So, two years, or whatever, too late, I'm weighing in on Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I listened to it on Audible while walking the dogs last month, since I refused to buy a copy and read it- I had a hunch it may not be something I'd want to add to my collection. And I was right.
First, I will be kind and complimentary (this should take roughly ten seconds).
It is entertaining on some level, when it's not annoying as hell. Oh, and I like the name Gillian.
I feel like everyone in this world liked this book more than I did, so now let's see how many followers I can lose.
The Writing
My first complaint, as is the case with most mysteries, is that the writing is completely mediocre. In actuality this probably isn't a legitimate complaint, since it's not exactly billed as a literary read. The dialogue was frequently forced and unnatural, especially at the end- nearly comical at times.
The Characters
The characters were under-developed, considering the length of the novel (she could have done a lot more). I don't mind books with unlikable characters, but I have to still be interested and invested in their progress and motivations, which I was not (especially as the book progressed; I had an open mind in the beginning, before things started getting ridiculous). The only character that I found slightly intriguing was Tanner Bolt, Nick's lawyer.
The Absurdity
This is tied into the characters, but I found the characters ridiculously stupid at times. The mental deficiency at times was baffling. The plot also becomes increasingly absurd as it unfolds. Books don't necessarily have to be realistic (hello! I like Harry Potter!), but there has to be some sort of plausibility in a novel that's obviously taking itself seriously. The premeditation on Amy's part is just way too far-fetched. I know she's a psychopath, but I just can't believe a real person would be that capable of half the things she did. I just kept thinking, verbatim, "Who the fuck does that?"
The Ending (snob spoiler alert)
What the hell? First of all, are you telling me someone with the supposed self-control and discipline to hurt herself, keep false diaries for months, and totally let herself go is going to give into Desi that quickly? And Nick, not manning up and handling the situation? Oh, and the pregnancy? It's just completely ludicrous.
The Movie
I have a theory that the better the book the worse the movie, and vice versa. That being said, I have some faith that David Fincher and Ben Affleck will salvage something here.
Love it? Hate it? Refusing to read it?
It is entertaining on some level, when it's not annoying as hell. Oh, and I like the name Gillian.
I feel like everyone in this world liked this book more than I did, so now let's see how many followers I can lose.
The Writing
My first complaint, as is the case with most mysteries, is that the writing is completely mediocre. In actuality this probably isn't a legitimate complaint, since it's not exactly billed as a literary read. The dialogue was frequently forced and unnatural, especially at the end- nearly comical at times.
The Characters
The characters were under-developed, considering the length of the novel (she could have done a lot more). I don't mind books with unlikable characters, but I have to still be interested and invested in their progress and motivations, which I was not (especially as the book progressed; I had an open mind in the beginning, before things started getting ridiculous). The only character that I found slightly intriguing was Tanner Bolt, Nick's lawyer.
The Absurdity
This is tied into the characters, but I found the characters ridiculously stupid at times. The mental deficiency at times was baffling. The plot also becomes increasingly absurd as it unfolds. Books don't necessarily have to be realistic (hello! I like Harry Potter!), but there has to be some sort of plausibility in a novel that's obviously taking itself seriously. The premeditation on Amy's part is just way too far-fetched. I know she's a psychopath, but I just can't believe a real person would be that capable of half the things she did. I just kept thinking, verbatim, "Who the fuck does that?"
The Ending (
What the hell? First of all, are you telling me someone with the supposed self-control and discipline to hurt herself, keep false diaries for months, and totally let herself go is going to give into Desi that quickly? And Nick, not manning up and handling the situation? Oh, and the pregnancy? It's just completely ludicrous.
The Movie
I have a theory that the better the book the worse the movie, and vice versa. That being said, I have some faith that David Fincher and Ben Affleck will salvage something here.
Love it? Hate it? Refusing to read it?
I enjoyed it but the ending was just proposterous.
ReplyDeleteI really, really disliked this book. I like dark literature, but I'm also a fan of dark literature done well. Gone Girl isn't it. I feel like Flynn goes more for shock value than anything else. "What's the most ludicrous thing I can think up...?"
ReplyDeleteGlad I'm not the only one to be less than impressed, it just didn't do it for me either. Most of the time I was bored.
ReplyDeleteI thought Flynn might be trying to comment on how men seemingly get away with these things and the women suffer. But, then she made her protagonist a sociopath, crazy bitch and undid a lot of good work.
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