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Original poster

Have you read The Little Friend by Donna Tartt?

49 replies

aloha · 15/03/2004 11:15

I finished this last night and am soooo disappointed by the ending - I got through 555 pages for WHAT? Does anyone else feel like me? I want my money back!

OP posts:
WSM · 15/03/2004 11:21

I've read it too and agreed that it was pretty pants, in fact I'm just about to auction off my copy on Ebay.

sykes · 15/03/2004 11:22

I can't be bothered to finish it - and after your comment won't. Shame, I really enjoyed The Secret History.

noddy5 · 15/03/2004 11:23

I have beentrying to get into this for a couple of weeks and it still hasnt grabbed me

Original poster
aloha · 15/03/2004 11:26

I loved The Secret History, but this feels like she had terrible writers block, had a great start but didn't know what to do with her plot or characters and just rambled until she ran out of steam. It feels to me as if the last chapter is missing or something.

OP posts:
Thomcat · 15/03/2004 11:30

Oh! Was just going to start it this week. Don't think i'll bother now! Thanks for saving me from it

dinosaur · 15/03/2004 11:33

I've just started it, but then started re-reading Possession for the Book Club thread, so have put it down temporarily. DH was a bit disappointed by it though. Loved The Secret History.

CountessDracula · 15/03/2004 11:37

I agree Aloha, was v disappointing after The Secret History. Don't think I bothered to finish it

kaz33 · 15/03/2004 11:46

I read it all but kept thinking why am I bothering? I can't even remember what it was about, other than snakes featured in it rather a lot.

hoxtonchick · 15/03/2004 12:01

I'm about 100 pages in, & quite liking it so far, but I've had an interlude to read a couple of other books so it hasn't gripped me that much. So far the biggest problem I have is that it's too big to carry around so I read it before I go to sleep & only manage a few pages so it's taking me a long time to read which is boring. Might give up now though!

hercules · 15/03/2004 12:05

Enjoyed Secret History. I read over half of Little Friend and kept waiting to get in to it but gave up and starting rereading Emma- far superiour imo.

Batters · 15/03/2004 13:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
aloha · 15/03/2004 13:33

GIVING AWAY ENDING ALERT!!! DO NOT READ IF STILL READING IYKWIM!!!

Batters - the bit about how the bloke was rescued from the water tower after jumping up and down for TWO DAYS - I mean, really. What rubbish. And what was the meaning of Allison's dreams - never explained. And if I read one description of being trapped under a house near a dead raccoon, I must have read 100....

OP posts:
milkbar · 15/03/2004 15:50

SPOILER ALERT

I was also disapointed and irritated by the ending. I also wanted a 'proper' ending and to find out who did it. I wondered if I'd missed a big clue or suggestion about who the murderer was?

hercules · 15/03/2004 15:51

So you mean you don't???

So glad didnt finish it.

Batters · 15/03/2004 16:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Posey · 15/03/2004 20:30

We fans of The Secret History waited 10 years for this. What a disappointment
She should have gone down in history as a one hit wonder IMHO.
Had a spell of reading disappointing books that I'd really been looking forward to. The other BIG let down was Barbara Vine's The Blood Doctor. I have loved all her previous books but after 150 pages of boredom and MIL telling me it would get no better, I gave up. Life's too short.

Girly · 15/03/2004 20:46

Have to agree with all of you, was very dissapointed by the ending, even checked to see if I had some pages missing, so who do you all reckon did it, i think it was Ida...

Grommit · 15/03/2004 20:59

I loved Secret History but just couldn't get into The Little friend - ashamed to say I did not finish it...

Bron · 15/03/2004 21:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Evita · 15/03/2004 21:21

I just finished reading it 2 days ago but unlike just about everyone here I really LOVED it. The ending did confuse me a little but mostly because I'd become so attached to Harriet that I wanted to find out what happened to her. It's been one of those books, for me, that have rather haunted me since I read it. I also read Secret History which I wasn't that keen on, I found it dry and a bit tedious, but this one had such a strange, chilling atmosphere and I thought the fact that the logic of it was written primarily from Harriet's perspective (12 years old, remember) it was very compelling.

lucysmum · 15/03/2004 21:53

I loved it, also loved the secret history. It is about the only semi-serious book I've been able to focus on since DD2 was born a year ago. Normally I give up after a few chapters and go back to magazines or fall asleep after a couple of pages.

Original poster
aloha · 15/03/2004 22:07

Posey - you are me. Also really p*d off by The Blood Doctor. Evita - the jumping up and down..the dreams... the hiding under houses with dead animals...how could you???? It was a swizz. WHO KILLED ROBIN??? Why is it called The Little Friend? Who is the Little Friend?

OP posts:
mammya · 16/03/2004 00:09

Well I really enjoyed it too, was gripped by it from the start, but also found the ending disappointing. I would have liked to find out who killed Robin and the meaning of Alison's dream. Really liked the Secret History too. Was that really 10 years ago? My, how time flies...

katierocket · 16/03/2004 07:23

I didn't like it either. I was sooo excited about getting it after reading The Secret History but was thoroughly disappointed.

bossykate · 16/03/2004 08:23

aloha, posey - but did you guess the twist before you gave up?

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