A review by laurenrussell
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Anyone who says this book is a modern classic is INSANE. It’s a good book with absolutely amazingggggg writing and imagery. That’s the best part, you really feel like you’re there and experiencing the weather and mood. 

BUT…this book was lowkey boring. Especially in the middle. I think more could’ve been added to spice it up a bit because there were some parts I could barely make it through, especially because so much time was spent on describing the environment. However, the slow descent into literal madness was interesting. They’re truly some weird and evil characters which I love. Ethics and morals is a big part, and I can see why all the dark academia girlies eat this book up. 

There’s some really thought provoking questions this book raises, and of course the lovely unreliable narrator thing makes you question everything that happened.

I think the murder of the farmer is the most interesting aspect of the book, because we have 0 clue on what actually happened to him and the little posse that night.

Overall, pretty good. Definitely not my favorite, and definitely not one of the best books of all time. Donna Tart is a talented writer though.