Aged thirteen, Theo Decker, son of a devoted mother and a reckless, largely absent father, survives an accident that otherwise tears his life apart. Alone and rudderless in New York, he is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. He is tormented by an unbearable longing for his mother, and down the years clings to the thing that most reminds him of her: a small, strangely captivating painting that ultimately draws him into the criminal underworld. As he grows up, Theo learns to glide between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love - and his talisman, the painting, places him at the centre of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.
The Goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through present-day America and a drama of enthralling power. Combining unforgettably vivid characters and thrilling suspense, it is a beautiful, addictive triumph - a sweeping story of loss and obsession, of survival and self-invention, of the deepest mysteries of love, identity and fate.
If there's ever a good time to read a 900+ page novel, it's when you're on a beach on Fiji with literally nothing else to do. I don't mean to brag, sorry. The sea is all pretty and blue. Oops. Sorry. And there are palm tr.. ok. That was both mean and an awful awful joke. I will continue with the book review now.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt is one of my favourite books, as it is for many people. So it's always going to be tough when she brings out a new novel - you can't help but compare. Well it's certainly longer. An 'odyssey' is about right. And really that's my main problem with it. It sounds like a pathetic focal point for such a brilliant writer but it was just too endulgent; it didn't need to be that long.
Right, with that aside, I can go on to more positive stuff. Donna Tartt is an amazing writer. One moment you're introduced to a brand new character and somehow you're a few pages further ahead and you know this person as if they were real, standing in front of you. How does she do that without you noticing?
I was also pleasantly surprised to find myself falling for the world of antiques, something I've always unfairly turned my nose up at. Think I must have subconsciously grown resentful from countless evenings waiting for some woman to find out how much her lavender vase is worth when all I wanted was for whatever was on at 9 o'clock to start...Sorry, I deviate. Basically Hobie is my new favourite person who you get to meet reasonably early on in the book, and through him you get another side of antiques that isn't all old posh people. The kind of guy you want to buy a crumbling old desk from him just to make him feel good.
It's not all old furniture, though; it's a drama, almost a thriller in places. The opening haunted me for days. It's wonderfully powerful and it's so immediate - this is modern day New York, but it could be London or Paris or Hong Kong. It's like you're getting a 'behind the scenes' look at this huge news story, and it kind of put me in a weird state of mind - not dissimilar to what Theo Decker is feeling I guess: shocked and yet sort of weirdly calm, fuzzy and gentle. (I realise I'm pulling out some difficult literary jargon here, I hope you can keep up).
While I stand by my view that this book was too long, Tartt does cover a lot of ground: quite literally, taking us from New York to Arizona to Europe, but also thematically. One moment you're aww-ing at childhood romance, the next minute you're racing through Dutch streets with the art world's criminal underbelly. Tartt keeps you on your toes; the moment everything's lost pace and you're losing interest is when everything gets turned on its head again.
Is it better than The Secret History? No. Is it worth reading? Definitely. If you have time. And a strong wrist to carry the book. Otherwise, dare I say it, this might be one for Kindle... the ultimate technological advancement for the weak-wristed.
If there's ever a good time to read a 900+ page novel, it's when you're on a beach on Fiji with literally nothing else to do. I don't mean to brag, sorry. The sea is all pretty and blue. Oops. Sorry. And there are palm tr.. ok. That was both mean and an awful awful joke. I will continue with the book review now.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt is one of my favourite books, as it is for many people. So it's always going to be tough when she brings out a new novel - you can't help but compare. Well it's certainly longer. An 'odyssey' is about right. And really that's my main problem with it. It sounds like a pathetic focal point for such a brilliant writer but it was just too endulgent; it didn't need to be that long.
Right, with that aside, I can go on to more positive stuff. Donna Tartt is an amazing writer. One moment you're introduced to a brand new character and somehow you're a few pages further ahead and you know this person as if they were real, standing in front of you. How does she do that without you noticing?
I was also pleasantly surprised to find myself falling for the world of antiques, something I've always unfairly turned my nose up at. Think I must have subconsciously grown resentful from countless evenings waiting for some woman to find out how much her lavender vase is worth when all I wanted was for whatever was on at 9 o'clock to start...Sorry, I deviate. Basically Hobie is my new favourite person who you get to meet reasonably early on in the book, and through him you get another side of antiques that isn't all old posh people. The kind of guy you want to buy a crumbling old desk from him just to make him feel good.
It's not all old furniture, though; it's a drama, almost a thriller in places. The opening haunted me for days. It's wonderfully powerful and it's so immediate - this is modern day New York, but it could be London or Paris or Hong Kong. It's like you're getting a 'behind the scenes' look at this huge news story, and it kind of put me in a weird state of mind - not dissimilar to what Theo Decker is feeling I guess: shocked and yet sort of weirdly calm, fuzzy and gentle. (I realise I'm pulling out some difficult literary jargon here, I hope you can keep up).
While I stand by my view that this book was too long, Tartt does cover a lot of ground: quite literally, taking us from New York to Arizona to Europe, but also thematically. One moment you're aww-ing at childhood romance, the next minute you're racing through Dutch streets with the art world's criminal underbelly. Tartt keeps you on your toes; the moment everything's lost pace and you're losing interest is when everything gets turned on its head again.
Is it better than The Secret History? No. Is it worth reading? Definitely. If you have time. And a strong wrist to carry the book. Otherwise, dare I say it, this might be one for Kindle... the ultimate technological advancement for the weak-wristed.
7/10
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