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A review by kessler21
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
3.0
This book is hard to review. I liked it, but I am having trouble explaining why I liked it. Instead, with this book, its much easier to explain why I didn't like it. Its almost as though I enjoyed the book despite itself.
Theo Decker is 13 years old when his mother is killed and he steals a painting which set into motion events throughout the rest of Theo's life.
I lost my mother at a young age but unlike Theo, I had a loving and stable father to raise me as well as older siblings to help throughout my life. Still, the rest of my life was changed the moment my mother died, such as Theo's. I spend a lot of time thinking about how life would have been different for me had my mother not died and, how my life would be had I not had a loving and stable father, and its possible for it to go somewhat like Theo's.
The writing of The Goldfinch is masterful and beautiful. I let the audio read to me as I followed along in the book, and the audio was wonderful as well.
However,
There were not enough peaks in the story line and too many troughs. For much of the book, there seemed to be no direction to the story. Without the audio, I am pretty sure I would have given up on the story. Add in Theo and especially his friend Boris being easy to dislike...It made for some rough reading as well.
Then the cliche of the art underworld. The Russians everywhere. Secret meetings where Theo is immediately liked or disliked due to his knowledge, appreciation and charm and a trip to Amsterdam that is confusing.
And my biggest issue. A character would say, "I have something to tell you" then 17 pages (hyperbole) of beating around the bush, telling why they have to tell or why its hard to tell but never telling them what needs to be told. This drove me insane, over and over.
And the ending of the book. Starting with the trip to Amsterdam, so about the last 200-300 pages, kill the attachment I had to the little bit of story that was there, especially the very end, a philosophical look back at all the events of the book, the rationalization that being good or bad is out of our control and being bad is necessary to create good. Not only is the ending unnecessary, but a load of self justification crap.
I still don't why I feel closely to this story though, why I feel like I liked and enjoyed it. Why I feel the need for 3 stars. But I did. Though the book has many flaws, it has just enough to make me like it.
Theo Decker is 13 years old when his mother is killed and he steals a painting which set into motion events throughout the rest of Theo's life.
I lost my mother at a young age but unlike Theo, I had a loving and stable father to raise me as well as older siblings to help throughout my life. Still, the rest of my life was changed the moment my mother died, such as Theo's. I spend a lot of time thinking about how life would have been different for me had my mother not died and, how my life would be had I not had a loving and stable father, and its possible for it to go somewhat like Theo's.
The writing of The Goldfinch is masterful and beautiful. I let the audio read to me as I followed along in the book, and the audio was wonderful as well.
However,
There were not enough peaks in the story line and too many troughs. For much of the book, there seemed to be no direction to the story. Without the audio, I am pretty sure I would have given up on the story. Add in Theo and especially his friend Boris being easy to dislike...It made for some rough reading as well.
Then the cliche of the art underworld. The Russians everywhere. Secret meetings where Theo is immediately liked or disliked due to his knowledge, appreciation and charm and a trip to Amsterdam that is confusing.
And my biggest issue. A character would say, "I have something to tell you" then 17 pages (hyperbole) of beating around the bush, telling why they have to tell or why its hard to tell but never telling them what needs to be told. This drove me insane, over and over.
And the ending of the book. Starting with the trip to Amsterdam, so about the last 200-300 pages, kill the attachment I had to the little bit of story that was there, especially the very end, a philosophical look back at all the events of the book, the rationalization that being good or bad is out of our control and being bad is necessary to create good. Not only is the ending unnecessary, but a load of self justification crap.
I still don't why I feel closely to this story though, why I feel like I liked and enjoyed it. Why I feel the need for 3 stars. But I did. Though the book has many flaws, it has just enough to make me like it.