The Secret History by Donna Tartt Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Secret History
Book Review: A slow, tedious read
Summary: 2 Stars
A friend recommended this book. I do not know why. My opinion: I found it to be a slow, tedious read, mainly because it contains many detailed descriptions about people, settings and situations irrelevant to the story - what I consider "filler" and a waste of the reader's time. I think the book could have been much shorter. Furthermore, the characters and plot were never believable. A college student helps new friends hide a murder with which he had no involvement, and then helps those friends commit another murder to help ensure the first murder - again, one in which he had no involvement - is not revealed. The author uses her characters to display her knowledge of language and literature. I guess she had to use it for something.
No, I've never written a book and I probably never will. And, yes, it's easy to criticize someone else's work. Still, I did not enjoy reading this story.
Book Review: A sophisticated study of friendship and conscience
Summary: 4 Stars
Donna Tartt succeeded in producing a book you can`t put down. Although you are told who comitted the murder right in the beginning of the story, it`s full of surprises and exiting passages. I especially liked how the development of the characters and their relationships are described. They seem so real, because they are so complex. Futhermore, the book is demanding without being boring. I personally didn`t mind the Greek or Latin passages like some of the other reviewers. Mostly they were explained afterwards or they weren`t really relevant for the story. In my opinion, the book makes you think about what "normal" humans are able to do - what WE are able to do. It appeals to readers who "only" want to read a good thriller as well as to those who are interested in classical literature and philosophy.Book Review: A spellbinding first novel
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my favorite book of all time. I first read it when I was in high school and I've read it at least five times since then. I get something new out of it each time I read it. It is impossible to put down once you've begun reading it. It's the kind of book you want all you friends to read. I haven't met anyone who didn't like this book!Book Review: A wonderful shocker...
Summary: 5 Stars
...By now you know what it is about, but just to clarify: a lot of people are disagreeing with events in the book that they found seemingly unbelievable...I thought about it, and the winter event was very vital, both for the following events and the development of the narrator's character, for him to do something stupid and someone come to the rescue. But most people are more concerned with exploiting flaws, before they consider how vital the unbelievable events really were. What I loved most about this book was not only how it was shocking. But the most incredible thing Tartt did (you got to hand it to her!) is to write a murder story, but not end up with a typical 'whodunit' book, with cookie cutter characters, cookie cutter stories, cookie cutter endings, etc. She painting a complex picture where, in the murder, the most suspenseful part was not the murder itelf as in most books, but what happens to those affected by the murder after the event. The mystery is how, when, where and how the events follow, how the charcter's fates unfold. And I never felt like the main characters were murderers. In some odd way, Tartt looked upon murder, murdering, and murderers in a different light; and when one begins to consider the fates of these people, the (generally) normal people who ended up being killers, feelings shift dramaticlly. I never felt angry at the killers despite their acts of cuelty. I also found the characters extremely believable. I can still see, each one of them, in my mind. Henry, Camilla, Bunny, Charles, Francis, and Richard, all painted so vividly in my mind I could meet them on the street, Henry tall and solemn, Bunny cheery and boisterous, Charles cool and warm, Camilla serene and indiffernt, Francis mysterious and unconcerned, Richard discreet and observant. Despite their extreme self absorption and seemingly superior attitude, Tartt described all of them perfectly; from their tone of voice, to walk, to attitude, to facial expression, to their looks, laughs, moods, and even habits. I loved, loved, loved this book! You will too. Go ahead. Look deeper. Because their is a lot of complexity to this compelling novel then meets the naked eye.Book Review: Absolutely incredible.
Summary: 5 Stars
.. this has got to be the most incredible book that I've ever read. The author has a simply masterful talent for crafting a beautifully plausible story .. and with so many lines under it, with Grecian idylls and pitfalls.. "beauty is harsh".. "any action, in the fullness of time, sinks to nothing".. the characters are so tangible you can reach out and touch them. I'm anxiously awaiting a next novel from Ms. Tartt!