Book Review: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The Book

"Aged thirteen, Theo Decker, son of a devoted mother and a reckless, largely absent father, survives an accident that otherwise tears his life apart. Alone and rudderless in New York, he is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. He is tormented by an unbearable longing for his mother, and down the years clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, strangely captivating painting that ultimately draws him into the criminal underworld. As he grows up, Theo learns to glide between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love - and his talisman, the painting, places him at the centre of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

The Goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through present-day America and a drama of enthralling power. Combining unforgettably vivid characters and thrilling suspense, it is a beautiful, addictive triumph - a sweeping story of loss and obsession, of survival and self-invention, of the deepest mysteries of love, identity, and fate." Ref Booktopia

The Author

Donna Tartt was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, and is a graduate of Bennington College. She is the author of the novels The Secret History and The Little Friend, which have been translated into thirty languages.

Reviews

*"Few works of literary fiction will have been anticipated more than this hefty novel by an author already mythologised before she turned thirty thanks to her cult debut The Secret History. It's been more than ten years since her second novel, The Little Friend. Since then, she's been off the radar. Rumours have swirled, deadlines have slipped. Now Tartt is back and back in fine form, writing a dense, intelligent, complex and dark story about a small jewel of a painting that goes missing from the Metropolitan Museum following a bomb attack…Tartt has such mastery that she keeps you in her thrall till the narrative picks up momentum." Caroline Baum

Industry Reviews

*"A glorious novel that pulls together all her remarkable storytelling talents into a rapturous, symphonic whole and reminds the reader of the immersive, stay-up-all-night pleasures of reading" - New York Times - Michiko Kakutani

*"The Goldfinch is a triumph . . . Donna Tartt has delivered an extraordinary work of fiction" - New York Times - Stephen King

Our Review

WOW!
What a monumental read this book was, 771 pages in small print too. Most of our members finished it too! That says a lot about the book, that it held our interest through-out most of the story. It was a bit verbose in parts but the quality of the writing and the storyline kept us reading. Stephen King’s comments summed up the book for me. I would highly recommend it as a good read. The film of the book is now showing at The Sun Theatre, Yarraville but read the book first was the recommendation of two of our members.