Gone Girl

By: Gillian Flynn

Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Kirby Heyborne

Length: 19 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

What are you thinking, Amy? The question I've asked most often during our marriage, if not out loud, if not to the person who could answer. I suppose these questions storm cloud over every marriage: What are you thinking? How are you feeling? Who are you? What have we done to each other? What will we do? Just how well can you ever know the person you love?

These are the questions that Nick Dunne must ask himself on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police immediately suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they aren't his. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone.

So what really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife? And what was in that half-wrapped box left so casually on their marital bed? In this novel, marriage truly is the art of war.

©2012 Gillian Flynn (P)2012 Random House

Totally Engaging

Would you listen to Gone Girl again? Why?

Yes. Even though the twists would no longer be a surprise listening again would allow you to focus more on the details rather than the overall story

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

I don't normaly read fiction, so don't know.

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

Great narration

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

Yes, and I did.

Great story

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

Yes, it is an interesting book from the start.

What did you like best about this story?

It was a full story from start to finish. No wading through the first half of the book to get to the guts of the story.

Which scene was your favorite?

Not the ending! It didn't go how I wanted it to :-)

Keeps you wondering

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

Gripping
Insightful
Enjoyable

What did you like best about this story?

The story was written from two perspectives and this is what allowed the complexity of the characters and their relationship to be revealed. It's a great plot, too.

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

They bring the characters to life.

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

I couldn't stop listening until I had finished it. I don't want to be a spoiler, but the ending really let me down ...

Captivating

This story had me right from the start. It wove an incredible web of intrigue through all the characters and I could not put it down

Hard to switch off and go to sleep

This is not the usual type of book I go for, but it was genuinely gripping - flows along in a way that makes it really hard to put down at any given point.
Very well written, sharp and mesmerising insight into two people's psyche's and the tension never stops.
It did get a bit too dark for my liking, and though I'd like to read more from the author, I read the synopsis for her other books and they sound ever darker, so think I'll give them a miss.

Frustration!!

What a great story, to end in such a ridiculously frustrating way. I am so sorry I started it. Fabulous storyline, dreadful end.

Could not get into it

Would you try another book from Gillian Flynn and/or Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne ?

Probably not. This was a book recommended by a friend so I forced myself to listen to at least the first 8 chapters.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Winds of War. Already bought and downloaded it and looking forward it.

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

Slightly over done.

Couldn't finish this

What disappointed you about Gone Girl?

Mainly the story. Very dull but in a nervy kind of way. Akin to listing to strangers having a heated argument over something inconsequential.

What do you think your next listen will be?

The Golem and the Jinni

What didn’t you like about Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne ’s performance?

I found them grating but I think that was more to do with what they we're reading rather than the performance

A Love story

This is a love story. If you do not want to read a love story this is definite not for you. I got it as a gift, and (wrongly) assumed that the giver had found a good book for me, therefore i did not quit the book in mid part 1. Part 1 is terrible, it is love love love, it's like you have stumbled in to the world of girls teen magazines.

In the second part (which I thought was the final part) the book picks up. For a while it feels like this is a thriller and not a lovestory. But all to soon it falls back into being a love story.

What was I thinking as I listened to this book:
Part 1 - Terrible, awfully boring
Part 2 - This is not bad, if it keeps this up it might actually be a decent book.
Part 3 - Shouldn't this have ended by now?

One note about the presentation and the way things are written. The autor has many good ways of putting things, and create some concepts that are fascinating like the dancing monkey. However the storyline kills the book.

Over Rated

Self confessed pathetic protagonist, inconsistent antagonist and deeply unsatisfying ending. The plot is interesting and excellent at building suspense, when it isn't introspection from immature, uninteresting failures, but has no pay off. You can predict the ending and hope it isn't coming, but when it gets there you just wasted nineteen hours.

Some of that's hyperbole... I'm just mad about how much it sucked. When Julia Whelan reads for Nick she sounds as though she is performing a parody.