The Goldfinch: Donna Tartt

'The Goldfinch' is a huge book of nearly 800 pages. It is the engrossing and engaging story of Theo a damaged young man whose life alters after a random act of terrorism that leads to the death of his devoted and loving mother. During a visit to an art museum 13 year old Theo encounters a dying elderly man and in a split second an impulsive act shapes his future. After staying with a school friend and his dis-functional but wealthy family, Theo meets the mysterious Hobie the business partner of the decreased man from the art museum. Theo's life is thrown into further dis-away when he moves to Las Vegas to live with his alcohol dependent father and his chaotic partner Xandra. With no steady parenting the lonely and vulnerable Theo befriends the all too worldly Boris. Boris leads Theo on a self destructive journey towards drug abuse and self harm. Quite simply 'the goldfinch' is a breathtaking masterpiece. Theo who i feel can be viewed as an anti-hero is almost like a modern day version of Oliver Twist. The writing is pure and at times the pace is fast and exciting, the portion set in Amsterdam almost has a Quentin Tarantino quality . There is also a bittersweet love story at the core of the story that is at times heart rendering . The character of Theo is totally believable. almost a morality tale the Goldfinch really manages to explore how a flawed individual's destiny can be shaped by a string of events and encounters . My only criticism is the book is too long in places with some over written passages that seem to go no-where. We also do not see enough of Pippa who is also left traumatised by events in her childhood and lasting injuries from the bomb attack. Pippa's story is never fully explored apart from a tender evening spend with Theo close to the conclusion of the book. Was the book Worth waiting 10 years for?, i think so as it is probably one of the best novels of 2013.

I picked up this book with slight trepidation, thanks to both the sheer size and the way in which the blurb and what I knew about the author just screamed Worthy Literary Work. I've read both of Tartt's previous works. I loved the Secret History, but found the Little Friend to be a bit of a drag. The things I'd heard about the plot of this one didn't really grab me, so I was expecting to drag myself through it and emerge at the end feeling virtuous and fully primed to participate in literary dinner party conversations. Almost from the first page, it became clear that my fears were unfounded. This is undoubtably a serious and heavy novel in both its style and its themes, but underpinning all the literary references, narrative flourishes and meditations on art and life is a fundamentally good story that's enjoyable and compelling to read. Tartt may be able to write beautiful prose (very much in evidence here) but she's also able to create a plot that sucks you in and characters you care about - aspects that I sometimes feel too many acclaimed authors have a tendency to neglect. I won't rehash the plot here as both the section at the top and many other reviews do a good job of that, but one thing that struch it's utterly far-fetched nature. It starts with the premise that a boy accidentally steals a priceless painting during an explosion in a museum that kills his mother and builds on that until things are in danger of becoming absurd. However, it's testament to the author's skill with words that however many international art criminals are introduced or however many bizarre coincidences occur, I was completely able to suspend my disbelief. Aspects of this book strongly reminded my of Great Expectations, and let's be honest, the plot of that classic is pretty ridiculous when it's considered in isolation from Dicken's characters and prose. Ultimately, I'd rather read about international heists than ordinary lives, but far too few modern, serious books are willing to embrace the dramatic. Some reviewers have commented that it was either too long overall or that certain sections dragged. On one level, I agree, but it's a sign of how much I enjoyed this that I was quite happy to drift along through page after page of teenagers self-destructing in Vegas. The length, and the time taken to build characters and set the scene, really fit with the overall style the book seemed to be going for, and though certain scenes or chapters weren't strictly necessary, they helped to contribute to the whole. Again, the author seemed to be taking Dickens, or perhaps even classical Russian novelists as her model and it generally worked. If I had any complaints with this book, it would be that firstly, despite my positive comments above, some of the plot twists and coincidences tested my credulity slightly. Secondly, despite all the interesting ideas along the way, it ultimately felt slightly empty to me. I didn't feel that the either the plot or the underlying themes really reached a meaningful conclusion. Still, I'd highly recommend this. Don't be put off by the length or the aura around the author. This is both a technically impressive novel and a genuinely entertaining read.

I am so happy to have discovered Donna Tartt, and specially, THE GOLDFINCH. I adored this book. The writing is a masterpiece. The way the author magically blends ideas into words with no cliché at all, is pure beauty. I feel as if I were just discovering the different sensations that words can create. I loved it not because of the story but because of the writing. I am not saying that the story was not interesting. However, the beauty of the ideas, the development of the characters, very specially THEO, BORIS and PIPPA (loved HOBBIE but I feel he was like a pillar, so maybe the only one which we do not see evolving, and that because he had already reached this calm state). I truly believe that ANY STORY has a limit, humanity, individuals, have gone through a limited number of stories sort of. However, the BLENDING of IDEAS, of these mere stories INTO WRITING IS JUST INFINITE. And that is how the same story or stories can be told in so many ways. But only a true genius is capable of going out of himself or herself and view things in such a unique way as THE GOLDFINCH depicts.

Amazing book, loved it

This book enticed me in. Stunningly beautiful prose, the way things are written set the scene both visually and emotionally. The story was a curious one, guarding a painting is almost not the focus at all, but everything that happens around it. I really was touched and cried at many parts, invested as I was in the characters loves and losses. Makes sense as you get to know them so deeply, you feel as if you truly met them at sometime or other. I put this book down stunned, feeling like a simpleton and wishing more than anything I could write half as well as Tartt, just to express how wonderful the book truly is. If you're a worldly curious person interested in the inner dreams and motivations of people unknown, this is for you. If you need to be led to the point immediately, you should probably pass, as this takes you the long way round, but for me it's well worth taking.

I bought a paperback one right after I finished reading it on Kindle as I wanted to understand it better and I loved all the characters in the book. It is worth reading multiple times.

Ainda não li, mas queria mostrar como é a versão econômica