The Secret History in Around the World in 80 Books

Apr 25, 2015 Elizabeth rated it liked it

I loved the first half of the book, which sets up a fantastical, mysterious world of intellectualism, elitism and the kind of nerdiness that could only be understood by people who say their idea of a fun time is spending a day at the museum. It name drops classical literature references in a convincing enough way, and perfectly captures the rarefied mindset of a certain type of romantic, but in a more modern and relate-able setting. And as the story progresses, I enjoyed seeing the fantasy, delu ...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Sam rated it it was ok

Shelves: 1-contemp-literary, reviewed, setting-school, young-person-protag, read-2013, y-dark-academia

This had the ingredients to be an engrossing read: a cozy New England college campus: secret society-ish setup, dark secrets, shit going terribly awry. But it turned out to be just plain boring, containing surprisingly little depth. What would have been interesting was plumbing further into that event, (view spoiler) that triggered it all. Or just as worthwhile would have been exploring more deeply, the guilt, or lack of guilt, in the individuals who had a h This had the ingredients to be an engrossing read: a cozy New England college campus: secret society-ish setup, dark secrets, shit going terribly awry. But it turned out to be just plain boring, containing surprisingly little depth. What would have been interesting was plumbing further into that event, (view spoiler) that triggered it all. Or just as worthwhile would have been exploring more deeply, the guilt, or lack of guilt, in the individuals who had a hand in the murders. What does this say about what being cloistered in one’s own over-privileged world can do to people? This could have been examined further. Instead we are treated to some really banal, pedestrian episodes that are really a waste of time, like the motherfucking pointlessness of (view spoiler) or the hackneyed melodrama between the characters as the threads of their relationships started to fray.

If we don’t get character development for most of the clique, who are paper thin—even the ringleader, Henry, who gets a lot of ink—we could have at least had some signs of life from our narrator, Richard. And yet Richard’s an automaton the entire time; we see him discovering secrets and being stunned by revelations, but not really processing it, changing from it, or revising his understanding of the world from it.

Furthermore, what’s the point of building up Professor Julian Morrow at the beginning of the story, if he barely shows up the rest of the time? Near the end Richard attempts to explain to us why Julian is so significant, why his good opinion of them mattered so much; but all this seemed so shoehorned into the story.

To what end? I pushed forward hoping that the answer, the whole point of this story, would be revealed. But there was nothing beyond the conventional. A wholly unsatisfying story.

I was drawn to the book because there is so much reverence accorded to it as a model that’s inspired subsequent novels employing the same tropes of secret societies and precocious young people doing Very Bad Things. And I’ve heard many, many readers proclaim that they love the book so much that they’d re-read it often. Though I don’t agree with this love, I’m glad I read it to see what all of the fuss was about.
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Dec 17, 2018 Susan rated it it was amazing

Just as amazing as when I read it the first time!

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Jun 01, 2014 Andy Plonka rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: src

I have already read Tartt's The Goldfinch and can see how she got from this novel to that one. At first I thought it was almost the same novel,similar characters and similar problems, but my vision changed about halfway through. With the exception of lengthy scenes involving drug or alcohol induces reveries, I enjoyed Tartt's exposition of academic life. ...more

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Dec 31, 2013 Saima rated it liked it

Shelves: library-book, ebook, mystery, 2015, year-of-mysterious-reading

The problem with the perfect murder is that you simply can't tell anyone about it! ...more

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Jun 07, 2017 Grace rated it liked it

I thought it was a 5-star book when I first read it when I myself was in college. It taught me so much. I felt so erudite. Studying classics?! What could you do with such knowledge? The sheltered medical student asked herself.

15 years (?my goodness!) later, I found it meh. Now I learn about the themes, the characters. I'm disturbed by how gross all the characters are... ...more

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