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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

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Featured Article: Audible Essentials—The Top 100 Screen Adaptations of All Time


As the category of great page-to-screen storytelling continues to grow, we scoured our libraries, grilled audiophiles and cinephiles, and vetted the entire Audible catalog for the 100 greatest screen adaptations for watchers and listeners alike. These are the stories that inspired some of the greatest on-screen stories of all time, from Academy Award winners and cult classics to must-see TV. They're well worth the price of admission.

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
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    34,615
  • 4 Stars
    15,987
  • 3 Stars
    5,268
  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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    924
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    30,681
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
    4,957
  • 2 Stars
    1,874
  • 1 Stars
    1,580

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

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

Too many F words

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, language was too terrible and harsh to listen too

What three words best describe Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne ’s performance?

they did great

Do you think Gone Girl needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes

Any additional comments?

I loved the movie but the book had too poor language to listen too. In a book i just skim over them. I wish there was an edited version.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Twist after twist after twist

What made the experience of listening to Gone Girl the most enjoyable?

The story is narrated by the two main characters-Amy and Nick-so I enjoyed the use of both male and female narrators. They were wonderfully expressive and I don't think you would get that from just reading the book.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Just when you think you've got the story figured out...there is a twist! Nothing predictable here.

Any additional comments?

A very good story-you might be surprised to find some of yourself in an unlikable character-Flynn made them so relatable you don't know who you want to side with. Very enjoyable, my favorite listen in a long time!

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

Best Read I've had for some time...

Would you consider the audio edition of Gone Girl to be better than the print version?

Haven't read it, just listened.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Definitely....every event was not what I expected.

What about Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne ???s performance did you like?

They were both believable and easy to listen to.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

This book was unlike any other in recent memory. The closest I can think of is War of the Roses, but not really like that either. There were really no "humorous" moments, just intense ones. Amy's character was incredibly smart and she proved she knew her husband better than anyone else, including his twin sister. She guessed how he would react in any situation and proved consistently to be right. The book was long, but never ever got boring in my opinion. I'll definitely read this writer again!

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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

What a mind blower!

Loved it. All the reviews base can't be wrong! A great story! Not disappointed.

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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

what a twist!

What did you love best about Gone Girl?

The best thing about the book was how it kept you guessing right to the end.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I don't know if I really didn't like the ending or just didn't want it to end. It was crazy good.

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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
  • RW
  • 08-06-12

Wanted More!

Would you listen to Gone Girl again? Why?

The narrators at first took getting used to. A little overdramatic in some parts, my opinion. Story was good, with alot of twists. Would have liked to have had more in the end.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. Would have never guessed from the beginning.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

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

Kept me on edge.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

My hesitation about recommending this book would be because of the excessive vulgar language. It got really tiresome by the end.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I couldn't wait to go someplace in the car (where I keep the CD's) just so I could listen. This story had so many twists and turns in it that every time I listened something new came up. I enjoyed the alternating story telling between Nick and Amy, each with their own take on things. I was left wondering how their lives would end and wishing for more.

What does Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It's always more interesting to hear a book when the voices alternate.

Did Gone Girl inspire you to do anything?

Be careful!

Any additional comments?

As mentioned above, the excessive use of foul language did become irritating by the end. At some point it becomes not just meaningless, but also irritating.

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

What a twisted mind!

What made the experience of listening to Gone Girl the most enjoyable?

I like hearing the 2 voices as I listened to this.

What did you like best about this story?

All the crazy twists and turns. You'll never figure this one out!

Which character – as performed by Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne – was your favorite?

I didn't like either one at first! But I think Amy wins in the end.

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

No, I like to savor what I'm reading, so breaking it up into daily listens is more my style

Any additional comments?

the ending is not what I wanted to happen.......

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

A Wonderful Ride!

I had heard/read a lot of buzz about this book and thankfully read nothing that spoiled the twists and turns for me. I enjoyed the writing style and the narrators. I could easily envision some of the characters as plausible, such as the "Nancy Grace" type of celebrity crime fighter/newscaster. I read this book in a couple of days since I looked forward to any activity in my schedule when I could switch on the book. Now I am interested in reading her other books.

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

Kept me guessing til the very end

If you could sum up Gone Girl in three words, what would they be?

Clever, Unexpected, Enthralling

What other book might you compare Gone Girl to and why?

One doesn't come to mind. This was my first Gillian Flynn book so not sure if the others share a similar format.

Which character – as performed by Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne – was your favorite?

Amy Elliot Dunn

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Always expect the unexpected

Any additional comments?

Loved the ending. Thought it was fitting for the overall tone of the book.

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