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

Enjoyed every minute of this book!

Would you listen to Gone Girl again? Why?

I never listen to a book more than once unless the prose are extraordinary. This is definitely not that kind of literature. But if there was movie, I would watch it!

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

The plot is the key to this novel. Never a dull moment, always full of intrigue. I was so engaged in the storyline and the characters that I often pulled into the garage of my house, and stayed in the car to keep listening. I couldn't "put it down." I enjoy a good plot twist for the gratification I get in the end when I can say "psh! I totally knew that was gonna happen," this was NOT the case with Gone Girl. The plot twist was effective, and I at no point had it figured out. The plot twist in this book was perfectly executed.

Any additional comments?

This book is definitely a "page turner," and did not disappoint.

Gone Mad

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

Ms. Flynn must be a little crazy to come with a plot like this one. Language is a bit raunchy. The characters are so complex and well developed. I was a little disappointed with the ending. However I don't know what kind of ending I would have wanted. Overall I enjoyed this book very much.

Better than the movie!

Definitely better than the movie. I might not have read the book if I had seen the movie first! Done!

Compelling

A few small holes in an otherwise brilliant plot right at the end. A compelling read, highly recommended. Well performed.

Great female narrator, poor choice for male

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

Yes, it helped me get through the tedious background on the characters

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

Once I hit the halfway point, yeah - because now we had a REAL story and not just a slow reveal of one side.

Would you be willing to try another one of Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne ’s performances?

Depends, I thought Heyborne as Nick was terrible, and I hated his female voices.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Done.

Good not great

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

It was interesting although I didn't find the story plausible in many regards.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I more of less figured the story out in advance. I couldn't relate to a lot of the things Nick did.

What aspect of Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne ’s performance would you have changed?

It took me a long time to get over Nick Dunn's voice. When doing his own voice it was fine. When doing other voices it came off as a southern gay man's voice more often than not. Loved the woman doing Amy Dunn and thought she was phenomenal in every regard. I pictured either Rachael McAdams or the girl from Sirens who looks and sounds just like her as the character.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I'll watch it on cable.

Any additional comments?

I do wonder if it's been setup for a sequel.

Who Can You Believe?

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

suspenseful, clever, page-turner

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gone Girl?

Nick's reaction opens the door to the storage shed where he's been led by his missing wife Amy's clues for her treasure hunt.

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

They are both great. The story is told from two viewpoints - Nick's and Amy's. Both narrators do superb job of creating a "voice" for their characters, and then pull off bringing to life all the other characters as seen through the two narrators. There are parts of Amy's story where I laughed out loud, and others where I was so mad at her husband for mistreating her.

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

Yes.

I wish I could give more than 5 stars!!

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

I think that it was an excellent move to have both a male and a female narrator.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I like Nick Dunne, because the reader seems to be at the same pace as he is for a while, in terms of trying to figure out what the heck is going on. But then, as you find out more about the character, he becomes three-dimensional in a very real way. That is, he seems normal. His thoughts and mannerisms and faults are all so honest that it's hard not to like him. Even if you want to.

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

Their reading evolves and matures as your impression of the characters does. When you learn something new about a character, it's like the next time you hear their voice, you can tell something has changed. If it comes to light that he or she has done something very bad, the voice sounds a little darker...

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

I extremely loved this book. I have not loved anything this much since Raw Shark Texts. The book is smarter than me. The author and the story and the characters are. I was delighted with how often I was surprised by what happened next. I could never quite figure anything out before the characters did- I was guessing right up until the end, and it was wonderfully refreshing.

Any additional comments?

If you decide not to listen to this as an audiobook, at least do yourself the favor of purchasing and reading the physical book. It is such an amazing book, and the relationship between the characters is something totally new. In a world of myriad cookie-cutter books (especially mysteries), this is one which will renew your faith in modern fiction.

A lot of twists, but disappointing ending

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

exciting plot, but did not follow through with an appropriate ending

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

life does not happen like this

Would you be willing to try another one of Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne ’s performances?

no

Could you see Gone Girl being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

yes, this is a movie, because it would never happen in a real life story

Any additional comments?

disappointed

I'll Never Look at Another Amy The Same Way

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

Experiencing the twists and turns of not just the story but the characters. I lover her… I hate her. I love him…I hate him until finally I’m too exhausted and numb to have an opinion or any other feeling than immense regret that the story was over yet a tiny bit of relief that I was finally released from this mad house of a book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Amazing Amy. Is it wrong to say that she is kind of my hero? Well except for the murder part of course.

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

Excellent performance by both actors!

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

See answer to question one

Any additional comments?

The only thing more Impressive than this story is the mind that thought it up. Ms. Flynn you are “amazing!” I look forward to the many other stories you’ll blow my mind with.