Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Title: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Paperback: 422 pages
Published: April 22, 2014 by Broadway Books
Setting: North Carthage, MO
Literary Awards: Barry Award Nominee for Best Novel 2013; Anthony Award Nominee for Best Novel 2013; Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award (RT Award) for Suspense/Thriller Novel 2012; Shirley Jackson Award Nominee for Best Novel 2012; Edgar Award Nominee for Best Novel 2013; Goodreads Choice for Best Mystery & Thriller 2012; women's Prize for Fiction Nominee for Longlist 2013; Grand Prix des lectrices de Elle for roman policier 2013

from Goodreads: 

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? 

Alleluialu's Review:

This was our book club's April selection. It was suggested last year, but the person suggesting it was worried about offending some book club members with the language, etc. I didn't really notice that big of a foul language problem. I mean there were words spoken or thought, but it wasn't offensive to me. The story was good. The ending...eh...weird. I like books and movies that you have to figure out and this certainly was one of those. I sometimes count the number of pages in a book and the number of days until I have to have it read. I finished this book 3 days early. At a certain point, I read it as much as possible. It wasn't as compelling as some other books I have read, but I definitely had to keep going to find out what happened next. I would have liked for Nick's Dad to have had something to tell. He kept popping up and I expected him to have some clue to offer, but it never happened. Amy's character was pretty much of a genius - a wicked genius. She was so thorough. I wanted Nick to match her wit. Anyway, I might have to see the movie. If you like crime fiction and twisting plots, this is a book for you. I am always amazed at authors who pull things like this off. Their minds are "amazing".

I usually use notes for ratings, but this time I want to use stars. I gave this selection 5 stars. It was definitely hard to put down and it was intriguing. I was a little disappointed in the ending, but it was still worth 5 stars. The murder-mystery buffs out there will love this one. 

Book Review: The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Title: The Awakening

Author: Kate Chopin

Paperback: 195 pages

Published: 2006 by Elibron Classics

Setting: New Orleans, Louisiana

from Goodreads

When first published in 1899, The Awakening shocked readers with its honest treatment of female marital infidelity. Audiences accustomed to the pieties of late Victorian romantic fiction were taken aback by Chopin's daring portrayal of a woman trapped in a stifling marriage, who seeks and finds passionate physical love outside the confines of her domestic situation.

Aside from its unusually frank treatment of a then-controversial subject, the novel is widely admired today for its literary qualities. Edmund Wilson characterized it as a work "quite uninhibited and beautifully written, which anticipates D. H. Lawrence in its treatment of infidelity." Although the theme of marital infidelity no longer shocks, few novels have plumbed the psychology of a woman involved in an illicit relationship with the perception, artistry, and honesty that Kate Chopin brought to The Awakening. 

Alleluialu's Review:

** spoiler alert ** My daughter told me I would like this book. I'm not sure why. Anyway, I didn't particularly like the beginning. It seemed like your basic Victorian family at the beach story, but it got better after the family went back home. I was proud of Mrs. Pontellier when she stood up for herself and started painting again, didn't have tea parties just because her husband wanted her to, and found the little house around the corner. However, I don't understand why she had to (SPOILER ALERT) take her own life. How did that prove anything? Didn't that mean that her husband won after all? Granted she had control over the deed, but she was dead. I don't get it. The story reminded me of "To The Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf, but I just don't get why she had to die. 

I gave this selection 4 notes - A Concerto! I really liked this book. Go Find It! I got mine at my local library. It's a Classic.