Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - Gizli Tarih

I had heard of this book through the thread of dark academia mania on the internet in the past year. Needless to say, this book far surpassed these recommendations.

I found Richard as a narrator really interesting - is he a spectator? does he rather facilitate the events with his non-involvement? He seems to be an outsider, always left out of the loop - he is always the last to realise what is going on, and we expect big revelations from the other characters once Richard has figured the secret out but - of course - they already knew. He doesn't even desperately want to be a part of things, and is quite happy to be let in the loop even a little and seems to accept his liminal position to the group. He is different from them, he doesn't have the same background and goes on to be the only one to get a diploma. And yet, he admires their intelligence so much that he helps them to murder his friend, not even to save his own skin - he accepts their (mostly Henry's) superiority and almost assumes that they must be right because of their intelligence. He realises, to his credit, that at points he may have been manipulated and prepped to be their scapegoat - but even this theory falls through as nothing of the sort happens, implying that he really wasn't important enough to them even for this.

Of course, this book is a delight to read as a student. Their cosy, isolated study space is of course the dream which makes this so appealing to the DA enthusiasts. Julian is also an interesting character as this man whose pretentious interests render him ultimately a cold, logical person with feeling that is all superficial. Camilla is romanticised by Richard - she is in many ways the manic pixie dream girl, but Donna Tart's writing offers a rich and complicated portrait of a young woman underneath his fantasies which are never too sexually overt - it is in the little details that we see his fascination, which makes her appealing in the female gaze also.

There is so much more I could write about that was well done - exploration of homosexuality without it being this shocking secret, or using incest to further draw on the gothic, their non-dramatic reactions to the murder(s) with hints of mania and coming unhinged at the seams subtly slipping through the writing. I loved it.

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li_reading's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

3.0

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snowywintermorning's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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isaclaire's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

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

3.5

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faefires's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

the secret history scores on intricate storytelling and a painfully delicious plot unwinding around an spellbound and unprepared reader, but drags in places, with entire scenes holding no practical value other than to show off fancy philosophical details most readers will miss or not care about. this holds it back from 5 stars, but otherwise it is every liberal arts students secret fantasy: and worst fear.

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not_machiavelli's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

My first (and favourite) Donna Tartt novel -- it still astounds me that the woman who wrote this also wrote The Goldfinch. The two attract such different crowds, in my experience. This novel has inspired me in so many ways, and it continues to provide relief from the real world whenever I read it. Julian is, to me, the best worst character there is.

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calicot's review against another edition

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

4.5

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