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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

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Why did I bother

Hated the narration. It didn't live up to the hype. Predictable Plot and story line. I was really glad when it was over.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow! Compelling, smart, horrifying & whitty!

Gone Girl is a great listen! The audio was great because with each chapter alternating between our two protagonists, the narration changes between Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne, two excellent actors. What makes this story so alluring? So tough to say without giving away any of the plot. The plot, by the way, is over the top, but you are kept guessing until the end. What a wonderful, gripping tale, told by Gillian Flynn with whit, intelligence and a clever inclusion of pop culture to time stamp this tale so we can read it 20 years from now and say "I remember the summer of 2012."

On the surface, the story is a murder mystery, but Flynn's keen grasp of marital bliss and simultaneous strife is brilliant. A treasure!

I usually leave my "listens" in the car for my daily commute, but this one I couldn't put down.

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Fun fun fun

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

I'm normally not a big fan of psychological thrillers, but I totally enjoyed this one. This was especially well written, and both narrators were absolutely terrific, which added to my enjoyment. Highly recommend this.

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Impossible to put down

Would you listen to Gone Girl again? Why?

I love books like this... books I want to listen to so badly I bring my headphones with me when I run downstairs to get a cup of coffee or when I'm walking to lunch. Gillian Flynn can weave an addictive yarn. It's a mystery with twists and turns that range from outlandish to satisfying. Full of great writing and pop culture references it's a fun book to read as someone who is about the same age as the characters (born in the late seventies). My only gripe... the end - I don't want to give anything away but I am not a fan of it. Still though, I'm a fan of the book 99% great 1% questionable.

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Keeps you guessing till the last paragraph!

Very intriguing storyline. The transitions between the characters were very easy to follow. I would make up my mind about the conclusion, then be jolted back to indecision in the next minute. Well done novel - worth every penny.

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Not the end I would choose

Read for Fun!

Rating this one differently since the book did it this way...
PT 1: 3.00
PT 2: 4.50
PT 3: 2.00

Audio Rating: 5.00 (not part of the overall rating)

First thought when finished: PT 3 may have very well ruined the book for me!

Going for Spoiler Free so at times may be generic.


What I thought of PT 1: Part 1 of Gone Girl is what I expect from the beginning of a well done thriller. You methodically walk the reader through the crime, the suspects, and in this case you get a "view" into the heads of both main parties involved. There are times when you think you have it figured out and other times where you are just not sure! I even tweeted myself with who I thought "did it" and well I was wrong! I love that!

What I thought of PT 2: Part 2 of Gone Girl was BRILLIANT! Seriously, the first chapter had my jaw just hanging open. I even knew there was a twist but I didn't expect what it was. I thought going through the heads of the two main parties in Part 2 was twisty, scary, and wicked cool. At the end of this part I was just floored beyond comprehension.

What I thought of PT 3: Part 3 I disliked with a fiery passion. That being said, I think it is one of those endings that everyone will either hate or love. It didn't work for me BUT I still think that Gone Girl must be read so that you can make up your own mind about it.

What I thought of the Audio: The audio was done brilliantly by Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne. The audio was 19 hrs and 11 mins. I think Julia and Kirby brought the correct amount of personalities to each of their characters. I think my favorite though is when they would do the other person's character during their part. The audio was just excellent!

Final Thought: Gone Girl should be read by every Thriller lover so you can make up your own mind. Try to read it without spoilers though so you can get the full experience!

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intense

Different story. You were exposed to both main characters personalities and rode the roller coaster of feelings and even shifting who you were "siding" with as the story progressed. Enjoyed!

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Wow!

If you start listening to this book & it seems boring, just wait - it will grab you & you won't want to stop listening until the very end! So many unexpected twists & turns! Loved it! There's a reason this book has been on the Top 10 Best Seller List for weeks!

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Lots of Suspenseful Twists & Turns!

While Gone Girl is not cerebral, life-changing fiction, the writing is very good and very enjoyable. My instinct is to say that Flynn is a master of the modern psychological suspense genre, but I don't normally go in for this type of pulp. Therefore, I don't really know how Flynn compares to the other writers in her genre. Suffice it to say that I found Gone Girl very entertaining and well worth my credit. In fact, I've decided to use all my credits on Flynn and I am downloading another of her books right now. Also, if I were a movie producer, I would pounce on Gone Girl as it would make a great Hollywood psycho-suspense film, maybe not the kind you go see on opening night, but the kind you can't wait to rent.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Who the bleep did I marry?

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

This story has so many twists and turns. The story had me captivated and on the edge of the bed until 2 am the 2 nights I listened. Couldn't go to bed until I was done. Awesome, awesome story. You will be hooked the moment the book starts! Gillian is there a second book? It could be..... You won't be sorry for this listen!

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

All the twists in plot. don't want to say too much as you can give things away.

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

It makes these characters real. Like this could be a real story. Of love, manipulation, and betrayal.

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

I did pretty much do that very thing.

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