carlay 's review for:

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

4.0

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I feel like I’ll be thinking about this one for a while and that is a big reason I gave this 4 stars. I can see why The Secret History is labeled a “modern classic,” because the setting for the story is timeless and there is so much to unpack and analyze. Does that mean I liked it? I don’t know, haha. Going in, I was asking for a cozy November read and it delivered in that way. But there was also a tedious, unsettling element too that makes me hesitant to like this book. I cannot quite describe it. And although the prose in this text has a dreamlike, unique quality, I feel like this book could have been, like, 200 pages shorter.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Antisemitism, Grief, Car accident