May 15, 2009 set in the american midwest, flynn s second novel is a wonderful evocation of drab smalltown life. Jan 21, 2016 t he success of gillian flynns mystery novel gone girl, filmed with rosamund pike and ben affleck, has now given us this middling screen adaptation of her coldcase thriller dark places. Unwilling to find a job, libby accepts an offer from a secret society obsessed with notorious crimes. A former writer and critic for entertainment weekly, she lives in chicago with her husband and children. I think this book suffered a bit with its collection of unlikeable characters and the plot points were really too much of a stretch to be believable.
And yet, i found myself returning to the book more often and more quickly than any i have read since i read the stieg larsson lisbeth salander trilogy. Gillian flynn takes a similar route with her characters as libby day is a deeply troubled individual, seeking the. Although all three books took a walk on the dark side of human nature, i thought ms. On to dark places, flynns second novel, which is all. Theres even a whole channel full of truecrime programming. Jul 30, 2015 inside dark places dark places, a thriller originally published in 2009, tells the story of libby day, the only child to survive a massacre in rural kansas. Mar 02, 20 gillian flynns dark places is such a book, and despite having eagerly awaited the conclusion of the story and answers to all my questions, i am almost sad to part from a story which has held my undivided attention for so many hours.
Written by gillian flynn, audiobook narrated by rebecca lowman, cassandra campbell, mark deakins, robertson dean. If youve already read all the books by gillian flynn dark places, sharp objects, and of course gone girl there are a number of new positively thrilling books to read that will satisfy your craving for the psychologically suspenseful. There are multiple dark years covered in dark placesand multiple dark days, too, as libby day circa 2009 works to uncover the truth behind her familys murder on the night of january 2, 1985. A former writer and critic for entertainment weekly, she lives in chicago with her husband and son. A readers guide for dark places by gillian flynn for additional features, visit in order to provide reading groups with the most informed and thoughtprovoking questions possible, it is necessary to reveal important aspects of the plot of this novel. A former writer and critic for entertainment weekly, her work has been published in 42 countries. I really struggled to finish dark places, i listened on and off for about 2 months. Entertainment weekly flynn follows her deliciously creepy sharp objects with another dark tale. The novel deals with class issues in rural america, intense poverty and the satanic cult hysteria that swept the united states in the 1980s. Dark places unfolds at a tantalizing pace, each short chapter fitting another little piece of the puzzle into place. Now, 25 years later, ben remains in prison and the money in libbys trust fund is gone.
Aug 10, 2015 dark places gillian flynn 55 stars libby day was just seven years old when her evidence put her fifteenyearold brother behind bars. Sep 25, 2009 award winning author gillian flynn talks about her new novel dark places. Basically, ben day knew his crazy girlfriend, diondra, had strangled his little sister to death and he went to prison to spare her jail. Dark places is a mystery novel by gillian flynn published in 2009. That night, libbys mother and two sisters were brutally murdered. Get 50% off this audiobook at the audiobooksnow online audio book store and download or stream it right to.
Dark places is a fine read but its also a very meditative one, too. You might have a bad day when you get out of the shower and forget to wash the shampoo out of your hair, or when your local breakfast joint gets your order wrong, or when you hear that terrible song that whines, cause youve had a bad day. Dark places is the story of libby day who, in 1985, helped a jury convict her 15 yearold brother ben for the brutal murder of her mother and sisters. With libbys words and other evidence, ben is sentenced to life in prison. This is three books in one gone girl, dark places, and sharp objects. Dark places audiobook by gillian flynn 9780739383575 rakuten. A new york times bestseller and weekend today top summer read, dark places solidified flynns status as one of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time. The author proclaims her satisfaction with the adaptation of her book to the screen and her talent is praised by producers matt jackson and cathy schulman and stars stars charlize theron, nicholas. The following authors have achieved a masterful balance of action, horror, suspense, and mystery. Gillian flynn takes a similar route with her characters as libby day is a deeply troubled individual, seeking the truth behind her familys murder.
She survivedand famously testified that her fifteenyearold brother, ben, was the killer. Flynn really takes her time to build her characters and their backstories which are obviously important but jesus, could she have moved any slower in this one. May 04, 2010 i have no doubt that gillian flynn is a very good writer and that she has a special niche as far as her mystery stories go. On a warm summer morning in north carthage, missouri, it is nick and amy dunnes fifth wedding anniversary. Listen to dark places a novel by gillian flynn available from rakuten kobo. Dark places, a mystery by gillian flynn published in 2009, deals with class issues in rural america, as well as intense poverty and the satanic cult hysteria that swept the united states in the 1980s. Even the key protagonist has to grow on the reader. Jun 10, 2010 i have no doubt that gillian flynn is a very good writer and that she has a special niche as far as her mystery stories go.
Ive said this before about gillian flynns writing, and ill say it again. The sole survivor of a family massacre is pushed into revisiting a past shed much rather leave alone, in flynns scorching followup to sharp objects 2006 on a january night in 1985, michelle day, ten, was strangled, her nineyearold sister, debby, killed with an ax, and their mother, patty, stabbed, hacked and shot to death in the family farmhouse. The screenplay, by paquetbrenner, is based on gillian flynns 2009 novel of the same name. Written by gillian flynn, narrated by lorelei king. She uncovers numerous shocking truths which shape this novel into a true pageturner. Ive never come so close to throwing a book across the room. A totally gripping and heartstopping psychological thriller full of twists. Takes a pretty objective approach in having the author discuss her novel and giving her fictional kansas city a gothic twist. Villains and victims gillian flynn has written three popular mystery novels. In dark places, her equally sensuous and chilling followup, flynnhas conjured up a whole new crew of feral and troubled young females. Dark places is a masterpiece, composed of troubled characters,disturbing deeds and buried secrets.
Gillian flynn s books can be frustrating at the best of times, but the ending of dark places truly annoyed me. For me, it wasnt as good as gone girl or sharp objects but it still managed to be a fantastic mystery, full of suspense and tragedy. Flynns second novel, dark places, is an intricately orchestrated thriller that ravages a familys past to unearth the truth behind a horrifying crime. Libby day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered. Gillian flynn is the real deal, a sharp, acerbic, and. Dark places by gillian flynn libby was seven years old when her mother and sisters were massacred, one freezing winters night, leaving her traumatised, suffering from frost bite and believing that her brother was the murderer. Dark places is a fascinating story but not a fun read. Twenty five years later, libby is contacted by the kill club. Get 50% off this audiobook at the audiobooksnow online audio book store and download or stream it right to your computer, smartphone or tablet.
Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Sharp objects by gillian flynn overdrive rakuten overdrive. The slick plotting in dark places will gratify the lover of a good thrillerbut so, too, will flynn s prose, which is ferocious and unrelenting and pure pleasure from word one. Gillian flynns crime novels seem to have recently exploded in popularity, but she has been enjoying her success for a while now. Oct 14, 2014 16 gillian flynn plot twists crazier than gone girls. There are so many pieces that when the last one is finally locked into place, not only is the reader relieved finally to see the big picture, but the revelation is truly original and surprising. This audiobook bundle includes three bestselling thrillers from gillian flynn. Set in 1980s kansas and the present day it tells the story of the day family who were murdered by brother and son, ben. She really needs to pick up the speed in her stories.
Dark places a seven yearold little girl, libby, testifies against her older brother ben for the murders of her two older sisters and her mom. Jun 10, 2010 i was disappointed with gillian flynns novel dark places after thoroughly enjoying gone girl. Cleveland plain dealer gillian flynn s second novel, dark places, proves that her first sharp objects was no fluke. Aug 07, 2015 but furiosa would also make an apt nickname for her character in dark places, a largely neutered, bythenumbers adaptation of gillian flynns second novel the one that came out just. The story, alternating between the 1985 murders and the present, has a tense momentum that works beautifully. Libby day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in the satan sacrifice of kinnakee. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read dark places. The tale is dark and at times rather gritty and yet there is so much hope in this story. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of dark places by gillian flynn. It stars charlize theron, christina hendricks, nicholas hoult, and chloe grace moretz. Dark places is a 2015 mystery thriller film directed by gilles paquetbrenner. But when she is contacted by a group who are convinced of bens innocence, libby starts to ask questions she never dared to before. Twentyfive years later, the kill cluba secret society obsessed with notorious. Dark places by gillian flynn penguin random house audio.
Oct 06, 2015 with gillian flynn, nicholas hoult, matt jackson, chloe grace moretz. Dark places truly is about the dark places in our minds. The tendency to write about unpleasant characters and go to their dark places worked much better for me in dark places than the aforementioned novel. The timesplit narrative works superbly, and the atmosphere is eerily macabre dark places is.