Paula Hawkins (author)
Paula Hawkins (born 26 August 1972) is a Zimbabwe-born British author, best known for her best-selling psychological thriller novel The Girl on the Train (2015), which deals with themes of domestic violence, alcohol, and drug abuse.[1][2] The novel was adapted into a film starring Emily Blunt in 2016.[3] Hawkins' second thriller novel, Into the Water, was released in 2017.[4]
Paula Hawkins | |
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Hawkins at Gothenburg Book Fair in 2015 | |
Born | Salisbury, Rhodesia | 26 August 1972
Pen name |
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Occupation | Novelist, journalist |
Nationality | British |
Alma mater | Keble College, Oxford |
Notable works | |
Website | |
paulahawkinsbooks |
Life and career
Hawkins was born and raised in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe). Her father was an economics professor and financial journalist. Before moving to London in 1989 at the age of 17, Hawkins attended Arundel School, Harare, Zimbabwe then studied for her A-Levels at Collingham College, an independent college in Kensington, West London.[5] Hawkins read philosophy, politics and economics at Keble College, University of Oxford.[5][6] She worked as a journalist for The Times, reporting on business. She then worked for a number of publications on a freelance basis, and wrote a financial advice book for women, The Money Goddess.[2]
Around 2009, Hawkins began to write romantic comedy fiction under the name Amy Silver, writing four novels including Confessions of a Reluctant Recessionista. She did not achieve any commercial breakthrough until she challenged herself to write a darker, more serious story.[5] Her best-selling novel The Girl on the Train (2015), was a complex thriller, with themes of domestic violence, alcohol, and drug abuse.[2] The novel took her six months, writing full-time, to complete, at a time when she was in a difficult financial situation and had to borrow from her father to be able to complete it. The novel was adapted into a film in 2016.[1] In November 2016, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women.[7] She lives in South London.
Bibliography
- Guerrilla Learning: How to Give Your Kids a Real Education With or Without School (2001) (Amy Silver) (with co-author Grace Llewellyn) ISBN 9780471349600[8]
- Confessions of a Reluctant Recessionista (2009) (Amy Silver) ISBN 9780099543558[9]
- All I Want for Christmas (2010) (Amy Silver) ISBN 9780099553229[10]
- One Minute to Midnight (2011) (Amy Silver) ISBN 9780099564638[11]
- The Reunion (2013) (Amy Silver) ISBN 9780099574491[12]
- The Girl on the Train (2015) (Paula Hawkins) ISBN 9781594634024[13]
- Into the Water (2017) (Paula Hawkins) ISBN 9780735211209
References
- Saner, Emine (21 April 2015). "The Girl on the Train: how Paula Hawkins wrote 'the new Gone Girl'". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- Alter, Alexandra (30 January 2015). "Welcoming the Dark Twist in Her Career". New York Times. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- Dargis, Manohla (5 October 2016). "Review: In 'The Girl on the Train,' a Boozy Emily Blunt Never Winks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
- Runaway success: Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train. Portraits by Pal Hansen Evening Standard
- "Twitter post". Twitter. Keble College, Oxford. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
- "BBC 100 Women 2016: Who is on the list?". BBC News. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- Guerrilla Learning: How to Give Your Kids a Real Education With or Without School by Amy Silver and Grace Llewellyn
- Confessions of a Reluctant Recessionista by Amy Silver
- All I Want for Christmas by Amy Silver
- One Minute to Midnight by Amy Silver
- The Reunion by Amy Silver
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins