Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

50 reviews

nicoleme1212's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Murder, Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, and Sexism

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Antisemitism, Gaslighting, Blood, Chronic illness, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Death of parent and Eating disorder

eliever's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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

5.0

well. that was a ride

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Racism, Toxic friendship, Classism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder

Moderate: Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Addiction, Medical trauma, Misogyny, and Self harm

Minor: Rape, Death of parent, and Eating disorder

booksandbabies's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

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

4.0

I finished 'The Secret History' by Donna Tartt today (5th January). This means I finished both my books I still had going on from December.
I definitely liked it a lot. I loved the writing style and the characters, eventhough they are all horrible people. Somehow I did feel like they were real people making horrible, but in a way natural given the context, mistakes one after the other. Everybody is so freaking flawed in this book, it can't help but make you feel sad by the end.
The book was written in 2004 and was an instant hit. I am however kind of glad it took me so long to read because it gave me that same feeling I get from newer books that take place in the recent past. Not quite nostalgia, but like historical fiction about a time you remember vividly. No cellphones means no sure way to contact your friends even in emergencies and this felt like a very real and essential element, especially in the second part of the book.
I loved all the snobish references to Latin, Greek and Classic English literature. I understand thi is meant to underline the characters' obnoxiousness, but I kind of liked them for it. 
In the end the pacing was a bit off for me. After the main event at the end of part one, I definitely had some 'where are we going with this'feelings. It felt like most of the book were vibes over plot, witnessing the main characters' descent into paranoia and madness. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, Drug use, and Suicide

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Incest, and Physical abuse

Minor: Homophobia and Death of parent

taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Alcoholism, Addiction, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Incest, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Misogyny, Racism, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Bullying, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Suicide, and Confinement

Moderate: Medical content and Eating disorder

Minor: Death of parent, Sexual content, Ableism, Vomit, Antisemitism, Infidelity, Car accident, and Cancer

lyrapollock's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, Cursing, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Classism, Drug use, Homophobia, Medical content, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

hettyreads's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Death, Suicide, Gun violence, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Animal death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Animal cruelty, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent

kayabennett's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative 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

bunny corcoran is a fucking menace

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Addiction, Alcoholism, Incest, Murder, and Death

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Homophobia, Suicide, Animal death, Classism, Misogyny, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, Blood, Drug abuse, Racism, Grief, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, War, and Emotional abuse

lissybeth91's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

My first impulse when I started reading this book was to tell all the characters to drink some water and take a nap. That impulse strengthened all the way to the final page. Never have I been so irritated by a cast of characters, and also so compelled to see what they would do next. 

The Secret History is a story about murder, but the who and what are revealed right from the start. What remains is a fascinating, twisted exploration of the why and how. The writing is brilliant, at times making me feel as if I myself had committed the crime.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Incest, Alcoholism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Classism, and Bullying

Minor: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Car accident, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Forced institutionalization

laurajordensharris's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Racial slurs, Violence, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Alcohol, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Incest, Mental illness, Classism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Homophobia

siennakt30's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Sexism, Addiction, Bullying, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Self harm, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Blood, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Alcoholism, Cursing, Rape, Animal death, and Eating disorder