Rating: 
Summary: great book; God, I hope they don't ruin it with a movie
Review: There are a number of reasons that The Secret History has been one of my favorite leisure-reading selections for several years (and I have to admit that I re-read it periodically, typically devouring it in 2 or 3 nights). I think Donna Tartt's greatest gift lies in her ability to create a story that has the suspense and sales appeal of a mainstream bestseller AND a tremendous richness of texture, with a bit of philosophical and intellectual weight thrown in for good measure (granted, the book's not as deep as some people claim it is, but compared to the flimflam put out by authors like Robert Jordan or Tom Clancy or John Grisham, it's practically a college curriculum wrapped up into a single volume!). Ms. Tartt can create a mood and evoke a setting like no other popular writer I can think of, and I find her descriptive powers, her dialogue, and her attention to detail to be irresistible. I went to college in the late '80s, and I was a lower-middle-class kid from central Texas who wound up in an Ivy-league institution that, although it wasn't nearly as insular or uniformly snobbish as "Hampden"/Bennington College, had its fair share of decadent preppies. So to me, at least, a lot of Richard Papen's insecurities and anxieties ring true-to-life. One last note: to readers who were bored or put off by the references to Greek, Latin, French, and English literature, I would suggest that, rather than condemn Ms. Tartt for being pretentious or pedantic, we be excited that someone has the daring and the ability to create a novel that has a high idea-to-page ratio AND supports an exciting, appealing story. If you don't understand an allusion, look it up and learn something new! [I'm a college instructor myself, so pardon a bit of pedantry on my part... :-) !]
Rating: 
Summary: Good but flawed
Review: Since I'm so late to the game with regards to Donna Tartt's hit novel "The Secret History", I'll just try to list the things I found striking about the book, both positive and negative: 1) The author is clearly knowledgeable about ancient Greek, and conveys some of the power and expressiveness inherent in the language (or so I imagine -- I never studied it myself, but I would like to after reading this book). 2) "The Secret History" is definitely a page-turner. I read it in a mad frenzy over three days. I think the author "cheated" to keep my interest though -- clues to the plot are parcelled out quite parsimoniously and the reader is forced to share the confusion and gradual dawning of the narrator. It's well done but frustrating; the epicenter of my annoyance lies with the character of Henry, who is inscrutable and enigmatic throughout. The novel might have been less exciting without this haze thrown over the main characters' motivations, but it seems kind of cheap to build suspense by teasing the reader with half-heard conversations and veiled comments all the time. 3) The characters are drawn quickly and convincingly, but not fleshed out as much as I'd expect from such an ambitious novel. Otherwise I think the author's writing style is very good -- some nice turns of phrase but still very readable and not show-offy. Some reviewers here have complained about the brief bits of non-English dialogue. There are a few times when it's not translated, but they were rare enough not to bother me. 4) You can definitely guess what kind of college life the author had from "The Secret History". In the book she mercilessly stereotypes vapid cokeheads, aggressive party boys and loopy hippies. The main characters, a group of six students studying ancient Greek and the classics together, are very segregated from their schoolmates and the outside world. 5) If I drank as much and slept as little in college as the characters in this book, I don't think that I'd have had the stamina to graduate. Otherwise, the novel progresses pretty plausibly, reminding me of the movie "The Simple Plan": A seemingly simple situation grows more and more thorny as the tension escalates and the students take actions that seem reasonable at the time, but have unintended consequences. All in all it was a good read. I especially enjoyed that it got me excited about the classics -- Now I wish I had the time, talent, and energy to learn ancient Greek.
Rating:
Summary: Masterful
Review: I'm not one for mass market paperbacks but someone gave me this book because I majored in Classics and am a Latin teacher--either the best or worst audience. I started reading as a courtesy and could not put the book down. Donna Tartt clearly has a knowledge of Greek and Latin, yet the book doesn't drip with scholarship. This book is extraordinarily well-written and full of characters who are sympathetic, believable, yet easy to dislike at times because each has their own flaws. The way the story unfolds, starting at the tragic end and moving back through time to explain how the characters got to that point was a brilliant take on the normal suspense thriller. I was impressed with this book from beginning to end and was a bit disappointed when I finished it. Trust me, I usually don't get excited by this type of literature but this is an absolutely fabulous book.
Rating:
Summary: Enrapturing, drawling literature piece...
Review: Yes, it is quite pretentious, one would say, especially for a twenty-something female author. But this is the very essence of the book. It is not for the reader who prefers a quick, satisfying read. This novel is filled with double meanings, intriguing Ancient Greek entrendes and a murder as the focal point. It's also about 500 pages long. A likeable character, Richard Pappin from California (of which he is immensely ashamed) who goes to one of those New England colleges in Vermont and 'dabbles' in the arts and Greek. I must say, when I first read this I was doubtful such people existed...especially in America. Miss Tartt's speaking language was so formal, so 'english' (I say, jolly, etc) and Richard bought a tweed coat for goodness sake, (I expected him to invest in a pipe) all the men drank scotch and had wire rimmed glasses and suits and ties and were very old fashioned, in some ways it was a bit pretentious. The essence of the novel is very good, and very clever. The motive for a senseless murder is cleanly portrayed: we are not expected to like these characters as such, because like the 'ancient Greek' tragic heros they studied, all of the characters have a flaw which contributes to their downfall. I recommend you invest time and thought into this book because it is worth it, it's a good, fairly easy read, and it will chill you to the bone...not due to unnessary gore but the inhuman motives of the seemingly innocent Greek students who commit a murder...or two.
Rating:
Summary: The Secret History
Review: "The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation. He'd been dead for ten days before they found him, you know."
This is the beginning of the story about Richard Papen, a small town guy, bored by the life in Plano. So he packs his bags and goes to study at a small town college.
But Hampden isn't just any small town college. It's the place with Henry, this well-read boy who makes everyone look stupid in their embarrassment about not knowing too much about Homer. He takes control over Richard as well as the others. What's interesting is that they let him. They are all so attracted to his Greek beauty of mind that all but one til the end of the book don't stand up to him. No wonder so many people are so fascinated by, for example, Homer. This novel is easily read without pausing. It's also easy to read it at least three times, just to experience the beauty again, and to find more that might explain why the group is so attractive to the reader. There is no other word to say about The Secret History but: perfect
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent mystery
Review: I did not know exactly what to expect when I first picked up _The Secret History_. I had heard rave reviews, and heard others that were not so good. After I read the book, I found that I was not as happy with this book as I originally thought I would be... I had a great appreciation for the time that went into writing the book and the little details about the Greek language (I too labored in Greek college courses) I had a hard time figuring out what time this book took place in--one minute it sounded like the 60s, then maybe the 70s? I finally just thought it might be the 80s. Things seemed a little disoriented to me regarding the timeplace of the book. Other than that slightly irksome feature, I did enjoy the book. The characters were unlikable, but they were supposed to be... Overall this was an intelligent mystery/thriller and I am glad that I read it.
Rating: 
Summary: just couldn't do it
Review: As an avid book reader, I was disappointed in myself that I couldn't even see this book to the end. This is the first book that I've ever thrown away because I just couldn't stand the fact that it was taking up space.
Please don't waste your money on this book. Life it too short, move onto another one you'll like better.
Rating:
Summary: Tartt has a delightful Secret to tell
Review: At this point it is no secret that Donna Tartt's debut "The Secret History" is one of the best debuts in the recent history, writing with authority, she is able to take her characters and readers downer and downer. Knowing the metié that she's writing about, the writer is able to develop a dreamy atmosphere where everything is possible. And that's why nothing seems gratuitous. Besides this talent, Tartt has an ability to full develop her characters. Not one of them seems to be inhuman or fake. Actually every one really seems to have a soul and a heart beating in their chests. The group of students alone is subject for many theses, with each one bearing a meaning and a concept. "The Secret History" is not the average thriller. It is far above it. Mixing the whodunit concept with high doses of Greek culture --mostly philosophy-- Tartt wrote an intellectual novel that really works. It is far beyond your crime driven novel, "History" stands a new patter, that some has been --and will -- try to copy and failed --mostly because the writer here is impossible to copy. She has a particular style, which switches from beauty to horror and vice versa in the change of paragraph. "The Secret History" may not please everyone --many may find Tartt's prose is pretentious or something -- but the truth is it is beauty and certainly there is a segment of readers that don't mind a little style and philosophy in their 'thrillers'.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best first novels ever written. MUST READ
Review: This novel is a great read. It's not the greatest novel ever written, and I don't think it tries to be. It's an unbelievably mature first novel for such a young author. I'm less enamoured by the greek tragi-comedic overtones myself. I think it's just a cool, sexy story that keeps one's interest with a well developed plot line and an interesting protagonist. Despite the cookie cutter nature of some of the characters, I did eventually come to believe them. The dialogue is more than a bit trite, but I came to feel that perhaps even this was done intentionally. Isn't that the way self-imagined intellectuals talk? Don't they always seem to be fighting to use the new words they just learned? :) Some have suggested that one must look past the pretentious nature of the book and its characters. I always thought that Tartt wrote this book that way for a reason. It seems that there is a large population of prententious intellectuals. Tartt's novel is powerful because she shows the dangers that exist when people feel smarter than and superior to others. Just that perception alone makes them capable of terrible things. Never mind the fact that they are most often wrong. After all, there can't be that many people who are smarter than everybody else. By definition, there's never enough of those people to form a group. :)
Rating:
Summary: A Gem.
Review: Silken structure and a love of pathos, quirkiness, and strong characterisation are blended together in this showpiece of erudite craftsmanship. Laced through with the black overtones of Euripidean tragedy, Tartt's novel follows the disturbing consequences of a close-knit group's successful effort to step for a single night into the world of an intriguing but brutally uncompromising ancient God. Paranoia, hysteria, betrayal, murder, duplicity and tragedy follow, as a strand of Fate from that God's time follows the students back to their own to crush the fabric of their eccentric and isolated lives in and around a small New England campus. In the role of a Greek Chorus, an outside observer relates their story, and himself becomes compelled and entangled in it as its knotty strands draw tighter and more strangling. Sometimes sumptuous, sometimes crisp, Tartt's story rattles along at pace through the early stages, flirting playfully with occasional Greek, French and Latin asides, all of which she explains for non-initiates by way of unforced devices. Dark humour tinges the periphery of a narrative, which is punctuated by clever set-pieces and adroit observations. And a keen eye for human foibles colours the picture as a whole. All the signs of a writer who loves literature are on display here, but not garishly, not pedantically. In spite of its brutality, her story floats on a feathery mist of lost times, lost values, lost love, and lost happiness. Donna Tartt is well able to evoke that insight common to so many of literature's better exponents: that Beauty and Happiness are not the same thing. If there is a criticism to be made, it might be this: aspects of the plot smell of contrivance rather than flow. Yet Tartt's dialogues and sense of pace make this a very pernickety reflection. Other reviewers have been critical of what they perceive to be an elitism about the book, both in its esoteric references and quips, and its aloof apparently unreal characters. I believe this is unfair and misses the point of the novel. Simply put, it's not meant to be about ordinary people and ordinary circumstances; quite the contrary - her novel revolves around extremes and how young people are prone to them, not to mention how each can be exacerbated by the other. Similarly, as any classicist would point out, she could have sprayed the manuscript with far more academic references if she really wanted, but resisted the temptation (not a single mention of Pentheus' name, in spite of the fact his spirit hovers - very obviously for classicists - over much of her tale). This is not an accident, and I believe it illustrates her desire to keep things accessible. To her great credit, she also avoids the converse trap of obvious dumbing down. In a nutshell, I put off reading this book for some time because I was sure it would be another callow novel set against a patchy misinformed classical background. When at last I picked it up early one recent morning (ready to roll the eyes in derision at the first bad reference) I couldn't put it down again until late that night, when, saddened to find it all ending, I turned the final page. Liked it? I loved it.
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