The Goldfinch
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4.1 • 428 Ratings
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION
Theo Decker, aged thirteen, is left alone in the world after surviving a catastrophe that kills his only close relative - his mother - and tears him away from everything he knows. Tormented by grief, drifting from home to home, he grows increasingly obsessed with a small, enchanting work of art which dominates his imagination and ultimately draws him, as an adult, into a much darker life than he could ever have foreseen.
'A masterpiece' The Times
'Astonishing' Guardian
'Superb' Daily Mail
'A gripping page turner' Independent on Sunday
'A triumph' Stephen King
'Dazzling' New York Times
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Moving and suspenseful, The Goldfinch (winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for fiction) examines the singular life story of Theo Dexter and his inextricable link to a mysterious painting. Donna Tartt, the critically acclaimed author of The Secret History, uses gorgeous prose to explore every crevice of her protagonist’s mind—from the trauma of his mother’s shocking death to his involvement in the art underworld.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Donna Tartt's latest novel clocks in at an unwieldy 784 pages. The story begins with an explosion at the Metropolitan Museum that kills narrator Theo Decker's beloved mother and results in his unlikely possession of a Dutch masterwork called The Goldfinch. Shootouts, gangsters, pillowcases, storage lockers, and the black market for art all play parts in the ensuing life of the painting in Theo's care. With the same flair for suspense that made The Secret History (1992) such a masterpiece, The Goldfinch features the pulp of a typical bildungsroman Theo's dissolution into teenage delinquency and climb back out, his passionate friendship with the very funny Boris, his obsession with Pippa (a girl he first encounters minutes before the explosion) but the painting is the novel's secret heart. Theo's fate hinges on the painting, and both take on depth as it steers Theo's life. Some sentences are clunky ("suddenly" and "meanwhile" abound), metaphors are repetitive (Theo's mother is compared to birds three times in 10 pages), and plot points are overly coincidental (as if inspired by TV), but there's a bewitching urgency to the narration that's impossible to resist. Theo is magnetic, perhaps because of his well-meaning criminality. The Goldfinch is a pleasure to read; with more economy to the brushstrokes, it might have been great.
Customer Reviews
good.
it was super long and got a bit uninteresting at the end with the way it was written. it was a good ending and definitely recommend just keep reading cause the plot was excellent. it’s obviously not for everyone but it’s one of my favourite books
Bored to death
Every time I fall for buying an award winning book I'm left swearing never to do it again. This book is no exception. I found it long winded and difficult to like any of the characters from the start. So many words but no clear descriptions of what happens or happened. I skimmed most of the end of the book as I was so sick of it and just wanted it to end...it didn't.
The Goldfinch
Compelling, exhausting, illuminating, emotional, beautifully written. The story has embedded itself into my soul.