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A review by maia313
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It's been a long time since I was this invested in a book...
The first half is so incredibly tense and mysterious whilst still feeling fairly slow paced, this part I read in a matter of days. The second part took me a little longer, keeping the suspense but rather focusing on the consequences of the first part. The writing all throughout is absolutely incredible. The characters are all very well written, perfectly flawed. Many people I have seen say that this book feels pretentious, but I argue that that is largely the point! It talks about the elitism in the characters world, almost satirical of the pretentiousness of the characters. As Richard is introduced to the Classics group and becomes part of their group, so do we as we discover more and more about them. I particularly like the almost philosophical aspect to the book, as the characters comments on aspects raised in their Greek study. The ending leaves you thinking, it is not a book that you forget easily. "A morbid longing for the picturesque," and "Beauty is terror," two of the most famous and my favourite quotes from this book I think sums it up perfectly. Although it covers some heavy themes, The Secret History is a book I will be recommending forever.
The first half is so incredibly tense and mysterious whilst still feeling fairly slow paced, this part I read in a matter of days. The second part took me a little longer, keeping the suspense but rather focusing on the consequences of the first part. The writing all throughout is absolutely incredible. The characters are all very well written, perfectly flawed. Many people I have seen say that this book feels pretentious, but I argue that that is largely the point! It talks about the elitism in the characters world, almost satirical of the pretentiousness of the characters. As Richard is introduced to the Classics group and becomes part of their group, so do we as we discover more and more about them. I particularly like the almost philosophical aspect to the book, as the characters comments on aspects raised in their Greek study. The ending leaves you thinking, it is not a book that you forget easily. "A morbid longing for the picturesque," and "Beauty is terror," two of the most famous and my favourite quotes from this book I think sums it up perfectly. Although it covers some heavy themes, The Secret History is a book I will be recommending forever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Homophobia, Alcoholism, and Drug use
Moderate: Incest