Although ‘The Little Friend’ didn’t quite work for me, I was looking forward to reading this. I had absolutely loved ‘The Secret History’ and I really like Donna Tartt whenever she’s interviewed, so I had high hopes about her third book.
There are many things I enjoyed, especially all the childhood and teenage years. From his life with her mum to his stay at the Barbour’s and then the mad Vegas period with Boris, everything in it is wonderful and moving. Boris and Hobie are by far the most interesting and likeable characters in the whole book.
However, once Theo became an adult, I lost interest. I enjoyed some bits, especially the ones that modify his own perception of his past (and therefore ours), but there were episodes that felt out of a Bourne movie or something: all action and suspense, almost too bombastic for my liking. That and, strangely, everything related to the actual painting of the goldfinch left me rather cold. I liked the moral implications, but could have done without all the theft and mob-like adventures in Amsterdam. The story for me is in the characters and not in the bombs and shootings, even if they are used as catalysts. Towards the end of the book I just wanted to finish it.
But all in all, I really enjoyed it and will never forget the first half.
7/10
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