The Goldfinch

If you're expecting a book with a clear "point" or philosophical message, this might not be the book for you.

That being said, this is an excellent book from a storytelling perspective. Seeing Theo's entire life journey unfold really makes you care about both him and the other characters. I will definitely re-read this just to relive the story again.

Mostly when I read books I have some sort of idea where the author is going and what point they are trying to make, but not with this book. It just seems to meander on and on. I felt I had to finish it but was left with a disapointing sense of ‘Is this really it?' I don't have a problem with depressing books or emotionally scarred protagonists but I didn't really find this book had much of an emotional resonance, perhaps because I found the narrator quite annoying, particularly with the ham-fisted philosophy. Theo didn't develop as a character, he just seemed to stay 13 in my head, probably because of all the drug taking. It ended up feeling a bit like reading a rather pretentious YA novel with added drug addiction.

I bought this book at the reduced price of 99p at Christmas time not because I had a burning desire to read it but mainly based upon the reviews previous readers had accredited it with and the fact it sounded intriguing.

When I began reading I wasn't quite sure what to think, it was based in present day to begin with which was strange to me as from what the blurb had said it had to me suggested a slightly historic time frame. It begins in a hotel in Amsterdam with main character Theodore Decker clearly in some significant trouble and talking about how he feels responsible for the death of his mother.

From this point we are taken back to 13 year old Theo's world and the day of his mothers death which we learn is not his fault but leads to an act on Theo's part which will shape his whole future and a chance meeting with a stranger which will lead him to people who will become very important to him.

This book is a masterpiece in 700 pages, it has dark points and is a gritty read. It's characters are shade and light, as exemplified by the character Boris who is Theo's best friend. A Russian illegal immigrant with a propensity for drugs and drink who leads Theo down some very dark paths. He is also Theo's saviour at points and a true friend. There are a real variety of characters throughout who flit in and out of Theo's life bringing our story through a multitude of varied and often nail biting scenarios.

This is a book not for those uncomfortable with ongoing pages about gratuitous drug and alcohol use. I began to get a little weary of it at points but it is central to the storyline. It is a book which at points pulled me along so fiercely I wanted to shut myself away in a room and just read and read till I had absorbed it all.

It is not the best book I've ever read, it didn't fit my normal genre but I have a distinct feeling it will have imprinted itself on me more deeply than many books I've read so cleverly was it crafted and so different from other novels in it's telling. I was tempted to give 5 stars but felt unfulfilled by the end almost willing myself to have a happy ending that never came.

I think this was my first fictional autobiography. It dragged a bit, in places, but overall it was an interesting and (mostly) entertaining read. But, y'know? The end really grated. The whole thing was full of soooo much angst, and in the end? All wrapped up so nicely and neatly and positively and innocently and legally. And annoyingly.

I'm 2/3 through and really hating this book. I'm really tired of reading about the misadventures of this little psychopathic junkie who never makes a good decision. At this point, I really detest the protagonist and don't much care what happens to him.

So, I guess that the “goldfinch” symbolizes Theo, who is bound by his addictions and trauma. Is that about it? Otherwise, Tartt has written a novel that reads as if it were co-written by Dickens and Dostoevsky, with the most annoying qualities of both. Double the bathos, double the prolixity.

I've read books about antiheroes that were worthwhile and enjoyable. This one is not. In the beginning, I sympathized with Theo because of his trauma. By the midpoint, though, it became clear that Theo's character disorder is inborn and not a result of his mother's death. He is simply a weak, addictive, sociopath just like his father. Hard to see any redeeming qualities.

The endless, pointless minutiae of the writing cries out for editing. This story might have made a good short story. It's a miserable novel.

I know that, based on the reviews and the awards, many people will disagree with me. I'm extremely puzzled about the highly favorable reviews. Of course, I'm also puzzled about the popularity of reality TV, which involves millions of people hanging on the shenanigans of detestable people. Coincidence?

I was going to give The GoldFinch 4 stars but the last 200 or so pages just dragged on and on and I was fairly disappointed with the ending to tell the truth.

Theo is a great character, he's likeable and I liked his realness. I just felt bad for him throughout the first 3/4 of the book, up until he made a very terrible decision over and that is when I started hating that stupid little painting. Why Theo? Why? And Boris - dude, what the hell??

Anyway, Donna Tartt makes very believable MALE characters. I feel that the female characters weren't fleshed out as much as the male characters. But she is a very talented writer and very brave for putting so much death into this story - I thought I was reading George RR Martin for a second, with every character she kills off.

The Goldfinch was totally not what I was expecting at all. In fact, I don't think I even knew a single thing about it before I picked it up - it's sat on my bookshelf for near on 4 years waiting for me to get started but I was always reading something else. I'm glad I finally got around to it but the massive 800 pages were a little much and it could have been around 200 pages shorted in my opinion.

This book is not perfect, but I loved it. Sure, it may have been overly long (Amsterdam...), but I whipped through it in a week, never wanting to put it down, always wanting to get back to it. The last 10 or 20 pages really blew me away; I felt profoundly moved by Theo's summing up of what he's really learned in his life - that nothing is really black and white; that art and magic and love live in the in-between space between “reality” and illusion. No truth beyond illusion. The few flaws I can see in it seem almost purposeful - as if Tartt left in some parts that could have been polished up or shortened, to reflect Theo's final worldview. I'm glad I read this book every day for a week, as I've heard from others that it took them a while to get through to the end. Being so immersed in it for seven days made the experience much richer.

This is a dark, beautiful, intriguing novel. Theo Decker is telling you through his life from the day his mother died tragically. His life goes trough mostly a dark path (drugs, alcohol). We do get sucked in each step of his life until he reaches adulthood. You see through his eyes in extraordinary detailed, the people, the scenery. At times, this book is depressing but you just keep on reading. A remarkable read.

I'm ditching. I've read most of the ending, and some of the stuff in between, but I'm really tired of the Goldfinch angst and the bag of pills. Nice to see Boris back, but not enough to make it to the end. All that said, I read the first 500 pages in one big gulp, something I haven't done in years so there's that. Plus, Boris and a great portrait of Vegas suburbs (and ‘burbs in general).

3.75*
I understand why Stephen King liked this so much, characters with a lot of background story, ‘unnecessary' details and lots of plot (relevant or not). Some parts of this book I absolutely loved and other parts I had trouble dragging myself through. In the beginning of this book I was very excited and hopeful, this lasted during most of the Las Vegas parts, but soon after my interest started going down. I did like the parts with Hobie and a lot of the time spent with Boris but even they weren't enough to keep me really excited. This review might not sound too satisfied with the book and in some ways I'm not, but what I value a lot in this book is the style of writing and the story overall. That is why I rounded up to 4 stars.

(I have also seen the movie. It's pretty accurate but was not all it could have been.)

The Goldfinch is a very good book that achieved some very high accolades and has led to some pretty crazy debates about how lofty of a tome this truly is and how worthy it is of our praise.

I'll admit that I was a bit taken aback at just how popular The Goldfinch became, considering that Tartt's previous books, The Secret History and The Little Friend were very good, but never sparked such passionate debates in the literary world. I had enjoyed both The Secret History and The Little Friend enough to where I'd recommend them to a friend to read, but I'm not sure that I'd ever say that they were my favorite books.

The first few hundred pages of The Goldfinch are easy to get enamored with; Tartt paints a vivid picture of Theo's world and the tragedies that ensued and the language feels well-crafted and polished. I'm not sure what happens, but eventually that feeling begins to wear off and I found myself reading another Donna Tartt novel, which is absolutely not a bad thing. The narrative is rather straightforward and while well-crafted, there are times as the book moves on where it feels less special.

She is able to build this anxiety and fear over what will become of Theo early on, with him making mistakes as children his age are prone to do, which eventually leads to an adulthood that he was never properly prepared for. At times I was delighted at the attention to detail and awareness involved, like Theo's relationship with Boris being very subtly on that line between best friend and lover or how Theo's relationships with Mrs. Barbour and Hobie were special to him, but he was unable to ever find a way to express it.

Everything was building up to an interesting conclusion when the book kind of ran out of steam near the very end and coasted in to the finish on fumes. That's okay, it was still a very good book and very much worth your time. Stop complaining about the length and just enjoy the ride.