secret history,,,Donna tarrt, read it? What dis you think?

[deanychip]

Im plowing on.

is it worth continuing?

I loved it.

In fact, I loved it so much it is on my shelf of much loved books that get read again and again!

Hated The Little Friend. I was so disappointed by it.

deanychip - ploughing? Surely not? I could have read it one sitting. In fact, remember deliberately not getting off tube once to keep going to the end of the chapter. Fantastically gothic story and, iirc, very good stylistically as well (but haven't read it in about 14 years...).

I hated the Little Friend and had bought Secret History from Oxfam at the same time and have never read it yet as I gave up on the Little Friend half way through (on my sister's advice as she'd got to the end!) Maybe i'll give it a read then after all...

I also loved it and never felt that I was ploughing on - I was hooked by the first page - and if I remember correctly the the fact that Bunny is killed at the end is revealed at the very beginning? It was the why that had me hooked. I also hated the Little Friend.

I have just read a novel called The House at Midnight by Lucie Whitehouse, which has been compared to TSH, but is a pale imitation in my opinion.

bluebump - the Little Friend is very different. I thought it was brilliant the first time I read it, not quite as outstanding the second but readable enough.

I loved Secret History.
I read it in one night, sitting up at a table in a flat in Edinburgh and finishing about six in the morning. I was transfixed from the beginning.

moulesfrite - I read the House at Midnight too and thought it was PANTS.

Loved it and Little Friend.

Hated it. Boring, pretentious and utterly unbelievable.

I loved it, read it this summer and will probably read again some time soon.

Totally loved it! It is in my Top Ten of Books of All Time. But we are all different. We are all individuals...

I recently re-read it and loved it as much the second time!

Blimey, Bink - don't! I suspect that you don't switch off your critical faculties with the consummate ease I do!

I thought it was tedious, irritating rubbish, I'm afraid. I haven't read "The Little Friend".

Just so as to be a bit different to all the marmite responses ... s'OK It grows on me actually - better for me on rereading.

I remember loving it, but that was about fifteen years ago... but I'm glad to have been reminded of it. Will have to give it another go and see if my 42-year-old self is as entranced as my 26ish-year-old self. I read The Little Friend, but can't remember what I thought of it, which says it all, I guess.

Absolutely loved Secret History (read in one sitting) loathed The Little Friend. Couldn't believe they had been written by the same person.

LOVED it - and yes it is pretentious, but wonderfully so!!

oh yes i loved it.

i am another rare liker of little friend.
i walk past the french one in library every visit (there aren't many french readers in my area) it is called 'le petit copain'.

compare and constrast to 'lovely bones' donna is so much better. would put martha grimes (cold flat junction etc) over either of them for that sort of thing.

Loved it.
I quite liked Little Friend- I think she's good at creating that heavy Southern atmosphere.

and fishie- agre about lovely bones- Donna Tartt puts it in the shade. ( Couldn't see all the fuss over the tim traceller's wife either...)

OOhhh-a am going to find Martha Grimes- I haven't read her- thankyou

Martha Grimes very prolific isn't she?
The titles are familiar too.

I loved it too, I read it recently after it was discussed on a Book Theif thread a while ago. Took a little while for me to get in to but after that really enjoyed it.

Loved it.

Tobias Hill - The Hidden sounds strikingly similar from the Grauniad's review on Sat. so am thinking about ordering that from the library for comparison.

I enjoyed Secret History. Read it without any expectations and was pleasantly suprised.