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A review by phases_of_dawn
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
3.25
“Only – if you care for a thing enough, it takes on a life of its own, doesn’t it? And isn’t the whole point of things – beautiful things – that they connect you to some larger beauty? Those first images that crack your heart wide open and you spend the rest of your life chasing, or trying to recapture, in one way or another?”
At thirteen, Theo Decker miraculously survives an explosion that kills his mother and leaves him utterly alone. He’s taken in by his childhood friend’s rich family, but due to a secret that could destroy everything if it ever came to light, things soon become complicated. What follows is an account of Theo’s journey through grief, friendships, love and obsession, of him trying to find his way through life despite all the bad things that continue to happen to him.
Despite the promising start, I wasn’t quite sure what to think of this book. I liked the writing, kept highlighting passages that I liked, and especially at the beginning I was amazed by the way the author managed to set the tone for the novel, creating an atmosphere that sometimes felt so real I could see the scenes unfolding behind my eyes.
“[…] uncertainties hovering on the edge of a vast brightness.”
But all those descriptive parts soon became repetitive, too detailed, too irrelevant in the context of the entire story. Had the book been significantly shorter and only detailed where it mattered, in my opinion the book would have managed to be way more impactful – however, this way, it only added to the distant, impersonal feeling of the story and the characters. Even the relevant and actually good and emotional parts just blend in with the rest of the story in a way that they maybe shouldn’t, turning out pretty forgettable in the big picture.
Now to the characters: I loved Hobie with all my heart!! I really liked Boris too, which surprised me because frankly, I would usually think of him as an asshole.
Other than that though, I’m not exactly convinced. The characters don’t feel fully fleshed-out – even though most of them do seem authentic and believable as characters, they never come alive on the page, which adds to the impersonal and distant feeling and which really didn’t help me care for the story more. Apart from that, I couldn’t help but notice the sexism in the portrayal of most women in the story – which might be expected since we only view the story from Theo’s perspective, for instance only see Pippa through a rose-coloured lense of obsession, but it still didn’t sit right with me.
Among all this distance between the reader and the story, I did feel random bursts of emotion, but in the context of the whole story those still feel rather small. I did, however, really like the portrayal of grief, desperation and hopelessness and Theo’s nihilistic world-view woven into the story. Put into words the way they were, they felt oddly comforting.
The plot, albeit often messy and random, added to the feeling of being completely out of control – and although maybe a book’s plot should feel a little more put-together than it did here, isn’t that exactly what life is like for all of us, too? Constant wondering what horrors will be thrown our way next, no real understanding of an objective reality, thrown here and there and back again without a touch of control or something to hold on to? Seeing that portrayed in a book was weirdly reassuring and relatable in its own bleak way.
I liked the painting as a connection that tied the story together, not exactly significant, but still satisfying. On that note, the ending did come full-circle in certain ways, but it felt a bit too “epic” for my liking, not fitting enough for the book and its previous tone. I did, however, like the nihilistic but still hopeful approach.
The discussions about art, albeit interesting, felt rather pretentious as well, but then there was the notion that everyone sees beauty in different things and ways but yet the same things have been loved collectively, over the centuries, by so many people. And in the end, that’s what brings us together, that collective love for art and beauty and finding ourselves in others, that’s what defines the very experience of being alive and human in this world. That portrayed in this book was what really gripped me.
“It was one thing to see a painting in a museum but to see it in all those lights and moods and seasons was to see it a thousand different ways […]”
All in all a book that I would consider good in a rather impersonal sense, while my own reading experience with it was mediocre. 3.25 stars.
At thirteen, Theo Decker miraculously survives an explosion that kills his mother and leaves him utterly alone. He’s taken in by his childhood friend’s rich family, but due to a secret that could destroy everything if it ever came to light, things soon become complicated. What follows is an account of Theo’s journey through grief, friendships, love and obsession, of him trying to find his way through life despite all the bad things that continue to happen to him.
Despite the promising start, I wasn’t quite sure what to think of this book. I liked the writing, kept highlighting passages that I liked, and especially at the beginning I was amazed by the way the author managed to set the tone for the novel, creating an atmosphere that sometimes felt so real I could see the scenes unfolding behind my eyes.
“[…] uncertainties hovering on the edge of a vast brightness.”
But all those descriptive parts soon became repetitive, too detailed, too irrelevant in the context of the entire story. Had the book been significantly shorter and only detailed where it mattered, in my opinion the book would have managed to be way more impactful – however, this way, it only added to the distant, impersonal feeling of the story and the characters. Even the relevant and actually good and emotional parts just blend in with the rest of the story in a way that they maybe shouldn’t, turning out pretty forgettable in the big picture.
Now to the characters: I loved Hobie with all my heart!! I really liked Boris too, which surprised me because frankly, I would usually think of him as an asshole.
Other than that though, I’m not exactly convinced. The characters don’t feel fully fleshed-out – even though most of them do seem authentic and believable as characters, they never come alive on the page, which adds to the impersonal and distant feeling and which really didn’t help me care for the story more. Apart from that, I couldn’t help but notice the sexism in the portrayal of most women in the story – which might be expected since we only view the story from Theo’s perspective, for instance only see Pippa through a rose-coloured lense of obsession, but it still didn’t sit right with me.
Among all this distance between the reader and the story, I did feel random bursts of emotion, but in the context of the whole story those still feel rather small. I did, however, really like the portrayal of grief, desperation and hopelessness and Theo’s nihilistic world-view woven into the story. Put into words the way they were, they felt oddly comforting.
The plot, albeit often messy and random, added to the feeling of being completely out of control – and although maybe a book’s plot should feel a little more put-together than it did here, isn’t that exactly what life is like for all of us, too? Constant wondering what horrors will be thrown our way next, no real understanding of an objective reality, thrown here and there and back again without a touch of control or something to hold on to? Seeing that portrayed in a book was weirdly reassuring and relatable in its own bleak way.
I liked the painting as a connection that tied the story together, not exactly significant, but still satisfying. On that note, the ending did come full-circle in certain ways, but it felt a bit too “epic” for my liking, not fitting enough for the book and its previous tone. I did, however, like the nihilistic but still hopeful approach.
The discussions about art, albeit interesting, felt rather pretentious as well, but then there was the notion that everyone sees beauty in different things and ways but yet the same things have been loved collectively, over the centuries, by so many people. And in the end, that’s what brings us together, that collective love for art and beauty and finding ourselves in others, that’s what defines the very experience of being alive and human in this world. That portrayed in this book was what really gripped me.
“It was one thing to see a painting in a museum but to see it in all those lights and moods and seasons was to see it a thousand different ways […]”
All in all a book that I would consider good in a rather impersonal sense, while my own reading experience with it was mediocre. 3.25 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Addiction
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Minor: Car accident, Homophobia, and Racism