Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Secret History

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

2001 reviews

unassumingdork's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-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

4.75

Such a fantastic read. I will definitely be reading all of Tartt’s other work, I can’t wait for her current project to come out. .25 star deduction for very minor things throughout the book I might’ve liked to see differently.

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sksrenninger's review against another edition

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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!

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zahliajayne's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

i have never been so hooked to a book from the beginning.

it was only within the first 70 pages where i discovered that this was possibly going to be my favourite book of all time- and this still holds true after completion.

the effortless descriptions are like turning back time and recognising the simplicity of youth. all the while, comparing to the most intricate of classic literature and greek ingenious.

the story eventuates different to how i expected, which kept me intrigued and infatuated. it is surprising, this, because there were hardly any truely good qualities about any of the characters. however, you still are coerced into loving them.

i will return to this story, and annotate it to the brink. i cannot wait return.

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