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

Well written, well read

I sometimes struggle to get into a story either by its slow start or the sleepy tones of the narrator. Not this one. Wow. I see why they made it a movie.

What Did I Just Hear? Wow.

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

A Perfect Counterpoint.

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

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. Although not nearly as psychotic, it dives deep into the roles we cast ourselves in and how twisted our inner thoughts could be. The fact that David Fincher directed both movies is ... wonderful.

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

Neither. Honestly the narration was top-notch and maybe Kirby's was a little more ... compelling - but I think that was due to Amy's character in the beginning of the book (Diary Amy). I just did *not* like that character.

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

Just as it is.

Any additional comments?

I love that Amy is smart, guileless and utterly loathsomely brilliant. I suspect many men will just hate her in the same way that many women hate Tyler Durden. Utterly brilliant characters and I think Gillian Flynn is Wonder Woman.

Devastating tale and so well performed!

My 3 hour commute (each way) went whizzing by as I listened to this chilling tale. Flynn got me hooked, and never let me go. Stayed up until 1:30am listening to the last chapters one nite. The readers really inhabited their roles as Nick and Amy, alternately having me root for them or be weirded-out by them, as surely the author intended. A winner from beginning to end.

Do people really talk like this?

While I liked the book, I ended up with the impression that the publisher paid an advance royalty for a book of 400 pages. When the author finished the manuscript the printed version must have been 350 pages or less. So to make up the difference, the author added every form of the f-word into as many sentences as possible, sometimes two or three times. I tired of reading and hearing the words that I do not hear in my daily life, nor, when questioning others, do they. Are the residents of Missouri different? I think not. I enjoyed the story, but would have enjoyed it more without the constant slap in the face of dialogue of the gutter. Our culture seems to be going more crude, with language, tattoos, clothing that denigrates us rather than inspires. I do not think of myself as being a prude, but I cannot relate to books that constantly use dialogue that I don't consider the dialogue of my marketplace.

Terrible Ending...

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

Great book. Couldn't stop listening. Worst ending ever. I thought I found a new favorite arthur but may never read another Gillian Flynn book again.

If you’ve listened to books by Gillian Flynn before, how does this one compare?

First Gillian Flynn book and my be the last...

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

Both narrators where great and brought the book alive.

Was Gone Girl worth the listening time?

Yes until the end.

Any additional comments?

I just felt that I wasted hours listening. No only was the ending disappointing but there was not an ending. I wanted to cry...

I Loved it!!

I knew it would be better than the movie. The movie just left out some parts, were as the book went into more detail!!

Hated the ending

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

Great story, but seems like author could not come up with an ending

Who was your favorite character and why?

gone girl

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

not much

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

nope

Any additional comments?

none

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!