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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
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
When I finished the book, my first thought was, "Sweet, it's over."
My second thought was, "Okay, well this is such a popular book and commonly referenced one, so I guess I have to give it a 5-star rating."
My soul could not rest until I landed on giving it a 3-star rating.
That being said, this was a good book. It was well written, the story was fairly interesting, and there was some intriguing social commentary. I want to give credit where it is due. One of my favorite burgeoning genres and my favorite aesthetic were both biproducts of this specific book. Without it, we wouldn't have Babel as a response. Opinions are mixed as to who wore it best, but in my opinion Babel took the starving bones of A Secret History and then gave it flesh and blood and dimension. Unfortunately for this book, I read Babel first.
3 is the rating I would have given this book had I never heard of it before, and that's what it gets. If you enjoyed The Great Gatsby, I think that you would really like this book. Personally, I hated that book. It's just a book about white, rich assholes. The same could be said for A Secret History. The points of both of these books are specifically to provide social commentary and critiques about the bourgeoise and how easy it is to want to sell your soul to be part of them. It is easy to get caught up in the outward beauty and ignore the rot that is beneath for as long as possible.
The commentary is poignant, but lacking. If you try to critique elitism and class without also addressing other intersectional issues like racism, xenophobia, homophobia (A Secret History does explore this a bit), ableism, etc. it just falls flat. It is an incomplete thesis. I feel like this book started the conversation and then Babel came in to add more depth and soul to it.
I have a lot to say about this book, so I definitely would recommend it. I will definitely be thinking about it for awhile. It even made me want to annotate, which is new (although that might be a result of doing my first buddy read for a recent book).
My pervading thought was, "who cares? Why would I have ever wanted to read a book about these characters?" They are flawed and morally grey, but not in a way that is very interesting. And honestly, that may have been the point. When you get an up-close look at these idolized caricatures, there is nothing interesting about them. Wealth doesn't equal being particularly interesting.
Like I said, I have a lot to say about this book, and it still didn't leave an imprint on my soul like other books have. It's a personal thing. I think this book is deserving of every praise it has received.
My second thought was, "Okay, well this is such a popular book and commonly referenced one, so I guess I have to give it a 5-star rating."
My soul could not rest until I landed on giving it a 3-star rating.
That being said, this was a good book. It was well written, the story was fairly interesting, and there was some intriguing social commentary. I want to give credit where it is due. One of my favorite burgeoning genres and my favorite aesthetic were both biproducts of this specific book. Without it, we wouldn't have Babel as a response. Opinions are mixed as to who wore it best, but in my opinion Babel took the starving bones of A Secret History and then gave it flesh and blood and dimension. Unfortunately for this book, I read Babel first.
3 is the rating I would have given this book had I never heard of it before, and that's what it gets. If you enjoyed The Great Gatsby, I think that you would really like this book. Personally, I hated that book. It's just a book about white, rich assholes. The same could be said for A Secret History. The points of both of these books are specifically to provide social commentary and critiques about the bourgeoise and how easy it is to want to sell your soul to be part of them. It is easy to get caught up in the outward beauty and ignore the rot that is beneath for as long as possible.
The commentary is poignant, but lacking. If you try to critique elitism and class without also addressing other intersectional issues like racism, xenophobia, homophobia (A Secret History does explore this a bit), ableism, etc. it just falls flat. It is an incomplete thesis. I feel like this book started the conversation and then Babel came in to add more depth and soul to it.
I have a lot to say about this book, so I definitely would recommend it. I will definitely be thinking about it for awhile. It even made me want to annotate, which is new (although that might be a result of doing my first buddy read for a recent book).
My pervading thought was, "who cares? Why would I have ever wanted to read a book about these characters?" They are flawed and morally grey, but not in a way that is very interesting. And honestly, that may have been the point. When you get an up-close look at these idolized caricatures, there is nothing interesting about them. Wealth doesn't equal being particularly interesting.
Like I said, I have a lot to say about this book, and it still didn't leave an imprint on my soul like other books have. It's a personal thing. I think this book is deserving of every praise it has received.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Incest, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
A story of emotionally constipated presumptuous assholes who are obssessed with the classics and with each other, in a very weird way. A very dense read, as it makes one to stop and decipher the various layers of text. The character's intentions and the classic reference behind it. A book that requires some knowledge of the classic texts. Overall, a very satisfying read.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow this lives up to the hype. I was hooked for all 630 pages. So atmospheric and incredibly well written.
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Every single character in this book is absolutely insufferable and I love them all.
{4.5⭐️}
it took me absolutely foreverrrr to finish this book but i'm so glad i read it. the secret history, for me, was one of those books that i've been wanting to read for so long and when i finally got around to it, i could see why everyone has always recommended it to me so highly. the secret history is incredibly well-written, with extreme detail of events provided by narrator richard, our protagonist. the book is a perfect autumnal read (and is the reason for all the instrumental music in my recent spotify wrapped), telling the story of richard and the other five students on the greek course at hampden niversity in the lead up and aftermath of the murder of student bunny corcoran.
overall an enjoyable read, although richard got veryyyyy weird towards the end with his obsession with co-student camilla. he insists he is in love with her, but his inner monologue definitely tells me differently. in fact, his warped thoughts surrounding her are the only reason the secret history hasn't earned a five star from me.
in conclusion, definitely go read this book this autumn.
it took me absolutely foreverrrr to finish this book but i'm so glad i read it. the secret history, for me, was one of those books that i've been wanting to read for so long and when i finally got around to it, i could see why everyone has always recommended it to me so highly. the secret history is incredibly well-written, with extreme detail of events provided by narrator richard, our protagonist. the book is a perfect autumnal read (and is the reason for all the instrumental music in my recent spotify wrapped), telling the story of richard and the other five students on the greek course at hampden niversity in the lead up and aftermath of the murder of student bunny corcoran.
overall an enjoyable read, although richard got veryyyyy weird towards the end with his obsession with co-student camilla. he insists he is in love with her, but his inner monologue definitely tells me differently. in fact, his warped thoughts surrounding her are the only reason the secret history hasn't earned a five star from me.
in conclusion, definitely go read this book this autumn.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
