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A review by vi_violetrose
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
A book that makes you root for the murderers and then also makes you feel bad for doing so. I enjoyed this exploration of morality and how complicated it really is.
I don’t always enjoy first person POV but it’s utilized very well here. Richard’s retelling of events is not only fun but a bit unreliable, yet it’s difficult to tell where he embellished and where he didn’t, leading one to wonder about the truth of most events.
The beginning of the book is slow, but it really does get better as it goes on. The second half really gripped me. It was fun seeing the characters unfold and show their true colors as the novel progressed. I couldn’t have imagined the type of people any of them would be, going into this. It’s hard to say whether I like any of them or not.
I expected this book to be pretentious, but it has a lot to say about the shallowness of the academia aesthetic and using intellect (or perceived intellect) as a status symbol rather than actually caring to challenge oneself and learn.
I don’t always enjoy first person POV but it’s utilized very well here. Richard’s retelling of events is not only fun but a bit unreliable, yet it’s difficult to tell where he embellished and where he didn’t, leading one to wonder about the truth of most events.
The beginning of the book is slow, but it really does get better as it goes on. The second half really gripped me. It was fun seeing the characters unfold and show their true colors as the novel progressed. I couldn’t have imagined the type of people any of them would be, going into this. It’s hard to say whether I like any of them or not.
I expected this book to be pretentious, but it has a lot to say about the shallowness of the academia aesthetic and using intellect (or perceived intellect) as a status symbol rather than actually caring to challenge oneself and learn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Antisemitism, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Racial slurs, Rape, Vomit, and Islamophobia