Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

127 reviews

kers_tin's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Incest, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Classism, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Misogyny, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, Rape, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Racism

Minor: Eating disorder, Bullying, Body shaming, and Addiction

mollylikethedrug_'s review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Drug use, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Death, Murder, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Blood, Bullying, and Incest

sunriseat0519's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious 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

4.5

wow. this book was an emotional roller coaster and i still can't wrap my mind around it. tartt truly wrote a masterpiece. 
due to the unreliable narrator we as readers experience the same inner conflict as richard does. it is a novel that stays with you and changes you.
the way tartt handles the moral dilemma umand the difficulties the characters face is incredible. 
I do however want to point out, that booktok does absolutely not do this book justice. my expectations differed so much from what I actually experienced. it is 100% worth reading but its not some cute dark academia novel but an intense murder mystery 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Alcoholism, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Bullying, Mental illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Racial slurs, Self harm, and Animal death

Minor: Rape and Antisemitism

geehutton's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Homophobia, Cursing, Drug use, Rape, Incest, Murder, Alcoholism, Addiction, Bullying, Death, and Sexual assault

agnela's review against another edition

challenging dark sad 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, Antisemitism, Classism, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Drug use, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide

mothie_girlie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Drug use, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, and Bullying

Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol

elisabeth_with_an_ess'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.

---

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

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

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

---

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

mrs_elliott19's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

“Love doesn’t conquer everything. And whoever thinks it does is a fool.”

Blurb:

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of morality, their lives are changed profoundly and for ever.

The Secret History is a story of two parts; the chain of events that led to the death of a classmate—and what happened next.

Thoughts: 

Let me start off my review my saying I simple picked up this book due to seeing people gush about it over and over on instagram, and the fact that it was first published the year I was born. 

I’m not gonna lie, it took me a longggg time to read it, simply because the first half was almost so boring I almost didn’t finish it. 

But, in the end, I am glad I did. It is incredible slow at the beginning I will admit, but in the end, I am glad I stuck threw and finished its.

Content Warnings: Murder, Alcoholism, Suicide, Incest, Racist Slurs, Toxic Relationships, Drugs, Addiction, Animal Death, Bullying, A Little Sexual Contact, Hate Crime, Toxic Friendships – to list a few, you can find more on StoryGraph.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Grief, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Drug abuse, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racism, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Incest, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Death