Reviews

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

kaicifer07's review

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4.0

This book was beautifully written—an amazing story of how a boy navigates the path of life after losing his mother.
I loved that you weren't supposed to love any character, you were supposed to take in the book slowly. Let it seep into your skin. Boris was my favorite character (which I now see is controversial). I won't be the same after finishing this book. Filled with trauma and discovery, this was a great read.
4.5 ⭐'s

hanyushidae's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

3.5

canisand's review

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4.0

The only thing I can say is that Boris is an asshole but I love him

chronicallymel's review

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4.0

3.5, didn't pick up enough for me

hesmykindofgirl's review against another edition

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4.0

What I love about all of Donna Tartt's writing is that her characters are so flawed, and are therefore real - Theo had practically nothing redeemable about him, even before his mother died. I'm so sick of authors writing "likable" characters, for purpose of making their story "relatable".
What I also liked about this book as even though it was almost 900 pages, it didn't feel long and didn't drag.

sccrethistory's review against another edition

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4.0

<> “You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can also look at a picture for a second and think of it all your life.”

BUENO. Terminado. Sin duda un gran libro que hay que leer si o si.

¿El mejor personaje? Boris.

auggie_st's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad tense 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

internetrex's review

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dark mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

3.25

lauriemisha's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • 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

4.0

I really enjoy the way Donna Tart writes, she’s in no rush to get to the point and yet her lengthier descriptions are calculated perfectly to enhance the situation, such as focusing in on details to highlight the anxiety of the main character Theo. Whilst I didn’t love Theo as a character it’s so easy to empathise with him. The contrast between his character and his best friend Boris, cemented what I consider one of the main messages of the book, in that you can’t control the cards that are being dealt to you but you can choose how to play them. 
Not 5 starts due to the detached nature of the book, the unsatisfying ending, getting lost in some of the details re Horst and criminal preceedings. 

mara19's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5