Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - The Secret History

100% worth my time, and will be more than worth a re-read (likely also necessary tbh) sometime in the future. I liked the moral greyness of the characters, and the development of them questioning their own character, motivations, etc. throughout the book. The atmosphere and setting was amazing but I’m also just very granola so Hampden sounds heavenly to me 😅 I love Tartt’s writing style and I feel that she writes with a lot of symbolism and overlaying motifs — all of which I tried my best to tab throughout my reading of this novel! The plot was interesting, but I very much wished they delved deeper into the Bacchanal in the forest. I know the point is for it to be this mysterious, divine Dionysian experience that they remember little-to-nothing about (and keep Richard VERY in the dark about), but that was probably one of the most interesting points in the plot line for me. Why did they all agree to do it? What did they do to get to that point? What did it feel like? Etc.

I definitely see how the fluidity of sexuality within the characters relates back to Greek sexuality (or really, lack thereof; they bedded with whoever they wanted 🤷🏻‍♀️), I just wish it was explored a littleeee more!!! Also, Camilla and Charles’ sexual relationship unfortunately felt a bit forced/irrelevant to me. I feel as though their incestual relationship in the book was just written for unnervingness and shock value.

I do appreciate, however, the nod to the way some women function in a male-dominated world. The way Camilla dresses herself and composes herself to be more “boyish” seems to be an intentional choice to make herself not stand out in a group of pretentious ass men (Lmao).

I also wish the ending didn’t feel so rushed — I thoroughly enjoyed the slow tension build up in the middle of the plot and it felt a little underwhelming the way it ended so quickly!Overall, I enjoyed this book thoroughly, stayed up the night finishing it! I will absolutely have to give it a re-read at some point to see what I may have missed, so I look forward to that in the future :)

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vistacanas's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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

3.75

Love doesn't conquer everything. And whoever thinks it does is a fool.

Another book from the very beginning of my TBR list that I started more than a couple of decades ago.

There was a moment in the beginning where I almost put the book down…during a hyper-intellectual scene that required knowledge of Greek history to fully comprehend. I decided to power through it despite my lack of core knowledge and made it to the end.

While I’m ultimately glad I did, it wasn’t an easy read by any means. First, there is not a single likable character in the entire book. Everyone was some combination of entitled, narcissistic, addictive, cold-hearted, delusional and psychopathic. Second, it’s an incredibly slow read…the story could have been told in half the amount of words. Finally, it’s pitch dark…nothing uplifting or hopeful on these pages. While situations were presented as conundrums, they definitely wouldn’t be for most people.

Yet, somehow, it was a compelling read. I can’t say it never felt like a chore to pick up, but I remained determined to finish it after that initial Greek scene. As I closed the back cover, I definitely felt a sense of accomplishment.

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jcoates's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This dark academia story didn’t disappoint, though

I expected a cult organization driving Henry and crew into murder (depending on your perspective it might as well be).

More than the plot itself, I was drawn to the characters themselves. It was only after

Bunny was murdered, and we meet his family and learn the atmosphere he was raised in, that I felt remorse for losing such a colorful character, despite his shortcomings.

Tartt’s prose is very lyrical which made it easy to enjoy despite the slow pacing of the story. Some descriptions or word choices made me pause, though. Their use IMO are no longer politically correct so coming across them made me wonder what year the novel was written.

Overall, it’s a favorite dark academia novel for me.

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elibrownn's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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honipoems's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

I thought it would have been more intense and dramatic but it was quite slow. It was great but i didn't expect that kind of great when ppl talked about it on internet

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