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

Gone Girl

Gone Girl is a cleverly written story that compelled me through to the end. There was only one well-timed lull in the middle of the book where I questioned whether the book would keep my interest, but once it passed, I was hooked.

There were two aspects of this book that merit comment. First, Flynn has succeeded in writing a book that entertained me with a fascinating cast of characters (I love contemplating who might play which role in the movie version). But of the characters, there were none that I "liked". Normally, if I don't like a character, I don't enjoy reading the book, but in this case, there were other things about the story that captured my attention.

Second, the book interestingly illustrates the dilemma that exists when a celebrity's personal dramas are played out on a very public stage. Everyone is so quick to form opinions about the celebrity, and those opinions are fickle. The book adds to this drama by recognizing that these celebrities become preoccupied with managing these public opinions, with fascinating results.

Finally, I would comment that the audio version of this book was particularly good, performed by two voices, one male and one female, corresponding to the structure of the book.

Compulsive listening!

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

definitely...especially if they are new to audiobooks.
it will draw them into a great alternative to reading!

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

It reminded me listening to Jodi Piccoult the way it switched to the two main characters perspectives with two wonderful readers.

Which scene was your favorite?

Anything I could report would be a spoiler as the story wove the twists and turns of the plot with such precistion.

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

Compulsive listening

Any additional comments?

The readers were surperb!
Conained more psychological depth than others of this genre.

Twisted in a GOOD way

Whenever I read a book review that proclaims something like, "You'll never see the twist coming!" I instantly get wary. It's my experience that books that offer a mystery with a twist are often trite nonsense that happens to turns in a different direction at some point, usually in such a way that the reader realizes that the entire book until now has just been an unsubtle set-up. Much like a M. Night Shamalan movie, the story is built around the twist rather than the story containing a twist.

Gone Girl is nothing like that. From the beginning, the story is compelling and twisted: both main characters, Nick and Amy, have their own agenda that the reader doesn't ever truly understand. It's absolutely fascinating, right to the very end, and even when you think you might know what's going to happen it's still surprising when it does.

The performance of the readers adds so much to the atmosphere of the novel, as well. I could really tell that the readings were directed, the voice actors pushed to really ACT like their characters might.

Overall, this book was amazing, and listening to this production was even better than reading it myself would have been. Bravo!

Just when you think you got it all figured out

The plot thickens, the story get even more twisted. I enjoyed every minute of it. The narrators did such a great job bringing the characters to life, it is as if I knew these people, and wanted to relate to them. The ending was a complete surprise. So riveting, it was impossible to put it down.

This is my first book from Gillian Flynn, and already I'm a huge fan. I'll definitely be on the look out for her next book.

Twisted with a capital T !!

Any additional comments?

Excellent writing by Ms. Flynn for suspense thriller fans looking for a very contemporary story. This is seriously the most twisted book I remember ever reading, or actually, listening to.I had fun with this book until the last 25% or so, and then I had to honestly admit that this book was just not for me, and I wish I had resisted listening to it. I wonder if I could have handled it better as a book reading it? But, if you are into twisted suspense thrillers you need to go out and read it right now. Also, as an attorney, the witness prep session made me laugh out loud and was worth the whole, crazy mess. And, if you have read the book, I am going to have to talk with you about it, so I guess the book did what it was supposed to!Having said that, I have to admit that the voices, the characters, and the plotting were so amazing that I may have to check this author out again. So long as the other books have at least ONE person that I can care about!

What I Did and Did Not Expect At The Same Time

This is the first Gillian Flynn I have had the pleasure of listening to. The story had such interesting twists and turns, some of them predictable yet at the same time I was pleased with. She writes a "villain" with such a relatable quality. The whole book feels as though all decisions made by the characters were justifiable when you know in reality that things have gone too far many times over. I now have to listen to all of the Gillian Flynn books to feed my obsession with her unique perspective on female characters. I made sure to listen to the audio book before watching the movie and I am so happy that the movie was a great adaptation of this book with only a few minor details changed.

Pure manipulation, infuriating

This story messes with the reader's emotions and plays husband and wife against each other, at first battling for your sympathy, then you finally choose a side. At its best (part 2) it is absolutely infuriating with the sense of injustice and creepy evil. I literally had to turn it off a few times to take a break from the stress of it, but then I went right back to it because I had to know what was coming next even though I didn't like any of the characters. Enjoyed this story, but glad it's over.

The narrators were excellent, the female narrator especially found the perfect tone of voice for each stage of the story. Really sticking is the voice of Nick's father that both narrators captured in the same way, as if they practiced it together.

Twisted Mystery

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

All the unexpected twists made this book so enjoyable.

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

It is totally different from any book I can think of.

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

My favorites were the main characters Amy and Nick.

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

This book made me anxious.

Any additional comments?

This is a great listen. Very unpredictable. At first it reminded me of the famous true case of Scott Peterson and his missing wife Lacey, but only at first. Don't think you can figure this one out, it is very interesting!

Absolutely Insane

I’m at a loss for words. This book was absolutely insane. But I couldn’t stop listening. Wow.

Dark and twisted

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

It would depend on the friend. This isn't a story for everyone, it deals with some quite dark characters and situations

What did you like best about this story?

The twists and turns

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

I guess it would have to be Amy, not because I thought she was a great person, but she was definitely the most interesting and well developed character

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

Yes and I did manage to listen to it over 3 days. Thank goodness for 2x speed :)