The Secret History

Rating:
Summary: ::::Highly Reccomended:::::
Review: When I began this novel, I expected to read second rate fiction such John Grisham, or authors like that, but what I got was an emerging Toni Morrison, or Isabel Allende! This was an astonishingly suspenseful novel, and yet, it was filled with moral value, and obvious symbolism. I read this book a while ago, but somehow in the way that Tratt describes her characters, they were so memorable that I can remember them all now by memory. Bunny, Henry, charles, Camila, Francis, and Richard are all characters that you will cherish as you read this novel. This is where Mrs. Tratt has her largest advantage, I don't think I have ever read another novel where the characters had such an impact on my life, and where I was actually WORRIED, and CHEERFULL because of the characters. It was almost as if they were real people.
The story in this novel is about 6 college students who are part of a special group of individuals in the college that they attend. They all have the same professor for just about all of their courses, and they are all quite seperated from the rest of the student body at the at college. As well asw being seperated from the other students at the college, they are also seperated from society ion general, as in they do not own televisions, radio's, and rarely read magazines, or newspapers, there was one of them who had yet to discover that man had walked on the moon. These 6 college students get involved in dangerous activities, and something occurs, a 'secret', but there is one person in this group of 6 who can't keep his mouth shut about the secret, and he causes a great danger for the group.
This breif summary seems preety dull, and corny, but if you begin reading it, you won't know where you were without it!

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic -- a real page-turner
Review: If you spend any time on a treadmill, stairmaster, excercise bike, or similar instrument of torture, buy this book and read it while you exercise: the time will rush by so fast, you'll have exercised an hour and think it was a few minutes. While that may seem a flip compliment, it isn't. The Secret History is a real page-turner.

On page one you learn that a muder has taken place. For the next five-hundred-plus, you'll learn why...or maybe you won't. Ms. Tartt is not so much a mystery writer as she is a mysterious writer, one who is content to leave enough ambiguity for the reader to draw his own conclusions. The premise is a simple one, a west-coast Greek scholar transfers to a small, remote New England college where he finds his way into a small, mysterious and seemingly impenetrable group of Greek students with a teacher who insists upon controlling virtually every aspect of his students' educations. Ms. Tartt leaves it to the reader to decide how far that control extends beyond the classroom. (An excellent question for book-club study would be "How much did Julian know and when did he know it?")

By telling the story from the viewpoint one of the seven main characters (the six students and the professor), Ms. Tartt controls the flow of information so that the reader only gradually becomes aware of the complex and interwoven relationships among the seven. A full cast of carefully-deliniated supporting characters wander on and off the stage to fill the gaps in the narrative, but the focus always remains on the central group.

An air of gothic mystery pervades the whole story, as does more than a hint of gothic terror. Description, detail, character developement, good story, it's all here.

Rating:
Summary: Hampden College Wins Party School Award!
Review: The Secret History is a wonderfully written novel that brings us closely into the lives of a clique of Greek scholars at a New Hampshire college. It's a murder mystery that tells you at the very beginning who is murdered and who did it. The Greek scholars did it we are told, and the suspense of the story is in the gradual unveiling of the process by which one of their members meets his fate. While I love academia, and, if financially independent, might well have embraced a life of being a career student, I don't think I would have been a member of this group.

While it is not unusual for college students to deviate from established societal norms, this small group excels in collegiate strangeness. One is gay, which is OK, but his appearance and behavior is unusual. In this modern day he floats through campus his fiery red hair an accent mark to his "Comte de Montesquiou" dress of starched shirts with French cuffs, necktie, and "a black greatcoat that billowed behind him as he walked that made him look like a cross between a student prince and Jack the Ripper." Then there is the tall, laconic Henry who says little and often studies 20 a hours day. The twins Charles and Camilla live together, and one immediately wonders about this living arrangement. The narrator of the book, is close to normal except for his trait of lying rather frequently. The about to be murdered student is a loud mouth thief who parasitically depends on the others for his entire sustenance.

The one area in which these students seem absolutely normal is in their drinking habits. All six seem to be drunk most of the time, but then in Ms Tarrt's view they are probably moral idealists compared to all of the other students at Hampden who find solace in being constantly drunk and also high on drugs. Strange chemical labs thrive in school basements. Miss Poovey down the hall has a fairly complete pharmacy in her room. One student has achieved great success in his drug dealing business. The wonder of it all is that this is such a beautifully written story detailing a rather depressing (unless you are also a serious imbiber) scholastic environment.

The problem in the novel is keeping a secret. When you have a big one to keep you have to work very hard at maintaining it. In trying to contain it you may indulge in behavior that creates more secrets. Toward the end of the novel there is a harrowing sequence where it looks like....well you will just have to read the book to find out.

Rating:
Summary: Delta Queen/Greek Cuisine
Review: "The Secret History," the first of Donna Tartt's two novels, is a gentle satire and picaresque punctuated by murder. The book ends where it began, with epicene narrator Richard Papen, alienated from his friends and family, setting out to make a place for himself in a drab modern world of the senses that Tartt sends up easily and often. In between, aided by massive quantities of drugs and alcohol, and an immersion in the language and mind-set of the ancient Greeks, Papen bonds with a precocious group of college students long enough to tell their story. And their story, simply put, is withdrawal from the world of the senses, incest, polyamory, Dionysian frenzy, incomprehensible violence, fear, betrayal, revenge, sacrifice, and unrequited love.

Book One builds from nothing to an out-of-body experience central to this mix. Book Two dissembles from there to nothing. And there you have it.

Tartt, who grew up on the edge of the Mississippi Delta, writes best when she writes with the detached eyes of Dickens, James, and Sterne. She is less convincing portraying the complicated inner lives of her characters, who spend a great deal of time chatting each other up, taking baths, and shifting scenes and partners, without much point. As a result, the turgid central part of her novel fails to satisfy like Faulkner or Homer or Marlowe, who worked the same material.

But that the comparison to those masters can even be made is enough to recommend "The Secret History." This is an intelligent, well-written novel by an author to be reckoned with.

Rating:
Summary: Ugh ......... It was torture!
Review: I had HIGH HIGH hopes for "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt. But, I was completely let down. I think I should have read the Amazon Reader Review's before I dove in head first. This book is probably the most unreadable thing I have ever encountered. I rarely and I mean RARELY give up on a book, but this one went straight back and was never finished. It's not worth the time!

Rating:
Summary: Superb, entrancing, readeable
Review: I was stuck in a reading rut...UNTIL The Secret History came along. From the first page, I felt the narrator (Richard) was like an old friend telling me about his college days which were the most influential years for him (and for most people) as he describes the events surrounding a a murder. The reason for the murder is even more fascinating...

(There are many Greek references, and those of you who have studied the classics, will undoubtedly find them fascinating!)

Each character is extremely well-developed that you believe you have a good assessment of their personality BUT the reader is constantly surprised by what they do next!! (I will leave it at to not give away the plot..)

Highly recommended! You will find yourself thinking about the psychology of these characters long after you have closed the book.

Rating:
Summary: Deserves All The Hype
Review: First of all, I am not a Greek or Latin scholar or a student of comparative literature. Nor did I attend a highfalutin New England Ivy League school. I didn't understand the occasional lines of Greek, Latin, and French in this book, and I'm not an intellectual snob. But these small details don't detract from the thoroughly enjoyable experience of reading the Secret History. If you appreciate a well-written, well-told story that entertains, has good character development, an intriguing story, and reveals more than a little about human nature, you're going to like this book. As if that weren't enough, there's also a liberal dose of contempt for the rich, and who doesn't enjoy that?! For those who've studied Greek, Latin, French or the classics, the story will be even more rewarding.

Tartt uses Richard, the most accessible character, to tell the story with ease and authenticity. The six main characters (all in their early twenties) live in their own insular world at a small New England upper crust college, studying the classics with one solitary professor. There's Henry, the leader and probably the one most likely to succeed as a true scholar; Francis, the skittish hypochondriac; Charles and Camilla, the twins; Bunny, the obnoxious and ill-fated one of the bunch; and Richard, the California kid from the most humble background of all. At first, Richard can't believe his great luck to fall in with such a gilded clique, but as usual, things are not as they appear. Soon, the outer world intrudes (they bring this upon themselves, of course) and things fall apart. It's the telling of the unraveling that grips you as Tartt deftly controls how much to tell and when. I marveled at her lush descriptions that rival a poet's, her skill at narrative and dialogue, and her most revealing descriptions of human mannerisms and behavior. She repeatedly builds intrigue and tension all the way to the end of the 500+ pages of the novel. This is no easy task, but she makes it look effortless. While reading it with an eye on technique, I think, "of course that's how it's done."

When this book came out 10 years ago, Donna Tartt was reported to have been paid the highest publishing advance ever for a first book, over $400,000. I don't know if the book is worth that or not, not knowing how worth is calculated in the publishing industry. Still, having read the Secret History, I can see what all of Tartt's fans have been waiting for these past 10 years, and the Little Friend is now on my list of must-reads.

Secret History is "definitely cinematic, baby." Images of The Bad Seed, Village of the Damned, and the Talented Mr. Ripley came to mind early in the story as Tartt developed the characters. The setting is so clearly drawn in some parts that I suspect Tartt wrote them with an eye on cinematic rendering. A top Hollywood director currently holds the rights and I'm looking forward to the movie.

The Ballantine Books Reader's Circle edition contains "A Conversation with Donna Tartt" along with "Questions and Topics for Discussion" for those fortunate enough to read this book in a group setting. I loved reading Tartt's list of authors she admires. It's no surprise that her list of poets is even longer. All of her interests are well represented in the Secret History, and if you share any of these, reading the book will be an even more fulfilling experience.

Don't be put off by the setting and character types in this book. You don't have to be a literary snob to understand or enjoy the story. It's worth the time to read the book, and if you're an aspiring writer, there is much here to educate and marvel at. I highly recommend the Secret History.

Rating:
Summary: There was book in there somewhere....
Review: This book reminded me of a Burt Lancaster movie I saw a long time ago called "The Swimmer." Burt swims across Connecticut through his neighbors' pools. The unrelenting emptiness of the suburban lives he encounters forces him to face his own directionless, purposeless existence. Tartt shares the conceit of whomever was behind that film: I am good, not because I am moral or even because I have escaped the hellish treadmill of modern life, but because I am fully aware of our tragic situation and can stand slightly apart, observing from a partially detached and sardonic perspective. I'm not free but I at least know I'm in prison.

I kept hoping for hope, expecting a glimmer, seeking a ray of redemption. I rode all half a thousand pages right to the end and was rewarded with ashes and despair. For me, the hopelessness of this tragi-Greek drama made it an unpleasant read. Good writing can only carry a book so far; there has got to be a destination.

Rating:
Summary: A complete waste of time
Review: Pretentious and boring, the author seems to be trying to impress the reader with her pseudo-intellectual nonsense. Didn't care about the characters and was bored by the plot. A great book for intellectuasl wannnabees.

Rating:
Summary: Enrapturing, drawling literature piece...
Review: This 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.