Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Die geheime Geschichte by Donna Tartt

492 reviews

ambivalentneb's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.0

I have conflicting feelings, I usually prefer more metaphysical or ponderous books but The Secret History is more of following events in real time in dialogue with little introspection. It is my own taste but I feel like without the introspection and thoughts of characters the impact of the book and moral is diminished. This is my opinion immediately after finishing though, it may change.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bookishfiendx's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is insanely written. Richard, the narrator, focuses so much on the mundane, intricate, and picturesque of his life- leading to a dense read. The details that Tartt focuses on from the greenery of the college to the way that Francis, Charles, or Camille move and talk help the reader dive right into this world. The relationships and characters are so flawed, yet you root for them at a point in the book. Richard's refusal to take off the rose-colored lens provides a perspective of "Oh, they really should have gotten put away for this, but why do I kind of agree with them".  Until you don't.

 The suspense is always creeping in the back, you never really know if anything will happen but you think it will. It is a long, dense read but the way Tartt gets the reader hooked in this world of friends and their whacky (highly illegal) actions is so entertaining. She has so many themes of class and wealth, politics, race, etc that are veiled through Richard's experiences that bring it together. 10/10

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sundayray's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

shellocopter's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

anneroza's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kjm19's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Wow. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sunlitridges's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

My rating for this one keeps getting higher and higher bc while it didn't originally seem spectacular to me, I find myself thinking about it in my spare time immediately started re-reading to see if I can pick up on any details I previously missed. Also wonderful descriptions from the author. I'll likely read of few times 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

moony_277's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.0

The book starts very slow paced. After about 100 pages it gets a little faster and easier to read. The charcters are complicated and some are very weird. The plot is complex.

Henry and Camilla do not fit together. Charles and Camilla neither. wtf. I expected that Julian would play a bigger part in the story and was kinda disappointed that he didnt. I love the unreliable narrator trope and how you only get that Richard is probably lying about a lot of stuff if you think about it. Most characters are very interesting even if theyre not really good people. The book is very well written and I love the little sentences in greek or latin.


In general its a really good book and i would recommend it to people who like darker themes and vibes.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

abigailhaagen's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

Story was incredibly well-told, the characters very fleshed-out, and I was engrossed and read almost 400 pages in one day. However, it also romanticized a lot of unhealthy behaviors, which probably wasn't great for me mentally (no, Abigail, you can't return to college to study Ancient Greek while drinking bourbon and smoking cigars
and plotting murders
smh)

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

emilysacharow's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings