A review by driedflowers
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative mysterious 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? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is definitely not for everyone. Most of the people I've talked to have rated it below a 3, so it may be surprising that I rated it a solid 5, something that I don't tend to do often. I can't even begin to describe what this novel encapsulates; it's virtually impossible. However, the reason why I have rated it so high is because I loved quite literally everything that this book gave. The setting, the characters (antagonists disguised as protagonists), the slow moved plot, and most importantly, THE WRITING. Donna Tartt is a force to be reckoned with, and her writing is above anything else I have read so far. But please, please, please read the content warnings.. there are a lot.
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