colittle's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Classism, Gaslighting, Murder, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body shaming, Homophobia, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Islamophobia, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Racial slurs, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Outing, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Incest
salem0's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
this review may be a bit disjointed, i have so much to say.
really good, i think. i had to look into the book's meaning a bit after i finished it. the story, as i understand, plays out like a greek tragedy- with all the titular characters in the end stuck in the past, with various degrees of badly-dealt-with trauma.
finding out slowly how julian played a hand in the whole fiasco, and the whole group- even henry- were manipulated by this illusion of divinity is pretty interesting. henry's death feels very much like a tragic greek hero's sacrifice, and it really drives home how much of a myth he and the gang were playing into throughout the book- obsessed with ancient greece, trying to seem more elite than they actually were (often to a pretentious extent), trying to be like greek characters to a point where they attempt a bacchanal- not to mention how they become more and more disconnected from reality- till it all crashes down.
richard, the unreliable narrator telling the story of his 'secret history', is the most sympathetic fellow of the group i found, though there is some irritation warranted for his pretentiousness. his idolization of the professor and his friends, and how he slowly comes to realize he may have been wrong about them all this time, was one of the best parts of the story. watching all the characters lose their shit after bunny's death is quite fascinating, and just a bit saddening, though when you remember the terrible things they've done it feels like some dramatic comeuppance. you still end up feeling a little sad for how it's all turned out for them. i found myself hoping that richard, and maybe francis, get better, that he moves on one day from all that's occurred. it's a very tragic, tragic ending, executed perfectly.
last up, in terms of technical stuff- the writing's great, and there are so many beautiful quotes in this book. it really could've been cut down tho, the first half just has so many unnecessary parts. nearly all of the part where richard's fumbling around during the break could have been removed. it would've been nice to see more of camilla too. that's all. overall, good shit.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Drug use, Addiction, Homophobia, and Suicide
Minor: Antisemitism, Incest, Sexual content, Outing, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
felofhe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Grief, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Classism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, Death, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Incest, Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Stalking, Sexual harassment, and Vomit
briochebun's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Love doesn’t conquer everything. And whoever thinks it does is a fool.”
ੈ✩‧₊˚
The Secret History has been on my TBR for quite some time and I am so glad that I finally put some time aside to read it.
While I cannot say that my life was forever altered by this novel (though my feelings on that may change with time) I feel as though giving it anything less than 4 starts would be doing it an immense disservice. Readers of TSH will be able to see the impact that the novel has had on the Dark Academia genre and I think that in and of itself is an incredible feat that speaks to Tartt’s skill.
Graphic: Homophobia, Incest, Murder, Violence, Grief, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Outing, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Vomit, Xenophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Alcohol, Drug use, Drug abuse, Islamophobia, Medical content, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, and Gore
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
Minor: Kidnapping
ro_lux's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Death, Alcoholism, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Homophobia, Incest, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Gun violence
Minor: Outing and Medical content
star_oats's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Murder, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Violence, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Classism, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Antisemitism, Misogyny, Outing, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Homophobia, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Xenophobia
jomamma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Murder, Violence, Outing, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
lavendar_fr0g's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide, Addiction, Cursing, Death, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Incest, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Antisemitism, Homophobia, and Drug abuse
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Mental illness, Classism, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Medical content, and Medical trauma
ambdocksey22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Drug use, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Death, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Sexism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Antisemitism, Biphobia, Blood, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, Car accident, Gun violence, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Rape
safgetou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Bullying, Death, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Racism, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, Incest, Misogyny, and Outing