Books
by Donna Tartt
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The Goldfinch |
A traumatic event catapults young Theo into a frenetic and nomadic life, often on the edge of self-destruction but motivated by the need for security and to protect the priceless painting he has acquired. A huge novel, well researched but over-long, with some very enjoyable and entertaining sections but too much waffle from the characters. The rambling ending required some skimming and by then it was hard to sympathise with Theo or his self-absorption.
(Victoria Grey-Edwards - bwl 73 Summer 2014) |
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The Goldfinch |
Gripping yarn, and much more accessible than her first triumph, The Secret History.
(Margaret Teh - bwl 92 Spring 2019) |
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The Little Friend |
In a Mississippi small town, Harriet, bossy and bull-headed, aided by her devoted playmate Hely, undertakes to solve and avenge the murder of her nine-year-old brother which happened 12 years ago. Unlike Tartt's first novel, The Secret History, this one concentrates more on depth of character and atmosphere than it does on plot. Its rich, unhurried prose makes one forget that nothing much has happened for ages and when something does, it's suspenseful and credible.
(Siobhan Thomson - bwl 19 June 2003) |
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The Secret History |
An amazing eyebrow-raising and hair-raising American first novel written with outstanding skill. A Californian twenty year old of modest means enters a chic East-Coast university where he is taken up by a small group of high-spending, intellectually arrogant, drug-taking and alcohol-abusing students from a wealthy background. The slippery slope on which they find themselves leads to an abyss of blackmail, cruelty, treachery and murder. A horrific story but unputdownable.
(Jeremy Swann - bwl 22 February 2004) |
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The Secret History |
Cocooned on the campus of a prestigious East Coast college a privileged set of students are free to indulge their passions for the classics, their enigmatic tutor and general excess. As the debauchery increases their lives take on an almost surreal form and perhaps inevitably the rot sets in with dire consequences. Despite literary and classical references the writing has an easy flow and it's a real page-turner. Been sitting on my shelf for about 7 years so glad I finally read it.
(Rebecca Howell - bwl 94 Autumn 2019) |
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