Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Secret History (Abridged Version) by Donna Tartt

54 reviews

coldcrumble's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective 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

5.0

definitely better the second time around, even though i gave it five stars the first time, purely because you gain the ability to laugh at it; an essential quality in some of the slower parts. i was genuinely hysterical at some points because it was so insanely funny, yet it was still thought provoking, etc etc. what i will say is that the slurs were a little bit liberally used and that one part where

richard randomly and graphically describes his desire to rape camilla

was not necessary. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Murder, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Drug use, Gaslighting, Incest, Suicide attempt, and Violence

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Antisemitism, and Medical content

Minor: Car accident, Rape, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

christinereichard'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

3.5

I zipped through the first half of The Secret History. I found Donna Tartt's writing quite skilled at building realistic scenes, insignificant yet charming details in each moment. I'd read her work again. I owe my enjoyment of the novel to her writing & storytelling 100%.
The last quarter of the book did a bit of a nosedive -- I didn't have any trouble finishing it, but the characters' problems seemed unrelated to the rest of the story. The only takeaway from the final quarter was that I hated all of them except maybe Richard himself (though he's on thin ice). The

incest

was the final straw. By the end, I was so repulsed by their attitude & actions that I forgot how much I loved the beginning. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Medical content, Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Blood, Death of parent, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, and Sexism

misrah's review against another edition

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Murder, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Body horror, Car accident, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

icannotweave's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Murder, Incest, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Blood, Grief, Islamophobia, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

Minor: Rape, Death of parent, and Car accident