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amatos's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jun1e's review against another edition
forgot the book at my sisters place so i won't get it back in the next months but i also didn't enjoy it at all so far. the writing might be good but the way the poc side characters were described felt so stereotypical and weird that it made me uncomfortable.
whoareyouhannah's review against another edition
4.0
So, I'm not sure how to rate this book... I liked the first half a lot better than the second half. I felt I had a strong connection to Theo during the coming of age part of the story, and suddenly 8 years passed and I felt like I didn't really recognize the person he had become. In the end I'd probably give it 3.5 stars, but I decided to round up to 4 stars because of Boris.
jlsjourneys's review
2.0
I really don't understand why this won a Pulitzer Prize.... at all. See Vanity Fair piece to that effect.
kshng's review
1.0
The only reason I read this book is because it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2014. And I did not like this book at all. The plot was slow and boring, and there wasn't a single moment in the book where I felt any curiosity or concern about the fate of any character. Perhaps there are some deep symbols in the prose, but I failed to see any and couldn't appreciate the beauty in this book that seems to have so easily presented itself to the numerous critics, readers and the committee that awards the Pulitzer Prize.
distgenius's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
4.0
em_h_ma's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
savaging's review
2.0
Donna Tartt wants to write about rich people. She wants to write about the white boys surrounded by luxury and still achingly unsatisfied.
But she also needs us to care about these characters. She knows we will only care if she makes them suffer, and so they suffer. Endlessly. Terrorism or a hangover -- something's always there to ruin their day.
They somehow stay rich as they suffer, so they can remain immersed in high-cost consumables. The conclusion leaves me flummoxed: absurd abundance flattened by the anxiety of scarcity. Perfectly-coifed-dressed-cultured mother who is also literally searching the couch cushions for coins so she can pay for the take-out she ordered. (And this rich-poor mother is also so sweet, so humble that all the Latino servants around her are scrambling to give her and her son cash, the Latina maid is weeping and offering her services for free...)
I know everybody loves this book, and Tartt is skilled and put in all of this work, and it's wrong of me to be dour. Maybe I'm just annoyed that I read another Tartt tome and still nothing passed the Bechdel Test. Maybe I'm judgmental of people who are moved more by antique furniture and fine art than they are by the living breathing world. But Tartt warned us all that there's no accounting for hearts: you love what you love. And she'd probably agree I should read books about centipedes or something instead of New York socialites.
I actually do really like the ending chapter, when the suspense is finally resolved and I get to rest with the ideas. I like Boris. I like the surrealism of the Las Vegas section. I even like the painting. But I think I'm going to give Donna Tartt a rest.
But she also needs us to care about these characters. She knows we will only care if she makes them suffer, and so they suffer. Endlessly. Terrorism or a hangover -- something's always there to ruin their day.
They somehow stay rich as they suffer, so they can remain immersed in high-cost consumables. The conclusion leaves me flummoxed: absurd abundance flattened by the anxiety of scarcity. Perfectly-coifed-dressed-cultured mother who is also literally searching the couch cushions for coins so she can pay for the take-out she ordered. (And this rich-poor mother is also so sweet, so humble that all the Latino servants around her are scrambling to give her and her son cash, the Latina maid is weeping and offering her services for free...)
I know everybody loves this book, and Tartt is skilled and put in all of this work, and it's wrong of me to be dour. Maybe I'm just annoyed that I read another Tartt tome and still nothing passed the Bechdel Test. Maybe I'm judgmental of people who are moved more by antique furniture and fine art than they are by the living breathing world. But Tartt warned us all that there's no accounting for hearts: you love what you love. And she'd probably agree I should read books about centipedes or something instead of New York socialites.
I actually do really like the ending chapter, when the suspense is finally resolved and I get to rest with the ideas. I like Boris. I like the surrealism of the Las Vegas section. I even like the painting. But I think I'm going to give Donna Tartt a rest.
dmfw's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
marie_fury's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5