Gone Girl

There has been so much hype surrounding Gillian Flynn's latest novel. It's been on lots of 'best thriller of 2012' lists, was apparently the hippest read in New York in 2012 and there is talk of a Hollywood movie. I am also a big fan of her two previous novels which I think show her to be one of the most original contemporary thriller writers. Therefore, I was very excited about the release of this, her third novel and actually started listening last year when it was first released. However I became really stuck about half an hour into it

and could not move beyond Amy's narration- I did not like the character or the narrator. However, my New Year's resolution is to finish all those unfinished

listens (I am so pleased I decided to do this as my first unfinished listen I

revisited was Alex Marwood's 'Wicked Girls'. - outstanding!)

So am I glad I put in the effort to finish this? I can't believe I initially stopped listening- so if you are struggling, once you get past the first hour it is definitely worth persevering.

Initially I found Amy's narration irritating and wanted to hear more of Nick's story, however as the book progresses and you navigate the many twists and turns of the plots you are drawn further in to both narrator's stories never knowing which one to believe. This is the real strength of this novel - the

reader is kept guessing throughout - all the way until the end.

This is a long listen but I could not stop listening and as with any excellent read I miss the characters stories and am struggling to find a listen to match it.

The perfect holiday listen. Brilliantly written. Two wonderful characters. Two wonderful voices. The writing is sharp and incisive and both Nick and Amy are completely believable. The plot is brilliantly planned and the secrets are held back and revealed in teasing snippets. Loved it!

When I started listening I thought I had made a mistake - I didn't like the voice of the man, the aggressive tone and the bad language,but I always think it worth persevering for a while and I'm glad I did. It's one of the those books that might take a bit of getting into, but once the characters were established and the book began to deal with the disappearance of Amy the feel of it changed and it became absorbing. So I would recommend - and if you start listening and have some doubts, keep going you will enjoy it.

I don't really care what happens to either of them I am so bored maybe its the narration or maybe the story is just unexciting but I love audiobooks and seldom leave one unfinished but this one is

Although this book is clearly well written, the characters are so unlikeable that I really struggled to finish it. I suspect that if I was reading it rather than listening to it I may very well have given up. The narrators are good, though I like Amy's voice better than Nick's so there was a jolt every time they switched while I got used to the voice again. If you like psychological thrillers then I wouldn't want to put you off altogether - as I said - it is well written,I just found that because I wasn't routing for one of the characters the plot wasn't enough to hold me.

This book is totally absorbing from the start, the characters are complex and interesting and although they are unlikeable they manage to pull you in; I became immersed in their viewpoint. The first 2 thirds of this book I found so gripping that I thought it would be a five starer but I think because it was so involving I expected a slightly more satisfying end. Worth listening to though for the weaving plot and the characters that are so well thought out.

I just raced through this book. Loved the style of writing. It certainly was one of those books you just didn't want to put down and not a dull page until the ending.

I couldn't believe Gillian gave such a good book the crappy ending that she did.

It left me feeling like I wished I hadn't wasted my time reading this book. A poor conclusion which I'm sure most people would agree just didn't do the story justice at all.

I had to listen to the last 3.5 mins 3 times as I thought I had missed something or that my audio app was not working.The poor ending spoilt the whole experience of a great novel. Even though I was gripped by the story I feel ripped off in the end......

In the beginnging i thought this is simple i know whats going on here,in fact after a couple of chapters i wondered if i would carry on listening.Then off we went on the ride,flying up and down then side to side as each narrator gave their spin on events.Alarmingly even when you do feel you have a grip on whats going on , the two main characters dance around each other again.
The end may appal you,but you will want to get to the end !

How can I describe this without giving anything away? Superbly written and brilliantly narrated. The main characters by turn are hateful and deserving sympathy. I sincerely wish that I could read this again without knowing the outcome. You will not be sorry to get this in your library.