Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)

I would wait for your library.

I'm another one that didn't like the ending although the book is very good until then. I feel the ending is a cop out.

Hmm. She is apparently an AMAZING writer, but I borrowed Sharp Objects from my local library (because a beta reader said my ms reminded her of that book, natch) and I wasn't wowed.

I suggest, go into it not expecting loads from the book, not expecting it to be omg-amaze, and then you won't be disappointed.

(although can I say, great name choice for the FMC )

I found Gone Girl to be much better than Sharp Objects, tbh. If I'd read them the other way around, I wouldn't have bothered with Gone Girl

I thought Gone Girl was amazing. Technically, it's a virtuoso performance--told in first person by two flawed characters whose revelations overlap, contradict, and slowly tease out the mystery/suspense.

From a story-telling point of view, it keeps you guessing right up to the end. I haven't read any of Flynn's other books, but will be watching for the next one.

In my opinion, I'd have been annoyed if it ended any way other than it did. It isn't tidy, but it's right.

I didn't want my money back at the end of the book, and sometimes, that's pretty alright. I liked it.

It's cracking and the ending is great. One of the best novels I have read for ages.

When you buy a book, do you buy it with the idea that you will re-read it at some point, or is it just a one-time thing? I bought Gone Girl on my Kindle and found it riveting, but I won't re-read it ever because I don't really want to be inside those characters' heads again!

That's the thing - Flynn really wrangled very well the problem of a cast of pretty roundly unlikable characters. It's not an easy trick to manage and it's risky. And, ever importantly, it worked.

I thought it was a great read and I bought a copy because I plan on sharing it with at least two other people. I wasn't hugely satisfied with the ending, but I can see why she chose it. It worked.

I loved it and honestly? I thought the ending was perfect in a twisted sort of way.

I thought the ending was a bit of a cop out but she lead up to it well.

I had such a different experience with this book. I disliked it rather a lot, for all that it was well done.

mirandashell said:

I found Gone Girl to be much better than Sharp Objects, tbh. If I'd read them the other way around, I wouldn't have bothered with Gone Girl

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This. I was glad I read Gone Girl first. I loved it, I loved her writing, I thought it was excellent. But the others not as much. But Sharp Objects was her first, right? So she improved as an author which hopefully means whatever's next will be even better!

Good chance of it. But I'll be interested to see what she writes as Gone Girl is a trick you can only pull off once, I think.

Possible. A one-hit wonder type book.

I'm in Camp The Ending Ruined It For Me. Of her three novels, Dark Places was my favorite. I really enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for the split-timeline narrative, though.

I thought it was a really well-crafted book. Very difficult to put down. As for the ending, I didn't like it. I do think it suited the book/characters and that Flynn made a good choice, but I was annoyed at the troubling limbo we were left with.

I'm drawing a blank as to how it ended...I read it quite some time ago. Oh wait...it's all coming back to me. The whole thing. And yes, I was shocked and disappointed at the ending. I'm not sure how I wanted it to end, but it wasn't like that.

I found this book almost impossible to put down. The ending wasn't what I expected, but it was what was right for the book and the characters, and serves to sustain the creepiness of the whole book until long after you've finished reading it.

I've just finished Emma Chapman's How To Be A Good Wife, which although not similar in premise or style to Gone Girl is similar in the tension generated by the tight writing, and similarly gripping. That too has an unexpected and uncomfortable ending, but I just loved the book. If you liked Gone Girl, buy How To Be A Good Wife; if you weren't too keen on Gone Girl, still buy HTBAGW because it's a wonderful book of this type.

Old Hack said:

I found this book almost impossible to put down. The ending wasn't what I expected, but it was what was right for the book and the characters, and serves to sustain the creepiness of the whole book until long after you've finished reading it.

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You're right, and that's how I felt once I'd finished and set the book down for a bit. It fit, but I think...I think it was just so unsettling that it didn't seem right.

I loved Gone Girl, but yeah the ending was a little disappointing and when you think about it very disturbing, but I think maybe it's better for that.

I was going to buy it, then I stupidly read the synopsis on Wikipedia.
The ending seemed to be a situation where the author purposely withholds information from the reader to try and make the ending have a "twist" and oh boy do I hate those kind of books.

It's a shame because everyone says it's really well written, but my money just won't be spent on a book that's going to leave me frustrated when I've finished it.

The book is definitely well written and kept me turning pages, but I too was disapointed by the ending. I kept waiting for with wonderful wrap-up and I turned the page and it read "Acknowledgements". I went back to see it I had skipped a page by mistake. The ending was just too easy, but in my opinion it's still worth the read.