FROM THE PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE GOLDFINCH
Truly deserving of the accolade Modern Classic, Donna Tartt's bestseller The Secret History is a remarkable achievement - both compelling and elegant, dramatic and playful.
______________________________________'What we did was terrible, but still I don't think any of us were bad, exactly; chalk it up to weakness on my part, hubris on Henry's, too much Greek prose composition - whatever you like.'
Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of morality, their lives are changed profoundly and for ever.
The Secret History is a story of two parts; the chain of events that led to the death of a classmate - and what happened next.
______________________________________'So irresistible and seductive it's almost a guilty pleasure' Guardian
'Donna Tartt is an amazingly good writer. She's dense, she's allusive. She's a gorgeous storyteller' Stephen King
'A haunting, compelling, and brilliant piece of fiction . . . Packed with literary allusion and told with a sophistication and texture' The Times
- ISBN10 0670848549
- ISBN13 9780670848546
- Publish Date 29 October 1992 (first published 5 September 1992)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 12 June 1997
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
- Imprint Viking
- Edition New edition
- Format Paperback (UK Trade)
- Pages 528
- Language English
Reviews
roundtableknight
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Rating: 5/5 stars (read June 27th 2020)
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The thing is, if someone were to ask what happened in this book that made me love it so much and rush through like I was in a hazy sort of dream—I wouldn't know what to say. This book is if you were inebriated; it's a book that the pages rush past mundanely, but by the end all you can say about it is the most poetic, scary, and awful parts that you can't help but love. Richard, as a protagonist, isn't a very good main character in terms of a growth in himself, but the story he tells is definitely one to remember. I honestly don't know how Donna Tartt manages to write stories that hold you close and don't let go even when the curtains have fallen and the story's over. And Francis. I could write a thesis on his character, but I need to reread the book again to do that—which I very much plan to.
So, in essence, I implore you to read this book: if not for the characters, lush details, and an amazing author—then for a story you will never forget.
moraa
I can't think of anything I would change in this book. I really can't.
Another one to add to the favourites (aka 5-star) list. It's been lonely there.
readingwithbecs
clementine
However, obviously, I still liked it. I liked that it was a mystery, but not in the regular sense. You know the outcome from the beginning; it's more a matter of "How did it get to that place?", and, of course "Will they get caught?" which drive the narrative. And knowing what happens keeps the tension dialled up to the extreme - I don't know that I'd call this book a thriller, but it's almost as thrilling as one despite its relatively slow pace. Tartt dropped so many tantalizing clues and hints that made me want to keep reading. This one was a page-turner in a way her other books weren't, to me, and I read it a lot faster as a result.
As usual, I loved her writing: lush, descriptive, and enviable overall. I liked the characters, too, although I suppose "liked" is the wrong word since none of them were particularly likeable. (Why do I like unlikeable characters so much?!) The characters do require a bit of suspension of disbelief - I'm okay to believe that liberal arts students in their early twenties are very pretentious, but these characters were extremely pretentious (insufferable, even) and on top of that talked like they were 1900s British uppercrust. But I suppose the remarkability of their pretention (and their belief in it) is what made all the events possible.
I've had issues with all of Donna Tartt's books but I've still rated them all four stars because I enjoy them despite their flaws. I'll probably pick up whatever she puts out next, though that will most likely be the better part of a decade from now.