Scan barcode
A review by lifeofchrstnlvly
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
dark
informative
mysterious
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
5.0
A satire book about privileged people.
A critique of elitism.
I think some people forget this are the main points of The Secret History.
Donna Tartt captured me. From beautiful writing to complex characters, I was engrossed. I rarely annotate my books (I only highlight important quotes and tab the pages), but I can't help but write my thoughts as I was reading this. I didn't dare finish this immediately since I wanted to fully immerse myself in the story.
At first I thought the pacing will throw me off... but the pacing made sense. I understand why Donna decided to write it this way - we're reading Richard's thoughts, which are scattered. He thought he needed to point out unnecessary details. We were in the mind of an unreliable narrator, which makes things more interesting, since we were forced to immerse ourselves in his thoughts.
The ending caught me off guard... but it made the most sense for the story.
If you expect to fall on love with the characters, this is not for you. They are unlikable characters for a reason (you don't know how many times I said "these pretentious kids" out loud while reading). I have a soft spot for Francis, though.
I get now why they say this is the mother/blueprint of dark academia.
A critique of elitism.
I think some people forget this are the main points of The Secret History.
Donna Tartt captured me. From beautiful writing to complex characters, I was engrossed. I rarely annotate my books (I only highlight important quotes and tab the pages), but I can't help but write my thoughts as I was reading this. I didn't dare finish this immediately since I wanted to fully immerse myself in the story.
At first I thought the pacing will throw me off... but the pacing made sense. I understand why Donna decided to write it this way - we're reading Richard's thoughts, which are scattered. He thought he needed to point out unnecessary details. We were in the mind of an unreliable narrator, which makes things more interesting, since we were forced to immerse ourselves in his thoughts.
The ending caught me off guard... but it made the most sense for the story.
If you expect to fall on love with the characters, this is not for you. They are unlikable characters for a reason (you don't know how many times I said "these pretentious kids" out loud while reading). I have a soft spot for Francis, though.
I get now why they say this is the mother/blueprint of dark academia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide, Blood, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail