Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

334 reviews

ashley_turch's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • 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? Yes

5.0

I wish every book I read was like this. Perfectly atmospheric, academic but not too difficult to understand, left enough to the imagination to leave you thinking about it for a long time afterward. 

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viktoriawithakreadsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny mysterious 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

3.25


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be_emvi_ous's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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ellie_dirthag's review against another edition

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

2.75

That was so many pages for all that? Girl... Like I think I understand what the author's point was and what she was trying to accomplish, and she did it well, I just didn't find it interesting. 

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whoisrois's review against another edition

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

4.5

never smoked in my life but this book had me craving cigarettes and a cocktail 🍸 🚬🚬🚬

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bgmylc's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0


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wooblatoober's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

WOW!! it was surely a difficult read for me (it took me 2 months) but it was so worth it & i’m so glad my friend made me read it. there are so few books (or authors!!) out there that are so good at leaving me with questions that DON’T MAKE ME ANGRY!! idk what her method is but tartt’s ability to make you wonder & theorize has landed this novel a cult following, because when you’re done reading, all you wanna do is TALK ABOUT IT!! you want to discuss theories with your friends, or what they thought of each character, or watch several 3-hour-long video essays while you clean your room, or follow the tsh reddit page. it gets in your head, partly because it SEEMS SO REAL! characters don’t make moral decisions, but it feels like you’re there and living this story, so not only do you understand why they’re making their decisions—sometimes they seem like the only option. details are included as literary devices, but they also just serve to make the story more realistic. & don’t get me started on the characters. judy poovey is quite possibly the only likeable character in all 628 pages (which is by design, as she seems to serve as a tether to reality in ways), & yet i REALLY LIKE most of the characters despite having flaws that would usually make you HATE someone. i’ve never liked (or enjoyed in any book, for that matter) unlikeable characters at all, let alone this much before. i said it was a difficult read, but i really appreciate its length—apparently, tartt cut out a good portion of tsh before publishing, & thinking about what she might have gotten rid of keeps me up at night. tartt’s literary tools are so well-used, i feel like i can truly analyze this book & its literary devices like im in school again, & it’s so much fun!!

i think i enjoyed reading each character so much because of their complexities, paired with richard’s very limited point of view—one that he (and the reader) doesn’t always realize is so limited. in fact, he doesn’t really every get to have all the information at any one time, illustrated by the hundreds of fan theories from people who have exactly the same amount of information that richard has. so you’re left to unravel characters’ motives and actions with the same amount of information richard has—again, not a lot—& left to understand only what he understands. tartt also doesn’t leave any loose ends—every detail it’s important, & serves to make the story seem more realistic. these things makes it more immersive—like the reader is living it, or hearing a story about a friend, someone they know, something that actually happened that the reader is helping to try to get to the bottom of. it involves the reader in a marvelous way. & this stupid fucking book has me saying prick ass words like ‘marvelous’

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orangebeanreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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? Yes

3.75

A slow burn type read, the constant stress of the characters is palpable- making it feel as though you MUST read more just to ease the tension. But that release never really comes. Some uncomfortable topics that are employed very intentionally by the author, and when paired with her writing style give the entire book a sense of fantasy despite taking place grounded in the real world. 

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themeanfrench's review against another edition

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

4.0


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bizzyizzybee's review against another edition

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

2.5


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