October Book Club: Gone Girl + #Girlboss Giveaway!
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Today we discuss our October read Gone Girl!
First, profuse apologies this is almost two weeks late. I'm embarrassed this is going up mid-November. I hope you enjoyed reading Gone Girl through October and you're turning the pages of Wild in your homes with candles burning and coffee brewing despite my scheduling blunder. Let's jump into our discussion!
Below are four of my favorite things to consider while reading a book. Anything we should add? Let me know in the comments!
1. How did you experience the book?
Gone Girl is a psychological thriller at its best! As with If I Stay, Lauren captures how I experienced Gone Girl like we were sitting next to each other. On her blog she writes:
It was a rainy & windy evening in the Pacific Northwest. The Halloween lights around my apartment casting an orange glow, and a pumpkin latte candle flickering on my mantle. It might seem like a calm, relaxing place…but it did absolutely nothing to ease me. Gripping the book like it was my lifeline, my eyes scanning the pages ferociously, my mind with no room for anything but the plot and what would happen next.
This book, the more you think about it, the more brilliant it becomes. It has been the backdrop to my thoughts the last week or so, and I find the ideas of this story lurking in random places in my mind. Gillian Flynn painted this perfectly wicked story and with a plot that slams you with twists you will never see coming. How utterly brilliant. Speechless.
2. What was your favorite quote?
I was told love should be unconditional. That's the rule, everyone says so. But if love has no boundaries, no limits, no conditions, why should anyone try to do the right thing ever? If I know I am loved no matter what, where is the challenge? I am supposed to love Nick despite all his shortcomings. And Nick is supposed to love me despite my quirks. But clearly, neither of us does. It makes me think that everyone is very wrong, that love should have many conditions. Love should require both partners to be their very best at all times.
3. Has this novel changed you—broadened your perspective? Have you learned something new or been exposed to different ideas?
Gone Girl asks us to contemplate what happens when we morph into our best selves to please our loves. What happens when we can't sustain that identity? Feelings of betrayal? Inadequacy? Should our love be unconditional despite a shift in our beloved's identity?
4. Lastly, book versus movie?
Book! The movie was very well done from casting, to acting, scenes, and suspense, but capturing the nuance of Nick's betrayal and Amy's revenge was next to impossible even in a movie with a 150 minute run-time.
If you'd like to keep talking Gone Girl, there is a video up on the Paper & Glam YouTube channel:
As I mentioned, November's read is Wild by Cheryl Strayed. In November, we'll follow Cheryl's adventure as she finds herself along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Lastly, a giveaway just for the readers! We will be kicking off 2015 with a bossy read this January, Sophia Amoruso's #Girlboss. Enter to win a copy by leaving me a comment below!
Want to see our monthly reads in advance? The Paper & Glam Good Reads Group lists our reads through February 2015!
Happy reading,
Lisamarie