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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Rating: 4.5 stars because Goodreads hasn’t yet figured out how to do halves.
Honestly, I could sit here and wax poetry endlessly about the enchantment and wonder of this book, but so many other reviews have done it better than me. I will say, if anything, please just read the first two chapters of this book. I am convinced that the first two chapters alone are the reason it won a Pulitzer, and everything else that came after only solidified how very much it is deserved.
Donna Tartt is a master. Her language and descriptions and long, beautiful prosaic sentences are the most stunning things I have ever had the privilege to read, and the amount of detail and attention she puts into the smallest things is extraordinary. While the length of this book is the only reason .5 stars have been knocked off, it is also the reason why this book is so magical- it shows that life can often be exhaustive, terrible, draining, but also remarkable, shocking, an absolute whirlwind. This book absolutely cannot be rushed (and believe me, I did try). If you choose to read this story, do it during a long break, at a time where you can sit down for hours and hours and just simply read it and allow it to soak in. At times it can feel, as one of my friends called it “like eating your favorite meal every day for a week”, delicious, nostalgic and comforting, but by the end of it you’re slightly sick of it. I promise you everything in this book must be read tenderly and particularly, else this story will not feel complete or whole. It is absolutely a journey, and you will feel every single emotion possible while reading.
I felt everything Theo felt. His longing for his mother made me cry just like he did, his anxiety and fears and his heart too big for the world were utterly raw and real, and I love him more than anything and want to give him the biggest hug.
And I know everyone else has said it already but Boris is a fucking excellent character and I would give anything to spend a whole day with him.
This book really is about the painting, and it really isn’t. It’s about the human heart, and love at its very core and most of all it’s about grief and trauma. And I add my own love to the history of the people that have loved this book, from the wreck of time to the next generation of lovers, and the next.
Honestly, I could sit here and wax poetry endlessly about the enchantment and wonder of this book, but so many other reviews have done it better than me. I will say, if anything, please just read the first two chapters of this book. I am convinced that the first two chapters alone are the reason it won a Pulitzer, and everything else that came after only solidified how very much it is deserved.
Donna Tartt is a master. Her language and descriptions and long, beautiful prosaic sentences are the most stunning things I have ever had the privilege to read, and the amount of detail and attention she puts into the smallest things is extraordinary. While the length of this book is the only reason .5 stars have been knocked off, it is also the reason why this book is so magical- it shows that life can often be exhaustive, terrible, draining, but also remarkable, shocking, an absolute whirlwind. This book absolutely cannot be rushed (and believe me, I did try). If you choose to read this story, do it during a long break, at a time where you can sit down for hours and hours and just simply read it and allow it to soak in. At times it can feel, as one of my friends called it “like eating your favorite meal every day for a week”, delicious, nostalgic and comforting, but by the end of it you’re slightly sick of it. I promise you everything in this book must be read tenderly and particularly, else this story will not feel complete or whole. It is absolutely a journey, and you will feel every single emotion possible while reading.
I felt everything Theo felt. His longing for his mother made me cry just like he did, his anxiety and fears and his heart too big for the world were utterly raw and real, and I love him more than anything and want to give him the biggest hug.
And I know everyone else has said it already but Boris is a fucking excellent character and I would give anything to spend a whole day with him.
This book really is about the painting, and it really isn’t. It’s about the human heart, and love at its very core and most of all it’s about grief and trauma. And I add my own love to the history of the people that have loved this book, from the wreck of time to the next generation of lovers, and the next.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Several factors came into play for my selecting this brick of a book that is fairly far removed from the normal spectrum of books that I usually read as one can get. It was available in audio format from my library and on the weekend I needed something to listen to while working in the yard. It also fulfilled a requirement in one or both of my reading challenges that I have not worked on for several weeks. So the stars seemed to align and I found myself listening the The Goldfinch on July 5 and bawling as I sheared sheep out behind my barn 28 years and one day after I had lost my own mother in a terrible accident, a car crash. Because of this shared loss I felt this instant connection to the lead character, Theo and became obsessed with listening to all 39 hours of this Pulitzer Prize winning tale.
I guess there is some controversy around the book. People either love it or hate. Critics tend to hate it and complain about how it is not worthy of all the literary awards and recognition that it has collected. Stating that the writing style is not up to their literary standards and too juvenile for such attention. Not being a sophisticated reader, nor claiming to be, I’m not going to be one to say if this book deserved a Pulitzer or not. I am also not going to say all those who hated this book were wrong in their opinions of the piece. After all each book is different depending on what the reader brings to it. I am going to tell you why it worked for me though. Why I feel so strongly about this piece and hope you give it a chance and pick it up to read despite its hefty commitment time wise.
I am almost haunted by this tale. I see so much of myself and my brother in the lead character that it was almost unsettling at times. I think anyone who has experienced a tragedy or epic loss in their life is going to identify with how the lead character is portrayed in this book and what he went through. That sort of loss is a game changer. It affects every aspect of your life and personality henceforth. It messes you up and infects every aspect of your existence, especially when it occurs at such a young age and so violently.
Theo was never going to have an easy life after the loss of his mother, but I almost feel the larger tragedy is the fact that they found his father and Theo went to live with him. If not for that, the story would have been much shorter.., but also Theo would have had a more stable life surrounded by people who would have cared for him and helped him overcome his situation better. I’m not saying that he wouldn’t have had the tendency to be drawn to the wrong people, but he would have also had better examples to model his life after as well. This is another area where I could appreciate Theo’s story and identify with him. I too lost the wrong parent and was left with the one who didn’t/couldn’t care for me and left me to raise myself. It lead to my own share of mistakes and regrets, and while I manged to stay out of the kind of trouble Theo got himself into, my brother was not as strong as I and ended up with similar situations that Theo found himself in regarding drugs and other juvenile delinquency. My own personal experiences make for this book and character having a very authentic feel to it. I can see how all of these events in Theo’s life could have led from one into another.
I also get why and how The Goldfinch painting played such a pivotal role in Theo’s life. When you lose someone who is basically the center of your universe you will do anything to keep them in your life. Going to great lengths to keep reminders and habits that are connected to them. To keep them alive and a part of your life. Eventually you learn to let these things go and find our own beliefs and artifacts separate from your lost loved one, but it takes time and some things will always remain important. Protecting the painting was Theo’s way of protecting his mother, or her memory at least. Keeping it for so many years was just his way to keep a piece of her and a moment that they shared.
The beginning of the book was the most moving for me. Like I said I found myself crying as I worked on shearing sheep and listening to the story. It was as if the author had portrayed in words everything I had felt and experienced when dealing with the death of my mother and its aftermath or fallout. The uncertainty and shock, the following numbness and fear for the future all captured there in the story as it unfolded. The awkward way adults then treated you and the struggle to find a new normalcy and not feeling like you will ever be a part of a family again. All of it almost to realistic to bear at times. If you read nothing else of the book, read that first part at least, especially if you have experienced a loss like this or know someone who has.
So why not five stars then. Well the book does get a bit bogged down sometimes and a tad to preachy at the end. The author really didn’t need to spell out each lesson she wanted the reader to take from the story in that last chapter. Most readers are clever enough to have drawn those conclusions from the story itself. There were also some fairly convenient twist of events near the end. I wish the author had let some plot lines turn out differently. Some of the ways she cleaned up the plot threads were a little to perfect to give the story a pleasant ending instead of the more realistic one. Theo got off a tad too easily from all the trouble he ended up mixed up in. Now a lot of it was simply problems that Boris created for him, but both characters didn’t get what they deserved for all the grief they caused the people who truly cared for them in their lives. Of course the story really isn’t over for either of them and Theo is dealing with the fallout for all his trouble, but still he got off too easy in my opinion. Then again it is a story, not real life and perhaps this is where they differ.
I’m not going to say that this is the best story I’ve read, or listen to, in my recent reading history, but it is one I’m glad I took the time for. I’m not going to look into anything else this author wrote or ever revisit this story again, but it will always be one that I will remember. I hope you give it a try, if only to to feel what it is like to live with the loss of this type. Tragic, sudden and all-encompassing. Life changing.
I guess there is some controversy around the book. People either love it or hate. Critics tend to hate it and complain about how it is not worthy of all the literary awards and recognition that it has collected. Stating that the writing style is not up to their literary standards and too juvenile for such attention. Not being a sophisticated reader, nor claiming to be, I’m not going to be one to say if this book deserved a Pulitzer or not. I am also not going to say all those who hated this book were wrong in their opinions of the piece. After all each book is different depending on what the reader brings to it. I am going to tell you why it worked for me though. Why I feel so strongly about this piece and hope you give it a chance and pick it up to read despite its hefty commitment time wise.
I am almost haunted by this tale. I see so much of myself and my brother in the lead character that it was almost unsettling at times. I think anyone who has experienced a tragedy or epic loss in their life is going to identify with how the lead character is portrayed in this book and what he went through. That sort of loss is a game changer. It affects every aspect of your life and personality henceforth. It messes you up and infects every aspect of your existence, especially when it occurs at such a young age and so violently.
Theo was never going to have an easy life after the loss of his mother, but I almost feel the larger tragedy is the fact that they found his father and Theo went to live with him. If not for that, the story would have been much shorter.., but also Theo would have had a more stable life surrounded by people who would have cared for him and helped him overcome his situation better. I’m not saying that he wouldn’t have had the tendency to be drawn to the wrong people, but he would have also had better examples to model his life after as well. This is another area where I could appreciate Theo’s story and identify with him. I too lost the wrong parent and was left with the one who didn’t/couldn’t care for me and left me to raise myself. It lead to my own share of mistakes and regrets, and while I manged to stay out of the kind of trouble Theo got himself into, my brother was not as strong as I and ended up with similar situations that Theo found himself in regarding drugs and other juvenile delinquency. My own personal experiences make for this book and character having a very authentic feel to it. I can see how all of these events in Theo’s life could have led from one into another.
I also get why and how The Goldfinch painting played such a pivotal role in Theo’s life. When you lose someone who is basically the center of your universe you will do anything to keep them in your life. Going to great lengths to keep reminders and habits that are connected to them. To keep them alive and a part of your life. Eventually you learn to let these things go and find our own beliefs and artifacts separate from your lost loved one, but it takes time and some things will always remain important. Protecting the painting was Theo’s way of protecting his mother, or her memory at least. Keeping it for so many years was just his way to keep a piece of her and a moment that they shared.
The beginning of the book was the most moving for me. Like I said I found myself crying as I worked on shearing sheep and listening to the story. It was as if the author had portrayed in words everything I had felt and experienced when dealing with the death of my mother and its aftermath or fallout. The uncertainty and shock, the following numbness and fear for the future all captured there in the story as it unfolded. The awkward way adults then treated you and the struggle to find a new normalcy and not feeling like you will ever be a part of a family again. All of it almost to realistic to bear at times. If you read nothing else of the book, read that first part at least, especially if you have experienced a loss like this or know someone who has.
So why not five stars then. Well the book does get a bit bogged down sometimes and a tad to preachy at the end. The author really didn’t need to spell out each lesson she wanted the reader to take from the story in that last chapter. Most readers are clever enough to have drawn those conclusions from the story itself. There were also some fairly convenient twist of events near the end. I wish the author had let some plot lines turn out differently. Some of the ways she cleaned up the plot threads were a little to perfect to give the story a pleasant ending instead of the more realistic one. Theo got off a tad too easily from all the trouble he ended up mixed up in. Now a lot of it was simply problems that Boris created for him, but both characters didn’t get what they deserved for all the grief they caused the people who truly cared for them in their lives. Of course the story really isn’t over for either of them and Theo is dealing with the fallout for all his trouble, but still he got off too easy in my opinion. Then again it is a story, not real life and perhaps this is where they differ.
I’m not going to say that this is the best story I’ve read, or listen to, in my recent reading history, but it is one I’m glad I took the time for. I’m not going to look into anything else this author wrote or ever revisit this story again, but it will always be one that I will remember. I hope you give it a try, if only to to feel what it is like to live with the loss of this type. Tragic, sudden and all-encompassing. Life changing.
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This book destroyed meeeeeeeee and instantly became one of my favorites of all time. “That Nature (meaning Death) always wins but that doesn’t mean we have to bow and grovel to it. That maybe even if we’re not always so glad to be here, it’s our task to immerse ourselves anyway: wade straight through it, right through the cesspool, while keeping eyes and hearts open.”
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated