For the month of October, my book club decided to read The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. We were all a little concerned about this (mostly for the length), but decided to give it a try. In case you haven’t heard of this book, it was the 2014 Pulitzer Prize winner. Many people have been fawning over it. Many people haven’t. I’m just a humble book blogger and reader, but I thought I would share my reasons about why you should and should not read The Goldfinch. As always, these lists are entirely my own opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree, or to share your own opinion of these books.
Why You Should Not Read The Goldfinch
- The swearing. There’s a lot of it. A lot.
- The drug use. There’s quite a lot of that, too. Including some pretty detailed descriptions of his highs and withdrawals.
- The length. 770 pages. That’s not a small commitment.
- Not much happens. True, there are some very action-packed sequences. But in between that, not much happens. It takes Tartt five pages to describe something that could have taken five sentences. So, yes, the book could have been about half as long.
- It’s hard to cheer for the main character, as he makes some rather questionable decisions.
- The drug use. There’s quite a lot of that, too. Including some pretty detailed descriptions of his highs and withdrawals.
- The length. 770 pages. That’s not a small commitment.
- Not much happens. True, there are some very action-packed sequences. But in between that, not much happens. It takes Tartt five pages to describe something that could have taken five sentences. So, yes, the book could have been about half as long.
- It’s hard to cheer for the main character, as he makes some rather questionable decisions.
Why You Should Read The Goldfinch
- It’s a Pulitzer Prize winner. Check it off your list.
- The writing. It really is wonderful.
- The plot twists. Characters from the beginning reappear at the end in surprising ways. All the scattered threads come back together impressively.
- The research. Donna Tartt clearly spent a long time researching every possible detail she could include.
- The last 15 pages. The part where Theo actually learned something about his life.
- The writing. It really is wonderful.
- The plot twists. Characters from the beginning reappear at the end in surprising ways. All the scattered threads come back together impressively.
- The research. Donna Tartt clearly spent a long time researching every possible detail she could include.
- The last 15 pages. The part where Theo actually learned something about his life.
As you can see, the lists come out about equally. It’s really up to you to decide what your biggest considerations are when choosing a book to read. I can only hope that my lists helped. Please feel free to share your thoughts, whether you’ve read The Goldfinch or not, in the comments!
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