A review by _eleanorgreen8_
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I'd wanted to read this book for ages and it definitely lived up to the hype. It took quite a while to read, but I think that was good because the book's slow pace meant I could really appreciate every detail. Despite being long, detailed and slow, this book was by no means boring and I found every chapter engaging. The overall story felt more like a deep reflection on the past than a conventional thriller, which I really liked because of the amount of beautiful, meaningful phrases the narrator used when describing events. The atmosphere of the book felt quite meta, and I believed every philosophical idea. However, the ending was not quite as exciting as I'd hoped and I felt that the tone of the story was very much the same throughout, making plot twists less shocking. But overall, this was a timeless, original book that made me feel really smart and intellectual while reading it. 
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