Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

298 reviews

iinasomnia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

shadesofdivine's review against another edition

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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Homophobia, Incest, Self harm, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Alcohol

Minor: Cursing

mirivii's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I seldom engage in 300+ pages books, as I tend to be stuck with them even if I am not enjoying it –  just for the sake of finishing the story. So deciding to start The Secret History was a leap of hope.

I don't know what Donna Tartt laced these pages with ... probably cocaine? I could not put this book down. Had me reading at night, which has not happened since I was a teenager 🥴

The plot was beautifully built and her way of writing it's so captivating. Her views on how to build suspense are refreshing, and the fact that this is a 1992 novel speaks for itself.

Much like the main character Richard, the first half of the book is set up on adoring this clique of literary and elitist students. You want to (want to) be them, with them, as erudite as them. As their flaws come to light they are viewed as whimsical and exciting, just to add to the mystic aura that they project.

What I really liked: the disenchantment of Richard in the second part of the book – the way the spell was broken and just like an addict that stopped being elated by their presence, he sees the mess all around and within them. The god-adjacent portrait of the chosen humans; the analogies to classical myths; how Bunny flew too close to the sun and his fall.

What I wish we saw more of: The twins' psychology – they were both lambs until one of them turned wolf almost inexplicably. What really happened during the bacchanal and what is up with Julian.

For what concerns the bacchanal, I could even live without knowing what went down. As Richard says in the book, when he reads biographies of serial killers, they tend to fixate on the most mundane things instead of the villainous acts and desires. It could be kind of the same here – I admit that the whole bacchanal ordeal was far more fascinating to me than the murder.

Something that I cannot get over is Julian Morrow, described as this wise whisperer that fascinates the smarts and eludes the mundanes. And yet we see that he is merely a human too. How could Henry be so violently attached to such a haughty person? He could have surely seen beyond Julian's most superficial attitude and his pride. Is Julian supposed to be seen as the Christians' almighty God? Above everything, interested in nothing, incapable (or unwilling) of aid.

Anyway, glad that I stumbled upon the BBC's Donna Tartt interview as hearing her speak was what made be grab the book from my to-be-read shelf. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Blood

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, and Death of parent

laurataylor's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense 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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

ellalyons's review against another edition

challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

i really loved this book. the only thing i didn’t like was how slow the start was. it seemed like it took forever to get going but once it did, i couldn’t put it down. 

UPDATE: changed the rating from 4.5 to 5 cuz i cant stop thinking about this damn book!!!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Alcohol

jessfastlane's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense 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: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, and Stalking

Minor: Domestic abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

rebecca_mdx's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.75

This book is NOT the way I saw it promoted on BookTok at all (IDK maybe I'm just on the wrong side of it). It definitely puts the "dark" in dark academia, and anyone who says Henry Winters is hot needs serious help.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Incest, Mental illness, and Sexual assault

Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry

nat_pinche's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

 The writing is entincingly unreliable and the characters are intricate and complex.
 At each time you read it you end up catching new details and nuances about the events that happend.
 During the reading, the purpuse of the critic against the Academia itself is almost lost as you and the narrator become enchanted with the surroundings of the university, and the eccentric greek club (which the history centers).

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Islamophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

May cause addicition. You will think about it for a long time. Good luck.

hefftbundle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

It wasn't at all what I expected, and probably not something I'd revisit. Well-written, to be sure.


It is an excruciatingly slow book, but hard to put down. You want to know how it will end, even when you can guess at some parts. If you can hang on until the second half, it picks up in interest, but it still moves just as slow. Until about the last 50 pages, when it picks you up, spins you around, slaps you for good measure, and then gently sits you down and bids you a pleasant evening. 

It has all the academic atmosphere and intrigue of Dead Poet's Society, and all the self-absorption and drudgery of Catcher in the Rye. If you like Salinger, you'll probably like this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Rape

vagrantheather's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-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

Love love love love everything about this novel. The people are people in a way most authors just can't nail. Each character feels fleshed out and real, flickering between genuine warmth and cold, snide, abrasive attitudes; they have real feeling motivations, unacknowledged biases. Not only is the narrator unreliable, but each of the people he speaks to is similarly conveying a version of events filtered through that character's lens. The prose is beautiful in a subtle manner. The setting, the whole vibe of late 80s college life, is executed flawlessly. I will buy this book and read it a half dozen more times.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Suicide, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cursing, Incest, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Classism

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders