Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Goldfinch

A good read, though I expected something different plot-wise because of the blurb (focus on criminal activities, even some mafia involvement).

The writing style and pacing where once again distinctively Tartt and while there wasn't a part that felt dragged-out for me (compared to The Secret History), I still sometimes wondered if what I was reading right now would actually lead me to a point (I'm not entirely sure, though I'm tending to no).

Overall I enjoyed the book, however I was also glad to finally finish it.

Content Warnings

fairytalefootnotes's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

2.0

Overall: ⭐️⭐️

Writing: ⭐️⭐️

Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tropes, etc: Coming of Age, Morally Grey Characters

POV: Single, 1st Person

Notable Quote: “In the midst of our dying, as we rise from the organic and sink back ignominiously into the organic, it is a glory and a privilege to love what Death doesn’t touch.”

The Praise: I liked the general message surrounding the importance of art. I also enjoyed the last 30% of the book. Boris practically carried the entire book for me.

The Critique: I think I would’ve enjoyed this book if it was half as long. It was repetitive and just downright boring for at least the first 70%.

Final Thoughts: Longwinded and boring. If all of the repetition and unnecessary descriptions were removed, leaving the necessary backstory and the climactic final act, it would’ve been so much better.

Content Warnings

jemappellecat's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny hopeful 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

4.5

Content Warnings

casper_boo727's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Absolute phenomenal work! Everything about this book was fantastic. I absolutely cannot wait to delve into Donna's other works.

Content Warnings

aarustin's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.5

I really enjoyed the plot and the characters of this book! It had truly beautiful themes and metaphors but sometimes the language used made it really difficult for me to follow what was happening.

Content Warnings

eveningreverie's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

95% of this book is incredible, and then the ending is simply far too long.

That being said, this was an incredibly enjoyable book for how dark, brooding, and full of pain and suffering it is on nearly every page. Theo’s highs are euphoric and neurotic, and his lows are deep, drugged, and oppressively obsessive. This character is insane in every stretch of the imagination, yet just sane enough to be relatable in how he treats others and himself. The central tension is incredibly well done, and the twist was so shocking I legitimately had to put the book down and walk away for a while.

The fastest I’ve ever read a 700+ page lit fic novel. Tartt is really good, but she sure takes a while to end her stories. The brow-beating life lessons in the final leg were unnecessary and mostly could’ve been gleaned through thematic picking-apart and inference, and the ending to this character’s story is immensely depressing in different ways (i.e. I can only see what he chooses not to reflect on as much more telling than what he actually is reflecting on).

Content Warnings

rachelfayreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

Content Warnings

alexandrabelze's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

ignore how long it took me to read this 😍 but, lord have mercy, donna tartt has yet to disappoint!!! though it did kinda slow down a little near the end, there was not a single moment throughout this book where she didn’t have me hooked. from start to finish, i had no clue where we were going but i enjoyed the ride! donna tartt’s writing style is unmatched. of course, i have to applaud her attention to detail; from furniture making to the fine arts, she made sure what she wrote was fact. and the way she makes characters feel so real and alive is insane! boris is probably my favorite of all the characters, along with theo’s mother. finishing this makes me want to reread a secret history T-T

Content Warnings

More...