The Secret History by Donna Tartt - worth persevering?

[cloudsss]

No spoilers please. I’m nearly half way.

I loved The Goldfinch and this is so raved about I was really looking forward to it and now I’m a bit underwhelmed. Persevere or admit defeat?

It's one of my favourite books of all time so yes, I would say persevere. But I don't remember finding it hard work at all, even from the start.

I think if you don't love it now you should stop. Just not for you right now. Maybe you have to be a student or early 20s to be in that mindset.

One of my fav books ever!! That being said life’s too short to read a book you’re not enjoying so I would stop!

It's a massively popular book , I hated it.
I loved Goldfinch though.

I absolutely loved the Secret History but admittedly it's a good 20 years since I read it and I'm now worried, after reading some of these posts, that if I tried to read it again it would be ruined for me.

Makes me think of Dead Poets Society, which was one of my favourite films growing up. I thought it was sooo inspirational. Watched it recently and my only thought was 'wow, Mr Keating is a really irresponsible teacher.'

The joys of ageing...

I know what you mean.

I rewatched the film 'Failure to Lauxh' recently and am now firmly on the side of Matthew McConaughey character's parents. 😁

I've just read it recently (based in part on the rave reviews on here) and I thought it was just OK. Beautiful writing but very slow, the characters can be annoying and as someone said upthread its definitely the self indulgent view point of student thinking!

😂😂😂

Someone needs to start a thread on this subject. Last thought and then I promise not to derail this one any further:

Sleepless in Seattle. 14-year-old me: this is the most romantic story ever told. 40-year-old me: Tom Hanks needs to get a non-mol.

I think it’s brilliant and have read it several times, but I first read it when it came out and I was young then! I think it’s her best book. It does have moments of over-pretentiousness, but so much to make up for it. I found the story and the character progression absolutely gripping. Agree with pp that the funeral is a highlight, ditto the get-together with the ‘wacky cake’, the essay about Isaak Walton and John Donne - ‘oh Donne, I don’t want to drag him into this’ - so much brilliant dark humour.

@Sussurations I was chuckling to myself the other day remembering the essay's conclusion of the two great friends (who never met?) walking off into the sunset, or something like that! It is about five years since I last read it, so a bit vague on details, but that really stayed with me as a brilliant satire on self delusion.

I loved it but I felt a bit unsatisfied by the ending.

@stormy4319trevor that’s right, he finished it with something like ‘as we leave these chums on the sunny shore of yesteryear’ - and he triple-spaced it and said something like ‘looks kind of like blank verse, doesn’t it’ and one of the others says ‘looks kind of like a menu’. I chuckle to myself about that quite often.

One of my fave books ever. But I hated The Gold Finch and didn't finish it

😂Oh dear, I'll be laughing to myself all evening now, while the family wonders if I'm quite all right.