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

Good performance by the reader.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes--it was a good book--didn't particularly like the ending but the story was good.

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

Yes

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

Effort

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Didn't particularly like the ending.

Starts off annoying, but picks up halfway through

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

suspenseful, psycho, addictive

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

Yes. I couldn't stop listening to this because I wanted to know what happened. I listened to this walking to/from my car to places, in the shower, at work (shhh. don't tell.), etc.

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

That would take 19 hours, but I definitely finished this book in a week. I almost wished I had a longer commute to work.

Any additional comments?

Amy's voice and character starts off obnoxiously annoying, but you get use to it and the story line really picks up. I also don't like how Nick imitates the female speaking voice and how Amy imitates Desi's voice.

The BEST READ/LISTEN

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

This is my number one for the year!

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

I was totally on edge; you hear it all the time.....can't put it down. You literally cannot put this down. I was up til 3am one day while on a great vacation, because I had to know what happens/ed.

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

Both. I was rooting for Kirby the whole time.
You just loved to hate Julia Whenlan that conniving bitch!

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

No did not plan to but practically happened.

Any additional comments?

You HAVE to read/listen to this book.

I could NOT stop listening!

Would you listen to Gone Girl again? Why?

Yes I would. It was one of those rare books where the plot is not a given AND you didn't know who to root for. Then just when you thought Nick had a chance........(sigh)....i won't give it away, but I'll say, I listened to it at night on my way to sleep.

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

Yes....you just never knew how it was going to go and who was going to end up on top.

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

Nick was my favorite, b/c he had so much self-revelation, I don't think Amy learned anything.
I think they both did a good job of performing the characters.

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

Yes. I listened in the car, at work, at night going to bed

Really Good!!

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

I liked this story. I don't want to give anything away but I enjoyed all the twists and turns. If language hangs you up I would stay away, but for me it was really great. Both the male and female narrator were excellent. I am going to download another book by the same author.

Gillian Flynn: My unhealthy addiction

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

This is the second Gillian Flynn book I've listened to and it is now firm that this lone author can make me so ambivilant, experiencing both dread and fascination that makes me feel like a drug addict needing to keep going with the book. The storyline is compelling, but it's the emotional response which is so strong from me, that I've rarely ever had listening or reading fiction. Rarely.

So I would recommend this book to anyone exactly like me. Where you have to finish a story, no matter where it takes you. It has to be finished.

The performance was spectacular.

And not for a younger crowd because of adulty content.

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

The middle of the book. You'll know it.

A very good story

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

In the top 12. I like thrillers and this one was a good one. I also like having individual readers for the two characters. They did a great job

What did you like best about this story?

I like the way the story introduces the characters and then later on we really get to know the real truth behind the characters.It was a fresh approach to telling a story and the opening scenes are slowly deconstructed.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Michael goes on the "Oprah-like " talk show and turns the tables.

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

Not really

Any additional comments?

Worrth the credit!!

Lost and Found

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

It is far from the best I have listened to, but is is far from the worst. It would easily be in my top 15.

What did you like best about this story?

The story was very original. There were many twists in the book that I did not see coming.

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

I was amazed at what the characters could get away with. Scary to think about. I would hate to be so trapped in my life.

Almost

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

Yes. So far it has been a good read, well listen. I was disgusted by some of the characters. But I will say at the beginning you were drawn it, then the in the second part of the book you get punched in the gut and may swear a little.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Nick, Boney, Go and the lawyers wife.

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

They both did a excellent job to me. It made the book easier to follow since the book is told from the point of view of the two main characters. The inflections and voices of the characters are spot on. You can tell that the narrators are not "river folk" but still good.

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

I was outraged. And it was a lot of "WTF" is wrong these people moments. I was appalled throught most of the book. I have three hours left and cant wait for the end!

Any additional comments?

You really wont like a anyone in the book. Everyone is so F@#$ED up in its hard to like anyone of them. They are disgusting but a fascinating study into the minds of sociopaths. The people who dislike the book are mostly speaking about the characters. It is well written a bit long winded espically at the end. These last few hours are a bit hard to make it through I want to fast foward it but thats just impatience not because its a bad book. I just feel as if it could have been cut short a bit.

Hard to finish.

The story line just wasn't as easy to get into as I was expecting. The hype of the book had my expectations high. I was disappointed!