The ending saved this for me. I kept feeling associated with the main character’s changes over the course of the book. Towards the end I felt like I didn’t really want to follow through to the ending, but I was really impressed with the beauty of the sentiments and conversations and closure that happens from Christmas onwards. There. Vague, but still direct. I would recommend it, and I expect I’ll return to the last pages more than once. ( )

Glad I stuck with it--nice, accessible literature. Very self-aware, but reads nicely, for the most part. A nice meditation on art, and the people who love its many forms. ( )

"It is a glory and a privilege to love what Death doesn't touch." ( )

signed and in slipcase

I read this physically, and it felt really long. I've heard Secret History is better but this won the pulitzer ( )

Oof. The book was profoundly disturbing but I could not put it down. Slogged through Theo's bad decisions. Slogged through the pages that desperately needed editing (descriptions were sometimes amazing, sometimes just eye-crossingly self-indulgent). Slogged through the inconsistencies and plot holes (don't give characters cell phones and then not have them use them). Then in the last few pages the whole story redeemed itself. Maybe it's just because everything was looking up...Glad it's over but glad I read it. ( )

This book should have been cut in half and it would have been fantastic. As it was it took me over 100 pages to really get into it and when I hit the 500 page mark I just didn't care anymore. I finished because it was for bookclub. ( )

This story follows a young boy who loses his mother and learns to navigate life on his own. It felt original but also reminded me of Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead, a retelling of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. These three books share that autobiographical style, blending linear storytelling with truths, omissions, and later reveals. It’s about how a young boy, Theo, copes with losing a parent, the people he learns to trust, and how he forms his moral compass in the face of the world’s injustices. Like Demon Copperhead, themes of drug abuse are heavy in this one. This book is slow and dense but also captivating, beautiful, and painful. Many descriptive passages might have been annoying in another book, but they helped me really picture the scenes. The sense of nihilism and beauty is so heartbreakingly captured, moving me to tears more than once. Theo grows in every way throughout the story, and his motivations are clear even from childhood. This is a serious, powerful book. It takes energy to read and is more upsetting than soothing, but I recommend it for its emotional impact. ( )

I spent months reading this book and I just can't believe it's over... I wish it had more pages now XD. But this was genuinely one of the most immersive experiences I've ever had with a book. Donna Tart's writing is impeccable. She makes sure that you get exactly what she wants you to know, be it background information about the environment or barely anything. I genuinely felt like I was living Theo's life along with him, and for that I probably will never stop thinking about this. The story is so complex yet so human, I don't understand why I haven't read this sooner. I tend to stick with fantasy and scifi books since that is what I know, but this book has single-handedly convinced me that I would love the literary fiction world aswell. But besides that, I will never get over Theo and his pretty little painting (to oversimplify it :p)
This may not be a book for everyone, but it was the book for me ( )

Too long! Good grief cut some passages to make it move a bit. ( )

I can’t get no sat-is-fac-tion, and I tried! I tried! Oh how I tried!

Nothing's working for me this week:

It started with [b:The Element of Fire|367334|The Element of Fire (Ile-Rien, #1)|Martha Wells|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348390178s/367334.jpg|357332], followed quickly by [b:The Last Dragonslayer|13316328|The Last Dragonslayer (The Chronicles of Kazam, #1)|Jasper Fforde|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346791460s/13316328.jpg|13380425], [b:Midnight Robber|71409|Midnight Robber|Nalo Hopkinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388256481s/71409.jpg|69154], then a genre switch to [b:Bandits|288992|Bandits|Elmore Leonard|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347689502s/288992.jpg|1048470], [b:Dark Digital Sky|23163889|Dark Digital Sky (Dark Pantheon Series Book 1)|Carac Allison|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1410048713s/23163889.jpg|42710043], Return, by Peter S. Beagle, [b:Birdology: Adventures with a Pack of Hens, a Peck of Pigeons, Cantankerous Crows, Fierce Falcons, Hip Hop Parrots, Baby Hummingbirds, and One Murderously Big Living Dinosaur|7059341|Birdology Adventures with a Pack of Hens, a Peck of Pigeons, Cantankerous Crows, Fierce Falcons, Hip Hop Parrots, Baby Hummingbirds, and One Murderously Big Living Dinosaur|Sy Montgomery|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1269473463s/7059341.jpg|7311151]and now The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Only pages into a few (Leonard, Hopkinson), a few I’ve read over half (Allison, Beagle) but almost all I intend to finish. But I’m considering throwing The Goldfinch in the DNF pile.

You know me–I don’t often give up on a book. Right time, right place and all that. But despite waiting forever for a library copy, I just don’t care. I picked up [b:The Bread We Eat in Dreams|17694319|The Bread We Eat in Dreams|Catherynne M. Valente|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364281599s/17694319.jpg|24732919] just a day ago, trying to wipe the residue of a nasty meeting away. At 1%, I have a significant portion of writing of “The Consultant” outlined, writing that is playful, erudite, and cleverly self-aware. I mention this because Tartt's much-glorified writing was painful in comparison. Full of colons and semi-colons as if it was impossible to finish a thought. By all accounts, I ought to love The Goldfinch. Elaborate passages, vivid descriptions of New York–-and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of my favorite places in the world–-and loads of character depth.

I still don’t care.

It feels pretentious and preening, self-aware in that extravagantly dismissive way New Yorkers can have, that “look-at-me” image that dismisses you as soon as you look.

And Theo, the lead character… I’m not warming up to him. Self-absorbed, noticeably lacking in empathy, he is the epitome of thirteen. Of course, Tartt could take him places, so I’ll keep reading. But I’m finding him hard to like, and with many Issues that seem self-generated, I really don’t care. Pity party of one, please–I’ll be leaving now.

I might be able to forgive the writing, since I do love a well-turned image, and possibly I could come to be interested in Theo, but I’ve just reached the scene of the explosion and Theo’s reaction, which seems so consciously contrived and artificial that the writing shouts Detailed Over-Explanation for Meaningful Stuff that Will Be Important Later.

I’m not saying I mind obvious, or contrived, but in this case, it starts to feel like three strikes: unlikeable narrator, pretentious writing, forced plotting.

I’m going to thank the library for giving me an out.

************************

The Goldfinch, part deux:

Tackling in larger chunks is working, spurred on partly by the library. Theo remains somewhat unlikeable, although I certainly have compassion. Still, I'm hearing strange echoes of [b:Less Than Zero|9915|Less Than Zero|Bret Easton Ellis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1282271923s/9915.jpg|1146200], which makes absolutely no sense.

The first 200 pages are NYC and it is just about exactly like a Dutch painting. Feel like I'm there, but it is dark and gloomy. Extremely realistic, but the subject matter is barely interesting. ( )

Ugh, damn me for always having to finish what I start - I should’ve just abandoned it. ( )

Well written with detailed visual imagery. Finding something positive in the middle of a traumatic situation keeps you hoping Theo will get past his loss. A long book that had some slow moving sections but overall kept me interested to finish. It’s a book that has you thinking about grief, guilt, and living on past a dramatic loss. I recommend reading this book.

“Caring too much for objects can destroy you. Only—if you care for a thing enough, it takes on a life of its own, doesn’t it? And isn’t the whole point of things—beautiful things—that they connect you to some larger beauty?”

This is a very sad story - about a kid who has a lot of tragedy in his life and doesn't handle it well. We go though early years in his life well into adulthood as he drifts and tries to understand the world and people.

And honestly, it wasn't fun. I kept waiting for something to happen. The story was well written and interesting, sure, but I kept wondering when the point of the story would show up. I'm glad I finally finished it but I did not enjoy this one. ( )

Couldn't put it down is an understatement. ( )

2.5 Stars

Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is one of those books that not only are you investing your hard earned money in you are investing a huge amount of reading time as this novel has just under 790 pages.

I rarely read novels that are more than 600 pages and if I do they really need to hold my interest and I have to be honest Goldfinch was a very long drawn out novel and the plot failed to impress me although I did finish the book but this was more out of my ability to stick with it than any great interest in how it would end.

There is a lot to admire about the novel as the writing is excellent and the characters are very well drawn and the sense of time and place is excellent. The first 100 pages were extremely well written and I was really engrossed with the story but then it just dragged on and on for me from there. I probably would have loved this novel if it was about two/three hundred pages shorter.

I really disliked constant reference to drugs in the story and I understand they belonged in the book but I got fed up of long descriptions of drug taking and types of drugs throughout the story. I was actually disappointed with how little the story was about the painting in the end.

The book fell down for me on the plot, just too many pages and not enough drama.

I know others have loved this book but this review is only my opinion and I would advise reading some of the 4/5 star reviews before deciding. ( )

I can’t say enough good about this story. I felt physical pains and felt so utterly connected to a character for (maybe, possibly) the first time. The audiobook was good accompaniment and gave a real voice to the cast of characters that I couldn’t discover on my own. ( )

This is one of those books I picked up because everyone was reading it or talking about it. I'm glad I did. It didn't keep me up all night to finish it, but I did find myself immersed in Theo's world and feeling or not feeling right along with him. The authors writing is simply sublime and reminds me why I love to read. ( )

Stunning. I didn't know what to expect going into this book other than the fact that it was really long and well received. This is a book that could be viewed as pretentious, but I really didn't feel that way. The story follows Theo from childhood to adulthood and revolves around his life as he deals with tragedies.

I don't know what else to say other than it is a beautifully written and the characters that surround Theo are colorful and without a real moral center. That may sound odd, but I mean it in the best way possible. No one is this book is perfectly good or bad--they are people with complex lives and motives.

I think the beginning of the book (probably the first half) was the better half, especially as you watch Theo as a child. The way it is written, you see and catch things that Theo observes as a child but you as the reader understand as an adult.

Overall, this is one of the best books I've read in the past few years and I think it will stand the test of time. I don't know if it will ever be read in schools across the country because of the language, but I hope it finds its way into some college literature courses. ( )

Much to long ( )

I thought it was OK. I'm not going to say that it was too long, but I wasn't a fan of it being *so* long. Even though I'm not as big a fan as some others, it was a great story with incredible writing. The pure amount of research that must have gone into a book like this is mind blowing. I look forward to Secret History. ( )

I was waiting to read this book for a long time. It was a nice journey through the childhood and adolescence of Theo and Boris. I've read comments about how people really dislike Theo and I was curious why because I really liked him as a protagonist - for about the first half of the book - and then I've realized that the dislike was real. But nonetheless, I've enjoyed this ride. Donna writes in a very curious, detailed way and I like it. I want to read Secret History as well.



small happy moments: I like how Ukraine, Romania, Jordan and Mexico (plus Amsterdam and Antwerp) were mentioned. I felt like I was back with my roommates from all of those countries and I felt like I was back in Amsterdam. ( )

I listened to the first 3/4 on audiobook while crocheting a blanket for Lilly and I think that was a great idea. I loved the narrator and I think listening to it really helped me get through some of the tediously descriptive parts (Vegas lol) and made me appreciate the beautiful writing more. In my heart, it's a five-star read, but my rating has to be honest—this book could have been about 400 pages shorter. It stuck with me much more than I thought it would though which is what redeems it. ( )

What I yearn for in a novel is a very long, beautifully written, but above all utterly immersive narrative. I want to be so involved in the characters and their story that I read for four hours, without noticing the time passing, without moving or remembering to eat. Not very many novels manage this - several are on my favourites list. 'The Goldfinch' did so exceptionally well, such that I read the latter 700 pages in a single afternoon & evening, curled on the sofa and forgetful of myself and anything I should have been doing. Reading should transport you somewhere else, utterly and completely, which this novel does.

I’ve previously read [b:The Secret History|29044|The Secret History|Donna Tartt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451554846s/29044.jpg|221359] by Donna Tartt and remember it being compelling, although not to quite the same extent. It had the same cool, collected, and yet emotionally intense style of writing, which she manages uncannily well, as if it was effortless. For some reason I was eager to read ‘The Goldfinch’, despite [b:The Little Friend|775346|The Little Friend - A Novel|Donna Tartt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327936589s/775346.jpg|1808852] holding no great attraction when it came out. Perhaps I read and absorbed a positive review of ‘The Goldfinch’? I definitely saw several people reading it on trains and was intrigued, plus the cover is beautiful. Nonetheless, the bare description of the story would not necessarily have seemed that interesting to me - the life of a boy called Theo Decker, who loses his mother in a tragedy and becomes obsessed with a painting of a goldfinch.

Yet I cared very much for Theo, who seemed a wholly convincing, sympathetic, and flawed person. The places that he lived and the people he met appeared real; I felt as though I was there. It is a magical feeling when a novel manages to take you out of reality like that. I can’t fault 'The Goldfinch' at all. I loved it and am sad to have finished reading it. From my experience, the true immersion effect only works the first time you read a book. A re-read can be rewarding in other ways, but is always more analytical and self-aware. That’s why I’m always searching for more novels of this calibre, few and far between though they are, for my next immersion in another world. ( )

Ah well! So that’s that! I read it. Phew!

What I loved:
• The story.

• The title that indicates not just the painting in the story but also works as a metaphor for the lead character Theo, who seems to be stuck in place no matter how much he tries to fly. It works brilliantly for the story.

• The emotions of the various lead characters who are so flawed and yet you can’t help connecting with them. Hobie was my favourite of the lot, but even Theo, with all his murky greys and Boris with his screwed-up Russian loyalties make a mark. (Making a mark doesn’t necessarily mean you will like them.)

• The writing quality, except for the length of the scenes, was excellent. The author’s use of analogies and character musings worked very well. It’s a character-driven novel from start to end.

• All the references to art. In my real life, I can’t make head or tail of paintings but I enjoyed reading the thoughts related to all things artistic in this book.


What I did not love:
• The looooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggg scenes. The Bombayite in me kept complaining “Kitna paka rahi hai!” (Sorry, my international friends, but this is a sentiment that can’t be translated to English.) At least 200 pages could have been docked off the final tally if the author were focussed more on completing what she set out to do than establishing literary merit.

• Too much of philosophising, which adds to the dragged feel.

• 32 hours on audio. Oh my dear God! I could have read 3 audiobooks in this time.


If I had read this a decade ago, when I was younger and had more time & patience to deal with a 700 pager, I might have rated it 4 stars. But at this stage, I can rate it a 3.5 at best. No regrets reading it, but I’m relieved it’s done and dusted. No FOMO. And no reread on my agenda for this book.



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