A review by abalderson
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

3.0

Not sure where to start with this one. After really getting into Dark Academia by reading When we were killers, If we were Villains & The Cloisters plus others, The Secret History has been one of my most anticipated reads for the second half of 2024 and I felt a bit let down. While it’s not the longest book out there, for me this book dragged. A lot. It felt longer than A Little Life to put it into context.

I really loved the setting & the storyline but it just fell a bit flat for me. I think mostly due to the characters. I couldn’t seem to like or connect with any of them, not a single one. I completely understand that some were not to be liked, & that was the point but as with every book there should be at least 1 you connect with/feel sorry for so that you want to keep reading. They all just came across a bit ridiculous and I felt myself constantly rolling my eyes at them. Additionally what is with the length of the chapters? I’m not a slow reader & there is no reason ONE single chapter should be over 2 hours long. There were plenty of opportunities to add in smaller chapters and I felt this just added to the feeling of the book dragging on and never ending - taking away from the intriguing plot & potential. I also found it very hard to read in places & certain aspect’s never really being explained properly.

Overall, quite disappointed. I can definitely see the hype around the plot & its potential but I don’t think it’s one I would run to recommend or make me pick up another book by this author