I have it, but, haven’t started it yet.

Wow. All the reviews are quite abysmal; it's sad when movie makers ruin a pleasant book. The NYT's review gave me a great idea why I might fully avoid the movie. :/

I lLOVED the first 2/3 or so of the book, then it took this weird (unnecessary imo) tangent that really ruined the book for me.

I really liked the book, especially the first half. Her writing is fantastic and absorbing, though too long-winded in parts. I did skim over most of the drug and alcohol use because it was too repetitive and depressing, but stayed up till about 2 a.m. to finish the book and find out how everything turned out.

SPOILER:

I was so happy when Theo and Boris rescued Popper and that Popper was a recurring theme throughout the book and didn't die. :)

I was unaware of it until I heard them talking about it on the radio. I will probably have no interest in seeing the movie, but I think I'll put my name on the list at the library for the book.

Did anyone else also read The Secret History?

sushipup, I haven't read The Secret History. Is it any good? I started reading The Little Friend, but couldn't quite get into it. Might try again though.

I often consult with Goodreads before jumping into a book. For Goldfinch, there are many polarized opinions about the book. I wonder why?

I'm a huge fan of Donna Tartt. I really enjoyed The Goldfinch, but The Little Friend is my favorite. If you listen to audiobooks, you may enjoy her narrating True Grit.

I adored The Goldfinch. One of my favorite books ever. I am so sorry they made such a mash of the movie. I won’t go see it because I want to remember the story as written in the book. I enjoyed The Secret History, too.

Another huge fan of Donna Tartt. I have read all three of her books and got The Goldfinch when it came out. DH just finally read it as he wants to see the movie which from the ads I am expecting to be pretty terrible. the book is so complex that it is hard for me to imagine how you could make a movie of it. When you read her beautifully written work you have to accept a sort of alternate universe to appreciate the story line. There is no real reason for Theo to act as he does in any rational world and the same can be said for the other two books. I did sort of bog down in the last bit but became reconciled to it as a necessity to resolve all the complexities of the book. Dickens will come to mind in that everyone and everything always gets tied together in a Donna Tartt book.

I started to read The Goldfinch, but didn't enjoy it well enough to continue.

I think a Donna Tartt book challenges you in ways that other writers may not. They are never easy reads. The experience is not necessarily enjoyable. It is engrossing. If that isn't what you want or it doesn't do that for you then it isn't going to do. There is no right or wrong way in a book. I used to read anything I started because I figured I must be missing something but life is short and if it doesnt meet your needs move on is what I say these days.

Many a writer or artist has trouble knowing when something is *finished*. When I start skimming, I know *I* am finished with a book. I'm no fan of 'tidy endings'. When an author has 'said everything'...why keep mulling it over? Let it stand.

The reviews of the movie are very close to the way I would review too much of the book -- "simpering" is one descriptive.

Absolutely loved it....................until, as someone earlier stated, about 2/3 of the way. It just seemed as though she forgot what she was writing about. It ended up OK, but still was disappointing.

I loved The Goldfinch and The Secret History (undoubtedly the best "campus" novel ever written) but I hated Tartt's second book, the name of which I can't even remember.