Rating: 
Summary: Heart Pounding
Review: Anyone who didn't like this book has no idea what the true concept of excellent literature is! The characters in this book are compelling. Having never been a fan of suspense thrillers and mystery novels, upon reading this book I have learned to truly appreciate both the author and other novels of this type. Read this book, it will change the way you look at people.
Rating: 
Summary: Put this aside in favor of something a little heavier.
Review: People seem to have strong opinions about this book. I didn't. I'd ostensibly characterize it as a mystery, but the author telegraphs the murder(s), so really "character study" might be mo re of an accurate description. A few people accuse the author of belonging to the Jay McInerny school of thinking they and theirs are more important then they probably are. This is a fair criticism. If you, like me, wanted to slap around the writers and directors of "Metropolitan" and "Barcelona" for thinking anyone really gives a damn about their relationships and lack thereof, than this book will induce a familiar sense of deja-vu. Unlike those vehicles, however, this is about murder, so the annoying affectedness of the characters actually serves as a fairly good backdrop to the gravity of the situation. The Secret History is the story of a small group of classmates at a New England college, in an elite (or, at least, snobbish) group studying the classics and an cient Greek under a "superhuman," aristocratic professor. In their ardor for the ir studies they undertake a course of extracurricular activities that will lead to killing, and to murder. The writing is solid, but I was tormented by an inability to distinguish if I hated the main characters because the author wanted me to hate them, or if I hated them because the author actually sympathized with them, and it is fact the author and not her creations that I can't stand. There is a solution and explanation to the Mystery (as distinguished from the murder mystery) that lies at the core of the book which is straightforwardly presented. But the narrator did not experience it, and hears only one explanation from one of the characters, and a manipulative one at that. There are a number of very subtle hints dropped that the Mystery in fact is quite different than as presented. Subtle enough that I haven't seen any reviewer mention it. If this is Tartt's intention, than the book gains an element of depth that it would otherwise lack. I thought about the implications for several days afterwards, and maybe that, if nothing else, is the mark of a decent book.
Rating: 
Summary: Eagerly awaiting..
Review: I'm sure I lived this story years before I even read it. Where has the author retreated to and is there any reader out there that might want to chat (specifically about the myth and cult of Dionysos?) A flawless story that could only be told by someone who has the capacity to travel interdimensionally.
Rating:
Summary: Unlikeable Characters
Review: I did not care for this book, because I did not care what happened to the characters. Richard Papen was one of the most unlikeable characters I've ever read about it and considering he is the story teller, you should be able to identify with him on some level. Wonderful sentences and structure, but I just plain ol' didn't care about any of it.
Rating:
Summary: where's Donna Start?
Review: For me this is a really pretty book of black novel. I read it 6 years ago and I'm waiting a new book. Please, where is this writer? Why she never publishes another novel?
Rating: 
Summary: Could be stronger...
Review: I think the book has good elements to tell us a good story, however it loses its virtual qualitative narrative in somewhat emptiness dialogues. Its characters go no longer, in a VICIOUS CIRCLE. Neverthless, the idea is preety good.
Rating:
Summary: Please Ms. Tartt, write more books!
Review: How did Donna Tartt write this book? I'm in absolute awe of her skill. The observations are so astute--the carelessness of young people even when born to privilege, the longing to belong, the inability of "book learning" to necessarily make one a better person... Plus the writing was gorgeous, atmospheric and intoxicating. The tone is pitch perfect for the setting--how else would an overeducated man from a liberal arts background speak? Those who call this book pretentious miss one of the book's most profound observations. Education, culture and literature do not necessarily make us more human, but our sensitivity can. Please Miss Tartt, ignore your critics and write more books! We long to read what else it is you see and hear.
Rating:
Summary: Truly a modern classic
Review: I read this book the summer after it came out and it changed the way I look at contemporary literature. The characters are well-developed and you learn to know them as if they were your friends down the street. Eventually, as if you've known them for years. The descriptive details that Ms. Tart uses paints the scenes beautifully. She truly captures the feel of each season as the book unfolds. I have two copies of this book. I read it every winter and it reminds me that the contemporary literature isn't dead yet. Those who don't like this book, i'm going to guess, may lack the skills to comprehend the many references to popular culture and classical literature and art. For those of you clued in and intelligent, you'll wish you'd have found it years ago. A read you won't put down until it's finished, this book is for unpretentious, well-read intellectuals who think most books that are written today are simple formulas by people out of touch with the real world. The Secret History is written by a brilliant young writer for clued-in young readers, simply put. If you don't understand this novel, you probably weren't supposed to. And please, please Donna Tart: Those who read this book and feel it, are patiently awaiting your second novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Awful--Avoid at all costs!
Review: This is typical and formulaic as a thriller. The main character goes to college, where he joins a group who are afiencenados of Greek history. Trouble later ensues when they are caught in a web of murder, distrust, and parnoia. I hated this novel because of lack of suspense and, to me, I hated these characters.
Rating:
Summary: Waiting for the next book by this author
Review: I read this book shorty after it came out 6 years ago. Thought it was a great book. Have been waiting for another book by this author. Will she keep us in suspense much longer like her first book ?
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