Rating: 
Summary: Cancel all your appointments
Review: This novel took me by surprise; I was not paying attention when it came out ten years ago and only decided to pick it up when I read good reviews for Tartt's follow-up novel, The Little Friend. What expectations I had were soon forgotten as I was drawn into this story of Richard, a disaffected Californian boy who yearns to escape his dusty, depressing town and lowbrow upbringing. He soon finds his way to a new world, a small New England college where he studies classics among an impossibly cool, wealthy and snobbish, and incredibly glamourous group of students. His looks and intelligence, plus some artful fibbing about his background, earn him their acceptance, although he soon learns that there are layers of acceptance in this group, which has many secrets. As the secrets slowly are revealed, and the body count mounts, Richard finds himself in tension between his loyalty to the group, especially the powerful Henry, and his own (late blooming) sense of the catastrophic consequences of straying beyond the limits of conventional morality and "losing the self." This is a beautifully written novel with an absorbing plot, and a fine portrait of the effects of fear and remorse on a person and their friendships. I suppose I was a little worried that it would be dull, because when all the "worthy" critics agree to rave about a book, it is often virtually unreadable. Not so here. I haven't enjoyed a book so much in ages.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional debut.
Review: Donna Tartt's debut is an enthralling foray into the lives of a group of New England College students whose extra curricular activities include re-enacting Dionysian rituals, incest and premeditated murder. Sound sadistic? Well, yes it is but Tartt's eloquent narrative ensures that you'll be engrossed in her characters and their quirks before you reach that conclusion. Mild mannered protagonist Richard Pappin comes to Vermont in an attempt to shed his unremarkable past. Soon, Pappin finds himself befriending a group of intellectual young scholars whose own "history" is far more sinister than he had ever imagined. A combination of Greek Tragedy and modern day morality, "The Secret History" is a thoroughly engrossing read, well worthy of its cult like status.
Rating: 
Summary: Promising writer, but not the "classic" it has been heralded
Review: This book is worth reading, but don't set your expectations too high. I wanted to like this book. The reviews and summaries were compelling - Greek students performing ancient rites, a secret society, a bit of mystery topped off with a murder. This was something I couldn't pass up.I really did want to like this book. The premise of this book held promise, and unlike other reviewers, I didn't think the beginning was too slow. I was willing to be patient, I was willing to allow Tartt the freedom to develop the characters and establish the scene. And from time to time, I was rewarded. There are some wonderfully written passages in this novel, and I did find a couple of the characters likable. Unfortunately, though, Tartt's flashes of brilliance were usually followed by stumbling blocks of cliches. One moment I would find myself awed by her words, the next moment would find me with my head dropped in disappointment wondering if she bothered to proofread her own work. I thought the main character was too passive a participant and not interesting at all. Yes, maybe that is who he was supposed to be, but I found myself not caring what happened to him. Usually a passive, unmotivated character kills a novel, and in this case, he nearly did. His actions became increasingly difficult to believe, especially during the winter break when he didn't have the common sense to leave the warehouse where he lived - a room with a hole in the roof that allowed snow to fall into drifts in his room. I can only imagine that Tartt was trying to be purposely cryptic and symbolic here, because for the life of me, I can figure out no other reason why the character would put up with this.
Bunny (the victim as revealed on page one) was the most annoying character I've read in fiction in a while - I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did - which brings up another issue. I had a hard time believing that a person despised this much by everyone around him was allowed into the "circle." He freely spent their money, verbally abused them, and lived off their family in some cases, yet the group felt protective of him for no given reason. Tartt attempted to explain that there was some portion of Bunny's personality that people found mysteriously attractive, but instead of showing us that and allowing the reader to find that same aspect attractive, thereby allowing the reader to sympathize with the other characters' feelings, she merely told us this attractiveness existed. And while I've lived the college town life and can personally vouch for the experience of being treated differently than a local, Tartt seems to take it to the extreme here. She inconsistently paints this town, one moment it seems like 1950's America with all the typical attitudes, the next moment the town is modern with obvious references to recent lifestyles. I'm not sure if this was intentional, or something Tartt overlooked. I was disappointed in Tartt's succumbing to the temptation of making incest as the big secret between twin brother and sister. This is more of a cliché than I think most people realize. Brother and sister twins frequently have to field "jokes" from friends concerning their sexual habits, and for Tartt to include that was just another cliché to throw on the large pile she had already built. What I did enjoy about this novel was what it revealed about our mentors, heroes, and role-models - that they're human. And sometimes as we look up at them, we make them more than they really are. Then faced with a real-life crisis, we learn their faults at a time when we need them to be their strongest. Sometimes those role-models betray us. Unfortunately, this is only briefly revealed near the end of the novel and not fully developed. Overall, I would recommend reading this book, not because some claim it will one day be a classical, and not because it's a particularly compelling story, but because there are glimpses of what Tartt can become with more experience under her belt.
Rating:
Summary: southern literature at its best
Review: ... this book will be on high school library shelves and summer reading list for years to come. as a high school librarian i am thrilled to have a book with mature things to discuss that doesn't have graphic sex and four-letter words.... english teachers will love to teach it....it will be another southern classic.to me, donna tart's writing is in the catagory of willie morris, mark twain,harper lee, and yes william faulkner. it is so rich--i am totally blown away by the author's accuracy of human nature and her ability to express her characters so well. she is a genius as far as i'm concerned. finding out who killed robin is really not the important part of this book...in fact..to me it becomes so unimportant in comparison to everything else...it is a beautiful, funny, sad, hopeful story about a courageous and smart little girl and the effects such a tragedy had on her family. it does show the race inequalities but it is not a book about only racial relations back in the 60's---it is much much more than that. and just for the record...i thought the ending was right on the mark.....thank you donna tart!
Rating:
Summary: delicious - a sunny parade through snow-filled desires
Review: Bottom line: I could not put this book down. Not since Gatsby's trevails and Nick's gorgeous narrating have I been so seduced and captivated by a cast of characters. Until I read the last line, and even for some days after, I was a part of the Greek group, even dreaming of them, and like all fantastic books, I was very sorry to see it end. I knew virtually no Latin or French and was forced to look up phrases, as well as the history and meaning of Greek gods, but very much enjoyed doing so. I can't remember the last time I read a book that not only deeply satisfied and educated me, but also kept the characters, the dialogue and the lessons alive in my mind. "Live Forever."
Rating: 
Summary: What happened in the Woods?
Review: "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt was more of an exercise in excellent English than a terrific story. Tartt has many interesting theories and philosophies to share, however, there was a lot to be desired on a platonic level, when the book came to an abrupt and unfulfilling end. The characters in "The Secret History" were not your run-of-the-mill college students. I appreciated that these "children of privilege" were not of superior intellect or attending the most prestigious of institutions, but were still smart, unique, and interesting in their own way. Much of their intrigue is a credit to Donn Tartt's writing abilities. Unfortunately, Bunny, Henry, Charles, Francis, Camilla, and even Richard spent so much time analyzing one another's intimate details, that the story's true plot became something less than a mitigating circumstance. "The Secret History" is written in a similar style as "American Psycho," but it is more academic and less violent. Both Tartt and Bret Easton Ellis (of American Psycho), in their novels, write about sophisticated and self-centered individuals who only enjoy the finer points of life. "The Secret History" is suspenseful, comical, and believable but still begs the question; what really happened in the woods?
Rating:
Summary: Really not that good
Review: Boy, was it hard labor getting through this book. First off, there is a lot of fluff in the book. Nothing seems to happen for the most part. To be honest, I really don't often read books of this ilk. However, I had thought that this would be a good page-turner, but it wasn't. After about six pages of reading I would stare down at my fingernails to see if they needed trimming or stare aimlessly out the window.
Secondly, I really just didn't like the characters in the book. They all seemed to be just pompous ingrates who thought they were a lot smarter than they were. If I saw them at a party I would be forced to throttle each and ever one. In the end, there just seemed to be nothing redeeming about those people.
All in all, pretty crummy.
Rating:
Summary: An overall refreshing and good read
Review: I found this to be an enticing read. I received it as a gift and did not think much of it until I began to read it. It drew me in immediately. I felt as though I was taken to a different time, a different country where the characters were secluded and not in touch with many outsiders. However, I was intrigued by the characters, how they lived and how they would react. I couldn't put it down, I just wanted to know what would happen and how it all played out. While there was no mystery as to who died and who killed him, I wanted to know if they would be caught, who would crack, and how they would continue with their lives. One downside would have to be the untranslated text within the conversations, and also the references to the Classics literature were sometimes a bit over my head. It made me wonder if, perhaps, I was missing something important. But overall, I would have to say that I enjoyed reading it and put off other things in order to finish it. I am anticipating her next novel and cannot wait for it to arrive.
Rating:
Summary: Boy, am I confused!
Review: I haven't even finished this book yet (so I'm at 2 stars so far) - but I'm about halfway through and I think I have the "year" the story takes place FINALLY figured out. After reading at least a dozen references to "hippies", then movies like "Beach Blanket Bingo", and dinners with 20-somethings dressed in tuxedos, and 20-somethings that wear knife pressed trousers and double starched shirts I was thinking - maybe the 60's? Could possibly be the 50's?? I keep looking back to see if I missed the obvious. But THEN there was a reference to magazines from the 1970's and I was all confused. Are people in Vermont in some sort of timewarp? I know its just a story but all points of reference to time point to a different time altogether. I'm GUESSING this story is taking place in the 80's or 90's - but I'm still not at all certain. So if you're about to read this book, which is interesting (so far), albeit a bit self-indulgent, remember: it's taking place in modern times. With that in mind you won't end up totally frustrated.
Rating:
Summary: suspending disbelief
Review: Although this novel took a long time to get into, it became a story of a murder with the guilty ones narrowly missing prosecution at every step. I found myself on the edge of my seat trying to see who would finally break. All of the characters began to lose their strong alliances and each one could have turned them all in...still could. You have to suspend disbelief in the Hobbit, in Lord of the Rings why not here? Some discomfort was provided by the fact that there were no heros but what finally happened was not a let-down. I look forward to The Little Friend because the author has a talent for making a book more than just entertainment.
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