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iuniper 's review for:
The Goldfinch
by Donna Tartt
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I usually know before finishing a book what kind of rating it deserves (even if the rating doesn't make much sense. You could hate a 5-star book and love a 1-star book). Anyway, with The Goldfinch is a different matter. I loved it and hated it equally.
-there might be spoilers ahead, thread with caution-
I love the plot, the premise, the whole journey build around the painting. I love the role the art plays in this book and I honestly love all the metaphors around it. I loved the Las Vegas arc (even if it was messy) and I loved the ending and its message, even though it was a bit preachy. The pacing was great, but the dialogue could use some more editing. I have so many mixed feelings toward this book and it drives me mad because I can't stop thinking about it.
What I didn't like was the fact that it followed a similar style and structure as The Secret History (well, duh, you'd say, they're written by the same writer). I guess, being a Pulitzer Winner, I opened the book having high expectations and they weren't quite met. I was hoping for an all-consuming friendship, for dark academia and overwhelming emotions, but there was too little of that. I was hoping for fast-paced action, not just bursts of action at the end of the book. Thinking back on it, I did love the Las Vegas arc so much. Mainly because I adore Boris.
I could write my own novel about Boris.
Boris deserved to be in at least half the book, if not more. He was one of the most interesting characters in the book - or in all of the books I've read so far - and I would have loved to see more of him and more of his relationship with Theo. Honestly, it would have made so much sense for his relationship with Theo to turn romantic. Whatever obsession Theo had for Pippa, it did not make sense and it frustrated me so much I hated the book sometimes. They had no chemistry, no spark between them whatsoever. I understand that Pippa was his connection to Before, but whatever they have, it feels so bland, so boring. I did not feel an ounce of Theo's fire for her. It's frustrating because Theo and Boris would have made so much sense! I'm a sucker for romance, and if this book would have had that ounce of romance, it would have been perfect. Whatever they had, it was so much better than whatever Pippa ever did for him. Boris did so much for him (even stealing his beloved painting lol) and he tried to make up for it (not using the best methods, true). I just, it makes me so frustrated. Crossed-stars lovers. If you want to change my mind, you can pray this from cold, dead hands.
But, good god, Theo Decker - Potter - you are so hard to love sometimes.
The one thing I do love about this book is how palpable Theo's trauma is. His panic and his hurt jump out of the page sometimes. You can't expect a child to know what he's feeling when he's going through what Theo went. It's so clear and so smartly written in the first few chapters that it broke my heart. It annoyed me a bit because he reminded me of Richard from TSH, but they are different in so many little ways. Theo was so consumed by what was right and what was wrong, but somehow it worked all good in the end. You can't have good without bad, and Boris understood this one the best.
The characters are so flawed in this book, driven by their desires and their hearts.
“A great sorrow, and one that I am only beginning to understand: we don’t get to choose our own hearts. We can’t make ourselves want what’s good for us or what’s good for other people. We don’t get to choose the people we are.”
I felt this deep down to my own core. I will stop myself from writing an actual novel. I do recommend this book, for all the conflicting feelings it gave me.
3.5 stars for the book
5 stars for dear Boris
1000000 stars for Francis's cameo. My murder baby :(
-there might be spoilers ahead, thread with caution-
I love the plot, the premise, the whole journey build around the painting. I love the role the art plays in this book and I honestly love all the metaphors around it. I loved the Las Vegas arc (even if it was messy) and I loved the ending and its message, even though it was a bit preachy. The pacing was great, but the dialogue could use some more editing. I have so many mixed feelings toward this book and it drives me mad because I can't stop thinking about it.
What I didn't like was the fact that it followed a similar style and structure as The Secret History (well, duh, you'd say, they're written by the same writer). I guess, being a Pulitzer Winner, I opened the book having high expectations and they weren't quite met. I was hoping for an all-consuming friendship, for dark academia and overwhelming emotions, but there was too little of that. I was hoping for fast-paced action, not just bursts of action at the end of the book. Thinking back on it, I did love the Las Vegas arc so much. Mainly because I adore Boris.
I could write my own novel about Boris.
Boris deserved to be in at least half the book, if not more. He was one of the most interesting characters in the book - or in all of the books I've read so far - and I would have loved to see more of him and more of his relationship with Theo. Honestly, it would have made so much sense for his relationship with Theo to turn romantic. Whatever obsession Theo had for Pippa, it did not make sense and it frustrated me so much I hated the book sometimes. They had no chemistry, no spark between them whatsoever. I understand that Pippa was his connection to Before, but whatever they have, it feels so bland, so boring. I did not feel an ounce of Theo's fire for her. It's frustrating because Theo and Boris would have made so much sense! I'm a sucker for romance, and if this book would have had that ounce of romance, it would have been perfect. Whatever they had, it was so much better than whatever Pippa ever did for him. Boris did so much for him (even stealing his beloved painting lol) and he tried to make up for it (not using the best methods, true). I just, it makes me so frustrated. Crossed-stars lovers. If you want to change my mind, you can pray this from cold, dead hands.
But, good god, Theo Decker - Potter - you are so hard to love sometimes.
The one thing I do love about this book is how palpable Theo's trauma is. His panic and his hurt jump out of the page sometimes. You can't expect a child to know what he's feeling when he's going through what Theo went. It's so clear and so smartly written in the first few chapters that it broke my heart. It annoyed me a bit because he reminded me of Richard from TSH, but they are different in so many little ways. Theo was so consumed by what was right and what was wrong, but somehow it worked all good in the end. You can't have good without bad, and Boris understood this one the best.
The characters are so flawed in this book, driven by their desires and their hearts.
“A great sorrow, and one that I am only beginning to understand: we don’t get to choose our own hearts. We can’t make ourselves want what’s good for us or what’s good for other people. We don’t get to choose the people we are.”
I felt this deep down to my own core. I will stop myself from writing an actual novel. I do recommend this book, for all the conflicting feelings it gave me.
3.5 stars for the book
5 stars for dear Boris
1000000 stars for Francis's cameo. My murder baby :(