A review by fluttertutter
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

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

4.0

I’m not sure how to feel reading this book. It reads like an autobiography or perhaps like a memoir/ recount by Richard about the events leading to and after Bunny’s death. It does keep me engaged for most of the part but the pacing of the book was really slowww, especially after Bunny’s death. I do get that it helps to build up but I think i just prefer books that have a faster pace. Throughout the book, the author (Richard?) tries to justify (explains?) why Bunny should die and it was quite persuasive I would say 😛 Very interesting because it made me think that hey maybe Bunny did deserve it. The characters also felt real and unique - each one of them acting in a way that I feel like ‘hey that is so him/her’ which shows vvv good writing!! Julian was an interesting character too - not sure how but his lessons captivated me too?!! although my lack of greek related knowledge makes it a bit hard to understand. That said, the book was still tooooooo slow in my opinion and I wished it just moved faster cos it took me forever to read it and i’m not sure if all the parts were necessary to make up the story. 

The ending shocked me but it did feel like a Henry thing to do. I feel like I have a lot of questions about the credibility of the story - is Richard actually a credible source?? did he actually know everything?? and how he accepted the Bacchanal feels so sus like ????? that’s it??? Overall it’s still good writing and definitely a good story but i just have so many questions and it was way too slow after Bunny’s death it became a 4 star read
 
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