Reviews tagging 'Incest'

Die geheime Geschichte, by Donna Tartt

1189 reviews

meganeorcx's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

If anyone ever tells me that this is their favourite book, I will politely smile and back away. See, I get its appeal in light of it being satire and critiquing classicism but that could have easily been done in around 200 pages. The beginning was tedious and Richard is a really boring narrator. I'm okay with unlikeable characters but not when the novel is this  long and you have to spend too many pages watching them drink themselves to near-death. The writing was gorgeous, pretentious, maybe, but nice enough, but definitely doesn't save how overall problematic the book is. Honestly, this book could have had the exact same effect without those weird racist passages and having its one gay character take advantage of others when they're drunk. I don't care if it's supposed to be a "dark" story, it feels like a cover up for the author's worldview and I was not vibing with it. The middle part was exciting and so were some parts near the end, but with Richard's perspective, even that couldn't save how I felt about this book. And to think this entire book wouldn't exist if these dumb characters would recognise their own privilege and just gone to the police instead... YAWN! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Incest, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug use, Racism, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Murder, Suicide, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Gun violence

Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Classism

alphacenterin's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Suicide

Moderate: Murder and Self harm

Minor: Gun violence, Incest, and Homophobia

samanthaleeshea's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The beginning really drew me in and the end picked up pace but I found myself so bored in the middle. Otherwise really captivating prose which is the only reason I kept reading. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug abuse

Minor: Rape and Incest

reid23's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Such an excellent read. Absolutely fascinating and unpredictable plot filled with complex characters; the attention to detail is amazing. My new favorite book! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Death, and Suicide

Moderate: Incest, Homophobia, Grief, Alcohol, Drug use, and Alcoholism

lou1408's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Murder, Suicide, and Drug use

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Physical abuse, Homophobia, and Incest

Minor: Ableism

hamletshedgehogs's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I’ve never read a book quite like it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Grief, Drug use, Homophobia, and Sexism

Minor: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Classism, Antisemitism, Cursing, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Rape

Most of the content warnings available feature to some degree. These are mostly brief mentions that add to the realism of the story’s setting, rather than key elements of the plot, however it can be quite jarring all the same.

phoebebird's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Incest

megbklyn's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Alcoholism, and Murder

Moderate: Self harm

Minor: Incest

icarusandthesun's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

hallucinogenic, wild - an absolute fever dream.
the writing was impressive, the characters and their development smooth and spiralling like a vortex of water. their decline was obvious, yet so gradual and gracious that later one is left wondering, how could it come to this? how could the same characters that felt new and strange and beautifully secretive at the beginning, discussing greek prepositions in the library, become so fucked up and alien?
i went into this book expecting dark academia, a romantic murder accompanied by sweet greek verses and justified with latin proverbs. well, this was dark academia - for maybe the first hundred pages. after that it turned into a sort of psychological thriller but filled with alcohol and drugs, homer and thoroughly morally grey characters that had no sense of reality and being, in a sleepy town that felt as wicked and grey as its inhabitants.
i lost the book's story line and supposed purpose out of sight rather quickly - the time richard got pneumonia, to be exact. that was the first "what am i reading?"-moment of many yet to come.
and still, i found myself reading for hours straight, leisurely, curious and enticed. a little confused, a little enthralled. 
this book was as unpredictable as life itself, and as tempting as a cult.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence

Minor: Antisemitism, Eating disorder, Classism, Racial slurs, Animal death, Racism, Sexism, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, and Incest

_grmlin's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

honestly if i was richard i would also wanna know what the deal with  the isolated greek class is even though it screamed cult 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Suicide

Moderate: Alcoholism, Incest, and Drug use

Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gun violence