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whatsshwereading 's review for:
The Goldfinch
by Donna Tartt
Lovers of literature, rejoice! Donna Tartt's Goldfinch is here. Women Authors have finally arrived in the 21st Century literature! After the Bronte Sisters, Jane Austen, J K Rowling, Nora Roberts (yes, her!) we now have the likes of Gillian Flynn and Donna Tartt. How proud Virginia Woolf'd be.
In parts dramatic, philosophical, absurd even, The Goldfinch, is nonetheless a beautiful Bildungsroman (coming of age novel). Is it any wonder then that this book is being touted as "Dickensian"? It certainly has all the elements of a great Dickensian novel - a tragedy, an orphan, his tryst with crimes (petty and major)et al.
Theo Decker, a protagonist no doubt inspired by Oliver Twist and David Copperfield, is haunted (without realising how deeply) by that one event, when he is thirteen, which drastically changes his life. As we watch him cope and grow, we meet a myriad of people who inadvertently influence (positively and negatively) his life. Of these, my favourite is Boris, a Russian misfit, his salvation and least is Kitsey his fiance.
In crafting a tale about the aftermath of a tragedy, Ms.Tartt tells a serious story yet there is a strange dream-like quality to the narration, much like the fog Theo lives through. I believe that's what makes it such a compelling read. That doesn't mean it is without faults. There were chapters where I wished Ms. Tartt would simply get to the point or something would happen, but they unfold at a maddeningly slow pace, as if she were ruminating and at times, the narration simply meanders.
However, these are minor infractions in the bigger picture. This book, indubitably, is a must read for all those who enjoy classics.
P.S: Stay away from the book if you're not into big books, lazy+lengthy yet lyrical narrations.
In parts dramatic, philosophical, absurd even, The Goldfinch, is nonetheless a beautiful Bildungsroman (coming of age novel). Is it any wonder then that this book is being touted as "Dickensian"? It certainly has all the elements of a great Dickensian novel - a tragedy, an orphan, his tryst with crimes (petty and major)et al.
Theo Decker, a protagonist no doubt inspired by Oliver Twist and David Copperfield, is haunted (without realising how deeply) by that one event, when he is thirteen, which drastically changes his life. As we watch him cope and grow, we meet a myriad of people who inadvertently influence (positively and negatively) his life. Of these, my favourite is Boris, a Russian misfit, his salvation and least is Kitsey his fiance.
In crafting a tale about the aftermath of a tragedy, Ms.Tartt tells a serious story yet there is a strange dream-like quality to the narration, much like the fog Theo lives through. I believe that's what makes it such a compelling read. That doesn't mean it is without faults. There were chapters where I wished Ms. Tartt would simply get to the point or something would happen, but they unfold at a maddeningly slow pace, as if she were ruminating and at times, the narration simply meanders.
However, these are minor infractions in the bigger picture. This book, indubitably, is a must read for all those who enjoy classics.
P.S: Stay away from the book if you're not into big books, lazy+lengthy yet lyrical narrations.