The Secret History by Donna Tartt Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Secret History
Book Review: Dark Simmering Unravelling History
Summary: 5 Stars
A mystery that reveals the mystery in the first pages? That seems counterintuitive to the critical element of plot suspense thrillers hang upon. But Donna Tartt pulls in off in High Fashion in her first novel, "The Secret History."
The setting is a New England rural but privaleged college, Hampden, the fictional equivalent of an actual college, Bennington, the New Hampshire school that Tartt attended. She gets the university society unto it's own setting right and contrast that well with the town vs. gown locals. The novel seems to draw darkly from those children's tales that feature a kid's world without the interference of a guiding moral adult where fantasy enters into fact and unfortunately takes over. Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory come to mind. But probably the best literary parallel is Lord of the Flies come to think of it.
There is a small select clique of friends going through the Greek Curriculum while Classics teacher Julian is assigned their advisor and teacher of all classes. Julian is quite interesting and wordly and free-minded but is really that professor that encourages intellectual exploration and growth without addressing a structure of morality. The small clique centers around Henry, the informal leader. Richard, the narrator, starts out as a sympathetic character, but in the end we really don't have a sympathetic character to root for...they all devolve into a drugged hazed regretful stupor, hiding from the crimes they find out too late carries consequences.
This book held my rapt page-turning attention for the first three-quarters and thoughts of all time favorites, top-ten list swam through my mind. It was the last part that left me wanting for some reason. Characterization was great, dramatic plot worked, the writing superb and sublime. I think what left me wanting was that after the group's first two crimes (intentionally being vague here to avoid spoilers) play out we are left with a downward spiral with some type of pending destruction bound to ensue. By the time that final scene plays out the reader kind of loses the fascination and sympathy with the main characters and is just waiting for them to implode.
I would recommend this book highly though and it's a worthwhile and engaging read. Donna Tartt does wonders with the interior psychological novel and paints a dark mood that holds true to her story. Not to be missed. --MMW
Book Review: Dark, Baby, Dark
Summary: 3 Stars
First, I know you cannot tell a book by its cover, but the cover for hardback version of this book is spectacular. The title and author's name is printed on a clear plastic overlay with a picture of a Greek statue underneath.
Now, where were we. Donna Tartt is one Hell of a writer. Her descriptions and dialogues are memorable. I agree with the critics who tout her as one of the Great Ones on the American literary scene.
That said, I didn't care for this book as much as I wanted to. After I got over being totally impressed with the depth of her research to support a story line that involves students and faculty in an ancient greek study program, and being enamored completely with her writing skills, I had to admit her characters, as well developed as they were, were totally without any redeeming value whatsoever. If you want data to support a contention that the world, at least the world consisting of wealthy students at private liberal arts schools, is going to Hell, you need look no farther than The Secret History. Man, this is one dark book.
Also, the author tends to go on a bit with more dialogue and descriptions than was really needed. She appeared to be even more enamored with her skills than was I, and she wanted to expose them in considerable depth.
You won't soon forget this book, even if you don't like it. Fellow readers who I talked with who had read the book years ago remembered a lot of it.
One of the cover pundits used the term, "mesmerizing". I would agree up to a point ( that point being about p[age 400 rahter than 524 )
Book Review: Death envelopes a New England college.
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a pretty good book, but I had expected so much more. It is the story of a death among several pretentiously precocious college students. None of the characters are particularly likeable, and I had trouble believing in them. They seemed like caricatures, archetypes, moved about on a chessboard of a plot. The book is full of small details which convince me that the author knows New England and college-life very well, but there is something distinctly unpleasant in spending an entire book with these people. I thought perhaps the characters would grow and come to some important self-realization as a result of their loss, but it seems to me that they simply diminish into wan spectralism. Basically the book reveals how the death affects the entire community, and there is certainly some interest to be found in watching how things unfold, but I was a bit disappointed overall with this story of hidden evil amidst superficial propriety.
Book Review: Destined to be a classic!
Summary: 5 Stars
While there are no pages left to read, this remarkable story still haunts my thoughts and occupies many of my conversations. "The Secret History" is destined to be a classic. Not only is it beautifully and artfully written, but the story is completely original- unlike anything I've read before. (Comparrisons to "Crime and Punishment" abound, but should be disregarded; apart from a first-person perspective on committing an unthinkable crime, there is so much more to this story, especially in terms of the various relationships and phenomenal character development.)
Simply put, the plot goes something like this: when the narrator Richard moves from California to enroll in Hampden College in Vermont, he becomes intrigued by a close-knit group of students studying the Classics with a seemingly unconventional professor. Upon gaining entry into their classes and subsequently their lives, he becomes entangled in a murder of a friend. However, there is SO much more to the book and the characters than I would want anyone to know prior to reading this novel.
This book is not only a wonderful choice for book clubs, but would be an interesting requirement (or recommended reading) for various courses in psychology, sociology, criminology, and of course literature and the Classics.
I can not rave highly enough about this novel and hope it continues to garner tremendous success. I look forward to reading more from this author, and would love if someone made this into a movie!
Book Review: Eerie, suspenseful, and wonderfully written
Summary: 5 Stars
I read Donna Tartt's "Little Friend" three years ago and was spellbound; last week I came across a mention of The Secret History and wondered why I never read it.
The Secret History is a modern twist on the gothic.
Tartt masterfully weaves together idyllic imagery with just enough foreshadow and haunt to keep the reader gripped at all times. I was taken a little aback when I first picked up the book- it's 560 pp in paperback!- but I could barely put it down.
The story does not unfold so much as it's like a monsoon... just when you think you have a grasp on the characters and the story, new details emerge, with vague hints that make you wonder why you never noticed it before. Other reviewers complain about this style, but I find it's precisely the point. The reader, like the narrator, finds herself exposed to more mystery and complexities than seemed possible.