Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

283 reviews

jamie_rich's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Suicide, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

themeanfrench's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Medical content, Outing, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

cordelio's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

sareidle's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

Tartt's writing is evocative without being overly descriptive - she is efficient in word choice that paints a clear picture of the characters and atmosphere of the story. While the page count is longer than most books I read, they seemed to fly by and I wondered what would happen to Richard and the Classics Department next. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Incest and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

snail_trebuchet's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

garrettcz's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.0

This is an odd book. The pacing is absolutely bizarre. 

I found the first 25% very boring. It then picked up in a big way, and I couldn’t put the book down until about 60%. Then it went back to very monotonous and mostly boring for the remainder, and toward the end I couldn’t wait for it to be over. 

Henry is a great character. Everyone else feels pretty underdeveloped. You’re still finding out rudimentary details about some of the main characters in the last couple chapters. 

Nearly every character is miserable and pretentious, which gets to be pretty grating. 

I feel like this book could have been A LOT shorter and it would probably have been a lot more enjoyable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

dzejkopol's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring mysterious 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

midnightstory's review against another edition

mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Incest, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Medical content, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Antisemitism

gaby13's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Incest, Physical abuse, and Self harm

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt

mariareviews's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

5.0

i’m honestly at a loss for words. the final pages leading up to the epilogue left me utterly stunned.

The Secret History is an extraordinary novel, where the narration immerses you so deeply that it feels like you're right there with the characters—experiencing their panic, paranoia, and the weight of their decisions. it’s definitely a story that lingers long after you've finished it.

that said, it isn’t exactly a book you'd reach for if you're looking for a traditional crime or mystery novel. instead, it’s more suited for those who appreciate deeply layered character interactions. i wouldn't say i necessarily relate to the characters personally, but their paranoia, doubt, and almost impulsive decisions feel incredibly true to the human experience. Richard, Charles, and Francis saw Henry as a kind of Sherlock Holmes—Richard even compares himself to Watson at one point—but in reality, while Henry was undeniably brilliant, he was still just a young adult whose life had spiraled out of control, much like the rest of them.

i feel like i’ll need to reread it to truly grasp everything, but even now, i’m completely captivated by this novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Eating disorder, and Death of parent