The Secret History
A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK - ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST MYSTERY AND THRILLER BOOKS OF ALL TIME - INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER - A contemporary literary classic and "an accomplished psychological thriller ... absolutely chilling" (Village Voice), from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Goldfinch. One of The Atlantic's Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years Under the influence of a charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at a New England college discover a way of thought and life a world away from their banal contemporaries. But their search for the transcendent leads them down a dangerous path, beyond human constructs of morality. "A remarkably powerful novel [and] a ferociously well-paced entertainment . . . Forceful, cerebral, and impeccably controlled." --The New York Times
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Community Reviews
this book is honestly probably one of my new favorites. i've only read it once, and i'm planning on reading it again. there's so many things that i didn't pick up on and so many connections that i'm sure i'll make when i read this book again. i loved the character development, i think donna tartt wrote them very beautifully and was able to really manipulate my feelings and perspectives on each of the characters. there were times where i loved specific characters, and literally a page and a half later i despised them. it's definitely a slow burn, and the first half seemed slow but was crucial in developing the plot and characters. after the halfway point was when i could not put this book down. it was so so so good and i recommend this book to literally anyone and everyone.
Fabulous, epic read. Wasn't sure I'd enjoy it, so read a taster on Kindle and was hooked, then I had to wait for the book to arrive in the post, agonising. Told from Richard's pov, the story spans over a number of years, focussing on the university years and how things came together then fell apart. Honestly fascinating (as in watching a car crash). Perfect Autumn reading.
Great story until it finished 2/3rds the way through, rest of the book dragged out a bit.
Enjoyed the Greek, eccentric, eclectic undertones but found the narrator dull.
Very niche subject about students in a postgraduate classics class. A mix of murder, drugs, cults and personal problems narrated perfectly by Donna Tartt.
Dark... atmospheric...sensuous - characters that are not quite likeable but captivating - It's odd, there were times when I did not feel pulled in by the story but the writing is so satiable and satisfying....Indeed, the story in its entirety could be summarized in a work by Caravaggio - haunting, disturbing, brush strokes of mystery, suspense, revenge, redemption, and what could be entirely grotesque and macabre is pierced by the most extraordinary filtration of light - at once absolutely pure and exquisite - for darkness after all is simply the absence of light...
The epilogue was a bit piecemeal for my taste, but the final dreamlike/theatrical scene was perfect - leaving me with those feelings of sadness, emptiness and longing that you experience throughout this novel...
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