Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

1342 reviews

emily_p1's review against another edition

dark mysterious relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

smallpanini's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

"The Secret History" by Donna Tartt is a masterful exploration of dark academia, blending psychological depth with a haunting narrative. Tartt's prose is elegant and gripping, pulling the reader into the twisted world of a close-knit group of college students whose intellectual pursuits spiral into moral decay. The characters are complex, with the enigmatic Henry and the vulnerable Richard standing out, though some might find the pacing deliberate. The novel's atmosphere is immersive, and its themes of guilt, beauty, and corruption linger long after the last page. It's a nearly flawless read, only slightly marred by its slow middle section, yet it's a modern classic with a lasting impact.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Homophobia, and Incest

Minor: Animal death, Rape, and Suicide attempt

laurakehl's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, and Incest

Minor: Homophobia and Rape

tayaingrid's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Antisemitism, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Almost every character is a raging misogynist.

ettegoom's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I don't know what it is about American novels as a genre, but they all seem to have truly terrible humans in them.  I couldn't decide whether I wanted things to work out for everyone in the end, or for them to all end up dead/incarcerated. 

The story is a complete train wreck from start to finish.  The characters are a bunch of 'poor little rich kids' joined by the narrator, a scholarship student, who manages to join the group, yet remains an outsider whilst still being intimately involved in trying to protect the group. 

A friend saw me reading this, and asked if a review that she'd seen entitled "what the hell Richard" was correct.  Yes it's correct, but I'm still not entirely sure what the reviewer was referring to, because there are so many what the heck? moments for every character, that is hard to single out any particular moment that could have triggered the reviewer's response

The writing is compelling and I read the book over about three days where I struggled to put it down.  I don't know whether I enjoyed it per se, but I most certainly wanted to know what was going to happen next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Classism

jellyparfum's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicide, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, and Islamophobia

Minor: Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, and Classism

elizajaquays's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicide attempt

itscarleesmith's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Suicide, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Homophobia and Incest

the_neeerd's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is my favorite book because everyone in it sucks so bad. not a single character makes a good choice. and then they all make each other worse. If you take this book seriously, you're missing the point. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism

Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, and Grief

itstomssg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Incest and Suicide attempt

Minor: Homophobia