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

Thought I Would be Moved, but Not Impressed

Not as impressive or engaging as I recalled from watching the movie a decade ago.

So fun!

Oh my gosh, I loved every minute of listening to this one. It was fun & twisty & kept me wanting to know what happens next. It’s fluff, but it’s really fun fluff.

Great twists!

The characters are deep and interesting. The story is unpredictable and fascinating. I highly recommend reading it!

Very Twisted!

I loved this book and the readers were enjoyable with multiple voices. I loved the twists and turns of the unexpected.

intriguing and deeply realistic

it really can happen to you. wad hooked from the first page. I highly recommend

Wild Ride

I loved every minute of this book. It had everything. It was witty, funny, terrifying, scary, disturbing and heartfelt. Even though I saw the movie years ago I didn’t remember much which was good, it was still surprising and shocking. I know the book is so much better and maybe a little different than the movie or maybe a lot different. I want to watch it again to see. I like the female narrator but not really the male character. He just didn’t fit the character in my mind. A real modern masterpiece .

Meh. Ok for one read, but wouldn’t add to the bookshelf.

Story was ok, but half of the chapters could have been cut out. This is a book that I could easily do other things while listening, and not worry that I was going to miss any key plot points. Narrators did an excellent job.

Long and Weird

I didn’t like it. It was boring and weird. Yes, it was written well, but way too much detail-for no good reason. So much of the details had nothing to do with the actual story. “ 3 weeks gone” “10 months after the return” bla bla bla. I’m glad it’s finally over. What a sick dumb story.

Something New Under the Summer Sun!

This book is interesting on several levels. On one, the reader is introduced to current methods of publicity damage control including blogs and interviews with talking heads with a slick lawyer heading the team. On another level, Flynn gradually reveals the inner workings of a pathological marriage. Although I was not sure of who I wanted to "win" until about the middle of the book, I wanted to know more. I did not love the ending, but this is a book I will remember and recommend.

The Shallow End of the Pool

I tried to like this story and I gave it 3 stars because I finished it. There are few books that make better movies---this is one.

The only mystery was how far the author was going to stretch reality. The premise is decent. But things get stretched far beyond the breaking point. Our heroine meets up with a sleazy pair at her hiding place. They watch the story of the woman's death and disappearance (they are separately handled) on TV but never make the connection? These two never make the connection even after she returns to the spotlight? And, I suppose it's kiss and make up is good enough with the police? They drop the whole thing? And rich dead guy? No dots to connect there.

Well, I saw the movie on TV and found it far more engaging than the book.

I'll give it this. The book is popular and many people like it. You may. I did not.