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 with Tons of Great Twist and Turns

What did you love best about Gone Girl?

Just when I thought I had the story figured out, a new twist would blow my mind!

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

n/a

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

I loved them all.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending. I actually loved it.

Good story, bad language

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

Fascinating, scary, entertaining

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

I thought both of the readers did an amazing job. They were both very believable.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed the creativity of this author, although the story was really dark and kind of depressing. But the language was horrible. I would have enjoyed the story more if the language hadn't been so coarse. I think you can tell a great, even horrifying story without so much profanity.

Sadistic!!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would have liked to see a certain character screw up a little bit!!

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

I would have tried to put in a mistake that psycho wouldnt have thought about and let that character being completely taken by surprise by it and in a public setting

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

Kirby's and Julia's performances were brilliant and a bright spot to the story, when the 2nd part of the book started it sent me to the floor as they had me picturing something totally different. It reminded me of the book called the Collector and intill you see the point of view from someone else you actually start feeling for the psycho

Did Gone Girl inspire you to do anything?

Recheck my wifes background!!!

Any additional comments?

This stroy deserves a five I just wanted it to end differently, but it ended as it should have and it's psychological insights were scary. We do put on a different character thoose first years of marriage, and as the divorce rate suggests when that facade is gone most marriages can't handle it. Are we always pretending. Amys quote that love should have conditions will haunt me for a long time to come

Wow

Could there be any more of a f'ed tale? Awesome narration and performance. Highly recommend.

Love to hate these characters!

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

The story is complex, but fantastic! I thought the narrators did a great job portraying all of the characters.

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

I just loved that I couldn't anticipate the next twist! I thought I had it all figured out at one point, and then... nope - you're wrong.

Which scene was your favorite?

That would be giving away too much. :)

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

It made me want to hug my husband and hope that our 5 year anniversary doesn't unfold that way.

Any additional comments?

Check this book out - it was a great story with substance. Still "light enough" for a great beach read/listen.

Scary!

An exploration of the mind of a very frightening psychopath and her victim. Just like a huge spider playing with its next meal. A more vicious remake of Scarlett O'Hara. I hope there is not a sequel; it would be too troubling to read I almost feel like throwing up. Poor Nick.

A Great Adventure

This was a great buy for me. I was in the mood for a suspense thriller mystery who done it. and every review compared the books that I was looking at in the genre to this one so i gave it a try. and nearly listened to it straight through, it was supposed to last me the week but I couldn't stop listening.

Entertaining

A bit predictable in places but very addicting to see through to the end.

Her style and voice is fun and I'm getting another book of hers.

Great story!

I did like the narrators. Even though the voice for nick I was expecting to be a bit deeper? Just my opinion and preference. The beginning was a bit hard to keep up with because the timeline jumped back and forth but give it a few chapters. You'll catch on. It's worth it!

Riveting!

Would you listen to Gone Girl again? Why?

I would listen to Gone Girl again. The plot was so clevery laid out, which would make listening again a real pleasure even though you would know the ending.

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

Yes! I was certain at one point that a particular character would somehow play a pivotal role in the resolution. How wrong I was. Even the ending was unexpected and unusual.

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

I felt like the voices gave me a feeling for whoeach character really was.

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

I would have loved to keep listening to this book until the end; however, it is quite lengthy and that would be quite difficult.