A review by spoetnik
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Very much liked some of the characters, the plot, the climax and the tension Tartt builds in the book. Also some symbolism was really interesting, especially the terror and superficiality of unwed beauty and the references to Ancient Greek writings took me back to my highschool days. However the book is insufferably pretentious at times, with unnecessary language and symbolism that really doesn't flourish within the story's narrative. The mixture of the plot of Dostoyevsky's crime and punishment, gothic elements and Greek tragedy was extremely ambitious and understandably did not really make any sense in the end. Also the characters were really unrealistic and Tartt really tries to create the same nauseous uneasy ambiance that Dostoyevsky always creates but really doea not succeed in this. Cool book tho thanks Eylül for lending me the book