Reviews

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

jhinkley's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

2.75

lyrabuttonnn's review against another edition

3.0

2.75

tartt is a beautiful writer but so much of the novel were sentences that should have remained in her notebook that should have built her impressions of the character but not made it into the story

readingintheruins's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

emmareads013's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

nicole_bookmarked's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

votelannister's review against another edition

5.0

huck finn wishes he was harriet

mrs_tilney's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

pearsandbees3823's review against another edition

5.0

There were definitely parts that weren’t perfect but the things I loved about it far outweighed anything I didn’t. Plus I liked it more than Secret History

oraway's review against another edition

adventurous tense slow-paced

• 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? No

4.0

hongjoongie's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense

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

4.5

All my life, she thought, I will remember this day, how I feel. Over the hill, out of sight, a farm machine droned monotonously. Above it sailed three buzzards like black paper kites. The day she lost Ida would always be about those black wings gliding through cloudless sky, about shadowless pastures and air like dry glass. 

 

Running might take her forward, it could even take her home; but it couldn't take her back—not ten minutes, ten hours, not ten years or days. And that was tough, as Hely would say. Tough: since back was the way she wanted to go, since the past was the only place she wanted to be. 

 

Alexandria: flat and desolate, a circuit of repeating street signs, a giant train set. The sense of unreality was what got you after a while. Airless streets, colorless skies. Buildings empty, only pasteboard and sham. And if you drive long enough, he thought, you always end up right back where you started. 

 

People didn't pay attention. They didn't care; they would forget. Soon whatever trail she had left would be quite cold. That was what had happened with Robin, hadn't it? The trail had got cold. And the ugly thought dawned on Harriet that Robin's killer-whoever he was-must have at some point sat thinking some of these very same thoughts. 

 

I’m surprised this has such a low rating. I think it’s because it doesn’t meet expectations; many may assume this is a straight-forward mystery thriller about finding out who killed a little boy. And it is all that, but not so straightforward, and this is why I loved it. Robin’s death plays a huge role in this book, but mainly in terms of the long-lasting effects it has on his family and the surrounding community. This book is about Harriet’s quest to find Robin’s killer, but more so her coming-of-age story. I loved the Southern Gothic vibes of this, the setting, and the sense of place. Most of all, Tartt does a great job getting the narrative voice of 12-year-old Harriet just right. The main tension in the book comes from a child’s mindset not aligning with the adults/the reality around them. It’s hard to explain, but I often felt like this was a lighthearted adventure story (because I’m in the mind of a child), but then really dark, serious stuff would happen. As another reviewer puts it: “it's a story about children's imagination, the moment between childhood and becoming a teenager, the last, fleeting moment when you believe everything is still possible, only to find out it isn’t.” The book is SAD; it portrays loss very well, and I often felt sympathy toward the “unlikeable” characters. Also loved the depiction of class and poverty. Overall, Harriet is definitely one of the best narrators I’ve read.