Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - The Goldfinch

Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

134 reviews

lmilfort's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

[follows a man who loses his mom in a museum explosion at 13 and he becomes obsessed with an painting that they saw together in the exhibit] really like the story and the characters, Boris and Mr. Hobart are my personal favorites. Really nihilistic basically up until the last few pages

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wesleyreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective 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

4.25

Very original story, written very well (amazing atmospheric descriptions), gripping, it leaves you wanting more. I love the themes (guilt, grief, what's right and wrong, does such a thing as fate exist?), the symbolism, the way the characters all contrast each other and all serve to offer another perspective on the themes. There is just so much to unpack...

There was just one section of the book I found boring and I felt the character was wallowing in self-pity with not much going on for a while. Luckily the pace quickly picked up again. The end fell a bit flat, but I guess it was a choice lol.

I don't understand why so few people mention this but unfortunately there are a lot of racial stereotypes being portrayed. Any character who isn't American is basically a stereotype of their culture and even their dialogue is written in heavy accents, which I found unnecessary. As if as a rule immigrants can't learn to speak English well? For example, all Russian characters have the exact same voice and similar personalities. I would rate it higher, if it had been less obnoxious with that.

Also, given its widespread success, the number of people involved in writing this book, and many reprints I found it surprising that there were several mistakes made when the author was trying to write Dutch words.

Overall, a very amusing read that leaves you thinking about what it all meant, but be prepared for racism...

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confidenterr0r's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective relaxing 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

4.0

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jessmbark's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

1.25

This book probably could have been at least 100 pages shorter, but as someone who unexpectedly lost both parents as a young adult, I resonated with the exploration of grief.

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grcompain's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

5.0

While I don’t think this book is for everyone I love this book because Tartt writes in a way that touches me so personally. The in-depth over detailed descriptions and pages describing the mental perspective of the characters moving through PTSD and depression and substance abuse is so detailed and spans so many years. It felt like such an authentic encapsulation of a life. While I don’t think the book is perfect, I loved it.

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spartanjess's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad 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

4.75

The character building that the author, Donna Tartt, does in the pages of The Goldfinch is truly phenomenal. She beautifully weaves a story together with characters that are complex and relatable. I found myself feeling a wide array of emotions both cheering for characters or wanting to yell “no, don’t do that.” I really enjoyed the prose and storytelling in this book.

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