Sylvia Swann answers “A lot of reviewers have called this book...”

Ami asked this question about The Goldfinch:

A lot of reviewers have called this book "Dickensian." What is it about The Goldfinch that reminds everyone of Charles Dickens so much?

Sylvia Swann Dickensian in many ways, the degree of detail in the settings and objects for one. Dickens give us enough details to clearly envision the people and p…moreDickensian in many ways, the degree of detail in the settings and objects for one. Dickens give us enough details to clearly envision the people and places we're reading about. Tartt does the same. Like Dickens, she has lots of interesting characters that we have to figure out; who's well intentioned and who are the bad guys. Also like Dickens, we are looking at class and the various social stratum. The New York setting lends itself beautifully to this because it requires such a large spectrum of classes. Last but not least, we have our young protagonist who's scraping and scrabbling through these people and places. He's on his own trying to find his way.(less)

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