The Goldfinch
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What year is it? Why the inconsistencies?
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Jinkies! I thought it might have been just me that was having issues trying to pin down dates for the settings in this book. Interesting that other people have pondered it too. Theo having his own cellph kind of threw me.
I really loved the book, one of my favourites I think.Personally, I don't think the inconsistancies matter, it was simply a collection of modern objects/fashions whatever that were included to give a rough timeframe. Whether or not the exact time frame was before or after Beyonce's children feels irrelevant when considering the intricacies of the novel as a whole.
Deborah wrote: "It took her 11 years to finsih this novel…she apparently does not write all that much. "Oy yoy. When you've written a novel that is this extensive, this in-depth in terms of character and plot, with settings in multiple locations in the United States and beyond, then you can talk about whether 11 years (or 13; what's 2 years between friends?) is too long to spend working on it. Apparently, you don't write that often yourself, since the spelling of "finish" trips you up.
It's funny that some of you have issues with 'inconsistencies' - the author gives you a clue why she's doing it - I'm not going to spell it but think: The anatomy lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt!! Theo's mum has a few interesting point on artist construction of reality, even Fabritius Goldfinch gets a mention. There's a huge difference between reading American Snipers to reading literature, the former doesn't ask anything of you unlike the latter, if you don't want to make the effort stay away from it
As I said before in an earlier comment - if Tartt’s consistencies were deliberate, they weren't deliberate enough. This is not a book of magic realism after all. Despite this, didn't any one else notice her sophomoric use of adjectives in the first 50 pages or the fact that she started some chapters with 70-word, and 120-word long sentences. Tartt tried to be Dickensian with the obvious name "Bracegirdle", but carried the Dickens nomenclature no further except for Pippa alluding to Pip from Great Expectations. Pippa’s character was an amalgam of that novel’s unfathomable Estella and Nell Trent from the Old Curiosity shop (which of course Hobie and Welty owned). Poor Pippa, she could have been a contender but her story line wasn't wrapped up properly. Neither was Kitsey’s. The Harry Potter thing - show me, Donna, don't tell me. Also, the first Harry Potter book was published in the US in 1998, a year before the supposed bombing took place, and not yet a phenomenon. I’ll stop here. It was the most badly-edited novel I have read. It felt as if Tartt was trying too hard on every single page. Irving, Drabble, Rankin, Byatt, all know how to write eloquent, complicated plots and take less than a decade to do so.
The author should have done her research when referencing pop culture, history, and technology. Also, I do not know of any schools that allow 13 year olds to take AP English as referenced. This was a. engaging novel but the inconsistencies left me distracted and bothered throughout.
Andy has an iPhone. The first iPhone wasn't released til 2007.
I noted the iPhone in my review and said that it indicates that the novel is set post 2007 so most takes place in an imagined near future.Another book ‘A Little Life’ from 2015 existing in a non linear time frame that was confusing regarding technology especially
Julie wrote: "Ummm...the book is a novel, so the author is free to jumble timing of actual historical events and popular culture at will. You can't call it a mistake when it's fiction."Since the time discrepancies have distracted so many readers for no known literary purpose, I think any author would call it a mistake to include them. I certainly wouldn't want anyone reading a book I wrote to be constantly wondering what year it was because of inconsistencies I wrote into the story. If it were me, I would definitely look back on that as a mistake.
The present-day story in Amsterdam must be set in 2009 or 2015 because these are the only years in which the 28th of December was a Monday. I would say the latter, because as you've pointed out the bombing at the museum (14 years before the main events) were probably after 9/11
William wrote: "Julie wrote: "Ummm...the book is a novel, so the author is free to jumble timing of actual historical events and popular culture at will. You can't call it a mistake when it's fiction."Since the ..."
Since the discrepancies distracted me from the book - it's a mistake. If Tartt wanted her writing to be avant-garde or magically real then she should have run with the idea not let the reader guess what she was trying to do. I noted the discrepancies in the margins and gave the book away.
Wondering if the empty Las Vegas development references the 2008 real estate crash?
Just read The Goldfinch and struggled with timeline; agreed with many comments made. Two data points I didn’t see discussed—Theo in Amsterdam talking to the consulate, she says call back on Monday the 28th of December…this occurs in 2015 or 2020. If Theo is 27 at this point, that puts the bombing in 2001 or 2006. I think 2006 since there was an argument while Theo is living with the Barbours about what movie to watch…Theo wanted to watch Hellboy, which was released in 2005.
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Hated it.....