Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

90 reviews

myclutteredbookshelf's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I was first introduced to Donna Tartt in my second year of university, when I discovered how popular she was in the online bookish community. People would tell me how complex her characters were, how thought-provoking her prose was, and I was immediately intrigued but too intimidated by the length of her novels to rush into reading them. I finally worked up the courage in January 2022 to read her debut novel, The Secret History, which follows a group of classics students who get caught in a web of secrets and murder. After so many years of hearing the internet butter up Tartt's writing, to my disappointment, I ended up hating the novel. The chapters were excruciating long with no page breaks, half of the main characters felt underdeveloped, and the plot contained several cliches you would expect from a first time author trying to make their debut as edgy as possible (e.g., two of the classics students are a brother and sister twin duo; three guesses as to what Tartt decided their big secret would be).

A part of me hoped this was just due to Tartt being a less experienced writer at the time of the book's release. So, I decided to give her a second chance and read her third published novel, The Goldfinch. And my god, were the improvements noticeable.

Read the full review at My Cluttered Bookshelf. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

tinyfishbigheart's review against another edition

2.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring sad tense slow-paced

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

4.5

Definitely a fatiguing book but the kind of book you’d want to teach or take a class on. So much going on in here! People I rooted for despite myself, the goldfinch as an emblem, the psychological triggers for the choices made compulsively, the life of the painting and the parallels to the soul of the protagonist, all the people we meet by chance and what that really means, etc. Long book worth every minute and every page.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

redroseses's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Racial slurs

henrywinterlover's review

emotional 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

5.0

donna tartt has done it again. one of the most hautingly beautiful books ive ever read. cannot reccommed enough, coming-of-age book about friendship, grief, love and loss. also as an art nerd i found it brilliant. (the ending made me sob)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Racial slurs and Suicide attempt

shopgiri's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative 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

5.0

An incredibly smart and rich novel. I want to say it's one of the best things I've ever read. I love novels that keep my mind active and make me remember that I know how to read properly and read into things, and this is exactly that. I felt totally raw (and smarter) by the time I finished this book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Racial slurs

bizzyizzybee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

izzybell's review

emotional mysterious reflective 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Racial slurs, Sexism, and Violence

vaguely_pink's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

3.0

I think this one just wasn’t for me. Tartt is undeniably an incredibly gifted writer. Her characters leap off the page. The Goldfinch reads like a memoir and I often found myself wondering how it’s possible that someone could pull such real characters out of their head. The audiobook narrator is also masterful in his performance of each one. But part of why I continued to ask myself this was because their lives, and consequently this book, are just so oppressively bleak. Like, I’m a proud Sad Girl™, but this felt like too much sometimes. 

There were also numerous times where I felt like we were gearing up for an ending only to check the audiobook and realize that somehow I still had 13 hours left. As I got to the end, I started to have my usual audiobook thoughts of “maybe I’d like this more if I read with my eyes,” especially with the discussions about the importance of art to the human experience. But I’m not sure I would’ve had the endurance for this book in print. And when it does finally end, it feels very

Boris

ex machina and entirely too quick and easy. I don’t know, man. Maybe all the new adult fantasy I’ve been reading lately is finally rotting my brain. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Terrorism, bombing, organized crime

eliipelii's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs