The Goldfinch in What's the Name of That Book???

Oct 23, 2013 Joanie rated it it was amazing

It kills me to think that it could be another 10 years before Donna Tartt's next book. This book is almost 800 pages and yet there are no parts that drag, nothing that felt superfluous. Theo is so lost and broken it hurts. Still gathering thoughts. ...more

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Nov 09, 2015 Tressa rated it liked it

Shelves: audio, general-fiction

I really don't have much to say about this book. I listened to it on audio (the narrator, David Pittu, does an excellent job with all the characters' voices) and it started out in an interesting, believable, tragic way, and then kind of snowballed into some silly, mafioso kind of action, totally overshadowing the humanity at the center of the story. I really didn't care too much for the characters, except for Hobie, I really liked him, and although the book is well written it just doesn't make m ...more

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Jul 06, 2015 Greta rated it did not like it

Shelves: books-i-hated

I wanted to like this book, but I didn't. The main character (a teenage boy) reads as a 40 year old white woman with continual references outside of the boy's age and culture. Yes.... while I do get the mother connection, I felt that very important gender and age aspects of Theo's character were completely annihilated. Sometimes, efforts to explain this anomaly seemed linked to forced, annoying reminders of his status as "mentally gifted". As someone who has worked with teenagers and "mentally I wanted to like this book, but I didn't. The main character (a teenage boy) reads as a 40 year old white woman with continual references outside of the boy's age and culture. Yes.... while I do get the mother connection, I felt that very important gender and age aspects of Theo's character were completely annihilated. Sometimes, efforts to explain this anomaly seemed linked to forced, annoying reminders of his status as "mentally gifted". As someone who has worked with teenagers and "mentally gifted" students....this character was completely unbelievable to me. Aspects of this book seemed completely self-indulgent to me. Cultural references often seemed forced with an arrogant sense of pride...."look what I notice here". The characters seemed extraordinarily flat. The general "culture" of Theo's life seemed appropriated to me. Read to me like a "dark" novel of descent written by an Ivy League graduate of privilege who likes art history.
A fatal error for me was that this book was written in the first person... if a book is written in the first person I need to feel that person. I felt the author, not Theo. I think it would have been much, much better in the third. There were some truly great concepts in this book, concepts I will remember, that's part of what frustrated me so much in reading it. The book felt ruined for me. What had excellent potential (I enjoyed the beginning!)soon deteriorated.
In many school classrooms this poster hangs on the wall: "Great writing doesn't tell, it shows". Too much of this book told and didn't show. My favorite part of the book was the last several pages... here we are told important ideas about what the painting and book are about.... I wish that those ideas were shown in the book instead of told to me. As far as this book winning the Pulitzer Prize?...makes sense to me. As I stated earlier the book read as an Ivy Leaguer of privilege...same demographics(conceptually if not literally)as Prize judges. In a nutshell.....this book came off as very contrived to me.
Finally, for me this book would translate much much better as a movie. I may have even liked it as a film. It wouldn't have seemed so horribly contrived and actors could have given life to the characters. The imagery while coming off as contrived in the book, I think would appear much more favorably in film. The film could simply show. ...more

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Jan 10, 2014 ScottK rated it really liked it

The two of her books that I have read, have simply been amazing. Its like indulging in a reeeeaaallllyyyy dense chocolate dessert. There are times when you may not want to eat the whole thing, but it's just too good to stop eating. Donna Tartt has a way of subtly immersing you in her world by making you slowly sink into her words and writing style. I will say that this one took a bit longer to seduce me than Secret Histories did, but in the end it was worth every second. ...more

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Jul 16, 2015 Heidi rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction, audiobook, abandoned

Pretty brutal. I liked the first 1/3 of the book, but I feel like this book could have been written in about 1/3 of the words. It feels very self-indulgent and its depressing without any promise of a payoff in the end.

I am ridiculously frustrated with the protagonist, who is incredibly selfish and seemingly without any redeeming qualities at this point. Just can't do it anymore. Abandoning this with the last third of it to go. Life is too short to spend any more time with Theo and his horribly ...more

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May 13, 2014 Liz rated it really liked it

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - most of the time. The last third got me down a bit, largely because the "suspense part" dragged on too long. While the book is lengthy, and at times I confess to skimming a little bit during extensive descriptive passages, it did not strike me as "too long" until that last third. And even then, I'll grant that the uncomfortable waiting and desperate hope for some resolution was putting us right there in Theo's shoes.

I was impressed with the writing. Prior to read ...more

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Oct 27, 2013 Ellen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

"Who was it that said coincidence was just God's way of remaining anonymous?"

From the beginning of this book, when he survives a bombing in a New York art museum that kills his mother, Theo Decker is adrift in the world. He is anchored only by the one thing he took with him from the wreckage of the bombing, a small, yet world famous, painting of a goldfinch which he hides and protects almost religiously. The bombing and its aftermath haunt Theo for the rest of his life and the longer he keeps th ...more

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Jan 19, 2014 Leslie rated it really liked it

Loved reading this book...got caught in the story and the characters...a rollicking, tumbling read...the only reason that I didn't give it 5 stars is the length...it started to feel a it cumbersome....not that I dislike long books, per se....but, this one could have been trimmed without taking away from the glorious, expansive story. ...more

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