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9781400031702
Overview
Overview
Donna Tartt, winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for her most recent novel, The Goldfinch, established herself as a major talent with The Secret History, which has become a contemporary classic. Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and forever, and they discover how hard it can be to truly live and how easy it is to kill.
- Format: TradePaperback
- Author: Tartt, Donna
- ISBN: 9781400031702
- Condition: New
- Dimensions: 8.05 x 1.00
- Number Of Pages: 576
- Publication Year: 2004
Customer Reviews
Rating Snapshot
5 ★
73%
4 ★
9%
3 ★
18%
2 ★
0%
1 ★
0%
11 Ratings
9
9% Would Recommend
1 Recommendations
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THE SECRET HISTORY
Kate A. - 1 month agoDonna Tartt manages to create a cast of characters that are both extremely unlikable and unforgivable in their actions, while also being lovable at the same time. I found myself repulsed by the main characters at times, while also feeling for them. We follow Richard as he navigates a small college in New England where he meets a group of eccentric ancient Greek students. He is immediately drawn to the circle of friends, especially Henry Winter, the unofficial leader of the group. Donna Tartt's writing is eerie and nauseating at times. She throws you into scenes and leaves you there (sometimes for too long) to fend for yourself. While The Secret History revolves around a murder, said murder is probably the least interesting thing about the book, and is so unimportant to the rest of the prose that it's almost comical. Instead, obsession and lust take center stage with sharp claws that latch on and don't let go.
HPB Staff Review -
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
Would RecommendJune M. - 7 months agoA very intricately told story with six main characters: Richard, the storyteller; Camila; Charles; Henry; Francis; and Bunny. The story is compelling from beginning to end. Very well written, complex, and the characters are endearing. Would highly recommend this book.
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College fun gone bad
Ashlie N. - 5 years 7 months agoI love literary friendships, and one of my favorites is between Donna Tartt and Brett Easton Ellis. If you've read The Rules of Attraction you may remember a passage with the one off line about the group of inclusive students studying classics at a nearby college. It's one line and it's easily lost if you don't realize that The Secret History is about those students. Don't worry, there's a one off line about the insufferable party students at Camden in this book. The Secret History takes a group of students who are all close and pushes them to the edge of what any friendship can endure. One night changes the course of their lives irrevocably and leaves them haunted beyond what most could ever endure. This book is not light, and it is not happy. It is however a great read, and if you loved Tartt's The Goldfinch I suggest you give this one a try.
HPB Staff Review -
THE SECRET HISTORY Will Live with You Forever
Bobby u. - 6 years agoTHE SECRET HISTORY debuted in 1992 but, for me, it seems like only yesterday. Donna Tartt's hypnotizing writing style with such beautiful language and detail with relatable, powerful characters set in a New England private college town make this book of captivating twists and turns a must read. You'll find out what happened on page one, but you will not want to put down the book until you find out why it happened. #BannedBook
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Donna Tartt novel
Laura R. - 6 years 3 months agoStrong characters who you thought you could predict the behavior of but you were still caught off guard. Even though you knew an event was about to happen it still brought a sense of shock. I enjoyed the setting and the twists and turns along the way, kind of a coming-of-age story but college kids in my day were NOT this mature or corrupt.
HPB Staff Review