Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt

44 reviews

bucknife's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, and Drug abuse

nabila99's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Murder, Addiction, and Blood

Moderate: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism

holliesatchell's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Violence, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Medical trauma

cstein's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Some racist humor/undertones that the 2022 reader should question. Tartt's description of the attack and its aftermath are moving and memorable, in contrast to later passages and conversations which feel rushed and underexplained. Interesting use of an unreliable narrator and a combination of several narrative styles. Generally entertaining.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Blood, Death of parent, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Violence, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Vomit, Death, Gore, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Racism, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, and Mental illness

Minor: Antisemitism, Classism, Medical content, and Trafficking

little_lida's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Addiction

miisoosoup's review

dark emotional reflective tense medium-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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

lucinotlucy's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Mental illness, Vomit, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Addiction

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Murder, and Gun violence

magmck's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Vomit, Violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Grief, Drug use, Death of parent, Child abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Blood

ladybergart's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Racism, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Classism, Abandonment, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, and Drug use

Moderate: Vomit, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Addiction, and Death

Minor: Murder and Eating disorder

samdalefox's review against another edition

challenging sad 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? It's complicated

2.0

One of my guilty pleasures is reading about the monstrous activities of wealthy characters. As such, I adored Tartt's 'The Secret History'. Unfortuantely, I cannot say the same for 'The Goldfinch'. I was expecting dark academia, history, priviledge of art. Instead I got a bore. The book is long, and it feels long. The excruciating detail does not add anything substantial to the story and borders on hypergraphia with inconsequential tangents galore. At many points, it just plain bored me.

I was most interested in the art world, art theft, and dodgy dealings underworld of antiques, and yet the book frustratingly spends little time there. All glossy descriptions and no substance of narrative. Why it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction I don't know. The book attempts at some grandiose reflection of life, juxtaposing beauty and purpose and the transcendent universiality of experience through time (through the painting and Hobie), against chance or a higher 'pattern' (through gambling, drugs, and Boris). The last 3 chapters or so are just incoherent rambling of Theo trying to justify his life through these reflections. I am not convinced that Tartt successfully justifies/condones his choices or criticises them. A series of bad events happen to an unsympathetic character, maybe if the story was cut down it would have held my interest. It started strong with an interesting premise, then meandered its way through Theo's chaotic life, never truly addressing the consequences to himself or others. Altogether, very disappointing. The famous painting itself however, is exquisite.

Bits that did resonate with me:

• I identified with being in a family that's not your own/familiar (The Barbours, class divides), and the description of Theo's Dad/Xandra (in relation to my own Dad)
• Walden - "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation". Examining city life vs country life e.g. car dependency
• Boris, anti-capitalist
• Boris - "None of us ever find enough kindness in this world do we" 
• The Goldfinch painting itself, in particular the bird's torturous chain. The description on pg 342 "fluttering briefly, forced always to land in the same hopeless place."
  
  
  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Murder, Abandonment, and Blood