THE SECRET HISTORY by DONNA TARTT

 THE SECRET HISTORY

BY DONNA TARTT

THE BLURB:-

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and for ever.

THE REALITY:-

This is the second time I've tried to post this- Google identified my original review as "containing malware."  Hmm.  Not put there by me, it didn't, so let's hope that this time all is okay...

This was one hell of a slow burner for me- it took me four months to finish, which of practically unheard of for me! This was on a used-book-shelf in the local pub, and I purloined it. They can have it back, but it will have to wait until the pubs reopen. You'd think that, under semi-lockdown followed by lockdown, I'd be into my reading but life intervened- I was at the tail end of my MA, then I had a holiday and then Christmas loomed. And also this book didn't grip me as much as I thought it would...

I've read Donna Tartt before- The Little Friend was a fantastic story of an intelligent teenager who stalks the man she thinks is responsible for her younger brother's disappearance. The Secret History is labelled a “thinking person's thriller” and, as a thinking person, I was certainly thrilled, and impressed by the erudite level of writing, especially when discussing the Greek that I'm quite ignorant of. The characters were varied and interesting, with some sinister bents going on, especially to do with sexuality and incest; although a lot of that could be explained away under the banner of young people's experimentation. The location (and, to me, its bleakness) was also clearly depicted, as was the obsessive behaviour which led the stronger bulk of the group to conduct their macabre “experiment” and its repercussions which led to more misadventure. There was certainly an ethereal pace to these parts.

I guess what I'm saying is that this well-crafted read failed to touch the heart and move me, and some parts did feel overly-long (something I usually prefer) and chugged along. I must confess, a little speed reading took place. Having said that, I would certainly give Donna Tartt's work another go and- although it's not for me- I love her masculine style of dressing. Fashion designer Kate Sylvester used her as the muse for her A/W 2015 catwalk show. Yes, the Miss Elaineous still retains some of her interest in fashion and dressing up....