keep track of all that? I had to use my notes just to remember who was who. It was vexing to the extreme.

Every single character in this book was awful. They ranged from unpleasant to fully psychotic, but they were all nasty to read about. But since there was a noticeable lack of character development, they were nasty just for the sake of it. A whole town full of foul people doing repugnant things. There are heaps of potential triggers in this book: suicide, murder, rape (of a thirteen-year-old), statutory rape (of a fifteen-year-old by a twenty-nine-year-old), abuse, infidelity, and more.

Because the characters were abhorrent and flat and the plot line was chaotic, it was too hard to get involved in the story. I did not really care what happened to anyone. The writing lacked atmosphere and suspense. The story was split up into four parts. The first two introduced the overabundance of narrators and set the scene (as much as you can when you are bouncing around so much). Part three picked up some. During that section, I actually thought it might redeem at least one star, but that thought was obliterated by Part four. The ending hurried to wrap everything up then dragged on painfully. It was full of obnoxious non-answers and a rather pathetic attempt at a last second twist. There were too many loose ends, and it was just too ambiguous. 

  "There was something you wanted to tell me, wasn't there? What was it you were trying to say? I feel like I drifted out of this conversation a long time ago. I stopped concentrating, I was thinking about something else, getting on with things, I wasn't listening, and I lost the thread of it."
 And that quote from the beginning of the book pretty much sums up my experience with Into the Water. I would like to throw this book into the water. Or into the trash. I think I am officially done with trying to read Paula Hawkins' works. She is 0/2 for me, and I cannot think of any reason to try again. 


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 1 Star
Writing Style: 1 Star
Characters and Character Development: 1 Star
Plot Structure and Development: 1 Star
Level of Captivation: 1 Star
Originality: 1 Star

Lauren Nicole

I confess that this is the first suspense/thriller that I've read, as I tend to prefer fantasy over most genres. However, I went in reading "Into the Water" with low expectations of liking it and found myself enjoying parts of it - keeping in mind, that I don't have anything to compare it to. I've read some of the other reviews on here and I agree with the majority of them, finding it slow and underwhelming. Especially when compared to "The Girl on the Train".

The premise was interesting, but the multiple narratives were confusing at times, especially when the multiple points of view also switch from first to third person. I also agree with other readers that the river was emphasized in a way that suggested it had a deeper meaning, like it was meant to be it's own "character" and yet it really didn't have much to do with the story. 

Overall, I enjoyed it more than I was expecting to, but that had more to do with my inexperience within the genre than with the novel itself. However, it's has become somewhat of a gateway into reading more of its kind.

Jordan H

How on earth do you expect someone to follow along with a million point of views?? By the time I knew who was who, I was done 2/3's of the book! This major flaw is the reason behind my 3/5 stars. If we ignore this major annoyance (hard to do), I enjoyed the plot but didn't find myself overly attached to any of the characters. The abundance of characters prevented me from empathizing with anyone, or really caring about the people that were dead.
If I were to pick a favourite character I would say Lena. I wish I could've heard things more from her perspective. I also loved the little parts where we read what Nel wrote about the other women found in the water. Frankly, I was more interested in learning about the other women found years ago than I was in finding the truth about Nel Abbott's death. 
Overall, solid effort from Paula Hawkins; but I much preferred The Girl on The Train.

The addictive new psychological thriller from the author of The Girl on the Train, the runaway Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller and global phenomenon. In the last days before her death, Nel called her sister. Jules didn't pick up the phone, ignoring her plea for help. Now Nel is dead. They say she jumped. And Jules has been dragged back to the one place she hoped she had escaped for good, to care for the teenage girl her sister left behind. But Jules is afraid. So afraid. Of her long-buried memories, of the old Mill House, of knowing that Nel would never have jumped. And most of all she's afraid of the water, and the place they call the Drowning Pool . . . With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, satisfying read that hinges on the stories we tell about our pasts and their power to destroy the lives we live now.

Margarida 

Rachel Kanyid

I enjoyed how the author methodically worked through each suspect in this story, rather than having a ton of strings of interest going on for the whole thing. I did not except the ending, but I thought it was good!

Kristen Claiborn

It's not a bad story, but the many points of view create a jumbled mess that'snot easy to decipher.

Liz B

So much better than the girl on the train. I'm surprised this one hasn't gotten more buzz.

”Beckford is not a suicide spot; Beckford is a place to get rid of troublesome women.” 

So says Nell Abbott in the book she’s writing about why so many women end up dying in the water in Beckford. But her story is never finished, because she, too, drowns there. Did she jump? Slip? Or was it something more sinister?

Into the Water is beautifully written, exploring themes of family, grief, and childhood trauma-all wrapped up in a suspenseful, atmospheric story. I loved it.

Cheri McElroy

”Beckford is not a suicide spot; Beckford is a place to get rid of troublesome women.” 

So says Nell Abbott in the book she’s writing about why so many women end up dying in the water in Beckford. But her story is never finished, because she, too, drowns there. Did she jump? Slip? Or was it something more sinister?

Into the Water is beautifully written, exploring themes of family, grief, and childhood trauma-all wrapped up in a suspenseful, atmospheric story. I loved it.

Katheryn Sowers 

2.5 rounded down

There is too many characters to keep track of and there was what I think was a negative comment on abortion on page 108

It’s pretty dark and not for the weak minded and gentle hearts but a good story nonetheless, especially if you like thriller, suspense and or psychological fiction.

Jaleah Halcomb 

Wouter ter Keurs

Spannend tot de laatste regel. Maar nogal lastig te volgen in audioboek.

Livia

3.75

wooohoo boy. that was a ride. i really do love paula hawkins' writing, it was very atmospheric and the way she described each of the character's traits and thoughts are incredible that it fucked me so much.
my complaint is that there are so many characters to follow that it was starting to get tiring to follow all of them along, having to read from each of their pov and learning their role in the mystery. and you cannot say anything about Lena being misunderstood because to me she was just being difficult. done-zo. she's a kid. and some things are very disturbing here, especially with the multiple affairs and romance with huge age gaps.

Maggie Gordon

Ehh... ye old standard thriller with weak characters and a lackluster plot. Buried in the constantly changing POV were some really neat ideas about misogyny and small town politics, but none of them were every truly fleshed out because the author was too busy trying to make sure the reader never had the right information so that the thrills and suspense would continue. It's the worst flaw of bad POV shifting - that non-organic feeling that characters are keeping secrets from themselves just so the reader doesn't catch on. In any case, the book is fun for a beach read, but I really wish Gillian Flynn would write something new...

Wondering if Into the Water could be as good as The Girl on the Train?It's better. A triumph.' Clare Mackintosh, bestselling author of I Let You Go.THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLERSIMON MAYO RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB CHOICERADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIMEGOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS BEST MYSTERY & THRILLER 2017The addictive new psychological thriller from the author of The Girl on the Train, the runaway Sunday TimesNo. 1 bestseller and global phenomenon.In the last days before her death, Nel called her sister. Jules didn?t pick up the phone, ignoring her plea for help.Now Nel is dead. They say she jumped. And Jules has been dragged back to the one place she hoped she had escaped for good, to care for the teenage girl her sister left behind.But Jules is afraid. So afraid. Of her long-buried memories, of the old Mill House, of knowing that Nel would never have jumped.And most of all she?s afraid of the water, and the place they call the Drowning Pool . . .With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, satisfying read that hinges on the stories we tell about our pasts and their power to destroy the lives we live now.'Paula Hawkins does it again! Into the Wateris a moody and chilling thriller that will have you madly turning the pages. A gripping, compulsive read!' Shari Lapena, bestselling author of The Couple Next Door'Fans of Paula Hawkins? The Girl on the Trainrejoice- her second novel Into the Wateris even better. A brilliantly plotted and fast-paced juggernaut of a read that hurtles to a heart-stopping conclusion.? Good Housekeeping (Book of the Month)'A brooding and complex read that deserves to make a splash in its own right.? Sunday Mirror'A twisting whodunit that leaves you both gratified and surprised (also the best kind) . . . Not just a brilliant thriller but also a furious feminist howl . . .? Stylist'Paula Hawkins effortlessly follows the success of The Girl on the Trainwith this immersive novel . . . Told from multiple points of view, this is clever and twisty fiction with a ghostly edge.? Red

Into the water

Abi Hills

This one wasn't as much of a thriller as her two other books "A Slow Fire Burning" and "The Girl on the Train". It was also my least favourite of the three. It wasn't as engaging either, and the number of character POVs was too many for me. It was difficult to keep up with who was who. Also, the book only felt like a thriller at certain points of the book, for a short time and not throughout.

Madhuri Sridhara

** spoiler alert **
           It started out well and managed to hold my interest. But reading it was a waste of my time. The book slowly became predictable and had me rolling my eyes way too much. The ending was terrible.

Skye Sherman

Hawkins has done it again! What a suspenseful, winding story. I thought I figured it all out so many times, only to be completely surprised again and again--and especially by the ending! Great new thriller that will keep you guessing.

Cindy

Review:


As I started listening to this book I tried not to make comparisons to the author's last book and there was no comparison. This is a very slow moving story that really did not draw me in until a third of the way through. The overall theme of this book is sad depressed women that go into the river to end it all, I am not saying whether or not they go willingly but they do go. I was drawn in by the words and how well written this was. I am a sucker for a good mystery with a twist and yes this book did have that. This story is told from many points of view which was a bit confusing for me at first until I got to know each character. There is not one happy character in this story, each one is suffering from something and that was a bit much at times. I think I just wanted to keep the focus on the main event, did Nel go willingly and of course the mystery of why did Katie go into the river to end it all. I think I was most interested in the why of Katie and the how of Nel and that is what intrigued me the most and kept my interest, how it all unfolded. Towards the end of the book when all of the shocking events come together was the best part of the book, it was a great conclusion.


  Final Thoughts:


While I did enjoy this book I found it hard to follow at times with too many points of view and way too many subplots. Aside from that the author delivered a good , somewhat dark, suspense story.This review was originally posted on Cindy's Book Binge

Sabetha Danes

well that was a strange book. good thing she's got the hype from the previous book. overall it was not climactic at all, and the plot was eh. there were many points that going deeper into characters would have helped a lot. especially into the flash backs and past. it was and unexpected short read.

akshita

Great read for me although people have mixed reviews about it. I liked the story and story telling. The plot and the twists, she doesn't fail to amuse me 

nienke &
Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

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