The Goldfich by Donna Tartt - Review & Discussion

Seapheasant · Post by **Seapheasant** » 21 Jan 2014, 16:35

i am 3/4 of the way through the book, and one of the most striking things to me about it, is how well it , i dare say, 'promotes' the love of old master paintings and drawings. There has been so much hype of late, surrounding the contemporary art world, but this book asks us to take another look at the old masters like Rembrandt, Van goyen, Claesz, etc. i know there were long lines to see the actual painting by Fabritius of the Goldfinch, at the Frick in NY.
Donna Tartt has several passages in the book where the words of the art expert ring true. Does it make anyone else want to go to the permanent collection portion of their local fine art museum to look at the older works?

Fran · Post by **Fran** » 21 Jan 2014, 17:08

Seapheasant wrote:i am 3/4 of the way through the book, and one of the most striking things to me about it, is how well it , i dare say, 'promotes' the love of old master paintings and drawings. There has been so much hype of late, surrounding the contemporary art world, but this book asks us to take another look at the old masters like Rembrandt, Van goyen, Claesz, etc. i know there were long lines to see the actual painting by Fabritius of the Goldfinch, at the Frick in NY.
Donna Tartt has several passages in the book where the words of the art expert ring true. Does it make anyone else want to go to the permanent collection portion of their local fine art museum to look at the older works?

I'm roughly 60% into The Goldfinch & I know what you mean about the old masters. To my shame I'd never even heard of Carel Fabritius until reading this book.

Unfortunately I am at some remove from any art museum but at least I have Google .. not quite the same I grant you but better than nothing.

(I hope you don't mind my changing the title of the topic)

suzy1124 · Post by **suzy1124** » 21 Jan 2014, 18:13

Another one on my list...

S dot Lennon · Post by **S dot Lennon** » 24 Jan 2014, 22:35

This book made me want to buy an Art History book to become more educated on the subject. The way the characters mother talked about the style of the paintings and the artist made me want to dive into art. I really enjoyed this book. An interesting coming of age story.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » 25 Jan 2014, 18:16

First off let me say I loved The Secret History & The Little Friend but I have to say I was disappointed with The Goldfinch. Not that the story isn't a good one well executed but IMO the book suffers from a lack of editing and could have been about 200 pages shorter. I loved the analysis of great paintings and I really liked the detailing of the coincidences and accidents that dicated their survival for us today.
The book opens in a hotel room in Amsterdam and then moves backwards in time to New York and a major traumatic event that dictates the subsequent life of a young boy, Theo, and everyone associated with him. Following this event there is a description of the disordered condition Theo finds himself in which IMO is one of the most powerful pieces of descriptive writing I have ever read but the rest of the book was in many ways tedious reading and I honestly could not wait to get it finished.
I liked the story, I liked the characters but, for me, the book as a whole package suffers seriously from a lack of editing and for that reason I would give it a 3/5* rating.

gali · Post by **gali** » 26 Jan 2014, 00:10

Fran wrote:First off let me say I loved The Secret History & The Little Friend but I have to say I was disappointed with The Goldfinch. Not that the story isn't a good one well executed but IMO the book suffers from a lack of editing and could have been about 200 pages shorter. I loved the analysis of great paintings and I really liked the detailing of the coincidences and accidents that dicated their survival for us today.
The book opens in a hotel room in Amsterdam and then moves backwards in time to New York and a major traumatic event that dictates the subsequent life of a young boy, Theo, and everyone associated with him. Following this event there is a description of the disordered condition Theo finds himself in which IMO is one of the most powerful pieces of descriptive writing I have ever read but the rest of the book was in many ways tedious reading and I honestly could not wait to get it finished.
I liked the story, I liked the characters but, for me, the book as a whole package suffers seriously from a lack of editing and for that reason I would give it a 3/5* rating.

I loved the "The Little Friend", but quit "The Secret History". I didn't start this book as yet, but based on your review I won't be in any rush to read it. I don't have patience for tedious reading.

A24 · Post by **A24** » 27 Jan 2014, 10:13

I started listening to this one on audiobook but the detail was killing me! I stopped after a while and knew I couldn't continue with this one for 32 hours. Perhaps it would've been better by the end of the book, but life is too short to drudge through something I'm not really enjoying.

CuppaTea · Post by **CuppaTea** » 03 Feb 2014, 15:25

This is the first time I was reading a book at the same time it was selected for the book of the month here.

I traded in my copy of the museum catalog for the recent "Girl With a Pearl Earring" exhibit and coincidentally bought the Kindle edition of this book for a couple of dollars less. If you don't know much about Dutch art, that would be a good book to combine with this.

I've taken numerous art history classes over the years; they were wonderful contrasts to my day jobs. So I was very familiar with the painting and others listed in the text. It really was a treat to see it at the exhibit. (I don't recall long lines in San Francisco and I went four or five times. Will be interesting to see if NYC comes out in droves to see the Anders Zorn exhibit later this month).

I, too, find much of the book tedious but now I'm at 79% and am into it again and will finish it I decided to read it because of reviews saying it is the best book of 2013; I'm always trying to get some cultural literacy.

There are some interesting comments in Amazon one star reviews. Some say the timeline and places in NYC are inaccurate; it's hard to figure what years the 27-yr-old Theo is describing. I don't relate well to Theo's age range but find the idea that a fictional narrator can't always be trusted an interesting way of looking at it. At age 16 he was alcoholic and later became a drug addict. It reminds me of an interpretation of the Robert diNero character in "Once Upon a Time in America"; the whole plot/flashback may have been an opium-induced dream.

KLyons1 · Post by **KLyons1** » 10 Feb 2014, 15:43

It's interesting reading the posts in this thread - I've been trying to decide whether to read this or not. I probably will at some point, but I doubt I'll make it a priority. Though I like learning something, or getting a new perspective on a familiar topic (either/both of which would occur with the art), the storyline, as discussed here and in other reviews, does not attract my attention that strongly. I may take a reverse tack and look into some of the artists mentioned here as a way to whet my reading appetite for this book.

CuppaTea · Post by **CuppaTea** » 10 Feb 2014, 19:17

Some of the great books I've read are difficult to get through but I would still be thinking about them weeks later. As I was finishing this one my thought was that the art the book describes best is the art of writing. There is much praise about the first section and many eloquent passages but how other sections are tedious, for me it got harder and harder to keep going with later sections, I couldn't even read the last five pages without stopping repeatedly.

I see it as literally showing how alcohol, drugs, PTSD, child neglect, fate (randomness), etc. can destroy artistic (written) expression just as Fabritius' life was cut short and most of his creative output was destroyed. Or maybe a reflection of how life can become more difficult as we go along.

"And that is why I've chosen to write these pages as I've written them ... between truth and untruth ... is it tolerable to be here and writing this at all."

kutley · Post by **kutley** » 10 Feb 2014, 21:28

I had high hopes for this book when I first picked it up. I'd heard great things about it, but I have to admit, for me personally, it was a bit of a let down. For those who have the patience for immaculate detail, it might be a more enjoyable read. I would have preferred if it were less detailed and more fast paced. The story seemed to drag on forever and her writing style was tedious to read, as others have pointed out. With that said, I did enjoy the story but I think the novel would have been better off it were less verbose.

trappa · Post by **trappa** » 19 Feb 2014, 07:16

i finished "The Goldfinch" last night. Where to start..................
Firstly i must admit i nearly never read it. I started it, seemed to read about a million pages and they had only walked down the street. I ended up putting it down and reading two other books inbetween, something i rarely do. Anyway, i digress, once i got into the book i enjoyed it, particularly where he meets up with Boris and their exploits, though the last section in Holland was a dry read.
Am i glad i read it, yes. Would i recommend it.........no.

CuppaTea · Post by **CuppaTea** » 19 Feb 2014, 13:04

S P O I L E R S

Anyone else think the dry/tedious parts are necessary to telling the story? I read all about celebrities who OD but this book gave me the inescapable reality of what leads up to it in moment by moment excruciating detail. Will Theo OD sometime in the future? The part where he met Boris was fun and filled with friendship but what would happen if he "just said No" to drugs? Could he thrive in his father's house, study hard and head for a brilliant career? Las Vegas is an interesting metaphor? Would he be better off in a foster-care system? Could his life unfold another way or is fate leading the way?

Will Audible.com come out with an abridgment? For those who read Tartt's other books, do you recommend reading them after this one?

A Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit just opened near me. I don't much care for the artist's work but will go see it next week. I have no doubt one or two paintings will move me. Several times while walking through galleries, I've come upon one of her works, meaningful connections are made with other museum goers, we don't have to look at the label, her style is so recognizable, we share a smile & a chat (even if we dislike the painting).

Sadmag · Post by **Sadmag** » 24 Feb 2014, 09:29

I thoroughly enjoyed The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Decker experienced so many painful experiences in his life. I thought it was interesting how he could be around different types of people and fit in with all of them. I kept hoping he would quit using drugs to numb himself from feeling all those emotions, but I still liked his character from the beginning of the book to the end. I was also happy that Boris turned out to be a good friend even though at first he wasn't. I also enjoyed learning more about the appreciation of art.

marty1314 · Post by **marty1314** » 24 Feb 2014, 10:26

Fran wrote:IMO the book suffers from a lack of editing and could have been about 200 pages shorter. ..the rest of the book was in many ways tedious reading and I honestly could not wait to get it finished.
I liked the story, I liked the characters but, for me, the book as a whole package suffers seriously from a lack of editing and for that reason I would give it a 3/5* rating.

My exact feelings also. Too long, too much time spent on side plots. Were were the editors?