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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


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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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amazing

loved it. amazingly told would love to see the next chapters in the amy and nick story. looking forward to more.

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Wow...this book keeps you guessing!

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

This book had so many "Sixth Sense" type moments that I literally had to rewind the playback just to make sure that I heard correctly. I have to say that this is possibly one of the best books that I have read. It was truly a fantastic book and the characters were very unexpected.

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

none

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

Amy Dunn was one of the most complex, intelligent, and down right psycho people that I have every had the pleasure of reading. Sometimes her thought process made me laugh out loud...cause it REALLY is what we are all thinking!

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american gothic

This is an incredibly creative work of art. It may be the great American novel. It describes a panorama of America, in New York and the mid-west. It involves the police, the media and every one else in this crazy society and how we as a society arrive at truth. Although this story is fiction it could easily be true (see OJ and Jeffry MacDonald, among many others). There is no need to go into the convoluted plot about the politics of an American marriage.Read it for yourself

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Slow beginning but picked up great

Being unabridged this definitely started out slow. After about 9 hours it picked up and from there was a cliffhanger. I like how there was both female and male narrators for both protagonists. The narrators were definitely a good fit for the parts.

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Very entertaining

This is the perfect audio book. It is very well performed. I listened to it all the way through in one weekend.

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So good!!!!

This book was amazingly written. I wouldn't recommend it if your easily offended by language. Yes the ending wasn't what was expected but that's what makes it great isn't it? It left me wanting more. I couldn't stop listening. The narration was fantastic.

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OK, but not my cup of tea

Would you listen to Gone Girl again? Why?

No. The story was interesting, but I found it a bit "over the top."

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Lots of projection.

Which scene was your favorite?

Don't remember that I had one.

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

No extreme reaction. Just, "Really?"

Any additional comments?

Not my type of story. Interesting enough, but not a page-turner for me.

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plot twists at every turn.. spoiled by vulgarity

Such clever ideas throughout this novel. just when you think you can predict what's next, think again. With compliments paid, yikes.... most vulgar book I've ever read or listened to. I hope I don't get Alzheimer's and repeat anything I heard. A little part of me died when I realized Kirby narrated this. I trusted the Mormon movie star a little too much upon purchase, but that was my only regret!

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Great Beginning....Great Middle....Horrible Ending

I was so excited to finally get the chance to listen to this book. People have been raving about it....I think it was beautifully narrated.... both narrators did an excellent job. I loved the book up until the end....I was so dissapointed at the end. To me it was a horrible ending to a great book. It just seemed.....off, and not because of how the book ended, but the way that it was written seemed rushed!

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Couldn't stop listening.

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

Didn't read the print, but I loved that the audio was in two different voices.

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

Yes. It had intrigue and twists. And was slow paced enough to make me want more.

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

No.

Any additional comments?

This is the best book I have ever listened to.

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