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rory_john14's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Gore, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Gun violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Violence, Blood, Death, Drug use, and Homophobia
Moderate: Grief, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Classism, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, and Child abuse
Minor: Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Biphobia, Antisemitism, Cancer, Car accident, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Stalking, Vomit, Child death, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, and Infidelity
juliettea's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Addiction, Classism, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Drug use, Biphobia, Blood, Violence, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Misogyny, Grief, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Murder, Homophobia, and Incest
Minor: Abandonment, Sexual content, Racism, Racial slurs, Vomit, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Islamophobia, Ableism, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Outing, Gore, Violence, and Gaslighting
kenzie26's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Biphobia, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Islamophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
mmoo17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Biphobia, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Self harm
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Rape, Toxic friendship, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
meowreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Why is this book so well-loved by some and detested by others? Is it because of the characters, who scream exclusivity; tied to one another with the disdain for plebeian life? Is it because of the narrator whose views on people change with each turn of a page; who tries to hide his true nature not only from those that surround him, but also to us, the readers; who never has a single original thought; whose secondhand take on life pushed him to throw himself into self-destruction? Is it because they killed a friend, who is more parasite than he is human? Murder yields terrible consequences. Except for some.
—
With a narrator whose unreliabilty I enjoyed, accompanied by a set of complex and unlikeable characters who all suffered silently and secretly and whose demise I surely cheered for (for some), The Secret History successfully reeled me in. Knowing that Bunny is going to die from the very beginning was what made me interested in the story at the start but it was Donna Tartt's atmospheric and stylistic writing that sucked me in.
The winter term was a favorite of mine. Richard freezing in the attic brought me back to an incredible Tolstoy short, Master and Man. This of course, came in full-circle when a couple of pages later, Henry pointed out to Julian that the tragedy, with the wilderness covered in snow as a backdrop is reminiscent of Tolstoy, which I wholeheartedly agree with.
Surely, this book isn't for everyone. If you don't like your characters' flaws pungent and on display, don't go anywhere near it.
Although it is a book often spoken about in the niche of the dark academia aesthetic; The Secret History, I think, in essence, aims to break the elements of that type of reverence or even to just serve as a caution for obsessive and self-catering ideals.
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Murder, Misogyny, Rape, Addiction, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Biphobia, Bullying, and Cursing
not_machiavelli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Body horror, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Sexual violence
Minor: Biphobia, Cannibalism, Car accident, Chronic illness, Cursing, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Gun violence