A review by juliettea
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Pretty pretentious and problematic with hardly any redeemable characters although a beautifully written enveloping story. I wouldn’t say I’m in either camp of Bible or abhor but I’m glad I read it. It’s an original story but weirdly felt as if it were written by a man. As Richard’s the narrator, Tartt might’ve done this purposefully so, perhaps I’ll read Goldfinch and see if it translates over. Also, could this have really occurred in the 90s? Of course it’s a more conservative circle, but still seems so dated.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Islamophobia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment