The Secret History

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Summary: Sinister writing at it's finest!
Review: I purposely read this book as slow as possible because I didn't want it to end. However, as soon as I finished, I started reading it AGAIN! A must for any self respecting book club.

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Summary: BRILLIANT!!!
Review: This is one of the most brilliant books I have ever read. I urge everyone who reads this review to buy it without question. The plot, writing and character detail is absorbing, intelligent, witty and thought provoking. If I could have only one book on a desert island, this would be it. Buy it now!

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Summary: The Secret History--literary single malt
Review: Like a fine brandy or whisk(e)y, _The Secret History_ is not particularly suited to children. Its subtle flavor deserves slow, careful enjoyment, so as to draw out every nuance. Not the plot-driven mystery it might first appear, this is that rarity among mainstream novels, a work of true world-building. Unlike most authors working in the contemporary setting, who use audience familiarity to fill in the gaps in their creation, Tartt creates a complex and beautiful milieu. Her characters exist on the cusp of different eras, different ways of life, therefore naturally their existence takes on an almost otherworldly quality. In response to another reviewer's comments, yes, they are more of the Edwardian era than of the present. But that is precisely their beauty--imagine what a tawdry experience the novel would be without this timeless quality. A sick joke, drunken fraternity boys trading their Dockers and "Co-Ed Naked..." shirts for chitons in a parody of the Bacchanal, soundtrack provided by the Beastie Boys? No tragedy, rather a warped and twisted comedy? I think not. As it stands, _The Secret History_ tells a story that, minus a few cosmetic details, could have happened a hundred years ago. Or could happen now. Or could happen two hundred years in the future. One can envision our heroes and heroine marching eternally through collegiate history, doomed to repeat the same drama. Additionally, Tartt perfectly captures the flavor of Classical Greek, the beauty which is harsh. She conveys the alien starkness of a tongue far more distant from us than we sometimes pretend, a language almost inhuman in its sharp purity, as foreign as the surface of the Moon, in spite of all our platitudes and half-lying claims of our culture's Attic heritage. If there is any justice in the world of English literature, _The Secret History_ should be well on its way to a place in the canon. A much better novel than _Gatsby_, that work of unending decadence, that study in utter human worthlessness, that chronicle of an era which is ultimately responsible for the constant vulgarity which mars our own society, _The Secret History_ deserves far more consideration than ninety-nine percent of the material currently promoted by America's literary mavens. However, in a country where English majors are allowed to graduate without any knowledge of Chaucer or Shakespeare, I have little hope. We are surrounded by overgrown adolescents, who care only for the literary equivalent of vodka-laced jello. If the children find the good stock so unpleasant on their palates, they are obviously not old enough to be drinking.

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Summary: A chilling unforgetable book... both times!
Review: My older sister handed me the tattered book (my copy published in 1992). I had no idea what to expect so I dove in and found out I never really wanted to come out. As I read the introduction I was not sure what to expect, as I read on I forgot this shady intro and became thoruoghly engrosed. It started someone slow for me, but that changed quickly. The characters came alive. Henry and his Greek enturage became part of me. From the beginning I never quite new where the story would lead, but as the plot thickens you almost want the unexpected to happen. I was upset when I was done that no other book would be able to stand up to such a high expectaion I all of a sudden had. So I put it down for a while, then read it again, I hadn't remembered everything yet even the second I saw an entirely new light.A must read! Tartt, would you please continue to write.

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Summary: Definitely Capturing and a Page-Turner !!!
Review: I got to know about this book from the review section inside Cosmopolitan and that was a very long time ago. I have always been sceptical over reviews of any kind because every each of us are unique thus have different taste but somehow something magnetic pulled me and urged me to go to the nearest bookstore and look up for The Secret History by Donna Tartt PRONTO !!! And indeed it was a blessing in disguise and now I am a proud owner of the book. I find it very capturing even from the first page. The characters are colourful and the plots are dynamic which kept you wanting more and more by turning the pages ever so quickly and before you know it, you're too engrossed to do anything else. It's a masterpiece... one of its kind ! Original ! However, there's only one thing that ruined the whole excitement for me... it ends !!!

Rating:
Summary: Great writing, WEAK ending.
Review: Rarely do I get sucked into a 500 page book so easily and finish it so quickly. Great writing, good characters, and good story. However, the ending left me very disappointed. The story builds in intensity for 450 pages, then during the resolution in the last 50 pages, I was left a little irritated. Did a different writer take over at the end? Did Donna run into a time or page limit? Gave it a 7 just because I was drawn in by the good overall story, and good characters. It would have gotten higher, except for the let down ending.

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Summary: one of the best books i have ever read!
Review: This is a wonderful first novel. I have read it many times and it keeps getting better. Tartt uses rich prose to expose believable charact and gets us to believe a plot not many authors could conceive of. It is one of my favorite books and I hope Ms. Tartt will write another one soon.

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Summary: A rollercoaster of a psychological odyssey
Review: I was tiring of John Grisham novels, and they seem more centered around melodrama than what I believe to be a more essential purpose or motivation for reading novels, and that's the characters, because the characters make the story worth reading. And The Secret History is definitely worth reading because the characters are three-dimensional and make the drama come to life. The novel is full of deep meaning, philosophy, and ponderings. The Secret History is a searing account of well-to-do college friends accepting a dismal, insecure, curious newly registered Classics student into their clique, and what seems to be a superficial observance of eccentric behavior then warm friendship evolves into a descent down the deepest abyss of secrets, lies, betrayal, madness, and murder. More than a mystery novel, you will never see the world the same way again, realizing that the strong bonds of friendship are strong enough to destroy it.

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Summary: Absolutely absorbing, but wordy
Review: I was skeptical when I picked up The Secret History, but after a few pages I was in love with the story, the characters, and the suspense. Couldn't put it down, cried at the end. The story telling is never concise, though: descriptions seem drawn out and at times pointless, but it wasn't really a big deal.

Rating:
Summary: Scoreboard: Donna Tartt trounces Bret Easton Ellis
Review: I have rarely read a book more than once, with the exception of some Anne Rice and Shakespeare, but I have found myself so drawn to this story and Tartt's exceptional writing that I have picked it up three times, and never tire of it. Although we have seen this "brat pack" scene played out numerous times, I found the setting refreshing and the writing crisp. I have just a few quarrels with Tartt; one, that I never fully understood why this close-knit group of rich , highly intelligent kids were drawn to Richard as much as he was to them. I can't believe that they bought his story about coming from a wealthy California family. Second, although her style is unique, the detachment of the characters from any responsibility and remorse reads in the all too familiar style of Bret Easton Ellis. Despite these flaws, I highly recommend this first effort and am frustrated that this is the only novel I can find of hers...Donna, are you out there?!?!