A review by rworrall78
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

dark mysterious reflective sad 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

3.75

I've come to the conclusion that long books aren't for me. This was supremely well written, deep in ways I can't fully appreciate. There were times when I loved it, I enjoyed the big philosophical thoughts even though I'm not well-educated enough to have understood them all. Some of the descriptions were absolutely incredible, particularly  the description of Hampton on the day Bunny's body was found. The characters were meant to be unlikable I understand that. Yet that meant that as the drama unfolded at various points in the book, after much slow unfolding, I simply did not care what happened to anyone apart from the cat. Also because I didn't like the characters a lot of the drama between the protagonists left me cold and irritated. my favourite bit probably was the epilogue because it sped up to a pace I enjoy. 
The almost slower than real time telling of some of the scenes did get me appreciating the style occasionally, it opened up a new part of reading that I've never really had access to. But then at the times it was just frustratingly slow. 
I'm glad I read it but I didn't love it. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings