Reviews

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

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4.5…. i love love loved the atmosphere and the writing and the storyline ig. i only don’t give it 5 because i compare it to the goldfinch and feel like the characters didn’t seem as ~real~ to me as they did in that book. but overall enjoyed thoroughly and have been thinking about since i finished it

lengsungit's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

karmascycles's review

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dark mysterious 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

2.0

It took me a while to rate this one. But overall it felt like a partial waste of time. The ending was awful and it felt pointless to the rest of the story. The first third of the book had me intrigued, there were so many mysterious things going on, but none of them were resolved. It felt as if the author put details into the book and then promptly forgot about them. Although, I've never read a book where every single character was irredeemable and atrocious, so I think a bonus point should be awarded to the author for that. I think 2 stars works.

Content Warnings

dembury's review

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4.0

I don't think this book needed to be 559 pages but it sure kept me flipping them to find out how it all ended. At a couple points I was so stressed about what was happening (like Bunny not going on a walk at a certain time, or when THE LETTER makes an appearance) that I felt like I was personally the one all caught up in the scheme.
Tartt's writing itself and the unsettling, unreliable characters she has crafted are certainly the strengths of the novel and make up for a slightly predictable plot and lackluster ending, but again, I was absorbed by them anyways so that says a lot. I'm definitely wanting to read more of Tartt's work to see what she has to offer.