The Secret History by Donna Tartt
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Web ID: 15624532i had such high hopes for this cult classic
How can a novel have such an exciting plot (a cocooned academic world, a group of friends, everything that falls apart because of a murder, etc.) but turn out to have such a boring execution? I loved the overall plot, but absolutely hated the characters. It's not even that no one is remotely likable, but that no one seems to be a fully developed one at all. The only one who seems to have any sort of personality is the doomed Bunny, and everyone else is interchangeable. There's no sense of a buildup in the bloated narrative, everything reads like a very loosely connected series of vignettes. Characters have a walk, have extensive monologues about classical themes (so many info dumps, so so many...), have drinks, argue amongst themselves. None of the characters seem to react in any way to any of their crimes (the murder of the farmer, of Bunny, of several animals, etc). They seem to shrug and wave it off, and talk it away as something merely troublesome. Even at the very end, none of them seem to care very much. The dark academia reputation of The Secret History is highly exaggerated. The school is a minor presence in the actual plot (it adds nothing to the investigation/coverup/the main conflict), and the enigmatic teacher at the center of the friend group (Julian) hangs around mostly in the background. The novel could have been edited down to a very solid 300 page or so book, and would have been so much better. There are some moments where the writing is beautiful and impactful, bring across real emotions and feelings, but for the majority of the book's length it reads as awkward and pretentious: "...opportunities which I would seize, gently but manfully, as exordium to more violent pleasures."
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
DONNA ATE
Okay, the aspect of an unreliable narrator has always been interesting to me. In this book, you see everyone and everything as a recollection of the narrator's memories, hence the "history" part. This shows characters that seem to be good when they're really just bits and pieces of what they used to be. This book immediately hooked me, and now I understand the hype. I've read The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, and it is one of my favorite books. The Secret History will be added to that list.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Masterpiece.
Donna Tartt ate this up
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
One of my favorite books to date!
I still think about this book all the time. So beautifully written and slightly haunting. Will never stop recommending this to anyone!!!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Got me out of a reading slump!
So glad i finished this book bc it is so beautifully written and even the ending was so well done. I wish i could read for the first time again although it was slowly paced it held suspense and overall got me reading again!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
So good and exciting!
This was such a thrilling read. I found myself turning the pages so quickly as I went. Tartt has created an entire atmosphere for readers to lose themselves in.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Just Amazing
Donna is such a talented writer and she ate with this one.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
My favorite read so far this year!
I was recommended this by my younger sibling, and they did not lie when they said this was really good! Definitely has a Saltburn vibe and I think that’s why I loved it so much.
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