The Secret History (1992)

Having previously enjoyed Tartt’s ‘The Goldfinch’ and bearing in mind the myriad of excellent reviews for ‘The Secret History’, I was looking forward to reading this, and I’m pleased to say that it didn’t disappoint.

The book is narrated by Richard Papen, a young man who leaves his dead end town in California to become a Classic Greek student at Hampden College in Vermont. He quickly becomes drawn into the friendship group of the five other students in his class. However, on the very first page of the book, before the story proper even really begins, we learn that things have taken a very sinister turn and five of the group have murdered one of their own.

Richard tells the story of what happened and why, from an undetermined time in the future, and in doing so describes the intricacies of the group’s relationships, everybody’s character flaws, and how their actions affect them all differently. It’s a murder mystery of sorts, but instead of being a whodunnit, it’s a whydunnit.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, especially the first half. At that point I thought that although it is only the first book I have read this year, it’s certain to be one of the best. I still feel that way, because even though things did slow down somewhat in the second half, I was still fascinated by it and looked forward to coming back to it each evening.

I’m somewhat surprised that this hasn’t been adapted into a film, as I could easily see it translating to the screen – if it ever is, I shall be in line to watch it. Meanwhile, if you haven’t read this yet, I highly recommend it. ( )

An extremely well written book. The setting and the characters were fantastic. Tartt really nailed the feeling of being in college in late fall, winter, and early spring. The characters were all extremely flawed, which made them feel real, and thus, they were very sympathetic. The unreliable narration was used brilliantly, and I think there will be a lot to uncover in rereads.

My only complaint is that it's really not described correctly. The book is described as 6 college student slowly descending into madness and evil. That's not really what happened at all. Still a well written book, but a bit disappointed because that description sounds awesome. ( )

Smart, gripping, and it had one of the funnier things I've read in recent memory as Francis and Richard try to speak in Greek as code on page 383 of my edition. ( )

This one was better than the Goldfinch because it didn't drag as much. The plot was interesting, but I see a pattern in her main characters. I guess if you find something that works, you stick with it. ( )

Donna Tartt's novel "The Secret History" is a hard book for me to rate. I actually enjoyed the story as it unfolded, but if I started to think about it too much, it sort of unraveled for me. (If you are concerned about spoilers, don't read any further.)

The story focuses on six students at fictional Hampden College who are studying Greek. I'm not giving anything away that Tartt doesn't in the opening pages -- most of them are also murderers.

The story was interesting and engrossing, but it doesn't really add up properly. Tartt's efforts to paint the one guy who actually didn't murder anyone as the bad guy kind of grated on me. And that the narrator's bit of medical training covered poisons and all medications, apparently, but not the fact that hypothermia exists or how to prevent it. I feel like Tartt missed the mark somewhat on with the narration -- was he supposed to be a sociopath?

At this point, I'm giving it a middling rating because I've started to think about it too much. ( )