abigail_baxter's review against another edition
5.0
This book is so much but it all comes into focus at the end. I felt like I was feeling Theo’s grief and the complexity of his emotions even though he didn’t even understand them. The way his life revolves around one painting is so genius and unique, I definitely recommend reading.
kateriv's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
nothing is dragged on too long, nothing cut too short. truly a phenomenal piece in its balance of language, content, and themes. admittedly, the first 150 pages fight against you as i found the book hard to get into. but after that? i could barely put it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
ayeprile's review against another edition
5.0
such a good book!! you get to watch theo grow up from a traumatized kid to a troubled adult, all the while the painting of the goldfinch looms over him, because he loves it too much to let it go but it causes him a lot of issues. love the characters of this book too; all of them are so flawed (boris, pippa and kitsey all have their own sets of issues) yet the flaws in each character help you understand and notice the good qualities in other characters. long, but good read.
glendaleereads's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoy Tartt’s writing because despite the fact that as a reader you will become frustrated at times when reading her stories because she tends to give a lot of details about things that in the moment seem inconsequential but as the story progresses you begin to appreciate the many paragraphs of details and plotting that she gives you.
Now for the story itself, I found myself turning and turning the page because despite the fact that I felt that the story dragged at times, I had to know what happened to the main character who I really wanted to smack across the face at times.
Overall, glad I finally gave this book a shot.
Now for the story itself, I found myself turning and turning the page because despite the fact that I felt that the story dragged at times, I had to know what happened to the main character who I really wanted to smack across the face at times.
Overall, glad I finally gave this book a shot.
neuro_chef's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
phoebealexandra's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
ant_joseph's review against another edition
3.0
Some scenes were drawn out really long, so I think it could have been a lot shorter. But I enjoyed the story overall, and the writing was great!
mary412's review against another edition
4.0
A thoroughly enjoyable listen. The reader, David Pittu, is first rate. If I had been reading this book, I wouldn't have found Boris and Zandra quite so marvelous. Audible makes me look forward to a 900 page book.
smrankin5's review against another edition
3.0
I'm quite conflicted about this book. I listed to the audio book - ALL 32.5 hours of it. The gentleman that vocalized the book was TREMENDOUS - David Pittu had to do many characters, and various complicated dialects, which he did superbly. His reading of The Goldfinch is award winning (and he did win an Audie Award for Solo Narration of the book in 2014.
1. I did like the story and thought it was suspenseful enough and unique
2. I felt like the book greatly suffered from not enough editing. WAY too much detail about things that didn't, in the end, matter to the storytelling.
3. Too much detail around the drug use experiences. Romanticizing it, making it sound 'fun'. I understand Theo's addictions and how he used drugs in his life is integral to the story. But I would hasten a guess that 45% of the book is detailing his drug use experiences. Many, many times i just wanted to put the book down and never pick it back up again. So depressing, beyond things that were expected to be depressing - the trauma of his life (which there is plenty), you just felt, there is just no redemption here. And somehow he never ended up in the ER, he nurses himself back from the brink? Kept insane drug use a secret? Really?
4. Theo, from a child, he could not make the right decisions. Over and over and over again he is making bad choices. It's exhausting.
5. Many, many obscure literary and art references, you would have to be exceptionally well schooled to catch all of them
6. Some scenes just seemed too bizarre to believe.
7. The final chapter I thought was well written, until the long soliloquy at the end around the meaning of life.
In the end an entirely OVERWROUGHT book that obscured a good story with many good points to be made. It's a shame.
1. I did like the story and thought it was suspenseful enough and unique
2. I felt like the book greatly suffered from not enough editing. WAY too much detail about things that didn't, in the end, matter to the storytelling.
3. Too much detail around the drug use experiences. Romanticizing it, making it sound 'fun'. I understand Theo's addictions and how he used drugs in his life is integral to the story. But I would hasten a guess that 45% of the book is detailing his drug use experiences. Many, many times i just wanted to put the book down and never pick it back up again. So depressing, beyond things that were expected to be depressing - the trauma of his life (which there is plenty), you just felt, there is just no redemption here. And somehow he never ended up in the ER, he nurses himself back from the brink? Kept insane drug use a secret? Really?
4. Theo, from a child, he could not make the right decisions. Over and over and over again he is making bad choices. It's exhausting.
5. Many, many obscure literary and art references, you would have to be exceptionally well schooled to catch all of them
6. Some scenes just seemed too bizarre to believe.
7. The final chapter I thought was well written, until the long soliloquy at the end around the meaning of life.
In the end an entirely OVERWROUGHT book that obscured a good story with many good points to be made. It's a shame.