The Secret History (Vintage Contemporaries)

This book is an experience on several levels, some of which occur outside of the book but undoubtedly affect one's reading. For instance, to me, part of the experience involves pausing to consider and awe at the fact that a twentysomething wrote words others might not even approach in a full lifetime. More than that, though, the uniqueness of reading The Secret History is both its content and delivery (duh). Who else would think to write such a modern book peppered with ancient references and archaic verbiage, let alone succeed at such an endeavor? One of Tartt's key skills, in this work and to a lesser extent the work that follows, is found in the reader's relation to her work, not exactly suspending disbelief but in that ballpark. There's a certain ease and naturalness with which you eventually accept the entirely pretentious and stilted way these characters talk and the erratic oscillations the writer and plot and characters take, swinging between topics or actions or moods of maximal intensity and passion on one end and maximal casualness and callousness on the other. The book is funny, the plot is electric, the tone is somewhat austere and sharp, the range of vocabulary used is unparalleled. What I find as equally impressive as any other praises one could heap onto this book and how impressive it is for a writer under thirty to have penned its pages, is the voice. Though obviously this book was written over a decade, the reader experiences it all at once, and thus can't help but notice and marvel at the clarity of style and the writer's grasp of what their style is and how they relate to it and how they can play to their talents. Simple things like liberally using em dashes or use of obscure words or allusions to esoteric items of a classics education, Tartt knows how to use her tools to their fullest extent. Most of all, as noted, the plot moves, the story itself is fascinating, and the first page, with its brilliant flipping of the murder-mystery genre, hooks you immediately. A must read, though perhaps one you may never read again. I say the latter because there are probably ways to read this book less charitably, which I think probably comes from second and third readings. I can see how someone might tire of the writing style or find it a little too consciously hewn or that Tartt sometimes seems more interested or equally interested in impressing the reader or justifying her place in the writing world or her status as a writer than she is interested in writing a good book, or that this book too desperately wants to be literary or a great work of literature or one deserving of more than just popular/commercial success and general acclaim. Reminds me of something an English professor once told me which was that my essay sounded too much like a writer who knew he was writing an essay, that he read it and thought I must've been thinking while writing "AH! I am writing an English essay! I must show you that I am writing an English essay!" But again, I don't read it that way and refuse to change my opinion or taint its positive tilt through further rereading.

This book for me was a rambling parade of words that had momentary connections. Had it not been for my obligation to my book club, I most certainly would not have finished the book. Ms Tartt apparently liked to put as many words on a page as possible, many of which just came across as page filler. Characters, with the exception of Bunny, were shells. I have no idea what they looked like, or what their role in the book was. Richard, the main protagonist, was a minor character when compared to Henry.

Slightly boring and slow moving.

This book had me interested the entire time. I loved the writing and character development. Each characters description and their personalities was so clear. I loved the friend group dynamics… this book was so good and so exciting to read. 5/5!!!

I have now read this book twice, about 14 years apart. I remembered that I thought it was an excellent book, probably gave it 5 stars but having read it again, I have to say it is a very good book, especially for a debut novel, but not fantastic. Hard to love a book when you dislike the characters so much. They were all awful-self absorbed, greedy, pretentious and selfish. I actually felt sorry for Richard. He got caught up with this ridiculous group of students at a small, liberal arts college in Vermont. I guess he was curious about this group of students studying the classics (and taking all their classes) with one professor. I found that that required a stretch of the imitation to believe-really, a college will let a professor have a small group of students that he hand picks for all their classes?? And why would any student even want that? I probably didn't understand much of the Greek references the 1st time around (and I really don't know much more now) but it was interesting and the story kept my attention. The book was quick paced until the funeral of Bunny. Then I started to lose attention-it got so slow and dragged on & on....These 6 students spent all their time drinking, smoking, going to the hospital (because of their drinking) and generally just being paranoid.

I was sucked into this book, even though you know there is a murder (and who does it). I guess I was drawn by the creepiness of it and the why. I wanted to know how something like this could happen and what happens to the group afterwards. It is a dark, mesmerizing tale.