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Gone Girl  By  cover art

Gone Girl

By: Gillian Flynn
Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Kirby Heyborne
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Editorial review


By Mysia Haight, Audible Editor

PSYCH OUT—THE JAW-DROPPING GENIUS OF GONE GIRL

Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl is among the all-time best crafted stories told by unreliable narrators—two of them, the perfect couple—and a gripping thriller filled with jaw-dropping twists. This dark mystery novel also shines a critical light on the media-fueled public rush to judge people suspected of crimes who, regardless of the evidence, simply look guilty—an unsettling trend that has only escalated in the decade since the book’s release. Along with its critique of media exploitation, the novel has been widely embraced—and hotly debated—as a manifesto of modern feminism.

Ten years ago, I was approaching that dreaded life stage—middle age. After years of doing my best to be a good wife, mother, aunt, sister, daughter, and friend; a good worker, mentor, and role model; and a good listener, problem solver, and crisis manager, I was feeling taken for granted and restless. What if I did something unexpected, something out of character—something bad?

Happily, I satisfied my yearnings by becoming immersed in the brilliant mind and devious machinations of Amy Elliott Dunne, the hero (or, depending on your perspective, villain) of Gone Girl. When it was published in 2012, Gillian Flynn’s ingenious novel about a missing wife and the husband increasingly implicated in her ominous disappearance stirred up a lot of buzz. As an avid fan of psychological thrillers, unreliable narrators, and contemporary fiction driven by strong, complicated women, I couldn’t wait to read it. And I was blown away! In spite of her questionable (to put it extremely mildly) actions, I found Amy, an amazing woman who was taken for granted—first by her parents and then by her husband—relatable and, yes, sympathetic. I kept rooting for her to get the life she wanted, even when I was appalled by what she did and who she hurt to make that happen.

Has Gone Girl changed my life? Well, it didn’t motivate me to change for the badder—old good habits die hard. Yet, thanks in part to Amy and other remarkable women characters like her, I’ve gradually become better at speaking up for myself and getting heard.

Years after first reading Gone Girl, I haven't forgotten Amy. I love the way Rosamund Pike brought her to life in the 2014 film adaptation, which I've watched in its entirety three times with three different women—my sister, my niece, and my daughter. So when I discovered that one of my favorite narrators, the remarkable Julia Whelan, voices Amy in the audiobook, I just had to go back and listen. Her performance is brilliant—so believable, it's chilling—and even though I know every twist in her twisted story, Amy continues to amaze me!

Continue reading Mysia's review >

Publisher's summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The “mercilessly entertaining” (Vanity Fair) instant classic “about the nature of identity and the terrible secrets that can survive and thrive in even the most intimate relationships” (Lev Grossman, Time)—now featuring never-before-published deleted scenes

NAMED ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BOOKS OF THE DECADE BY CNN AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE DECADE BY TIME AND ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Janet Maslin, The New York TimesPeopleEntertainment WeeklyO: The Oprah MagazineSlateKansas City StarUSA TodayChristian Science Monitor

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY San Francisco ChronicleSt. Louis Post-DispatchThe Chicago TribuneHuffPostNewsday

©2012 Gillian Flynn (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Absorbing . . . In masterly fashion, Flynn depicts the unraveling of a marriage—and of a recession-hit Midwest—by interweaving the wife’s diary entries with the husband’s first-person account.”The New Yorker

“Ms. Flynn writes dark suspense novels that anatomize violence without splashing barrels of blood around the pages . . . Ms. Flynn has much more up her sleeve than a simple missing-person case. As Nick and Amy alternately tell their stories, marriage has never looked so menacing, narrators so unreliable.”The Wall Street Journal

“The story unfolds in precise and riveting prose . . . even while you know you’re being manipulated, searching for the missing pieces is half the thrill of this wickedly absorbing tale.”O: The Oprah Magazine

Featured Article: The Audible Essentials Top 100


The spirited (but friendly) debate over these titles could have gone on indefinitely. With years of listening, countless customer reviews, and a catalog of seemingly infinite great listens, 100 suddenly felt like a very small number. What we know for sure—each title that made it to this collection is elevated and made special in some way by audio, whether by a layered performance from a single narrator, a brilliantly cohesive full cast, original music, or immersive sound effects. Discover an audio experience for the ages.

Editor's Pick: Best of the Decade

Get to the gone
"I’m a sucker for great story structure, and Gone Girl uses every inch of its narrative to subvert expectations in ways that shock and amuse. The perfectly utilized diary entries fold into a legendary mid-book reveal. The face-turn-heel of a seemingly perfect victim who revels in the way they’ve expertly managed your expectations. The unreliable narrators who reveal so much about themselves by what they don’t say—or how they shape emotional states into origami. And it all feels fair; while most twist-filled stories tend to seem rather flimsy under a microscope, the closer you look at Gillian Flynn’s masterpiece, the more you notice the sheer togetherness of it all, each part working in concert with another, coalescing to form a story that has one finger firmly on the pulse of popular culture, and one on the carotid of a serial killer."—Sean T., Audible Editor

What listeners say about Gone Girl

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    34,612
  • 4 Stars
    15,988
  • 3 Stars
    5,268
  • 2 Stars
    1,814
  • 1 Stars
    1,494
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    35,208
  • 4 Stars
    12,103
  • 3 Stars
    3,416
  • 2 Stars
    924
  • 1 Stars
    742
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    30,679
  • 4 Stars
    13,370
  • 3 Stars
    4,957
  • 2 Stars
    1,874
  • 1 Stars
    1,580

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

omg, great listen!

it's a page turner...what a couple! the narrators are great and play the characters perfectly. Listen to, or read this book before the movie comes out!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Stop reading at the end of Part 2.

What would have made Gone Girl better?

I don't think Nick's persona was adequately fleshed out. He didn't make sense.

The ending? Like a dull, reverberating thud.

Would you be willing to try another book from Gillian Flynn? Why or why not?

Possibly. Flynn is a talented writer and writes with an observant wit. However I'm not a big fan of dark disturbing stories - unless they resolve in a way that makes the journey worthwhile.

Have you listened to any of Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne ???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Julia Whelan's narration is outstanding, as it was in Nora Robert's Witness. In fact I searched for more books she had narrated. Heyborne did a great job, too.

You didn???t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The plot line kept me entertained and absorbed until the final quarter of the book, at which time I was longing for it to end.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Twistedly Splendid

The first hour or so I am thinking "Meh... I just don't see what all the fuss is about, just another murder, mystery, who-done-it". And then... (nope, no spoilers here). The most difficult part about writing this review, is that it hard to describe how amazing this book is without ruining it for anyone who has not read it yet.

The premise is that a woman (a wife) goes missing on her 5th wedding anniversary. The story is told dueling piano style. It alternates views from the husband and wife. It starts off just a little slow... but you have to wait for it... and then BAM it turns into something you can't put down or stop thinking about when you have to put it down.

Every time I thought I had it figured out I was wrong and I wanted to know what was right. I wanted to know all the pieces that held it together and all the pieces that would make it fall apart. It is a puzzle that you take out of the box and swear none of the pieces will ever fit together, but somehow they do. Absolutely brilliant!

This is the best book I have read/listened to this year, so far.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book full of twists...

What a great way to write a book!! So many times through the book I found myself OMGing.... Really really really hate the ending but the ride was soooo worth it!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Kept me entertained and wanting to hear more!

I knew nothing about this book and went into it completely blind. I selected it based on the number of positive reviews. I am a 50 year old male and really questioned my selection at the very beginning. Halfway through the book I thought it was good but not five star. It then took a twist and kept me captivated until the end.

I really enjoyed it. I would recommend it to others.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

"I'm the bitch who makes you a man."

Appears to be any average romance novel, turns into the most mind-boggling rollercoaster ride of emotions.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

good

bueno. en realidad la narración pudo haber sido mejor. pero la trama estuvo muy buena.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

definitely not what I expected

The book starts out slow and starts to pick up on the day of her missing.
You end up not really liking the husband and then not really liking the wife.. I haven't read many books that get you to dislike the characters
The book did have an excellent twist to it but I just wasn't satisfied with the ending..

I was going to give the book a 3 but I gave it a 4 because it does get you hooked in wanting to find out and had good twists, like I said, but still :/ iffy about the ending

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Every prediction goes out the window!!!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! Every time I thought I had the book figured out, prediction would happen with a slap in your face twist that leaves your mouth open and you can't help but stay up past midnight listening.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

I had higher expectations

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I felt it had too many, "twists and turns"

Would you be willing to try another book from Gillian Flynn? Why or why not?

Probably

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Narrator did fine

Was Gone Girl worth the listening time?

Yes

Any additional comments?

I heard a lot of hype and expected more.

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