Reviews

Der Distelfink by Donna Tartt

tiffany86's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

lisakerd's review against another edition

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2.0

SERIOUSLY don’t understand why this book is so highly praised. It is way too long, just a dumb kid making stupid decisions, then bitching and moaning about how awful life is.

leahbrosseau's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

4.75

This book is so beautiful. Very dark and reflective. The writing is very elegant, long, and detailed, however I never felt like it was dragging on too long. The only reason I gave this book a 4.75 instead of 5 is because there is some subtle racist stereotypes/remarks that don’t add anything to the plot, characters, etc., and really should have been left out. Other than that, the book is beautiful and I think everyone should read it at least once, just make sure you’re in the right mindset to deal with some pretty heavy stuff. 

louise_jb0's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

jc560's review against another edition

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

4.75

deanashuman's review against another edition

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2.0

I had super high hopes about this book, and they were not realized. What an interesting premise! Good bones, you could say. But the narrator, clearly a porte-parole for the author, goes off on these ridiculous self-absorbed rants that I can only describe as mental masturbation, the point of which appears to be convincing the reader that life is “a cesspool”, and that “to try to make meaning out of all this is unbelievably quaint”. Theo’s philosophical ramblings throughout but especially towards the end of the novel do not fit with the impulsive, definitely NOT introspective character who spends his life making one bizarre choice after another. To Tartt (thinly disguised as the narrator towards the end), things like “health, domesticity, social connection” are but “blandly held virtues”. Ugh. Fatalistic, nihilistic, snobby, materialistic bunk. And to top it off, she appears to have a short list of big vocabulary words that she just MUST find a place for, or two. “Fractious” used twice within a short space, then “indefatigable” twice, suggesting that these sentences were simply a vehicle for her desire to show off the big words that she knows. I’m glad I read it, and given how beloved it is by some I’m sure that I could re-read it and get something else out of it. But nah...too many good stories out there!

sashosho's review against another edition

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4.0

“Who’s to say that gamblers don’t really understand it better than anyone else? Isn’t everything worthwhile a gamble? Can’t good come around sometimes through some strange back doors?”

I want Hobie in my life! The best character in this book. Period!

marysues's review against another edition

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

4.0

kale_kale's review against another edition

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emotional 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

2.75

I liked some parts of the book and others not so much. The beginning sucked me in and kept me reading, but it dragged on seemingly forever. The ending wasn’t as exciting as I hoped it would be. 

born_reading's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0