Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

20 reviews

esme_may's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

My deep hatred of

Bunny

knows no bounds. I knew it would be good but no one told me it would be Like This

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Classism, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, and Gun violence

Moderate: Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Vomit, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Physical abuse, Ableism, Incest, Mental illness, Antisemitism, Car accident, Bullying, Cursing, Infidelity, and Blood

Minor: Cancer, Kidnapping, Outing, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual assault

rory_john14's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Gore, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Gun violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Violence, Blood, Death, Drug use, and Homophobia

Moderate: Grief, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Classism, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, and Child abuse

Minor: Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Biphobia, Antisemitism, Cancer, Car accident, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Stalking, Vomit, Child death, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, and Infidelity

clarathromycin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Donna Tartt’s writing was excellent throughout the book.  The characters were strong and you could feel the anticipation build.  However, I did feel as if she was taking extraordinary liberties with the use of racial and homophobic slurs in the dialogue of her bigoted characters.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Cursing, Incest, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Vomit, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Stalking, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Xenophobia, Blood, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Medical content, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Classism, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, and Animal death

readinghavoc's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

I really enjoyed this book – it was dense at times and intimidatingly long, but the pay-off is well worth it. Kept me on the edge of my seat and continuously shocked me. The first hundred pages dragged and I almost put it down, but I'm so glad I didn't. The last 100 pages alone more than make up for it. The characters were hard for me to connect to because they were so pretentious but as you progress through the book it becomes clear that that serves its own purposes in the story. Super bizarre story, would recommend it to someone looking for a really thoroughly laid out thriller who doesn't mind making the investment for a big thrill. Interested to read some of Tartt's other work (after some easier, quicker reads lol).

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Violence, Addiction, Body horror, Incest, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual content, Cursing, Suicide, Gore, Mental illness, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Classism, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Sexism, and Infidelity

Minor: Animal death, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Outing, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Toxic friendship

soniajoy98's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Ableism, Addiction, Antisemitism, Gun violence, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Incest, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, and Kidnapping

Minor: Rape and Sexual content

may_befoundinatheatre's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, and Drug use

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Self harm, Cancer, Homophobia, Blood, Incest, Kidnapping, and Cursing

fujo_cat's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Man, this book is something else. I can see why some don't like it and others adore it! I'd personally rate it a 4/5 - 3,5 or 3,75/5 if I was really critic of it but mostly 4/5 for the whole enjoyment of it.

Some critics I see is that the cast lacks personality and no one feels unique or, well, human. I- yeah, in some ways, that is true, I won't deny it. I think that was really evident in the beginning, especially

before Bunny's murder,

but as things develop, so do their behavior.

I think that also shows that showing yourself through your aesthetics and fantasies alone, presenting a fake image of you to others, is going to eventually destroy you and who you love. That final scene with Henry lives rent-free in my head still...

But without going too deep into it, I just really enjoyed the whole ride this had to offer-!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Murder, Blood, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Suicide

Moderate: Misogyny, Homophobia, Incest, Addiction, Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Racial slurs, Medical content, Car accident, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Grief, and Sexual assault

steviaplath's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Toxic friendship, Grief, Death, Gaslighting, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Incest, Kidnapping, and Car accident

Minor: Abandonment, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

patslibrary's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Violence, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Murder, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Blood, and Addiction

Moderate: Outing and Grief

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, Kidnapping, Incest, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Cursing, and Car accident

alittlepotato's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence, Homophobia, and Suicide

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Kidnapping