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A review by fakestginger
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
4.0
I read The Secret History earlier this year and fell in love with Donna Tartt instantly. TSH is now among my favorite books and, while not a particularly new or exciting take, I think that's important to point out because I was biased to love this book from the get go, especially as I had read it was her chef d'oeuvre (and, of course, won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction).
I was a bit disappointed.
I obviously still very much enjoyed the novel as I rated it four stars, but there were a few things that made me like this work less than TSH.
The primary issue I had with the novel was the ending. I don't mean the ending of the plot because I found it tied up all of the loose ends of the story very well. I mean to say I didn't find the point of the last 15 or so pages where Tartt explains what the message of the whole book was meant to be. I can handle a reflective page or so but I found it a bit overly wordy and it felt as though she did not trust me to glean the moral and meaning she had set out to explore in the beginning. I have to say 962 pages was certainly enough for me to understand what she was getting at with this sweeping novel. Other than that, I found the book did drag at certain points which, to be fair, is possibly expected with a book of its length.
But overall I found it an enjoyable read. I love her style, word choice, and (generally) pacing as well as her character development and thematic choices. I would most certainly recommend TSH above The Goldfinch to friends, but I think this book is still worth the time you must put into it
I was a bit disappointed.
I obviously still very much enjoyed the novel as I rated it four stars, but there were a few things that made me like this work less than TSH.
The primary issue I had with the novel was the ending. I don't mean the ending of the plot because I found it tied up all of the loose ends of the story very well. I mean to say I didn't find the point of the last 15 or so pages where Tartt explains what the message of the whole book was meant to be. I can handle a reflective page or so but I found it a bit overly wordy and it felt as though she did not trust me to glean the moral and meaning she had set out to explore in the beginning. I have to say 962 pages was certainly enough for me to understand what she was getting at with this sweeping novel. Other than that, I found the book did drag at certain points which, to be fair, is possibly expected with a book of its length.
But overall I found it an enjoyable read. I love her style, word choice, and (generally) pacing as well as her character development and thematic choices. I would most certainly recommend TSH above The Goldfinch to friends, but I think this book is still worth the time you must put into it