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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: 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

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Loved it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. It had an excelling story and it was well thought out.

What did you like best about this story?

The plot twists!

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

I thought they both brought a lot of interesting character development and attitude that made the entire book far more sinister than if I only had my own internal voice reading it.

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

Yes and no. Toward the end I wanted to just listen all the way through, but since I use these books to occupy my long commutes, I forced myself to only listen in the car. It made me actually look forward to getting up in the morning and going to work!

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    2 out of 5 stars

It had potential

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I listen while I'm working (and getting paid), so listening to any book is always time well spent :D

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Mostly

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

No. The first was painful enough. Others would say yes, definitely, because of the way this one ended. I likely wouldn't bother with a followup.

Any additional comments?

The story really had potential. He-Said-She-Said kind of fun. Unfortunately it quite simply started to drag on and on. Also I am not particularly fond of this particular female narrator (I have heard her in other audio books as well), though I did enjoy the male/female aspect of the narration. The ending was pure disappointment. Alas, I am a book lover so any time spent reading is time well spent.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book

Riveting, addictive, amazing story. I was shocked all along the way. I loved it! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who asked.

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Whoa!

Would you listen to Gone Girl again? Why?

Yes, to see what I missed the first time. No spoiler alert here, but this book made me gasp out loud at one point. You think you know what's going on at several points, but you never really do.

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

Yes! You never quite know whose story to believe. Even when one of the narrators tells you that he/she is lying, you don't know what to believe. It's almost like you are a character in the story and they are each trying to convince you of something.

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

You never know what goes on in other people's marriages.

Any additional comments?

I heard Reese Witherspoon has bought the rights and might produce this. She'd be an excellent Amy!

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Do Not Understand The Hype

I really struggled to finish this book. I kept thinking that it would turn around, but no, it remained annoying for the entirety-- usually, I do not like abridged books but I kept wishing that I had one for this book- it just drags on and on and on-- yes, yes, we get it- very fascinating to see a female psychopath who is planful and also fallible and yes, yes, we get it that *no one is perfect* but can't even one person be likeable? well, okay- Go is likeable, but such a minor character cannot a book of this length save.

Narrators did quite well & I hope they each had a nice bottle of Scotch to punctuate the completion of this torturous project.

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Slow start, great middle, end was odd...

Slow start, but the bulk of the book was excellent. The very end was odd, weirdly anti-climactic.

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Excellent story and great narration

I found the story very engrossing and I could not stop listening. Both narrators did an excellent job at capturing the tone and mood of the story. I listened to Dark Places and Sharp Objects before listening to this book, and I feel that Gone Girl is Gillian Flynn's best work out of the three. Can't wait to check out more of her books!

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I loved it!

This book did a great job on keeping me hooked the whole way. an awesome ending too!

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Gripping

Amazing Amy!!! Psycho girl!!!
She’s twisted, but you have to like her!
Couldn’t stop listening.

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Keeps you guessing

I love this book couldn't put it down. Kept you guessing and interested the entire time.

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