A review by julesmae
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Donna Tartt's prose was almost certainly my favorite part of this read - so vivid in detail it's haunting how real it feels. While I did enjoy the plot, the cascading mess of lies and morality and intellectualism, I didn't find myself as enraptured as I had expected to be. I think this is, in part, due to the fact that none of the characters are particularly likable - which is both an example of how brilliantly complex a writer Tartt is and somewhat of a barrier to being completely invested in the outcome. Overall though, I still enjoyed it - I don't find many books anymore that I really revel in the slow pace of, but this one I did.
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