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

Eh

There isn't a single likeable character in this entire book, a book that ends with an incredibly unsatisfying and anticlimactic conclusion

Awesome!!!

First time audio book listener. I couldn't have picked a better book to start with. The only challenge now is finding another book as good.

Enjoyed!

I found this book to be very entertaining! I loved the narration and feel they did a wonderful job. A lot of surprises throughout the book which keeps you on your toes. I enjoyed it and have recommend it to all my avid reader friends.

Unsettling

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

Entertaining. Definite mind-candy.

What did you like best about this story?

I'd read some reviews. So, as I formed early opinions about the two protagonists, I knew that further twists would make me re-evaluate.

What three words best describe Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne ’s performance?

YoungHigh-pitchedDistractingBoth had younger and higher-pitched voices that I am accustomed to. I found it distracting for about the first third of the novel. Got used to it eventually. I would not go out of my way to listen to these two again.

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

This is not a book that moves you. It's a book that unsettles you or angers you.

Any additional comments?

One protagonist has a twin (we learn that very early - no spoiler here). Twin relationship was not as well developed as it appeared that it would be. In fact, most characters bordered on caricature and seemed drawn from dime novel stereotypes. It's more about the inner thoughts and the actions of the two protagonists. Beyond them, the remaining characters are primarily filler.

Great from begining to end

Any additional comments?

This is not my typical genre that i like but a friend recommended it to me and I have to say this is an Excellent story - Great narration - the twists and turns had my jaw dropping. Finally an author who knows how to end a book!

Nobody to love...

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

I couldn't enjoy spending an hour with Nick and Amy, much less 19 hours and an Audible credit. I will never read/listen to Gone Girl again, and won't choose anything by this author unless I know it's a story with someone I can root for.

Has Gone Girl turned you off from other books in this genre?

This book is superbly crafted, but it left a vile taste in my mind. I love ambiguous characters and loathe cardboard cutouts of flawless protagonists and cliche' antagonists. But there just wasn't anyone in this book I could love. The poor sister-in-law seemed likeable, but she didn't get enough page time for me to become involved with her.

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

The narrators performed well, but I didn't like any characters.

Did Gone Girl inspire you to do anything?

As soon as I finished the story (it was gripping enough that I had to reach the end) I played an old favorite to cleanse my mind. And thanked the gods that I left my gas-lighting ex-husband before either of us became as monstrous as Nick and Amy.

Any additional comments?

Those who enjoy a well-written mystery where the main characters are varying degrees of despicable sociopaths will find this a treat. The author is skilled, but this was not my cup of tea!

Just when you think you have it all figured out...

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

intriguing, dark, surprising

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

When Nick is about to appear on Sharon's show and they are both surprised to find out Andie has gone public.

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

Love gone terribly wrong.

Any additional comments?

I loved the fact that, although I thought I had the book figured out at the halfway point, Gillian was able to keep me interested enough to keep going.

Darden North reviews "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn

Who was your favorite character and why?

It was difficult to like either of the two main characters because of whom they were (are). The characters are extremely well-written and developed. That's how I could understand their sick, twisted minds so well or at least try to figure them out. Of Nick and Amy, I liked Amy the least. The smartest secondary character was Boney, the female detective --- she seemed to have some common sense.

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

Kirby's voice/dialect changes for different characters were good and better than Julia's efforts. However, Julia's voice inflections used when Amy braved on herself and on her own intelligence and skills made me dislike Amy Elliott Dunn even more.

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

Never trust your spouse.

Any additional comments?

A five-star review is often defined as amazing. "Gone Girl," a novel by Gillian Flynn, is indeed amazing, mostly because of the amazing Amy Elliott Dunne.

The mark of an intense, imaginative author (Some reviewers call Flynn creepy) is that she has the mastery to make the reader either strongly like or dislike a character. Strong character development does not turn up lukewarm; it has to be either hot or cold. This reader took an immediate dislike to the selfish, manipulative Amy Elliott Dunn, Nick Dunne's antagonist, his wife of five years.

I would nominate Amy as one of the coldest females in modern fiction, and, perhaps, the cheating Nick as one of the most vulnerable, flawed males. To me, what is truly remarkable about storytelling (and maybe real life) is that some may disagree and consider Amy Elliott Dunne the hero.

The work is written in first-person and told almost tit-for-tat by Amy and Nick. It includes enough foreshadowing and foreboding to make the unexpected plot twists plausible.

This is my first Flynn novel. I was drawn to "Gone Girl" by a recent article in "Entertainment Weekly," detailing production of the movie version and the author's involvement.

My one criticism of the story is that it ended too soon. Maybe the movie will fix that.

liked it

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

liked it very much. Great story and the narrator didn't suck.

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

yes

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

Just liked the story. I review these for me.

Fantastic

Great novel, one if the best I have "read" in a long time. The narrators were also fantastic, they definitely captured Nick and Amy perfectly!