Secret History

Rating:
Summary: Better than ICE CREAM in June!
Review: While the story primarily takes place in the winter, it's a great read anywhere anytime! I was captivated by the narrator's simple yet elegant narrative style, that hooked me from the very beginning. And if you've ever been to New England (and even if you haven't), Tarrt does an excellent job of submersing you in that world all over again. A wonderful thrill full of the twists and turns that real life should have.

Rating:
Summary: A Remarkable Work of Imagination
Review: I just spent the past few days reading The Secret History and found it to be one of the most remarkable imaginative works in recent American literature. While Tartt's characters are not likeable,they are vividly rendered leading a cloistered, cliquish enactment of Dionysian nihilism in a modern-day small New England college. The novel reminds me of John Fowles' The Magus, mystery being a predominant atmosphere of its story line. While the story is a little long, the writing is wonderful and the only real weakness is the epilogue, which seems stilted after the wonderfully imaginative world of the story itself. Ignore the Kirkus review; it obviously was written by someone with little imaginative or stylistic sensors.

Rating:
Summary: Far Too Long!
Review: Although this book is beautifully written and the author obviously has a marvellous grasp of the English language, I found this book far too long and drawn out. I got half way through and found to my surprise that everything (and by everything I mean the two murders) had happened and I was left thinking 'what else is she going to write about'. I unfortunately also predicted the ending but nevertheless I had to read until I'd finished it as I don't like to give up on a book. Not bad but not the best book I've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: The best novel I've ever read.
Review: I can't say enough about how fascinating this book is. I guess the best compliment I can give it is that this is the book that made me want to be a writer, because I wanted to write something that amazing. Fascinating characters, beautiful prose, an intense plot. Everybody I've given it to loves it. A great read.

Rating:
Summary: A brilliant and original work of art!
Review: I TOTALLY disagree with the Kirkus and other reviews which imply literature is somehow 'unworthy' if the subject matter or characters are unappealing. On the contrary, this type of writing is the substance of classic literature (think of the Inferno, think of The Duchess of Malfi, think of The sound & The Fury, think of any book that really shook you by the collar)and Tarrt's novel is exemplary. The plot, the pace ... the whole structure and execution of The Secret History is superb. Original, non-formulaic and brave. I am flabbergasted by all of the negative review criticisms I have read, and wonder if these people just like to cosy up with Danielle Steel.

Rating:
Summary: This is a depressing book about decadent people.
Review: Although this book received excellent reviews and has been touted as a wonderful novel, I was not as taken with it as I expected to be. It was far too long. Two hundred pages could have been deleted with no loss to the narrative. There were no likeable characters, nor was there anyone with whom I could identify at all. This book is populated with narcissistic, amoral, lazy and self-destructive people. I was mildly interested in how the plot would play out, but I was easily able to put it down several times before the ending. The author's cynical view of human nature is extremely depressing. If she is making a comment about the nature of certain young people in our society, and if she is correct in her views, then we are in deep trouble indeed. I wish the novel had been tighter and more focused. Although at times the author's writing style is graceful, lyrical and even touching, these positive points are mitigated by the book's length, which makes it tedious to finish. I wanted to like this book, but it did not meet my expectations.

Rating:
Summary: devastatingly beautiful
Review: After reading this book for the second time in seven years, I'm still enthralled in the same awe-inspiring way. Though Ms. Tartt inspires me to write, her work kills me with its unsurpassable beauty. I can't think of any writer who can match her today. Donna, don't listen to the critics - they just don't understand. Please come back.

Rating:
Summary: Tangible inspiration to escape "the stupids"
Review: The Secret History is a brilliant debut by authress Donna Tartt. She provides readers with a glimpse into the lives and development of a group of the academic elite and the by products thereof (i.e. Cloke Rayburn et al.). Tartt romanticizes the experiences of a traditional, although somewhat dramatized (it is fiction after all!), higher education complete with verdant lacrosse fields, Socratic methods, and the love of intellect. This appreciation for the intellect and all things erudite convinces the reader to fall in love with the intellectual-which the novel provides a modicum of choices...(I especially liked Camilla: "lying on a bed eating chocolates," etc., etc.,...)

Brilliant Work!

Rating:
Summary: Pretentious Junk
Review: The slimy corporate maneuvering which produced this "writer" in publishing was as unwholesome as the one which produced that related creature in "music" Brittany Spears.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't stop myself.
Review: I read this book years ago now and I still remember it as one of the few books I was powerless to put down.