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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: Audible Essentials—The Top 100 Screen Adaptations of All Time


As the category of great page-to-screen storytelling continues to grow, we scoured our libraries, grilled audiophiles and cinephiles, and vetted the entire Audible catalog for the 100 greatest screen adaptations for watchers and listeners alike. These are the stories that inspired some of the greatest on-screen stories of all time, from Academy Award winners and cult classics to must-see TV. They're well worth the price of admission.

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

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    34,612
  • 4 Stars
    15,987
  • 3 Stars
    5,268
  • 2 Stars
    1,814
  • 1 Stars
    1,494
Performance
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    35,208
  • 4 Stars
    12,102
  • 3 Stars
    3,416
  • 2 Stars
    924
  • 1 Stars
    742
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    30,678
  • 4 Stars
    13,370
  • 3 Stars
    4,957
  • 2 Stars
    1,874
  • 1 Stars
    1,580

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Girl Disturbed

What did you love best about Gone Girl?

I loved all the turns and twists in this story. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, the author would throw in another road block.

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

Julia was a perfect voice for Amy, but Kirby was lacking as Nick.

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

This book made me really angry with the characters. Without giving away too much, there were many times I just wanted to reach out and slap Amy. GRRR!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

not a bad story

I rarely find women mystery writers that I enjoy, but this book kept me going, and it's a nice long book too. I expected predictability but was surprised over and over. Didn't much care for the ending, though.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Glad I listened instead of read it....

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

As an audiobook, sure. I found the first third of the book (Part 1) to be kind of slow. I think I was frustrated about what I would describe as the lack of action and excessive character reflection during the beginning of the police case. If I had been reading the physical book, I'm sure I would have put it down. Since I was listening to the story, I decided to continue with it, and ultimately was pleased with the way the plot developed.

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

I think that both of them played their respective characters to a T. The story kept revealing more about Nick and Amy, causing me to constantly change my mind about who was the "good" one and who was the "bad" one. Julia Whelan's narration of the egotistical and psychotic Amy was perfect.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very enjoyable read...

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

One of the best, if not the best, audiobooks I have listened to so far.

What did you like best about this story?

The two perspectives of Amy and Nick were very well written and performed.

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

This was my first time hearing them perform.

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

A surprise at every turn...

Any additional comments?

Really great book. I will be looking to read and/or listen to Gillian's other two books.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Addictive!!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Amy. Never under estimate a woman.

Which scene was your favorite?

There were so many. To tell would be a spoiler

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

Yes, but I couldn't because I had to work.

Any additional comments?

The twists in this book were amazing. I found myself going back to see what I missed. I thought I had it, then twist, now I got it then another twist. This was a very fun coaster ride. I recommend to all.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Twisted Read

What did you love best about Gone Girl?

Loved the great twists this book kept giving.

What did you like best about this story?

Just when you think you have story figured out there pops up another situation.

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

They did exellent job of taking on the characters emotions.

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

When the wife thought she was home free and then got double crossed.

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

Not a bad story

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

One of the better books I've read this year.

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

The plot kept me guessing as to what would happen next.

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

Their performances were good.

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

No

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

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

I haven't finished it yet but I am half way through it... i love it...it's just so hard to fine time in the day to be able to listen to it...mostly weekends if they aren't too full of work around the house stuff...but all in all I like what i have heard so far....it's neat going back and forth between him and her...great

Any additional comments?

i can't answer all the questions yet...untill i finish it.

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

Kept me listening

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

The story was fast paced, thought provoking, and kept me hooked the entire way through.

What did you like best about this story?

The story kept me guessing all the way through.

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

Great performance.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

WARNING - SPOILERS!

I liked this book almost from the start -once it got moving. A tale of a woman who disappears and her husband is prime suspect in her murder / disappearance.

The is story told from the prescriptive of the husband (Nick) as he is being investigated after the incident, and the wife (Amy) through her diary entries before the incident. Clever.

We are never really sure of Nick’s guilt or innocence and that kept me hooked. Did he do it? Did his dad? His sister? Compelling! We slowly discover that he had a mistress – incriminating!! Then we find out Amy was pregnant, and Nick did not want the baby – even more incriminating!! The cops don’t believe a word he says, there’s a lot of damning evidence against him that he can’t (or won’t) explain… he really must have done it!

Then, the ultimate plot twist. Amy had orchestrated the entire thing! She was not kidnapped and murdered; she’s actually a crazy psycho-bitch who hates her husband so much that she plotted to frame him for her murder! Wow, I did NOT see that coming. She planned and schemed for YEARS! Writing a fake diary and planting incriminating seeds all over the place so that when she vanished, all signs would point to Nick.

What an exciting twist! At that point, the book became a can’t-put-it-down-page-turner to me. How on EARTH would he get out of this mess? Would the very much alive Amy resurface? How was it going to end? I was riveted!!

The ending was a like a lead balloon. Amy who had resurfaced and is now back at home with Nick (you have to read the book for all those details) was never really pregnant the first time; that was all a part of her trap. In order to keep Nick by her side now, she got pregnant for real this time and therefore Nick decided to stop trying to prove she set him up so that he could be with his kid. Turns out they are both dysfunctional people and are addicted to each other. The end.

WHAT! GRRRR. SO SO SO SO unsatisfying. I was teetering on the brink of giving the book 5 stars because the story really had me at the edge of my seat but the immensely unsatisfying ending forces me to downgrade to 3.

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