The Secret History

Mancada reviewed A História Secreta by Donna Tartt

Tava ruim, parece que piorou

2 stars

O início desse livro foi dureza. O narrador (Richard) chega na universidade e fica fascinado com um grupinho de pessoas ricas que andam de terno e estudam grego antigo, e faz de tudo pra entrar no tal grupo. Tem uma coisa de classe, porque o Richard é filho de pais que precisam trabalhar, e parece achar que esses colegas ricos do curso de grego tem a vida que ele gostaria de ter.

Pra mim, tudo que ele dizia sobre esses caras que ele achava o máximo só me fez achar eles muito ridículos, fazendo um grande esforço para parecerem desconectados de tudo que acontece no mundo contemporâneo - em certa parte um deles diz que nunca ouviu falar que o homem pisou na lua.

O final também é difícil de engolir, porque aparentemente passaram-se anos, e o Richard (que participou de um assassinato, poderia ter sido preso ou pior) continua …

O início desse livro foi dureza. O narrador (Richard) chega na universidade e fica fascinado com um grupinho de pessoas ricas que andam de terno e estudam grego antigo, e faz de tudo pra entrar no tal grupo. Tem uma coisa de classe, porque o Richard é filho de pais que precisam trabalhar, e parece achar que esses colegas ricos do curso de grego tem a vida que ele gostaria de ter.

Pra mim, tudo que ele dizia sobre esses caras que ele achava o máximo só me fez achar eles muito ridículos, fazendo um grande esforço para parecerem desconectados de tudo que acontece no mundo contemporâneo - em certa parte um deles diz que nunca ouviu falar que o homem pisou na lua.

O final também é difícil de engolir, porque aparentemente passaram-se anos, e o Richard (que participou de um assassinato, poderia ter sido preso ou pior) continua amando essas pessoas e sonhando com saudades daquela época. No começo tinha a desculpa de ser um jovem de 20 anos meio abobado, no fim não mudou nada.

Acredito que se você está gostando da imersão em uma ficção não se importa de ler 500 páginas sobre qualquer coisa, e também não sou contra histórias de gente ruim, mas o que eu vi aqui foram muitas páginas de pessoas metidas a inteligentes passeando, bebendo, tendo ideias estúpidas, e diálogos que não contribuem pra torná-las mais interessantes nem pra avançar uma história. No meio do livro eu fui ler outras coisas e quase desisti de voltar pra terminar.

Elias reviewed The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The Secret History (Goodreads)

4 stars

Content warning General spoilers

Like all my other reviews, I'm writing this just as I finished the book (at 2am, since I don't know how to keep normal hours).

So, to begin, this book is not at all what I expected. I saw it mentioned several times on the dark academia side of tumblr and vaguely heard there was an important mentor figure in it, so I figured that it was worth a shot. If not for the content, then to know what all the hubbub was about. I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when there was two murders, substance abuse, and a suicide in it. This is not to say I didn't enjoy the book, it definitely earned its four stars, but I was not at all expecting what I got.

To begin, this book has a nice balance between discussing classics and getting on with the actual plot. The scenes focusing on an author or passage of classical literature are relevant to characterization of whichever character is the focal point of the scene and aren't too dense. I am nowhere close to a classics nerd and I was able to understand and appreciate many of the references and passages. The scenes, especially before Bunny's murder, were rich with detail in all the right ways. I found myself thinking about the universe of the book outside of the time I was reading, which isn't something that happens often anymore.

After Bunny's murder, things dragged a bit more for me. The chapters were quite long and often felt like they were repeating themselves, so things could occasionally get boring. This would change near the end, especially around the times Charles started to spiral and Julian found out about Bunny's murder. It was nearly impossible to put down the book after that point. As a small note, I'm glad Richard didn't get with Camilla. I've read enough fiction where the main character gets the object of their affection.

To close this review, I just want to share a passage from the book that left an impression on me:

"Henry," I said. I wanted to say something profound, that Julian was only human, that he was old, that flesh and blood are frail and weak and that there comes a time when we have to transcend our teachers. But I found myself unable to say anything at all. He turned his blind, unseeing eye upon me. "I loved him more than my own father," he said. "I loved him more than anyone in the world."

There are few people more important in a budding academic's life than a particularly great mentor, so this particularly pulled my heart strings.

ATMmachine reviewed Secret History by Donna Tartt

Cold, calculating fiction.

5 stars

Everything about this book is perfect, the writing flows beautifully and the plot is abhorrently complex. Donna Tarte pays perfect attention to events in the story, you can look back after all is revealed and see when these events happened, and what's most pleasant, is that it is hard to figure out why exactly the Murder takes place but you can still piece the story together just before all is revealed. The extensive reference to classical literature was a delight for me. Overall a thrilling read which I would recommend to anyone.

Lavina

rated it

Nov. 24, 2022