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Gone Girl  By  cover art

Gone Girl

By: Gillian Flynn
Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Kirby Heyborne
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Editorial review


By Mysia Haight, Audible Editor

PSYCH OUT—THE JAW-DROPPING GENIUS OF GONE GIRL

Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl is among the all-time best crafted stories told by unreliable narrators—two of them, the perfect couple—and a gripping thriller filled with jaw-dropping twists. This dark mystery novel also shines a critical light on the media-fueled public rush to judge people suspected of crimes who, regardless of the evidence, simply look guilty—an unsettling trend that has only escalated in the decade since the book’s release. Along with its critique of media exploitation, the novel has been widely embraced—and hotly debated—as a manifesto of modern feminism.

Ten years ago, I was approaching that dreaded life stage—middle age. After years of doing my best to be a good wife, mother, aunt, sister, daughter, and friend; a good worker, mentor, and role model; and a good listener, problem solver, and crisis manager, I was feeling taken for granted and restless. What if I did something unexpected, something out of character—something bad?

Happily, I satisfied my yearnings by becoming immersed in the brilliant mind and devious machinations of Amy Elliott Dunne, the hero (or, depending on your perspective, villain) of Gone Girl. When it was published in 2012, Gillian Flynn’s ingenious novel about a missing wife and the husband increasingly implicated in her ominous disappearance stirred up a lot of buzz. As an avid fan of psychological thrillers, unreliable narrators, and contemporary fiction driven by strong, complicated women, I couldn’t wait to read it. And I was blown away! In spite of her questionable (to put it extremely mildly) actions, I found Amy, an amazing woman who was taken for granted—first by her parents and then by her husband—relatable and, yes, sympathetic. I kept rooting for her to get the life she wanted, even when I was appalled by what she did and who she hurt to make that happen.

Has Gone Girl changed my life? Well, it didn’t motivate me to change for the badder—old good habits die hard. Yet, thanks in part to Amy and other remarkable women characters like her, I’ve gradually become better at speaking up for myself and getting heard.

Years after first reading Gone Girl, I haven't forgotten Amy. I love the way Rosamund Pike brought her to life in the 2014 film adaptation, which I've watched in its entirety three times with three different women—my sister, my niece, and my daughter. So when I discovered that one of my favorite narrators, the remarkable Julia Whelan, voices Amy in the audiobook, I just had to go back and listen. Her performance is brilliant—so believable, it's chilling—and even though I know every twist in her twisted story, Amy continues to amaze me!

Continue reading Mysia's review >

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 TimesPeopleEntertainment WeeklyO: The Oprah MagazineSlateKansas City StarUSA TodayChristian 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 ChronicleSt. Louis Post-DispatchThe Chicago TribuneHuffPostNewsday

©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

Featured Article: Listening Well Is the Best Revenge—The Best Revenge Thriller Audiobooks


No one among us hasn't imagined what it would be like to right a wrong. And even though it's better to turn the other cheek, forgive, and forget, it's still fun to listen to fictional characters enact their revenge. If you need a balm for a slight you’re still seething over, we’ve created this handy list of the best revenge thriller audiobooks to add to your library. Whether you're rooting for the story’s hero or antagonist, these tales of revenge will have you glued to your seat.

Editor's Pick: Best of the Decade

Get to the gone
"I’m a sucker for great story structure, and Gone Girl uses every inch of its narrative to subvert expectations in ways that shock and amuse. The perfectly utilized diary entries fold into a legendary mid-book reveal. The face-turn-heel of a seemingly perfect victim who revels in the way they’ve expertly managed your expectations. The unreliable narrators who reveal so much about themselves by what they don’t say—or how they shape emotional states into origami. And it all feels fair; while most twist-filled stories tend to seem rather flimsy under a microscope, the closer you look at Gillian Flynn’s masterpiece, the more you notice the sheer togetherness of it all, each part working in concert with another, coalescing to form a story that has one finger firmly on the pulse of popular culture, and one on the carotid of a serial killer."—Sean T., Audible Editor

What listeners say about Gone Girl

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Great Beginning....Great Middle....Horrible Ending

I was so excited to finally get the chance to listen to this book. People have been raving about it....I think it was beautifully narrated.... both narrators did an excellent job. I loved the book up until the end....I was so dissapointed at the end. To me it was a horrible ending to a great book. It just seemed.....off, and not because of how the book ended, but the way that it was written seemed rushed!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Couldn't stop listening.

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

Didn't read the print, but I loved that the audio was in two different voices.

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

Yes. It had intrigue and twists. And was slow paced enough to make me want more.

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

No.

Any additional comments?

This is the best book I have ever listened to.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Unique, Unexpected Thriller

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

Truly original plot with lots of twists.

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

The bit when Nick is undergoing fertility testing and the... mechanics... are hilariously described.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Nick reaches the end of the treasure hunt.

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

I was constantly in suspense over every detail. I found this a very engaging, totally unique thriller.

Any additional comments?

Excellent, spot-on performance.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Clear your schedule

Little did I know I would wouldn't be able fuction normally, until completing this. Brovo!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Too much hype

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

It was well spent but the end of the book ruined it for me.

What did you like best about this story?

The first part of the book really keeps you on the edge of your seat.

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

Both of their voices are incredible. I felt like they played the parts very well and really brought the story to life for me.

Did Gone Girl inspire you to do anything?

no

Any additional comments?

A completely fucked up story about love.

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Go Girl

Fantastic narration! Great read. Really gets addicting, especially after one of the huge twists reveals itself at the beginning of Part 2.

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not disappointed with this one!!

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

This is one of the best books I've listened to.

Any additional comments?

It kept my interest. I thought i knew what was going on, how it was going to go. However, i was wrong. I loved that.I don't want to figure it out in the beginning.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Terrible narration voices

I hated the narrators and the way they over dramatized their voices... Each of them truly took away from the story.

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Yes, twists and turns -- kept me guessing

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

The double narration was a plus. Julia Whelan did such a great job, it made me seek out other books that she has narrated. Took me a while to warm up to Kirby Heyborne's narration b/c his voice did not match that of the character as I had imagined, but I got used to it. A very good job overall.

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Very Good

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

This was such a good book, I've gone ahead and ordered the other two that were available on audible. I still have some chapters to listen too and can't wait to find out how its going to end ... took a turn I never would have thought of ... I hope the other Flynn books are just as good.

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