Donna Tartt’s suspenseful and atmospheric 1992 debut novel is a murder mystery set at a private college in New England. I highly recommend this story to fans of Tana French’s The Likeness; both stories share a keen understanding of the dynamics of tight-knit groups of twenty-somethings. Tartt’s writing is character-driven, compelling, and stylistically complex. The Secret History is a bestseller and has a cult following. Tartt went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for her 2013 novel The Goldfinch.

Having struggled through "The Goldfinch", I decided to read this story due to the author's command of the English language and character development. The story provides tremendous insight into the thinking process of the elite viewed through the eyes of a 'commoner' coupled with darkness and incest. Tratt is a gifted storyteller and in my opinion this story is superior to Goldfinch in many ways. Having met someone that encountered her at a book signing, it comes as little surprise her characters come from old money, which I always find fascinating. Regardless this is a story well told and highly recommended.

Fantastic book. Well-developed characters and extremely fast-paced. Couldn't put it down. For anyone who likes well-developed and literate writing

One and a half stars because this isn't the worst writing I've ever read.

My wife and I think that Donna Tartt must have been homeschooled, never made any real friends until late in life, grew up watching old black and white movies with her parents, and reading dime novels and mythology from before 1960. Her History is written as if it takes place sometime before 1963, yet context clues place it much later. Her main character saw the moon landing on TV in 1969, and is only 20 when the story takes place. Since I did watch the moon landing on TV at age 8, I realize that I couldn't have been much younger and remember the event. My brother-in-law, two years younger, barely recalls the landing at all, and he was 6. So, if I give the character the age of 5, to be generous, that would mean they were born in 1964, which - if they're 20 now - puts the story in 1984. Yet, characters in the book speak of 1982 as if it's years ago, long long ago.

Bunny as a male name, the old-school style of dressing, the pretentious vocabulary, all leads one to think she really meant it for a much earlier time, but then we have a side character doing Jane Fonda's workout videos (mid to late '80s). I really couldn't tell if the author had actually lived through the time she was writing about, so we looked up her age - she's only two years younger than I am. Supposedly, we lived through many of the same events, but you sure can't tell it from her writing.

I'm supposed to be making notes in this book for a special project. So far, most of my notes are, "When was this book set???" Or, in some cases, the meanings of words I had to look up, such as 'carious' used to mean the after-effects of precarious, which isn't really an appropriate use of the word. I think the writer works at being pretentious.

I don't know Greek and only a bit of Latin, so I have had to learn to guess well on context whenever they speak "privately." The story is extremely slow-moving but I have to admit that it's dull mainly because nothing really makes any sense. College students don't dress like that, talk like that, behave that way, or do those things, anymore, and haven't for decades. It really is a lot like The Great Gatsby, except Gatsby was blessedly short by comparison. It also somewhat reminds me of The Talented Mr. Ripley. But, if you think about it, those were both pretentious, too - just pretentious within their time frames. If I didn't have to finish the book for my project, I wouldn't. I'm about 7/8 of the way through and just hoping that the ending gives some kind of meaning to the rest. For me, the mystery has not been the main event of the book, but the continual attempt to set a time period.

Donna Tartt's debut novel is hailed as modern masterpiece. This work of literary fiction may not be suitable for some, though. The story follows a group of young aesthetes studying classical Greek in a small New Hampshire college in the 90's. Their social bond consists of feelings of superiority over their peers, Greek literature, and wild romps in the country that lead to tragedy. None of the main characters are likable, but their story is compelling. Languidly paced, beautifully written. Lovers of language rejoice! This is a book for you. If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller, I wouldn't recommend this one.

Contrary to many others, I didn't find this book ponderous in the least. Instead, I enjoyed the realistic pace at which events steadily unfolded in retrograde and through recollection, and was completely glued to it. Richard as narrator is our counterpart as the reader: passive at first - more of a voyeur to the group whose relationships with each other and their professor cannot be known prior to our introduction - but soon enough a confidante in the circle left wrestling with what's been revealed. My rating was knocked down a bit because I was disappointed that Julian remains distant for the most part, like we can't really know him (although this does figure in later). I want to know about the students' experience with him up to that point and how his teaching set everything in motion. I just wanted MORE backstory and to know their relationships with the ancient Greek literature and culture that made up the core of their study... To speak to the connection between this work and The Goldfinch, I see it in Richard and Theo, in that they are kind of sophists moving in their adopted worlds; for Richard it is that of his well-off friends, and for Theo it is the world in general following the traumatic event that defined his life from that point.

Six students at an elite New England University for a tight-knit circle. But they have more in common than studying Greek.

I admit I could not stop turning pages and read this book in about 2 days, staying up until 2 AM both times. And, it's kinda a joke, I had to stop and laugh at a lot of parts just because of how absurd these snobby children's sense of superiority is. It's a bit sensational... The characters, suspense, and slow indirect plot revelations are really well done.

I gave her a high rating because this woman writes better than anyone else I can think of, but the book will not appeal to everyone. It is a story about unusual, amoral characters who exist in an amoral setting and who eventually do evil things. I didn't find any of the characters appealing and kept wondering throughout whether Tartt spent a year in research before she started writing, or whether she is just a strange Geek. I googled her and discovered she is the latter.

A dark, twisting story about murder, Greco-Roman classicism, and boarding school, this story is elevated to a sum greater than its parts by Donna Tartt's impeccable writing. None of the characters here are especially likable, but Tartt writes them so brilliantly you'll be instantly drawn in by them anyway.