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sksrenninger's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.0
- I’ve never read Lord of the Flies, and now I feel like I might be missing some allusions. They both kill a guy with an animal name. Luckily, I *have read Gatsby. The American dream, everyone! It always ends in someone being in love with someone they can’t be with, and dead people. And apparently it doesn’t pay to be rich.
- I really love when I’m reading a book I enjoy and I look up after reading for a while to discover I still have 200 pages to go. That is… sort of this book. I enjoyed it, but at about the halfway point I skimmed the rest of the book because I lost patience. I still finished it for real, but it’s slow. It’s not the murder mystery / psychological thriller it sometimes gets billed as.
- I really enjoyed the voice in this book, because it’s very authentic; it doesn’t waver. There were tons of words I didn’t know, which 1) I love in general and 2) I especially enjoyed since apparently Richard earns a phd in English by the time he starts writing.
- Why does it feel like secret code every time someone addresses the narrator directly as Richard? It’s like they’re breaking the fourth wall.
- “Do not fear. It is the mother. She is concerned with the dishonor of the son having to do with wine.” Did she try to translate this into Ancient Greek first? There is talk among the citizens!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape
madismurdermysteries's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-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
4.5
I’m finding it difficult to rate this book. Really more than anything else, I rated it so high because the writing itself is so stunning, much more so than the actual plot. I couldn’t put the book down a lot of the time, but I couldn’t even figure out why.
I was almost expecting some sort of magical element, or a BIG TWIST that just never came, which rather disappointed me…
that said it really was a fascinating read, and she really captured the complete unraveling of these characters
that said it really was a fascinating read, and she really captured the complete unraveling of these characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Incest and Vomit
midnightstory's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Incest, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Medical content, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Antisemitism
egglanor's review against another edition
4.0
I am left speechless. This book began haunting my dreams. The descriptive writing is beautifully done, and the plot complex, captivating, and harrowing. The opening mystery is mostly revealed by about halfway through the book, and I wondered what could possibly develop from then onwards (since that mystery had been til then sustaining the fast pace of the book), but things sure do develop, and you start to wonder how you ever thought any of it could be reasonable, or how you didn't see certain things before. I was so immersed in this story that I genuinely forgot you can't smoke indoors anymore because so many of the characters constantly have cigarette in hand. Anyway, what the fuck, and, go read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicide, Violence, and Toxic friendship
sullivan_reader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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
4.5
Oddly enough, this feels more like a character study, but where all of the characters are unlikable. And yet, I was still intrigued to see what happens next. Honestly, my favorite character was the cat that shit in the car cause ya they all deserved it. Idk how people like them. For example, they're all murderers. Richard really doesn't care until it's slapping him in the face with the fact that someone's death affects other people, too. Oh and that paragraph where he wanted to rape Camilla, like what a bustard.
Henry was a cold hearted, manipulative, son of a bitch. Charles wasabusive .
Camilla couldn't handle being friends with other girls.
Bunny was racist, homophobic, classist (though they all were), and sexist, to name a few. And there's the theory that Richard exaggerated his bad traits, but personally, I think it shows that people can be terrible, but they still don't deserve to die.
I disliked Francis least of all cause his biggest faults were not being independent enough to voice his own opinions and literally go along with double homicide cause everyone else is too.
Then there's Julian. In my opinion, Julian created and fostered the environment where actions like these were acceptable, and their excuses were justified because of class and intellectualism. But when the consequences of his actions were staring him in the face, he fled cause he didn't want to be associated with it. Which explains why they felt so betrayed. It's like when an adult tells a kid if they tell the truth they won't get mad, then they get mad when they hear it.
Anyway, love the aesthetic, hate the classism and characters. They hated each other too, they’r preverse sense of superiority is the onlt thing tying them together. And I'm not mad Henry did what he did cause I feel like he fancied himself a hero in a Greek tragedy and that's how their story would end.
Oh and the writing was absolutely gorgeous! But it took a long time to be able to sink my teeth into it like other novels. That's not a bad thing though, it made me sit with the book and digest it longer which was most beneficial.
Henry was a cold hearted, manipulative, son of a bitch. Charles was
Camilla couldn't handle being friends with other girls.
Bunny was racist, homophobic, classist (though they all were), and sexist, to name a few. And there's the theory that Richard exaggerated his bad traits, but personally, I think it shows that people can be terrible, but they still don't deserve to die.
I disliked Francis least of all cause his biggest faults were not being independent enough to voice his own opinions and literally go along with double homicide cause everyone else is too.
Then there's Julian. In my opinion, Julian created and fostered the environment where actions like these were acceptable, and their excuses were justified because of class and intellectualism. But when the consequences of his actions were staring him in the face, he fled cause he didn't want to be associated with it. Which explains why they felt so betrayed. It's like when an adult tells a kid if they tell the truth they won't get mad, then they get mad when they hear it.
Anyway, love the aesthetic, hate the classism and characters. They hated each other too, they’r preverse sense of superiority is the onlt thing tying them together. And I'm not mad Henry did what he did cause I feel like he fancied himself a hero in a Greek tragedy and that's how their story would end.
Oh and the writing was absolutely gorgeous! But it took a long time to be able to sink my teeth into it like other novels. That's not a bad thing though, it made me sit with the book and digest it longer which was most beneficial.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Suicide
emmakhend's review against another edition
challenging
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
5.0
I have put off reading this book for years. Donna Tartt is one of the quintessential authors of the campus novel. The Secret History is one of those books that can either take you weeks to finish or just a few days. I, luckily, fell into the second category. The prose itself is immersive—decadent, even. Tartt writes with a dark, lyrical quality that makes you feel as if you’re right there in the small, suffocating world of Hampden College.
The characters are genuinely awful human beings—terrible in almost every way. Genuinely. But that doesn’t make them any less enjoyable to read about. What makes this book digestible, despite the characters’ flaws, is that they’re all grounded in reality. If you’ve ever been to a small liberal arts college, you’ve probably encountered a Richard, Henry, Bunny, Francis, Camilla, or Charles.
This is nothing new: coked-out academics and wealthy, apathetic young adults. These are the students you despise when they raise their hands in socratic seminars. They’re the ones who casually quote Greek philosophers in everyday conversation, like it’s normal to wax poetic about Plato over brunch. You know the type—drenched in privilege, floating through life with a kind of ironic detachment, as if they’re above the mundane concerns of the rest of us. But that’s the charm, isn’t it?
So, what happens when these familiar archetypes commit murder? The answer: a complete dissolution of mind and body; self-destruction in its most romantic form.
It’s hard to even say if these friends particularly liked each other. Their friendships seem less like bonds of genuine affection and more like conveniences that teeter on the edge of disdain, held together by a shared pretense of intellectualism and a sense of superiority over the "common people." This is not a book about likable characters or redeeming qualities; it's about what happens when people with far too much privilege and not enough conscience are pushed to the brink.
By the end of this, you realize you’ve been justifying murder for 500 pages. It’s insane but so good.
The characters are genuinely awful human beings—terrible in almost every way. Genuinely. But that doesn’t make them any less enjoyable to read about. What makes this book digestible, despite the characters’ flaws, is that they’re all grounded in reality. If you’ve ever been to a small liberal arts college, you’ve probably encountered a Richard, Henry, Bunny, Francis, Camilla, or Charles.
This is nothing new: coked-out academics and wealthy, apathetic young adults. These are the students you despise when they raise their hands in socratic seminars. They’re the ones who casually quote Greek philosophers in everyday conversation, like it’s normal to wax poetic about Plato over brunch. You know the type—drenched in privilege, floating through life with a kind of ironic detachment, as if they’re above the mundane concerns of the rest of us. But that’s the charm, isn’t it?
So, what happens when these familiar archetypes commit murder? The answer: a complete dissolution of mind and body; self-destruction in its most romantic form.
It’s hard to even say if these friends particularly liked each other. Their friendships seem less like bonds of genuine affection and more like conveniences that teeter on the edge of disdain, held together by a shared pretense of intellectualism and a sense of superiority over the "common people." This is not a book about likable characters or redeeming qualities; it's about what happens when people with far too much privilege and not enough conscience are pushed to the brink.
By the end of this, you realize you’ve been justifying murder for 500 pages. It’s insane but so good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Blood, and Antisemitism
Minor: Eating disorder and Rape
This book is DARK. But, the narrator's apathy makes it digestible. Richard's blasé attitude towards the events in this book make it easier to read.zoekyriacou's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Good autumn read and I was hooked. Was hoping for more reveal/ satisfying tying of knots at the end to boost the overall reading experience. The writing at moments can be exquisite. I didn’t connect with any of the characters. Was expecting more. So much smoking😮💨
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Incest, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, and Classism
erebus53's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
For a story with attractive writing and the occasionally beautiful truth of phrase, I have never read a book with more characters that I loathed. It is set in a university clique where the students so devote themselves to their study of ancient Greek, and their sycophantic affection for their tutor, that they become quite disconnected from the rest of campus and the real world. It's like you take cliquey academia and then turn it up to 11½. Not quite as schizophrenic as Bunny by Mona Awad, though one of the characters shares the same name, there is a sense that the narrator is not quite reliable.
I didn't get a clear sense of when this was set but I'm guessing that because it references anti-Arab race hatred and Sadam Hussein, that it would have to be about 1991, though most of it feels a little earlier than that. Maybe my perception of it is warped by it having been written before computers and cellphones were ubiquitous.
I was completely culturally at is with a bunch of characters who range from sociopathic to just mildly self-involved, all with a heaping helping of sense of entitlement... all the characters have bad or absent parents which is probably deliberate. These kids are almost adults, similes, and frequently inebriated. They are perfectly ok with tolerating friends as they demonstrate casual disregard for others, drink driving, kleptomania, infidelity, fraud, Racism, Sexism, religious bigotry, and stiffing others for the bill at expensive restaurants. These antics are presented to the narrator as endearing.. again; reliable??
When a classmate goes missing, I as a reader have the ethical question, would I have killed the horrible kid myself?! If I did would that make me a bad person? This kid is demonstrably awful, to mind. Does it matter that he was raised awful, by awful parents, and had a learning disability? Given support could he have improved? Who would have the patience!!!
The book drags. If the scenery had been nice I wouldn't mind so much, but I just wanted to kick all of the characters to the curb. I've been off-the-rails, drunk, clueless, far from home, and made bad decisions. I really liked the part of the story where our narrator has to live in a horrible free room, with a hole in the ceiling, through the coldest winter in ages, and there descriptions of going to common spaces and hanging out at the University because.. it's heated. That I could relate to. But the rest of it...?
I'm not sure why I do this to myself.
I didn't get a clear sense of when this was set but I'm guessing that because it references anti-Arab race hatred and Sadam Hussein, that it would have to be about 1991, though most of it feels a little earlier than that. Maybe my perception of it is warped by it having been written before computers and cellphones were ubiquitous.
I was completely culturally at is with a bunch of characters who range from sociopathic to just mildly self-involved, all with a heaping helping of sense of entitlement... all the characters have bad or absent parents which is probably deliberate. These kids are almost adults, similes, and frequently inebriated. They are perfectly ok with tolerating friends as they demonstrate casual disregard for others, drink driving, kleptomania, infidelity, fraud, Racism, Sexism, religious bigotry, and stiffing others for the bill at expensive restaurants. These antics are presented to the narrator as endearing.. again; reliable??
When a classmate goes missing, I as a reader have the ethical question, would I have killed the horrible kid myself?! If I did would that make me a bad person? This kid is demonstrably awful, to mind. Does it matter that he was raised awful, by awful parents, and had a learning disability? Given support could he have improved? Who would have the patience!!!
The book drags. If the scenery had been nice I wouldn't mind so much, but I just wanted to kick all of the characters to the curb. I've been off-the-rails, drunk, clueless, far from home, and made bad decisions. I really liked the part of the story where our narrator has to live in a horrible free room, with a hole in the ceiling, through the coldest winter in ages, and there descriptions of going to common spaces and hanging out at the University because.. it's heated. That I could relate to. But the rest of it...?
I'm not sure why I do this to myself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Rape
trinity_windred's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
You need to be committed to reading this book to reach the end, but once you do it will live with you forever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
norabee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
3.75
definitely not what i expected (i had anticipated a lot more julian considering how hyped up he is). also justice for camilla, the only character i could stand.
had the feel of a mid 20th century novel where the 'main character' is more narrator than character. a bystander that allows you to take his place and perspective.
overall infuriating but intoxicating (somewhere between a 3.75-4)
had the feel of a mid 20th century novel where the 'main character' is more narrator than character. a bystander that allows you to take his place and perspective.
overall infuriating but intoxicating (somewhere between a 3.75-4)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Gun violence and Suicide