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The Secret History, Donna Tartt

  • 20-04-2009 9:00am
    #1
    Amazotheamazing
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,048 ✭✭✭


    Can't believe that this book comes highly recommended. Tartt is an excellent writer but the book itself isn't well written. The plot meanders and the characters are impossible to either like or care about, but so vapid and listless, you can't be bothered hating them either.


Comments

  • #2
    zenmonk
    Closed Accounts Posts: 413 ✭✭zenmonk


    Yeah, I read this a few years back and it is definitely overhyped. Well written but the characters are vapid and not very believable. Still, not a bad book.


  • #3
    doonothing
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,745 ✭✭✭doonothing


    My favourite book of all time... Different strokes eh?


  • #4
    Amazotheamazing
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,048 ✭✭✭Amazotheamazing


    doonothing wrote: »
    My favourite book of all time... Different strokes eh?

    Really?

    What did you find good about it?


  • #5
    doonothing
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,745 ✭✭✭doonothing


    Pretty much everything you didn't! I thought it was incredibly well written.. I didn't find the plot to meander too much, like you said, I thought it was extremely well structured. I loved the characters, though vapid they most certainly were. I thought they were meant to be unbelievable to keep in with the greek-tragedy-esque style of the events and character's actions...

    I always find it a lot easier to pick something apart that I don't like rather than defend something I do like, so I will probably be "outdone"* by you in this discussion, but I loved it :)

    *not that it's a competition or anything!


  • #6
    Morzadec
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,952 ✭✭✭Morzadec


    I thought it was brilliant and it would be up there as one of the best books I've ever read.

    As for what I liked about its hard to say because I read it 5 years ago when I was 16, but I just remember being totally absorbed and engrossed by the characters and the world that was created and the protaganists descent into it.


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  • #7
    TheDrog
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 515 ✭✭✭TheDrog


    have to say I read this book a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. I thought it was well written, liked the characters and didn't find it meandered at all


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