A review by gravitybreaker
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

"I am nothing in my soul if not obsessive." 

I do understand, where the hype for this book is coming from. Donna Tartt is a master of words. Just the way, she has crafted her prose and atmosphere to experience, is in my opinion nearly perfection. Even though, I do understand, it doesn't quite hit the mark for me. 
I am glad, I went into this book, without knowing anything about it and without any expectations. In retrospect, I think, I would have been disappointed otherwise, because the blurb and the title are suggesting something to me, they are not. It's neither plot nor character driven, but purely based on that specific atmosphere and aesthetics of academia.
So for anyone who is thinking of picking up this book, I would recommend the same: go into it blindly and with an open mind, and just experience the story. And keep in my mind, the story is told by an unreliable and pretentious narrator, who is obsessed with aesthetics. And I think knowing that while reading, you would probably see the story in a different and more enjoyable lense.

"a morbid longing of the picturesque at all costs"
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