Gone Girl

A Novel

By: Gillian Flynn

Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Kirby Heyborne

Length: 19 hrs and 57 mins

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 Times • People • Entertainment Weekly • O: The Oprah Magazine • Slate • Kansas City Star • USA Today • Christian 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 Chronicle • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • The Chicago Tribune • HuffPost • Newsday

©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

Beyond Brilliant

Any additional comments?

Perhaps the best work of fiction I've "read" in years. Totally mindblowing. An artistic triumph. It satisfies the psyche.

Gone Girl...one of my favorite listens in a while

What did you like best about this story?

This was such an unusual and different topic..not your same old same old...lots of twists and turns and beautifully written. You really get to know and love or hate the characters.

Which scene was your favorite?

Can't say or it would ruin the book for others.

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

Too long to do that but looked forward to getting in my car everyday to listen.

Finally! A book that delivers what was promised...

Would you listen to Gone Girl again? Why?

Absolutely. Recently I've purchased books that consider the reader's inability to know how a story ends (until the last page is read) the only qualification needed to label the book a 'Mystery / Thriller''. Which (IMO) is why people still purchase dusty detective classics writen by writers intellegant enough and imaginative enough to set the standard; but rereading a classic to saticfy your 'slueth' itch feels like eating the 999th of your favorite sandwhich...Well, Gillian Flynn has written a contemporary classic full of smart dialogue, a brilliantly delivered grasp of the forensics of a crime scene (no convenient CSI staff to pull rabbits from a hat to force the story to work) and a wonderful and consistent peppering of surprises throughout...this was my first Gillian Flynn audio but I will certainly listen to everything else on offer by this author. 

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

I won't give away the story by making character comparisons from other books. If I mention a book you've read and assign each character a twin in this book, you'll make assumptions and I will have cheated you of the surprises, humor and intellect of the book. The book rolls out at a perfect pace. Gillian Flynn has taken his/her time in respects to dramatic reveal. There's great character and story development. The author has restrained him/herself from herding you quickly to satisfaction, the listener's rush to 'know'. The listener is in deep before the peeks and valleys really become steep and the ride takes off.

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

I don't recall if i've heard these two performers before or not. I'm an avid audio listener and I felt they did justice to a well written book. I think the performance can break a good story, so the praise I have for the book can't be separated in my mind from the skills of the performers.

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

I did find myself gulping this book in large chunks but it was too long for a single sit. Try to savor it. There are some great details that start the 'what would I do?' voice. Which is the best part...

Any additional comments?

Enjoy...

a truly great audiobook

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

Yes, I loved this book as an audiobook. The narrators did such an awesome job portraying the characters. I really liked how they split this book up into the different sections and had both Amy & Nick telling their sides of the story. I can easily get bored with audiobooks but this one kept me entralled the entire time. I usually am not a big murder mystery fan, but this one kept me guessing the entire time.

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

No comparisons, honestly.

Which scene was your favorite?

I really enjoyed the part of the book when Amy was at the cabins. I felt like that was the time when she started to become her psycho self and it was a really interesting time in the book for me.

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

Neither laughed nor cried, but it was a great storyline with an even better narration.

Any additional comments?

READ THIS BOOK!

interesting,

Where does Gone Girl rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was ranked about a 10

What could Gillian Flynn have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

nothing , I really enjoyed it.

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

Yes very much

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

yes

Any additional comments?

I thought it was wonderful from beg to end

Unusual and riveting storytelling

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

Amazing character development!

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

It kept me guessing right up till the end because the two main characters were so psychologically damaged.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene where Amy is interviewed by Detective Boney after she escapes. Amy is unbelievably abusive to the detective which is so counter productive but she is such a sociopath that she can't help herself.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I felt very bad for the husband, Nick...he was trapped.

Any additional comments?

This is one of the best psychological dramas and "who done its" that I have read in a long time. The author did an amazing job of weaving this story. It was a very intricate plot.

One of the best audio books EVER!

What did you love best about Gone Girl?

This audiobook kept me guessing from beginning to end! The two main characters - Nick and Amy - were complex yet fully developed. The story drew you in and kept you hooked throughout! Loved it!

One of the Best Books of 2012!

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

First and foremost, it is a taut and tightly woven story. Gillian Flynn is a master storyteller, and the performers pulled it off masterfully.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I enjoyed Nick's parts the best, though I really enjoyed the character Detective Ronda Boney (sp?) the best.

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

This is actually my first audio book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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

What happens when two, attractive sociopaths get hitched?

Any additional comments?

Let me start out by saying that I do not generally read mystery books. I"m not a fan of gum shoe, who-dunits. But something about the description of this book pulled me in.
I LOVED IT! In fact, it's at the top of my list of best books of 2012 (behind The Fault in Our Stars).
Gillian Flynn created a taut thriller, full of so many twists and turns, the reader could get whiplash.
But I think what made it particularly engaging, for me, was the underlying study of a marriage. I've been married for over two decades, and a divorce attorney for almost 20 years. I've been in a position to be an observer the the marriage relationship. I think Gillian Flynn understands marriage - very well. Though she's writing about people that, it turns out, are pretty darn unbalanced (an understatement), Flynn's exploration of the cat and mouse game of marriage rings very true.
Flynn goes deeper, though, than just looking at marriage. Gillian Flynn also deftly weaves into her story an indictment of our modern, media-driven justice system - and our media-driven culture. The book leaves the reader considering the question of persona. Where is the line between the real us - the real spouse - the real friend -- and the persona that people use when interacting publicly. All of us are, to some extent or another, in this age of social media, an "Amazing Amy."
As a mystery, the book rocks. I usually figure it out right away. So I was happy that Flynn will keep me guessing up until the very end. And the end is haunting.
My only criticism of the book is that, at times, there were just too many words. Each of the characters could go on, and on. I started to wax over. Especially when I got into Part II of the book, there just seemed to be a lot that could have been cut. Unessential character blabbering. Once again (my worn out refrain these days), a really good editor could have helped Flynn make this story so much tighter. Sigh, where have all the editors gone?

Even if you, like me, are not a mystery reader, try this book.
Gillian Flynn has earned a new fan.

Wonderfully Twisted

This story is devilishly entertaining. The two voice narration really kept me engaged and drove the plot forward despite characters that were wholly unlikeable in many ways. I loved the way it had me flip-flopping from one side to the next. When I thought I had it figured out, there was another layer of deceit at the hands of a wickedly intelligent and ruthless character. It reads like a very high stakes chess game, with twists and turns that the author crafts with just enough clarity that the reader thinks they see it coming, then they find the curve is much more treacherous then they realized. A great read, strongly recommended.

Gone Girl

Gone Girl is a cleverly written story that compelled me through to the end. There was only one well-timed lull in the middle of the book where I questioned whether the book would keep my interest, but once it passed, I was hooked.

There were two aspects of this book that merit comment. First, Flynn has succeeded in writing a book that entertained me with a fascinating cast of characters (I love contemplating who might play which role in the movie version). But of the characters, there were none that I "liked". Normally, if I don't like a character, I don't enjoy reading the book, but in this case, there were other things about the story that captured my attention.

Second, the book interestingly illustrates the dilemma that exists when a celebrity's personal dramas are played out on a very public stage. Everyone is so quick to form opinions about the celebrity, and those opinions are fickle. The book adds to this drama by recognizing that these celebrities become preoccupied with managing these public opinions, with fascinating results.

Finally, I would comment that the audio version of this book was particularly good, performed by two voices, one male and one female, corresponding to the structure of the book.