The Secret History (Paperback)

~ Donna Tartt (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A misfit at an exclusive New England college, Richard finds kindred spirits in the five eccentric students of his ancient Greek class. But his new friends have a horrific secret. When blackmail and violence threaten to blow their privileged lives apart, they drag Richard into the nightmare that engulfs them. And soon they enter a terrifying heart of darkness from which they may never return.

About the Author

Donna Tartt was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, and educated at the University of Mississippi and Bennington College. She is a novelist, essayist, and critic. THE SECRET HISTORY has been translated into twenty-four languages.

Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd (July 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140167773
• ISBN-13: 978-0140167771
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #401,269 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "History" stays secretive, March 4, 2005

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Donna Tartt's intellectual thriller "The Secret History" was a rarity among the bestsellers of a decade ago: It was written with plenty of literate references, brimming over with the remnants of Greece. It's a flawed dark gem; there's a work of genius buried somewhere in the clumsiness.

Richard Papen somehow manages to get transferred from a culturally dead backwater in California, to the elite liberal arts college of Hampden in Vermont. Once there, he manages to get accepted into the tiny class of elite students who are studying Greek -- the charming gay Francis, obnoxious sponger Bunny, frightening super-intellect Henry and the beautiful, too-close twins Charles and Camilla.

At first, he tries to hide his impoverished origins and fit in with the beautiful, wealthy students who happily bounce off to Italy for vacation. But he soon learns that there is a dark edge to their love of ancient Greece -- the bacchanal, a barbaric ritual that ended in a man's death. And to keep the secret of that death, Richard will help his new friends kill again -- only this time, it's one of them who will die.

"The Secret History" is definitely a first novel. Donna Tartt writes with a sure hand and confidence, name-dropping just about every Greek and Roman scholar you can think of (also Milton and Donne for good measure). She has a way of writing that sweeps along in a tangle of beautiful words, glossing over the flaws those words have created, without losing the aura of Greek tragedy. It's less about the death of Bunny than it is about what his death does to the others. In short, this book is gorgeous. But it's far from perfect.

Her descriptions are almost peerless, very beautiful and haunted (mostly in keeping with the idea that "beauty is terror"). There are plenty of natural descriptions, from the snow in Richard's apartment to the stream Camilla plays in. Tartt certainly has the "you are there" factor in her ornate, detailed writing. The story is also impeccably paced, starting off slow and building up to the inevitable event.

Unfortunately, Tartt's details leave something to be desired. Her descriptions of the group are almost like a parody of elite college students. Why is Bunny talking about "old top," "old man," "chum" and so forth? Why does Californian Richard suddenly turn into a 19th-century preppie? Why is Francis wearing a pince-nez in the 1980s? And she goes way over the top in making Bunny "dislikable" -- he's a moocher, obnoxious, has a grating voice and is prejudiced against Catholics, Italians, gays, et cetera. It's as if his death has to be justified in Tartt's eyes by making him a huge pain in the butt.

Another flaw crops up in characterization. The little circle of students is shown as being coolly intelligent, cultured, and charming despite their fatal flaws. All other students -- all the "ordinary" people -- are coke-snorting, gauche, loud and stupid. Couldn't be some elitism there, could there? Richard is, unfortunately, a terrible lead character; he's not too bright, clueless, dull and self-pitying. His adoration of the rich, pretty and hedonistic never wears off. With the exception of the unfortunate Bunny, the others are intriguing rather than well-rounded, with their wildly varying personalities and hidden secrets.

Despite the elite literary edge, the core of "Secret History" is unsound. It's beautiful and has the touch of a classic, but sags under the author's first-timer clumsiness.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read, January 16, 2009

By	S. Laidman "skyshaper" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book first soon after it originally came out and have re-read it twice since then. It remains one of my favorite books. Tartt's writing is amazingly descriptive and the plot pulls you in. The characters aren't all together believable--their oddities make the book all the more interesting though. A fun, quirky, unique book that will make you stay up late into the night to finish reading it.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book...and I think it offers a little social commentary too, June 11, 2006

By	Alexander C. Zorach "Alex Zorach" (Lancaster, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I would not be as critical as the other reviewer. I think this is an excellent book, and I tend to be biased against best-sellers. Hidden in its over-the-top humor is a scathing critique of academia, particularly, academia as it plays out within the confines of a small liberal arts college.

The book is not really realistic; the characters are greatly exaggerated, extreme charicatures of a sort. The author creates a transparent sort of dystopia that could only offend people because it has a little too much truth in it.

Once I started reading this book, I could not put it down. This book is engaging, and although it is not one of the deepest books I've read, it does raise a few interesting questions to think about. There is something unique about the author's style, and her choice of setting and subjects, that I think makes this book worth reading. Plus, it's fun!