Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

76 reviews

neliadiedenise's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

gothmiku's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Incest, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Body horror, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, Antisemitism, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

karinaymejia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

3.25

great for people who dont like too many things going on, thriller, and classics.

i feel like the title is a bit dramatic for the story. it makes sense of course, but i feel like there should have been another title used for it.

this book is slow and may feel boring at times. it's interesting to see how the story progresses. i am personally not a huge fan of this style. i sort of liked the read. i wanted a more dramatic story, but thats my cup of tea.

i like the time period where this is in because I get to read what it feels like during this time.

i find it unsettling about the characters that Richard encounters and becomes friends with. I think Charles and Henry make me the most unsettling, especially near the end.

overall i had a bit of higher expectations because of the popularity. i understand the mixed reviews now!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Blood, and Alcohol

Minor: Child abuse

incest

maybeimali's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt

justaddwater's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Body horror, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment

readwithsophsx's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense 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: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

book_slay's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

quixie's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

nadia_luq's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, and Blood

notnikka's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

“It is is better to know one book intimately than a hundred superficially.” 

 

 

I read this book a year ago and didn't give it much thought until I saw the quote above, at which point I thought to myself, yes, that's right, because every year I set a goal to read at least 100 books (which I never achieved!). At the beginning of July, however, I began reading books with a different approach - absorbing each word, analyzing each sentence, and taking my time. 

 

I have completed 15 days of rereading The Secret History. I read it at my own pace without any pressure, and I have no regrets. While I was reading the novel, all I could think about was a review I had read on Goodreads stating that Richard is an unreliable narrator. This statement enabled me to analyze the book more thoroughly. I've noticed a lot of sentences that suggest Richard is an unreliable narrator, such as when he says, "...it has always been difficult for me to talk about Julian without romanticizing him." Are we reading a story that Richard romanticized? 

 

I find it hard to imagine that this is Tartt's first published novel, because her writing is so excellent. Every single aspect was well-represented. I could go on and on about each and every character in this novel. They're all very intricate. I, too, felt manipulated at times (haha), but the scene where Bunny's dad broke down in tears was quite touching. Even though their relationship is strange, I could sense their grief, and I could tell that Richard felt a lot of guilt after that. 

 

The Secret History is an absolutely captivating tale that has left me speechless. The prose is simply breathtaking, drawing you in and refusing to let go. I find myself totally obsessed with this phenomenal story, and could easily spend more time delving into its intricate details.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Blood, Grief, and Car accident