A review by natw3
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

adventurous mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The main character, Richard, goes away to college in Vermont. He wants to study Greek but isn’t allowed to at first because the Greek professor Julian Morrow only takes on a few pupils at a time. After proving his worth he joins the classes. The other students are Henry, Edmund (Bunny), Francis, Charles, and Camilla. The other students put it in their mind to invoke Dionysus, one of the wildest gods in any pantheons.
They leave Bunny and Richard out of this and the other students end up killing a man. Bunny holds this over their heads until they end up killing Bunny because they were afraid he wouldn’t keep his mouth shut. The first half up the book was leading up to them killing Bunny and the second half was them trying to get away with the crime and the aftermah. Charles becomes and alcoholic. Harry and Camilla become romantically involved. Charles threatens Harry with a gun and ends up shooting Richard (who survives) and Harry shoots himself but survives for a few days in the hospital. In the end they all go their separate ways but continue to suffer from their actions in the past. Hints are given that Harry could possibly be alive or it is just their brain playing tricks on them.


I dislike that the chapters were so long and it took forever to get it going. I think that the book could’ve been way shorter. Even though I admire the authors writing and comprehension of Greek it was very intense to read.

Quotes
Beauty is terror. whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. pg 42

 I suppose there is a certain crucial interval in everyone’s life when character is fixed forever. pg 84

It had the quality of a memory; there it was, before my eyes, and yet too beautiful to believe. pg 102

Love doesn’t conquer everything. And whoever thinks it does is a fool. pg223

Expand filter menu Content Warnings