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The Goldfinch A Novel Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Donna Tartt 9780316055437 Books

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The Goldfinch A Novel Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Donna Tartt 9780316055437 Books

"The Goldfinch" deserves high marks for the sheer pleasure of reading it. In fact, I'd love to re-read it at some point, when I have the time to gulp it down hundreds of pages at a time, as I think that's how it deserves to be, and should be, read. Unfortunately, I started it at a time when I was insanely busy and only had time to read it 20 pages at a time, with an occasional 50 or so; however, I never lost interest in it and was always delighted to pick it up again (despite its weight!)

I heard Ms. Tartt on NPR or elsewhere talking about her love for Dickens, and her book honors him in untold ways. Aside from being a wonderful read, her evocations of New York City are in every way as brilliant as Dickens's of London (though I know New York far better than I do 19th Century London!). I am one of those people who don't like Las Vegas, and I haven't been to Amsterdam in years, but in both cases she captures what I remember (and both like and dislike) about both cities.

I wouldn't say the book is long on plot, but it held my interest through all but the last 25 or so pages. The hero, his tragedy, his peregrinations, and the fascinating, idiosyncratic people he meets along the way, were more than enough to keep me reading. As others have noted, the ending was somewhat disappointing - inconclusive and a bit pontificating - but in a way it was a suitable ending given all that had gone before.

As a postscript, I should point out that I was one of those people who did not like "The Secret History." Perhaps it was the fact that I read it as our daughters were going off to college, and the haughtiness of late adolescence (as well as the excesses in which the characters engaged and the horrible things they did) did not appeal to me. So when "The Goldfinch" started getting rave after rave, I was highly skeptical. However, it's a keeper - and by that I mean something that will stay on my shelves and, hopefully, be re-read.


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The Goldfinch A Novel Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Donna Tartt 9780316055437 Books Reviews

I did not like this book at all. All the drug, booze, swearing was just too much for me to overlook. Perhaps there is an element of society that lives this kind of life, but I really didn't enjoy reading about it. The dishonesty of most characters was so out of my comfort level.
I did not want to be one of those people who did not finish this book yet still trashed it. I did finish the book and I can tell you that there was not anything I can say I found enjoyable about the book. I have made it a goal to read at least one Pulitzer Prize winning book each year. I believe the reason this book won in 2014 was that Donna Tartt was obviously knowledgable about the drug culture and the art world. There was not a single character that I cared about by the end of the book.
Around 20 years ago I came across Donna Tartt's first novel, The Secret History, in a hostel in Tokyo, on a bookshelf where guests leave behind books for others to read. I fell in love with that book, have read it twice more since then (very unusual for someone like me who rarely rereads books), and recommend it first to anyone who asks me for a good book to read. While I really enjoyed Tartt's second novel, The Little Friend, for me it's The Goldfinch that comes close to evoking the level of passion I felt for her first work. Like the objects that Tartt writes about in the novel, this book is one that I will treasure. The book has characters that I feel have become friends, and relates a journey through life that puts my own in perspective. But I also appreciate how the novel reminds us how our individual encounters with art (and literature) can connect us with a sublime beauty underneath and beyond surface features, historical significance, or communal interpretation. It reminds us how a personal connection with things invests meaning in life. I think often about whether I'm making the best use of the time I have remaining. Tartt's book reassured me of the importance of art and literature in my life, and I'm glad I found a new treasure in The Goldfinch. I'm looking forward next to returning to The Secret History one more time.
This book held me spellbound from beginning to end. I didn't want to finish it but I couldn't wait to finish it to know the ending! The light for me in this dark story was Boris...his character was broken and a little scary yet he was such a strong character and had a loyalty and love for Theo the best he could given his circumstances. Even though Theo was truly the main character, Boris and Hobie were my favorites and the most dimensional for me. This is the only Donna Tartt book I have read but it was exceptional, the feelings it could evoke through the things that happened, how Theo waited for his Mom to come back to the apartment, the happiness when Boris was on the floor with Popper and he was so happy Popper remembered who he was...I felt like I was there with the characters and that's quite an accomplishment. Loved this book.
I don't understand why this book is so highly rated. I belong to a small book club that chose to read it adn 4 out of 6 give up on it. Those that finished were very frustrated. Not only was this book too long, it was unbelievable due insufficient character development. Things just sort of happened around people and they "changed" (not evolved) from chapter to chapter. There are many books I've not liked, but I have this crazy need to stick it out and finish anything I start. This is the first book in decades I gave up on. That should sum it up.
"The Goldfinch" deserves high marks for the sheer pleasure of reading it. In fact, I'd love to re-read it at some point, when I have the time to gulp it down hundreds of pages at a time, as I think that's how it deserves to be, and should be, read. Unfortunately, I started it at a time when I was insanely busy and only had time to read it 20 pages at a time, with an occasional 50 or so; however, I never lost interest in it and was always delighted to pick it up again (despite its weight!)

I heard Ms. Tartt on NPR or elsewhere talking about her love for Dickens, and her book honors him in untold ways. Aside from being a wonderful read, her evocations of New York City are in every way as brilliant as Dickens's of London (though I know New York far better than I do 19th Century London!). I am one of those people who don't like Las Vegas, and I haven't been to Amsterdam in years, but in both cases she captures what I remember (and both like and dislike) about both cities.

I wouldn't say the book is long on plot, but it held my interest through all but the last 25 or so pages. The hero, his tragedy, his peregrinations, and the fascinating, idiosyncratic people he meets along the way, were more than enough to keep me reading. As others have noted, the ending was somewhat disappointing - inconclusive and a bit pontificating - but in a way it was a suitable ending given all that had gone before.

As a postscript, I should point out that I was one of those people who did not like "The Secret History." Perhaps it was the fact that I read it as our daughters were going off to college, and the haughtiness of late adolescence (as well as the excesses in which the characters engaged and the horrible things they did) did not appeal to me. So when "The Goldfinch" started getting rave after rave, I was highly skeptical. However, it's a keeper - and by that I mean something that will stay on my shelves and, hopefully, be re-read.