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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: Best Audiobooks to Listen to While Working Out


Need to motivate yourself to work out more? We've all heard that exercise is good for the body, and reading is good for the mind and soul. But knowing these facts doesn't increase the number of hours in the day. Maybe you can eke out a little time for one activity but not the other. Or maybe you are looking for something to motivate you to get those steps in. Why not download a great audiobook and get lost in a listen while breaking a sweat?

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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Sets The Standard For A Reason

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

This book has had so much compared to it. Any new thriller or mystery is always linked to Gone Girl.
What made listening to Gone Girl so enjoyable for me was that I have refused to watch the film and refused to listen to or read any spoilers because i have heard such amazing things about it.
I don't agree with everything that has been said about it but wow. Twist and turns everywhere which I don't always like but it really worked for this novel.

I was genuinely surprised with each twist and turn it was totally worth the credit.
As the narrators change you are given a new perspective of the story and added depth to your understanding of what makes the character the way they are.

What did you like best about this story?

I love how when you think you know what is going on, you get hit with a new twist and you realize that you really don't know as much as you thought you did. I actually loved how the story concluded, it reminded me of a dark Hitchcockian ending.

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

These two are absolutely amazing how they show the mind of each character.
These narrators are like rock stars for the performance that they give as they bring each character to life so vividly.

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

This is a Film now and I am not sure what tag line they used, however i would use "Boy Meets Girl, Boy Marries Girl, Boy Loses Girl......"

Any additional comments?

With novels such as Gone Girl it gives me hope for books and authors of the 21st century.
this book will be talked about for the next 20 years at least and maybe even longer. It will continue to be what every thriller or mystery gets compared to as it completely sets the standard for what a mystery/ thriller should be.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent!!

The narrative was excellent!! A must do! Can't wait to see the movie now. Thanks!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Such a great story

The actors did such a great job, I found myself feeling for them, and/or hating them at times.

They drew me in, and the story laid me out!

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

Terrible ending

The book was fantastic, until the end. 5 star book with a 1 star ending. Performance was excellent. Wouldn't recommend.

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A little round about and drawn out

What did you like best about Gone Girl? What did you like least?

The fact that a woman reads the wife's part and a man reads the husband's part

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

maybe

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

Yes, tie up the loose ends of her mind please

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Brilliantly Twisted

Outstanding performance and deviously clever writing. The story is so completely twisted that I often found my stomach in knots as I listened! Gillian Flynn reveals a side of "fictional" human nature that is on the one side, wild and unlikely, and on the other side, disturbingly realistic. I found this story to be genuinely different and new, creepy and twisty, and just great! I hope there will be a "Gone Girl," book two!

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Crazy Good

The main characters are not likeable folks. But they are fascinating. This is a great thriller with great shocking, unexpected turns. I could kind of feel the big surprise coming but it was still shocking. I'm not sure I've read (or listened to) a thriller with such well developed characters.
Flynn's use of first person narration really gives Julia Whelan (Amy) and Kirby Heyborne (Nick) great material, and they take advantage of it. Whelan's performance is down right scary.
This may not be a good book for people thinking about marriage. It will make you want to take a closer look at your boyfriend/girlfriend. People aren't always what they seem. This book is quite dark but very entertaining.

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Takes off like a rocket ship

I got about halfway through, and I thought I'd figured it out. I thought I knew "who-dunnit". But I was only halfway, so what else could happen? Well, part two took off like a rocket ship. I think the situation was best described by the lawyer when he said, "You are the two most f**ked up people I've ever met, and I specialize in f**ked up people." I didn't really like the ending, but the author very cleverly set up the story so that you wanted some sort of revenge scenario because that was what the book was all about! Very clever. Great story.

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OMG

This was awesome!! I found myself sitting in the car longer so I could listen!

The two voices were incredible, so true to the story. The story was so good, one of the best I've ever read/heard.

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Really...that's how it's ending?!

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

I don't usually listen/read "mysteries." This one grabbed my attention for most of the time.

Would you recommend Gone Girl to your friends? Why or why not?

I was going to recommend it,but was frankly so disappointed with the ending that I don't think I would.

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

Fantastic narration. The two narrators alternate by chapter due to the structure of the story telling. Yet each is able to create a variety of voices within each chapter...really well done.

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

No...I had to take a break because the plot was so deceptive.

Any additional comments?

Ending felt like a cheap set-up for a second novel. It was really gripping up to the end for me. couldn't believe anyone could come up with some of the plot.

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