The Secret History by Donna Tartt Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Secret History
Book Review: A Modern Classical Tragedy
Summary: 5 Stars
I first read this book when it debuted in 1992, intrigued as much by the fact that a first-time author received a $450,000 advance as by the blurbs about the plot. In some ways, this is the novel that my friends would have expected me to write. After all, it involves Latin, Greek, fountain pens, Classics students, a Mustang, and one reference to Alexander Pope. As I came near the end of this second reading, some sixteen years after the first, I felt a melancholy that I had not for some time, but one that was familiar. It was the sadness of knowing that a book that has completed captivated you and taken you into its world, is coming to an end, and like the characters whose further lives you will never know, you must face the light of life around you.
Indeed, this is the secret of the book, both for its characters and for the enjoyment of its countless readers. It takes you to places beyond yourself, yet somehow inside yourself as well, places that are at once frightening and familiar, and frightening because they are familiar.
Make no mistake, the characters are utterly amoral by Christian standards, and because of this are led to extreme immorality and crime. I can honestly say I know no one like any of the characters, nor have I participated in any of the activities that rule their lives (except for the study of Greek and Latin and the use of fountain pens), yet I know them. They and their experiences are familiar. Perhaps this is not unlike the familiarity one feels with Classical tragedies that, despite their wildly different settings and motivations from modern times, transcend time to connect with people of all ages. In this regard, The Secret History takes its place alongside the tragic works that its characters study.
Book Review: A Modern Greek Tragedy
Summary: 5 Stars
"The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation. He'd been dead for ten days before they found him, you know. It was one of the biggest manhunts in Vermont history -- state troopers, the FBI, even an army helicopter; the college closed, the dye factory in Hampden had shut down, people coming from New Hampshire, upstate New York, as far away as Boston."
Richard Papen came to Hampden College as a transfer from a small school in California. Why did he choose this tiny, but prestigious college so far from home? He liked the brochure. And it was about as far away from his parents as he could get. His father wanted him to take over the family gas station and his mother couldn't understand his need to go to college at all. Anxious to be rid of the monotony that his life had become in the small tract home where his parents really didn't seem to care much for him, he applied to Hampden. With a lot of help from financial aide, he was accepted. But mounting the bus to take him to Vermont changed his life forever.
When he arrived, his chosen major was English Literature. But he was fascinated by the students who were "Classics" majors. Richard had wanted to continue his study of Greek, but found that he was not able to register for the classes. They were taught by the enigmatic professor, Julian Morrow. He hand-picked the students for the Classics, and only allowed a handful into the program. While Richard wasn't all that interested in the major beforehand, it seems that you always want what you can't have. Determined to be a part of this group, Richard tried to register with Julian, but was shot down immediately. Only when he happened upon the small group in the library trying to finish some Greek homework did his luck change. He was able to help them find some answers, and was indeed admitted to the program. However, this program was all-encompassing, and Richard had to drop all his other classes.
There were 5 other students in the program: Henry Winter, a tall, dark-haired boy that worse glasses and English suits. He was brilliant and wealthy. He studied endlessly and spoke 6 different languages. Edmund, "Bunny" Corcoran, was loud and rude, but lovable in a way. Francis Abernathy, was elegant and refined. He wore exotic clothes and pince-nez glasses. And again, came from money. The last two of the group, were the twins: Charles and Camilla Macaulay. They were blond and beautiful, sophisticated in a way that Richard had never known. And now he was one of them, although he always seemed to find himself on the fringe of the group. But eventually, they accepted him and even started inviting him to go away to Francis' Aunt's home in the country for weekends.
This book is basically 2 halves. The first is before Bunny is murdered. And the second half is the aftermath of said murder. Strangely enough, it's a bit of a mystery even though you know in the first page who is murdered and who is responsible. Donna Tartt's writing is amazing. It's beautiful, and the story which is a tough read seems to flow with ease.
"Does such a thing as "the fatal flaw", that showy dark
crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn't. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs."
Tartt takes a group of kids, albeit not exactly the normal college students, and creates an intense character study of them. She throws in a planned murder and then creates an atmosphere in which their world seemingly breaks down inch by inch. Of all the characters, Richard is probably the least defined. But he is basically a good kid caught up in circumstances that were completely beyond his control. The controlling factor is Henry. From one moment to the next, you have no idea whether he is a soft-spoken intellect with only a desire to fit in, or a cold, calculating man who will do anything to achieve what he really desires: power and control over others.
Even the minor characters in the book are well-written and thought out. Julian, the enigmatic professor who seemingly loves his students. But might just love himself and his reputation more. Judy Poovey, another friend of Richard's is loud and funny. And Cloke Rayburn, the campus drug-dealer, who is a prep school friend of Bunny's, gets caught up in the disappearance of his friend and has no idea why.
Underlying all of this is the group's desire to follow Henry, even though in their minds they know it is wrong. Henry is such an incredible force, and is the epicenter of the entire story. What are his morals? And do they fit with the morals of today's society?? Donna Tartt lays it all on the line, and leaves it up to you to decide the answer to these questions. A brilliant, well-written novel, The Secret History is going to be one that sticks with me for quite some time. I realize this isn't much in the way of reviews, and I know there is no way to do justice to this book. But if it gives you a peek into a fantastic story and makes you want to pick it up, then I guess my job is done!
Book Review: A Thriller that Ponders Moral Ambiguity from the Stage of the Upper Class Educated Elite
Summary: 4 Stars
I've decided that my continued interest in reading deserves more attention in my blog, so I decided to post a short review of what I just read for anyone who is interested or perhaps I will post my reasons for stopping a book (such as Wicked, my most recent incomplete).
I just finished reading the Secret History by Donna Tart last night and it was a fabulous way to spend the last hours of 2007. I love Tart's writing style with palpable metaphors and familiar literary allusions throughout the book. The character development is outstanding as the plot is told from the main character's perspective, which the reader comes to realize is more jaded and limited as the plot proceeds. Rather than having the events retold by a main player, the narrator (Richard) is more of a follower and voyeur into the lives of five upper class youths with a passion for the Classics and a sense of superiority to the masses. It's Richard's self-aggrandizement and sense that he is above his own middle class roots that initially draws him to this enigmatic group. The story has many tightly interwoven twists and turns that call on the readers' imagination and anticipation, so 600 pages did not seem too long for the whole of it to unfold. The Secret History is a psychological thriller that wades into the moral ambiguity of accidental murder and the less ambiguous attempts of this elite group to cover it up through a subsequent murder. Being that I'm especially attracted to the topic of the human condition, the inevitable loss of innocence and our constant attempts to make peace with life's limitations and eventual death, the fact that the characters are dedicated to the study of classics, obsess about Tolstoy and eventually propel themselves into a reality of stark truths is both moving and disturbing. There are a few diversions into witty commentary on American politics, but on a whole the book stays true to its limited to the microcosm of the upper class educated youth. While not being particularly funny book, Tart's excellent characters are a continuous source of amusement and familiarity. The weakest aspect of the book is a plot that attempts to be more complicated than it can handle and leaves too many unanswered clues and threads by its end. The reader is left asking about events that were alluded to, but to which Richard was ultimately not fully aware. This is frustrating as it seems knowing more may have helped the reader better understand each characters motives. However, the uncertainty does allow for the reader's imagination to run free.
I highly recommend the Secret History!
Book Review: A Very Powerful Novel
Summary: 5 Stars
I have just completed reading this novel for a second time, having initially read it shortly after it was first published. Then, as now, I simply did not want it to end; and each time I put it aside, I did so reluctantly. The rarely seen, but always present force behind this novel is Julian, a classics teacher at an elite school in Vermont. Around him gathers a small cadre of select students. His students, all wealthy or pretending to be so, take courses almost exclusively from Julian ( a fitting name, for it was the Roman Emperor Julian who tried unsuccessfully to rekindle in an increasingly Christian Rome, worship of the fading, old Gods of the pre-Christian world). In The Secret History, Julian's students commit a ritualistic murder, seen by them as a sacrifice of sorts, and, then, murder one of their own circle who is perceived as being on the verge of disclosing their crime. Ms. Tartt's description of the family dynamics at the home of the fallen student prior to his funeral is richly detailed, yielding a level of authenticity that tenaciously absorbs the reader. Each of the students in her novel is convincingly described, and each in depth. We find Henry, for example, Julian's prize pupil, concerned about which classic text he should carry and display in Court to convey the right image, precisely what the reader would expect from this anachronistic young man. On second reading, my appreciation for Ms. Tartt's gifts only grew. The Secret History is simply one of the best modern novels I have read.Book Review: A book for the liberal arts student in your family
Summary: 5 Stars
Have a relative in an undergrad program?
Give them this book. That's not a recommendation. That's an order.
In an age oversaturated with media aimed towards teens it's nice to see something that the slightly older and slightly more experienced twentysomethings can relate to: particularly something like The Secret History, which perfectly captures the mind set of the modern college student. Young, romantic, and full of dreams, yet knowing that they are toeing a delicate balance between the light and dark sides of the adult world: will it be a personal Heaven built on accomplishment or a Hell built on despair?
Professor Julian Morrow, one of the book's most important characters, loves telling his students that it will be the first. Yet under his unwitting influence they experiment with losing themselves into another world: a world reminiscent on the surface of the Victorian age, in which hansome, well-dressed educated gentlemen sit around a fire and discuss their philosophy and their adventures. Yet this is simply a cover for the true nature of the world in which they choose to live: a world reminiscent of the Greek bacchanal, in which hedonism rules all and the individual becomes lost in a frenzied trance. This proves not to be the destruction of Morrow's students so much as a deconstruction of them. As they fall further and further into guilt over a sin they have committed, all of them show themselves to be different than the people they first appear as.
It is the multidimensional characterization that is the most appealing part of the book. That is what keeps the reader going as, like an onion, their layers are torn away one by one revealing their true core.
Henry Winter, the leader of Morrow's clique of students, is a handsome, charismatic self-made genius, who knows multiple languages and a whiz at mathematics. Yet in his desperation he will do anything to hide his sins, even if it means murdering his friends. Bunny is comical and charming with his antiquated attitude and upper-class elitism, but also never quite knows when to keep his mouth shut. Francis is educated, smooth and charming, yet too cowardly to face danger. Charles and Camilla are twins who at first seem like the most sympathetic characters in the story, yet share a dark secret.
All of these are the characters' tragic flaws, as expressed by the narrator Richard, a fish out of water among his rich, intellectual classmates. He is fascinated by them, and remembers them fondly yet tells the reader from the get-go that, while each of them seemed like some mighty god to him, every single one of them, like the heroes of legend, had an Achilles' Heel that brought about their downfall.
Any young college student is bound to see a little of themselves in Richard, the passive camera and interpreter among Morrow's class. Likewise any young college student is likely to see the faces and personalities of their own peers in Richard's: people who are mighty in mind and spirit, and all of whom seem destined for greatness, in memory if not in truth.