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mj470's review against another edition
2.0
Donna Tartt is such a conflicting author. I did my due diligence and read Secret History first. I'm intrigued by her choice to write two very long novels from the perspective of teenage boys. Her prose and particularly her dialogue is masterful. It reminds me a lot of how Stephen King writes.
That being said, Goldfinch is a difficult read. It lives somewhere between a coming of age story, a thriller, an homage to art, and grief literature. There are lengthy portions about Theo and Boris's mind-adlying drug use. It's very depressing and fatalistic. One thing that continually pulled me out of the story was the unbelievable way that everyone around Theo dies. I spent so much time thinking about Tartt's prose because I felt jarred out of the narrative.
The novel ends on a note of reconciliation only after hundreds of pages of darkness. The main question seems to be if the pursuit of beautiful things justifies moral grey areas. In making that point you end up hating most of the characters.
This is a well crafted book and has some merit, but it wasn't a story for me or profound in any personal way.
That being said, Goldfinch is a difficult read. It lives somewhere between a coming of age story, a thriller, an homage to art, and grief literature. There are lengthy portions about Theo and Boris's mind-adlying drug use. It's very depressing and fatalistic. One thing that continually pulled me out of the story was the unbelievable way that everyone around Theo dies. I spent so much time thinking about Tartt's prose because I felt jarred out of the narrative.
The novel ends on a note of reconciliation only after hundreds of pages of darkness. The main question seems to be if the pursuit of beautiful things justifies moral grey areas. In making that point you end up hating most of the characters.
This is a well crafted book and has some merit, but it wasn't a story for me or profound in any personal way.
diane_m's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
There is a reason the book so long. If you continue past the first hundreds of pages, that will be revealed. I am not inspired to read anything else by this author.
jevgen_ko's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.5
ffillew's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
twistedneurotix's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
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
4.0
wellreadred's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.75
The writing and the pacing ais exquisite. I could not put it down, even though I was listening to the audiobook, not my general category of book, but loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death of parent and Addiction
khornstein1's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. This book is quite uneven. Flashes of brilliance--and long, long descriptions of things that sound as if they're written in translation...from some other language into British English. One-dimensional characters, dragging plot without much to say.
Fun to read, though, and this would make a fantastic movie. But Pulitzer? Really??
Fun to read, though, and this would make a fantastic movie. But Pulitzer? Really??
spacebornfew's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
newmml01's review against another edition
4.0
There are endless books that have been written right? With that said, I don't think there's anyone else on this planet who would be capable of writing this particular book. It's very long, and it mostly needs to be in my opinion. I've read a lot of books and there's nothing else out there like this one. The last 50 or so pages I felt were maybe a little bit too philosophical, but other than that, this one is going to stick with me for a while.