The Novels of Gillian Flynn - Sharp Objects - Dark Places

Probably what Gillian Flynn was going for but not an enjoyable read compared to Gone Girl or Sharp objects. The characters were repellent and the storyline took too long to become intriguing. I did have to read to the end to find out "who done it" but found myself skipping parts to just get to the end!

So... I have to read books prior to seeing the movie. I started with Gone Girl... Loved it! Then I found Sharp Objects and could not put it down. Dark Places however while being good just was not as good as the other two.

These novels are really good, especially Dark Places. This is a mystery writer who writes about tangled families, and the relationships she builds between the characters make the books very fun for a light read.

A friend had recommended "Gone Girl" and I thought the plot was interesting, but these other two by the same author had no redeeming feature. The writing was poor and there was a lot of smut. It was not an enjoyable read.

If you enjoy reading about the dark places of humanity and feeling nauseated from the first word to the last, Gillian Flynn is your author. I strong-armed my gritting teeth through these two books. Never will I choose to read her again. Having said that, Ms. Flynn can weave a tail so completely and honestly it physically hurts. Obviously this style appeals to many, just not to me.

Before Gillian Flynn struck gold with "Gone Girl" in 2012, she wrote the two other novels collected in this volume, each separated by three years. They both tell dark tales of distressed women entertainingly and suspensefully, but the fun in reading them is watching Flynn grow as a storyteller. Each of her novels is better than its predecessor in characterization, plotting, pacing and style. If you are a Flynn fan from reading "Gone Girl," you owe yourself the very few hours it takes to read the books that got her there.

The writing is highest quality. I watched Gone Girl as a movie, listened to Sharp Objects as an audio book, and just finished Dark Places as an ebook. All are excellent. Sometimes I just repeated phrases aloud to marvel at her literary abilities. I can't put the books down, the suspense is too great, but I want them to last. Who is this young writer to come up with such characters, twists, and unusual story lines? She looks like a nice girl. How did she become so creepy?

Sharp Objects was an interesting look at 'cutting' and what kind of emotional pain could lead to this self-destructive behavior. A good story with fascinating characters and a believable conclusion. However, I found Dark Places to be too difficult. The characters were well-drawn but the world they lived in was really, too dark for me. I finally just skimmed the last quarter of the book to get to the conclusion. I did want to know how it ended, I just couldn't get there all the way with her. It was a disturbing book, probably exactly what Gillian Flynn wanted.

I love Gillian Flynn's writing style as well as her plot twists. I bought these two Books after reading Gone Girl. Gone Girl was so incredible I didn't know if another murder mystery could quite match up! Dark Places was a close second though. I highly recommend all her novels if you want to read a book where you don't know how or where you'll end up!

This book kept me trying to figure it out from the first page to nearly the last. Some very grotesque scenes. Definitely for mature audiences. Would have liked to see more of Diane. Other than that...amazing read!

If you're looking for suspense this is the right place. Sharp Objects was a daring story about life on the inside as well as the out. The characters were all well written and the book took me to a place I haven't been in ages.
Dark Places was by far my fave Gillian Flynn novel. I loved Gone Girl but Dark Places was familiar. She gives you these characters that while highly relatable also have that inner madness that we all sometimes try to hide. Give this a good once over and then read it again if you're up for it.

It's a rare author that can delve so deeply into the darkness that we all harbor to some degree. Dark Places does that and more. Sharp Objects was not quite as good but still a good read. Can't wait to read Gone Girl!

A double book, should be a bargain, and cost less, rather than more than buying the 2 kindle books separately.
Regardless of this, Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl was phenomenal, and I can't wait to read these 2 books.

I recommend these novels, in addition to "Gone Girl," to anyone who enjoys thrilling, crime drama. Gillian Flynn can be in-your-face brutally honest with her characters and descriptions - I loved it! Stories were disturbing yet believable. Great entertainment!

Sharp Objects was definitely the better of these two books. Dont get me wrong I enjoyed Dark Places just thought it dragged out a little to long. I would recommend these two books to anyone who loves a good mystery/thriller.

The narrative is well written and the pace of the story unfolding is properly judged. Don't know if this is an accurate portrayal of the American South - if it is I am not visiting. I am not so sure about the character traits of the main character - I think I should have felt sympathetic towards her but I did not - perhaps because she did not seem to have many redeeming features.

Flynn is one of my favorite authors. All of her writing is gritty, laced with a razor edge, and is completely perfect. Her female leads are flawed, sometimes horrible people, yet are not the typical damsel-in-distress that are typical with female leads in most stories, which makes for a refreshing read.

We all have dark thoughts, some are darker than others. These books kept my attention very well. I like books who's characters are disturbed, yet smart. Always makes me feel better about myself! Haha. Very enjoyable. Can't wait to read Gone Girl! I like to read books in the order the author wrote them. I feel like I'm progressing as the author does.

We all have dark thoughts, some are darker than others. These books kept my attention very well. I like books who's characters are disturbed, yet smart. Always makes me feel better about myself! Haha. Very enjoyable. Can't wait to read Gone Girl! I like to read books in the order the author wrote them. I feel like I'm progressing as the author does.