benbarnacle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
sberek's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.5
felix_tmn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
raven_lit's review against another edition
5.0
Early in the book, Theo Decker and his mother pay an impromptu visit to an art museum. His mother studied art history and wanted to see her favorite painting, Carel Fabritius's 1654 work "The Goldfinch", which was on loan. As they are leaving, they get separated and a terrorist bombing occurs destroying part of the museum and killing his mother. While trapped in the museum, he meets an elderly man who is dying from his injuries. The man asks him for a favor and to rescue The Goldfinch painting which he can see in the rubble. Theo takes the painting and finds his way out of the building. The death of his mother and the favor asked of the dying man launch 13 year old Theo on an amazing journey. The book doesn't have much plot. It chronicles the next fourteen years of Theo's life, the people he meets, and the places he lives. Most of it is tragic and sad, but there are happy and funny experiences along the way.
Two of the most interesting characters are Boris, a teen Theo's own age, and Hobie, an older man who becomes his friend and mentor. Boris has lived all over the world and speaks several languages. His mother died and he travels with his alcoholic, sometimes abusive, and neglectful father. Both boys have lost their mothers and have difficult fathers. That seems to serve as a bond between them. While Theo deals with his tragic life by being mostly depressed, Boris is a fighter and does anything needed to survive, including criminal activity. He seems to gather strength from it and is intent on gaining the upper hand. The boys spend much of their time together doing drugs, huffing glue, drinking alcohol, and shop lifting. Boris comes and goes throughout the book, but they are very attached and love each other. Theo originally intended to turn the painting over to the authorities once he was safely out of the museum, but held on to it since it was his mother's favorite. The painting serves as a link to his mother and also an unchanging anchor for his life. Despite all of the changes and tragedy in his life, the centuries old painting remains the same. As expected, many people are looking for the missing painting.
The book is pretty philosophical and gives the reader plenty to think about. It deals a lot with whether we control our lives or if they are predetermined by fate. How beauty and art affect us. Are good things always good and bad things always bad? What would our lives be like if the bad things never happened?
The story is very detailed, which I enjoy. It’s also well researched. I learned a lot about art and antiques. At first glance, the writing seems inconsistent. Parts read like a middle school story and others are very literary. The writing style evolves as Theo grows up. The reason is surprising and revealed late in the book.
It was a long book and parts dragged a bit. A little more editing would have made it a better book in my humble opinion. Regardless, it’s an exciting story and held my attention.
Two of the most interesting characters are Boris, a teen Theo's own age, and Hobie, an older man who becomes his friend and mentor. Boris has lived all over the world and speaks several languages. His mother died and he travels with his alcoholic, sometimes abusive, and neglectful father. Both boys have lost their mothers and have difficult fathers. That seems to serve as a bond between them. While Theo deals with his tragic life by being mostly depressed, Boris is a fighter and does anything needed to survive, including criminal activity. He seems to gather strength from it and is intent on gaining the upper hand. The boys spend much of their time together doing drugs, huffing glue, drinking alcohol, and shop lifting. Boris comes and goes throughout the book, but they are very attached and love each other. Theo originally intended to turn the painting over to the authorities once he was safely out of the museum, but held on to it since it was his mother's favorite. The painting serves as a link to his mother and also an unchanging anchor for his life. Despite all of the changes and tragedy in his life, the centuries old painting remains the same. As expected, many people are looking for the missing painting.
The book is pretty philosophical and gives the reader plenty to think about. It deals a lot with whether we control our lives or if they are predetermined by fate. How beauty and art affect us. Are good things always good and bad things always bad? What would our lives be like if the bad things never happened?
The story is very detailed, which I enjoy. It’s also well researched. I learned a lot about art and antiques. At first glance, the writing seems inconsistent. Parts read like a middle school story and others are very literary. The writing style evolves as Theo grows up. The reason is surprising and revealed late in the book.
It was a long book and parts dragged a bit. A little more editing would have made it a better book in my humble opinion. Regardless, it’s an exciting story and held my attention.
agracerobinson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I haven’t read anything this good in a reaaaaally long time.
orygunn's review against another edition
1.0
I had high hopes for this book after the review on NPR. While I ultimately enjoyed the story, I had a hard time with all the drug use throughout the book. Reading the book felt heavy, lots of words, lots of extraneous details.
kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the beginning, but struggled through the middle somewhat. This is because Donna Tartt does what she does so well...she created such an empathetic protagonist that I really cared about what happened to him. The suffering in the middle of the book is so painful because of that. Still, I kept on with it and I am glad I did because the ending was wonderful. You should read it.
roserobin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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 was completely drawn in and absorbed by this book. I somehow managed to listen to all 32 hours of it in 4 days. It made my heart ache, but did not break it. A masterpiece about a masterpiece.
jennahomen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.5
the audio narration of this was incredible! Such an addicting book even though theo managed to be one of the most frustrating characters of all time. I want to read more of other people’s thoughts but I gathered that he had some sociopathic tendencies from nature (his dad) and nurture (alllllll the trauma) which made his decision making egotistical and often terrible. It wasn’t super heavy handed with it, very grey area—I found myself rooting for him but at the same time realizing he is emotionally bankrupt. I can’t say that this book changed my life or made me a better person but it definitely got me out of a reading slump!
jane_s's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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