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A review by mariel_fechik
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
5.0
I'm not really sure where to begin with this. I'm late to this book, having for years put off recommendations from friends, glancing every now and then at the cheap paperback copy gathering dust on my shelf. But I finally bit the bullet. Disregarding personal feelings for a moment, I think it goes without saying that this book is, by definition of the five star mark, amazing. And yet it seems to need saying, for many despise this book - though I'm not really sure how anyone can deny how sheerly amazing this piece of writing is. There is, after all, a reason it won the Pulitzer.
This book is written almost to excess. It's grandiose, endlessly descriptive, and seems to spare little in terms of Theo's detailed account of his own suffering. I understand that this can be exhausting to people. But if you're willing to steep yourself within this near-800 page tome (or in my case, the 32 hour long audio), it can be an incredibly rewarding and immersive experience. I lived with Theo in my ear for only a little less than two weeks, in part due to the hours I spend at work or in the car on a weekly basis, but also because of the addictive nature of this story - despite the darkness that continued to deepen throughout. David Pittu's narration rendered Theo real, and his perfect characterizations of Boris, Hobie, Xandra, etc. made this book feel truly alive.
This book is full of art and suffering and bad decisions. Theo is not always a sympathetic character, but this is what drew me to him - that in the end, despite the enormity of his failings, I was rooting for him. I felt love towards him, as well as towards every other flawed character in this book. Not to mention the fact that James Hobart is one of the most endearing characters I've ever read. The darkly glimmering world of art and shady dealings and violence and drugs juxtaposed with the clean brightness of Park Avenue, the gilded frames at the museum, and Mrs. Barbour's coolness makes this book so rich and so engaging. There aren't enough words to describe Donna Tartt's words.
It seems so odd to me that it's over now, that I don't have more of Theo's story to hear. I think that it will be in my head for a long while.
This book is written almost to excess. It's grandiose, endlessly descriptive, and seems to spare little in terms of Theo's detailed account of his own suffering. I understand that this can be exhausting to people. But if you're willing to steep yourself within this near-800 page tome (or in my case, the 32 hour long audio), it can be an incredibly rewarding and immersive experience. I lived with Theo in my ear for only a little less than two weeks, in part due to the hours I spend at work or in the car on a weekly basis, but also because of the addictive nature of this story - despite the darkness that continued to deepen throughout. David Pittu's narration rendered Theo real, and his perfect characterizations of Boris, Hobie, Xandra, etc. made this book feel truly alive.
This book is full of art and suffering and bad decisions. Theo is not always a sympathetic character, but this is what drew me to him - that in the end, despite the enormity of his failings, I was rooting for him. I felt love towards him, as well as towards every other flawed character in this book. Not to mention the fact that James Hobart is one of the most endearing characters I've ever read. The darkly glimmering world of art and shady dealings and violence and drugs juxtaposed with the clean brightness of Park Avenue, the gilded frames at the museum, and Mrs. Barbour's coolness makes this book so rich and so engaging. There aren't enough words to describe Donna Tartt's words.
It seems so odd to me that it's over now, that I don't have more of Theo's story to hear. I think that it will be in my head for a long while.