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

Great Book

When this book started out I thought I was reading a romance novel. Glad I stuck with it.
Excellent plot development and really takes a turn around halfway through.
A new and refreshing approach to a crime novel.

wonderful performance!

Would you listen to Gone Girl again? Why?

yes. it was a captivating story with fabulous narration.

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

I thought that Kirby Heyborne was particularly gifted at narrating multiple parts at the same time.

Not Your Typical Mystery Novel

Looking for a mystery/suspense novel with a likeable hero who is falsely accused of a crime but through his own wits and determination overcomes the odds to clear his name? Do you want a villain who gets her comeuppance? Then this is not the book for you. But if you want a novel that is unflinching in its depiction of an antagonist who is a completely, 100% purely evil psychopath and a protagonist who, as the story develops, reveals his own psychopathic tendencies, then read this book. You may not be satisfied with the ending, but you shouldn’t be surprised.

Not as Good as I wanted it to be

I was really wanting to enjoy this book. I was hoping that I would be kept on the edge of my earbuds, craving the next word.

Alas, I was not. While it wasn't a cookie cutter plot, it wasn't unpredictable and I found myself browsing my wish list for my next listen not long into the book.

I figure that says it well enough.

....Next, please.

Loved it!

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

Twist and Turn

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

Somewhat, I thought I knew what was going to happen and then it would change direction.

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

They really made believe they were the actual characters

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

I made me laugh a few times, but not cry.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this book and I am now listening to another one of Gillian's books, I think he style is interesting.

Stellar performance

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

Yes, this was an extremely well done audio version. The structure, with two main characters alternating their stories, made this a good place for male/female performances. Too many audiobooks suffer from a man doing a female voice or a woman doing a male voice. This was pitch perfect.

What did you like best about this story?

The way Amy figured all the angles. I also liked that the police dectective realized Amy had gotten away with it--none of the tiresome "dumb police who don't get it."

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

They inhabited the characters and expressed them quite convincingly. Julia Whelan conveyed the different Amys extremely well and Kirby Heyborne did the everyman and angry man equally well.

Beyond Brilliant

Any additional comments?

Perhaps the best work of fiction I've "read" in years. Totally mindblowing. An artistic triumph. It satisfies the psyche.

Gone Girl...one of my favorite listens in a while

What did you like best about this story?

This was such an unusual and different topic..not your same old same old...lots of twists and turns and beautifully written. You really get to know and love or hate the characters.

Which scene was your favorite?

Can't say or it would ruin the book for others.

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

Too long to do that but looked forward to getting in my car everyday to listen.

Finally! A book that delivers what was promised...

Would you listen to Gone Girl again? Why?

Absolutely. Recently I've purchased books that consider the reader's inability to know how a story ends (until the last page is read) the only qualification needed to label the book a 'Mystery / Thriller''. Which (IMO) is why people still purchase dusty detective classics writen by writers intellegant enough and imaginative enough to set the standard; but rereading a classic to saticfy your 'slueth' itch feels like eating the 999th of your favorite sandwhich...Well, Gillian Flynn has written a contemporary classic full of smart dialogue, a brilliantly delivered grasp of the forensics of a crime scene (no convenient CSI staff to pull rabbits from a hat to force the story to work) and a wonderful and consistent peppering of surprises throughout...this was my first Gillian Flynn audio but I will certainly listen to everything else on offer by this author. 

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

I won't give away the story by making character comparisons from other books. If I mention a book you've read and assign each character a twin in this book, you'll make assumptions and I will have cheated you of the surprises, humor and intellect of the book. The book rolls out at a perfect pace. Gillian Flynn has taken his/her time in respects to dramatic reveal. There's great character and story development. The author has restrained him/herself from herding you quickly to satisfaction, the listener's rush to 'know'. The listener is in deep before the peeks and valleys really become steep and the ride takes off.

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

I don't recall if i've heard these two performers before or not. I'm an avid audio listener and I felt they did justice to a well written book. I think the performance can break a good story, so the praise I have for the book can't be separated in my mind from the skills of the performers.

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

I did find myself gulping this book in large chunks but it was too long for a single sit. Try to savor it. There are some great details that start the 'what would I do?' voice. Which is the best part...

Any additional comments?

Enjoy...

a truly great audiobook

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

Yes, I loved this book as an audiobook. The narrators did such an awesome job portraying the characters. I really liked how they split this book up into the different sections and had both Amy & Nick telling their sides of the story. I can easily get bored with audiobooks but this one kept me entralled the entire time. I usually am not a big murder mystery fan, but this one kept me guessing the entire time.

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

No comparisons, honestly.

Which scene was your favorite?

I really enjoyed the part of the book when Amy was at the cabins. I felt like that was the time when she started to become her psycho self and it was a really interesting time in the book for me.

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

Neither laughed nor cried, but it was a great storyline with an even better narration.

Any additional comments?

READ THIS BOOK!