Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

784 reviews

venrus_stryder's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• 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, Incest, and Alcohol

Moderate: Homophobia and Incest

angel_is_reading's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia

themis_biblos's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.25

 [It was] my own fatal tendency to try to make interesting people good. 

 I loved Donna Tartt's writing. I was absolutely absorbed in these terribly pretentious, unlikeable characters' lives. That's probably also why it was so horribly depressing. I'll keep some passages I loved most, but otherwise this book has to go into the freezer. I am disturbed.

 The Greeks had a passion for order and symmetry, but they knew how foolish it was to deny emotion, darkness, barbary. 
 The more cultivated a person is, the more repressed, then the more he needs some method of channeling the primitive impulses he's worked so hard to subdue. Otherwise those powerful old forces will mass and strengthen until they are violent enough to break free, more violent for the delay. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Murder, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Self harm, Blood, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Car accident, and Death of parent

shaleen64's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

3.75

Donna Tartt’s writing is unmatched, her character building is exceptional, and this is why her novels are as long as they are.

The characters are all vastly different and mostly wholly unlikeable, however I found Richard’s drive to fit in relatable but particularly sad when considering the final scenes, and Francis’s character heartbreaking due to his inability to ever be his true self.

The story is much more than a group of rich college students committing crimes, but the true story is written in between the lines and for this reason I think it would be better on a second read or even more so analysing the book.

The only reason I’ve not rated higher is because of how I rank this book with Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, but would still recommend it to selected people.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexism, Medical content, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Classism

Minor: Rape and Death of parent

carolina_carvalho's review against another edition

mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Incest, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder

sassyjax's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

_meganrose's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

4.0

Perfect read heading into Fall. Very eerie and cerebral. However, it should be a CRIME to have 30-50+ page chapters. Overall enjoyed this read, but it could’ve been a lot shorter and would’ve been a better reading experience if the chapters weren’t so long.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

moonagedaydreamer's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

gemblacol's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Violence, and Alcohol

alastorthewerewolf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Holy f*cking sh*t this book has decided to change my whole life goals

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, and Mental illness

Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Outing, and Classism