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The Secret History
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
Donna Tartt,winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prizefor hermost recent novel, The Goldfinch, established herself as a major talent with The Secret History, which has become acontemporary classic.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 forever, and they discover how hard it can be to truly live and how easy it is to kill.From the Trade Paperback edition.
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review
shantireads11
Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A novel that brought me back to my cultish Arts undergrad experience, with an element of murder and mystery. Not an “easy” read, but a “worth it” read for sure!

LeahBergen 👏👏 2w
Cathythoughts Definitely worth it ♥️ 2w
10 likes2 comments
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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#LitsyLove #FreebieFriday giveaway.

To enter comment or repost and tell us your favorite #chunkster or a chunkster you want to read.

Open to all members. (International and US)

Enter & Share. Just remember to use the #FreebieFriday hashtag and tag us: @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @TieDyeDude @Read4life

Winner randomly selected tomorrow

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IndoorDame
Secret History | Donna Tartt
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#SetInYrFaveSeason #NewYearNewBooks @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks My favorite season would be fall, and while this takes place over more than one season the combo of the back to school vibes and some spectacular Vermont foliage scenes make this feel like a fall book. Really all dark academia books have that New England autumn vibe. Or maybe they all have that vibe because Tartt captures it so well here and this book was the original, hmmmm 🤔

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🧡🤎🧡 2mo
Eggs Perfect 🍁🧡 2mo
lynneamch Definitely worth a reread for me 2mo
thewallflower0707 Have been planning to reread this for the last two autumn 🍂🫣. It‘s a perfect November read. 2mo
63 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Ellenabon
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
Pickpick

Interesting story in dark academia style.

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Ruthiella
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Two4Tuesday

1. There isn‘t a language in the world that I don‘t want to learn, including Klingon. Qapla‘!

2. The tagged book is the first that came to mind. Takes place at a private university among an elite group of Classics students.

Thanks for the tag @The_Penniless_Author ! 😃

The_Penniless_Author Oh, that's the best answer. I should change mine to "every single language on Earth". 4mo
Ruthiella @The_Penniless_Author You know, I‘d like to learn how to play the piano too, but I have no talent at all. I had lessons as a child and they were wasted on me because I can‘t read music. I could more easily learn Greek or Russian than how to play an instrument. 😆 (edited) 4mo
TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 4mo
Reggie Lol, during the summer we had these swimming lessons and swim team and alot of us would get there early and this kid, Jason Haddix I think his name was brought the Klingon English dictionary and this other kid named Preston and him would practice. Lolol it was awesome 4mo
Ruthiella @Reggie 😆 I used to know more in the ‘90s when I watched A LOT of Star Trek. 🖖 Never dedicated enough to have a dictionary though. 4mo
41 likes5 comments
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RaeLovesToRead
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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#two4tuesday @TheSpineView 💕
Thanks for the tags @JenReadsAlot and @The_Penniless_Author 😊

1) To play the saxophone! 🎷
To learn Cantonese, Mandarin, and Japanese properly
To ice skate
To ballroom dance
To do all kinds of dance!
To paint well

But alas, my talents lie more in the napping and stuffing my face bracket, haha.

2) Edited: OK FINE, THE SECRET HISTORY! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW, RANDY?! 🤣🤣

The_Penniless_Author Surprised you didn't pick The Secret History. 4mo
RaeLovesToRead @The_Penniless_Author The Secret History is set in a university (college).. 4mo
The_Penniless_Author @RaeLovesToRead That's just a type of school! 4mo
See All 17 Comments
RaeLovesToRead @The_Penniless_Author When I was at uni, I wouldn't have said I was "in school" ? Secret History is 100% the gold standard of dark academia. 4mo
The_Penniless_Author @RaeLovesToRead It's pretty common here. College/university/school are fairly interchangeable (depending on the context it's being used). And when you get get your Bachelor's degree and decide to go for your Master's, it's literally called "grad school". 4mo
RaeLovesToRead @The_Penniless_Author Fiiiiiiiiine. Edited 😜🙃 4mo
TheSpineView Hope you get to all of those things. Thanks for playing 4mo
julesG Rae & @The_Penniless_Author 🤣🤣🤣🤣 4mo
RaeLovesToRead @TheSpineView It would help if I owned a saxophone 🎷 haha... one day! 4mo
RaeLovesToRead @julesG Don't encourage him 😅 haha 4mo
The_Penniless_Author @RaeLovesToRead I'm just helping you stay true to yourself. 😊 4mo
Clare-Dragonfly Now I want to know what you originally had! 4mo
RaeLovesToRead @Clare-Dragonfly Harry Potter and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder 😄 Books where the characters are ACTUALLY IN SCHOOL, haha 4mo
DaveGreen7777 Before today, I never realized how much I need to hear a Dr. Rae saxophone solo! 🎷 4mo
RaeLovesToRead @DaveGreen7777 Dave, I promise that if I ever finally buy that saxophone... I will treat you to an exclusive video-concert 😁 You will probably unfriend / block me after about a minute of content, but I will have fulfilled a great purpose, haha 😌 4mo
DaveGreen7777 @RaeLovesToRead Unfriend you?! NEVER!!! NEVER EVER!!! 😁 4mo
RaeLovesToRead @DaveGreen7777 Aww, hugs!!! 🫂🫂🫂 (until you hear my sax skills haha) 4mo
39 likes17 comments
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Birdsong28
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Been seeing the tagged book everywhere recently either t.v shows or online so I think that the universe is trying to get me to read it. So in January after the (compulsory 😂) Xmas books I will be straight on it!! Has anyone else had this with a book and do you believe me or think I'm weird? 📚📖

quietlycuriouskate Not weird at all: it's the reticular activating system doing its thing. 👀 4mo
Caroline2 Oh my god!! Me too!! I read it a couple of months ago because I kept seeing it everywhere too! Tell ya what, I bloody loved it. It‘ll prob be my fab book of the year. 👍 4mo
Branwen This is one of my favorite books EVER! You should definitely read it, you won't regret it! 📖 4mo
39 likes3 comments
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NatalieR
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

This is incredible. I didn‘t know much about the plot when I started reading, which I think best suited my experience. My personal challenge while reading is that I kept comparing it to how much I loved The Goldfinch, and this didn‘t quite rise to that level for me. I reminded myself to manage my expectations and when I was able to do that, I became immersed in the story.

Full review at https://abookandadog.com

Octoberwoman I haven‘t read The Goldfinch yet but I absolutely loved this one. 4mo
NatalieR @Octoberwoman I‘m glad you loved it! 4mo
90 likes2 comments
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hissingpotatoes
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Bailedbailed

1/5⭐ DNFed 20% in. I'm not connecting to or intrigued by any of the characters or the mystery. It seems like the payoff won't be worth the journey given what we know from the beginning. It toes the line between reasonable and “edgy“ assholeness for the sake of it that a lot of literary authors think makes their books the bees knees. It does the slow gothic atmosphere well. The author is very good as the audio narrator.

CarolynM I didn‘t like this book at all. I don‘t get the love for it. #unpopularopinion 4mo
21 likes1 comment
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keepingupwiththepenguins
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

The Secret History is as good as everyone says it is. Its enduring popularity is entirely deserved. I‘ll be joining the ranks of Donna Tartt fans, hanging desperately onto hope that a new novel is coming from her very, very soon – she‘s past due! Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/the-secret-history-donna-tartt/

Ruthiella She is due now to deliver her next novel! Come on Donna! 😂 4mo
56 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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rmaclean4
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

What a perfect fall read. A classic dark academia novel with echos of The Catcher in the Rye. Loved it! 4 🌟

Suet624 Ridiculous fact: I have yet to read this novel. 4mo
30 likes1 comment
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JMPemberton
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

This book is so beautifully written. The characters are unlikeable, but they are nuanced and felt so real. The plot moved a little slowly for me, I got bored around the middle mark…but it picked up again in the last 100 pages. I can see why this is a modern classic and a core work of dark academia. Unique, poetic, thought provoking, slow moving. Personally though it lacked something, some spark, some warmth that would have made it perfect.

Suet624 I can‘t believe I haven‘t read this yet. 5mo
8 likes1 comment
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Emilymdxn
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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For day 24 of the #scarathlonphotochallenge and the word #kill - I was musing on this prompt while staring at the secret history for the millionth time so I wound up at the ancient greek personification of death. He might be a bit weathered in this carving but I still reckon he could kill me if he was trying.

#scarathlon #skeletoncrew

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JMPemberton
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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I read this book when I was around 15…20 years later I‘m giving it a re-read…my Lord it is STUNNING! #I don‘t remember the writing being so sublime and beautiful and compelling.I can‘t put it down.
“Does such a thing as the ‘fatal flaw,‘ that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn‘t. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.”

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Gissy
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

I wanted to read this book for a long time because it is well recommended. I liked but didn‘t love it. I think is too unnecessarily long but I never felt bored because you want to know about these characters. It is about this selected group of unlikable students who attend this special program of classics with this eccentric professor. A murder occurred and you know who did and how from the beginning of the story.⬇️

Gissy (Cont.) So this is a character driven story. I don‘t know about that ending. But I like that academia aspect of books and quotes. It was well written but too long with not much happening, it goes around and around of these guilty destructive feelings experience in different ways by each character. Like a Greek tragedy, no hope just self destruction. The author is the narrator in the audiobook. 3.75⭐️ 6mo
sisilia I love the tote bag! 👀 6mo
See All 8 Comments
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 6mo
Gissy @sisilia It was a gift from a friend🤗 6mo
Amiable Yay! Great job! 6mo
TheSpineView Fabulous! 6mo
Gissy @sisilia Thank you! It was a gift🤗 4mo
45 likes1 stack add8 comments
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cherryluvr
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

📙Reading The Secret History transported me into another world, an alternative world of college students. This book definitely takes you on a journey of all possible human capabilities, even those that are evil! A must-read! It really takes you out of your mind.

⭐4.75/5

RaeLovesToRead Welcome to Litsy!! 6mo
cherryluvr @RaeLovesToRead thank you!! 😊 6mo
10 likes2 comments
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Blueberry
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

Wow. A LOT going on there. And not always comfortable.
So many triggers but especially so MUCH drinking.
3.75 ⭐

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Brooke_H
Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

With both Donna Tartt books I've read, I opened the first page and just sort of fell in. The writing is perfect and gorgeous while also completely effortless to read and so real-seeming. In the first five pages, the reader is told that a group of friends has murdered one of their own. The lead-up and aftermath are the rest of the book. A nail-biting slow burn.

REPollock I read this when it first came out, I was the same age as the characters. Blew me away. 6mo
Brooke_H @REPollock I was also right around that age when it came out, and I was just thinking how I would have LOVED it back then. 6mo
REPollock @Brooke_H I reread it like 3-4 years ago and I was struck by how I could feel so keenly why I had loved it and also how much now-me was like OMG YOU ARE ALL PRETENTIOUS ASSHOLES. 6mo
30 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Blueberry
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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🍂Enjoy the fall colors. I would enjoy fall temps but we often have summer until the end of October and then jump into rain or winter.
🍂 terrible headache
🍂The Secret History by Donna Tartt

#WonderousWednesday
@Eggs
I tag @NataliePatalie

Eggs I hope You feel better ❤️‍🩹 🤕 7mo
43 likes1 comment
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Blueberry
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Next to read...starting now.

53 likes1 stack add
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RaeLovesToRead
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Thanks for the tag @CBee 💕
#top10summer2023reads

Gonna cheat and just do 5...

- The Secret History: the dark academia OG: spellbinding

- Woman in Cabin 10: most gripping setup I've read in a long time

- Priestdaddy: laughed out loud

- Bunny: b@tsh*t genius

- The Bandit Queens: dark humour and satire done well

I have just read another AMAZING book, but I have to keep it secret - it's my #blinddatewithabook pick for #gladstonerds trip 🤫

CBee I‘ll just be sitting over here crying in my cornflakes #gladstonerdenvy 7mo
RaeLovesToRead @CBee I'm so excited... only a few weeks to go! 😁 You're in the US, right? 7mo
sarahbarnes So many good ones on this list!! 7mo
See All 11 Comments
CBee @RaeLovesToRead I ammmmmm 😭😭😭 One day I‘ll get there!! 7mo
batsy Haven't read the Lockwood and Ware but totally agree on the other three! 🙌🏾 7mo
RaeLovesToRead @sarahbarnes Thank you!! 😁😁 7mo
RaeLovesToRead @CBee Speak to @squirrelbrain if you want to know more about the trips! Which state are you in? 7mo
RaeLovesToRead @batsy I have decided I want to read everything by Ruth Ware! It was so gripping 😁 And Lockwood is one of my poetic idols 🥰 7mo
CBee @RaeLovesToRead I‘m in Alabama. I definitely hope to do it at some point! 7mo
Branwen Such great picks! 🤩📚 7mo
RaeLovesToRead @Branwen Thanks!! 😁 7mo
61 likes1 stack add11 comments
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Ephemera
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

I don‘t read a lot of fiction but I really enjoyed this book. It‘s been around awhile, came out in the 90s, when it was apparently a best seller. Set in a small liberal arts college in Vermont, it‘s the story of a small group of friends whose lives change forever after a local man is accidentally killed. Wonderful writing and interesting characters and an ending that jolts. A psychological thriller and a page turner. Five stars.

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JuliaTheBookNerd
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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#DarkAcademia 🖤🧳♟️🎻⏳🗝️📜🖋️🔍🤎

#BookBinge 📚❤️📚

#BookNerd 🤓💙📚

ShelleyBooksie Beautiful photo 7mo
DivineDiana Great photo! Reading this for IRL book club now! 7mo
Eggs Beautiful tableau📚👌🏼🥰 (edited) 7mo
57 likes1 stack add3 comments
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IndoorDame
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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My all time favorite #darkacademia book is the one that launched the genre. #bookbinge @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

TheLudicReader It was really interesting to re read it, which I did this summer, because now you see all the things that we take for granted in dark academia…but Tartt did it first. It‘s a terrific book. 7mo
Eggs Well done 👍🏼 7mo
dabbe I just may have to reread this one. 🧡💚🧡 7mo
IndoorDame @dabbe I reread it last year. Perfect fall book! 7mo
64 likes4 comments
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LeslieO
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Got some school themed books for September. I‘m hoping to reread the tagged book. Also hope to celebrate the US Open with Agassi‘s bio. Ready for the month! #bookspinbingo #bookspin #doublespin

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 7mo
28 likes1 comment
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Ruthiella
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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1. Beginning of August, which feels way too early for me. I think it should start in September, when it‘s Fall!

2. The tagged book is the first that came to mind. Set at an elite US university in the northeast, most of the characters are students.

Thanks for the tag @Amiable 😊

#Two4Tuesday

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 7mo
44 likes1 comment
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AmyG
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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1. I think it started last week? 🤷‍♀️
2. The tagged book, Harry Potter, Prep

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

Everyone…come play!

dabbe I would have loved to have been a teacher at Hogwarts! 🤩 7mo
AmyG @dabbe I would have loved to be a student! 7mo
TheSpineView Thanks for playing!🌞 7mo
See All 15 Comments
LeslieO I might do a re-read of The Secret History in September. It‘s been 30 years! 7mo
dabbe @LeslieO Same here! 7mo
dabbe @AmyG That, too! Did you ever take the quiz to see what house you'd be in? I'm a Hufflepuff. 😍
https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/discover-your-hogwarts-house-on-wizarding-wo...
7mo
AmyG @dabbe I, too, am a Hufflepuff! 👊🏻 7mo
dabbe @AmyG Yay! We're in the same house! 🤩😍🤗 7mo
CBee @dabbe OMG ME TOO 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 @AmyG #hufflepuffcrew 7mo
dabbe @CBee Excellent! Let's start packing and go there! 🤣🤣🤣 7mo
AmyG @CBee @dabbe Roommates! 🙌🏻 7mo
CBee @dabbe sounds GREAT to me 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 @AmyG 7mo
dabbe @CBee Oh, my lord, we'd never get anything done! 🤣🤣🤣 7mo
CBee @dabbe I‘d run off and play with all of the magical creatures 😂😂 7mo
53 likes15 comments
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ChelseaM6010
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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#BookBinge
Day 8. School subject in title
#SchoolSubjectInTitle

Eggs Perfect 🤩 🤗 8mo
12 likes1 comment
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brynnlizzie_1
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
Mehso-so

dark academia 🫶🫶

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sisilia
Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

3⭐️ Somehow I didn‘t like it as much this second time (first read was 5⭐️). I was annoyed by this bunch of kids. Yes, they are quirky and interesting, but the alcohol and drugs made my head spin. Now I remember that the character in The Goldfinch is pretty much the same. Is it a Tartt‘s recurring theme? Anyway, these kids are still better than the madness happening today, with the confusion over genders and angst over climate change.

Ruthiella The 10 year old protagonist in her second novel is drug free . 😂 But her nemesis comes from a drug dealing family…you might be on to something! 🤔 8mo
currentlyreadinginCO Lol I have wondered about this as well. Some of Donna's drug-fueled scenes are so well-written that I have a lot of questions... 8mo
Cathythoughts I did love Secret History. But the drug scenes in The Goldfinch were not for me, I loved the beginning of Goldfinch but bailed when the drugs got too much for me. 8mo
merelybookish There's an excellent podcast called Once Upon a Time at Bennington College. Some of it explores Donna Tartt's time at college and looks at how much of Secret History is based on people she knew there. It's pretty wild! I found it highly entertaining and I don't even like podcasts. 😄 8mo
sisilia @merelybookish Thank you! I‘m going to listen to that 🎧 8mo
53 likes5 comments
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Shemac77
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Mehso-so

Not a fan of this book at all

zezeki I wasn't crazy about it either. 8mo
Hooked_on_books Me either! 8mo
34 likes2 comments
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TheLudicReader
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

I read this book for the first time 30 years ago…and as I often recommend it, I thought it was time for a reread. It definitely landed differently this time around, but was an enjoyable experience. Tartt is a masterful writer, and this story of a group of pretentious college students is amazing considering it was her first novel. I did find it overwritten but I am very glad to have read it again.

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RaeLovesToRead
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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#wondrouswednesday @Eggs 😊
Thanks for the tag @JenReadsAlot 💕

1) Tagged

2) The atmosphere, the writing, the suspense... (definitely not the characters, haha) it's the Gold Standard of Dark Academia.

3) I'm back in Buckkeep and it feels like coming home 💕

Tagging @The_Penniless_Author @Branwen @CBee @jenniferw88 @KristiAhlers

Eggs Thanks for playing 🥳🧡🤗 8mo
KristiAhlers The last book I read was the Squares of seven and I loved how it was Gothic and Dickens combined! 8mo
39 likes2 comments
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Shemac77
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Next audible

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sisilia
Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Reading the tagged book makes me want to learn Latin 🤓

emz711 I liked learning it! 9mo
quietlycuriouskate Now you've made me nostalgic for my Latin classes! ❤️ 9mo
47 likes2 comments
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sisilia
Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Happy reading 📚

Ruthiella Enjoy your vacation! 9mo
Gissy Beautiful reading spot! Enjoy the vacation time! 📖 9mo
Tamra Perfect! 9mo
BarbaraBB Beautiful photo 🥰 9mo
53 likes4 comments
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sisilia
Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Off to Bali 🏝️ with this as a re-read

currentlyreadinginCO A classic 🔥🔥🔥 9mo
JanuarieTimewalker13 Have fun!!! 9mo
merelybookish Have fun! And that's a great re-read! 9mo
See All 7 Comments
AmyG Safe travels! 9mo
Ruthiella Bon voyage! ✈️ 9mo
batsy Enjoy! That's a perfect vacation read. 9mo
DivineDiana Sounds wonderful! 9mo
62 likes2 stack adds7 comments
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Tkimsal
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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30 Book Recommendations in 30 Days — Day 21 “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt

JamieArc This is one of those books that I‘m scared to read because I‘m afraid I won‘t love it as much as I want to. 9mo
Tkimsal @JamieArc I tried it once and put it down, then when my book club read it a few years later, I loved it and couldn‘t figure out why I ever had a problem getting into it. 🤷🏽‍♂️ 9mo
CuriousG I'm in the minority on this one. I *wanted* to love it, and do love the concept of it, however at the end I just kind of felt 🤷‍♀️ about it and the reading experience. It could be there was just too much hype, or maybe it just wasn't my book. 9mo
14 likes3 comments
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RaeLovesToRead
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Hate to sound like an advert, but CHECK OUT WATERSTONES' DARK ACADEMIA LIST!!! 😍😍😍

I've only read 3 of these:

The Secret History ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If We Were Villains ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Plain Bad Heroines ⭐️⭐️.5

Got Ninth House, Bunny, Atlas 6, Cloisters, Maidens & Babel to read, but seriously I want to read them all 🥰

You'll love these @Branwen 💕

Ruthiella Sometimes I think maybe you and @Branwen are the same person. I‘ve never seen the two of you in the same room together…😆 9mo
Larkken I‘ve read a bunch! Apparently dark academia is my jam 🤓🖤 sounds like you‘ll have fun going thru the list! (edited) 9mo
Sparklemn The e-version of Secret History is on sale for $1.99 through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. I picked it up today! (edited) 9mo
See All 19 Comments
Caroline2 Oh I want to read them alllllll!!!! 😯 I‘m reading The Cloisters at the mo… it‘s ok so far (but of course no where near as good as Secret History. 😒) 9mo
Caroline2 Oh and beware The Maidens! It‘s naff (if you ask me!!). Very disappointing!!! (edited) 9mo
RaeLovesToRead @Ruthiella We definitely have a lot in common! 😊😁 9mo
RaeLovesToRead @Larkken I love the atmosphere of dark academia... can't wait to explore some more 🥰 9mo
RaeLovesToRead @Sparklemn It's a masterpiece!!! 😄 9mo
RaeLovesToRead @Caroline2 SAME!!!! Even the iffy Maidens 🤣🤣 I enjoyed silent patient, but I've not heard great things about the follow up. Enjoyable trash? 9mo
Meshell1313 Oooh amazing! Added to my TBR! 9mo
Caroline2 @RaeLovesToRead I enjoyed The Patient too. It‘s hard to enjoy The Maidens. I cannot remember why I didn‘t like it now…. Think it was predictable and boring?? 9mo
RaeLovesToRead @Meshell1313 They've got a whole section on their website and I am just TOO EXCITED!!!!! 😁 9mo
RaeLovesToRead @Caroline2 Haha, you're really selling it to me. Think it was 99p though, so even if it's a load of crap, it won't have broken the bank... Also, I kinda love reading bad books 🤭😆 9mo
Yuki_Onna Hope you'll like Bunny as much as I did!
It was a perfect 5* for me... 😁
Well, honestly I felt Mona Awad knows me. I mean, Obviously I'm not American, but-
The MC named Samantha is studying creative writing, is disliked and ignored by the clique of perfect girls and is sucked into a very surreal dark nightmare aka life? Sounds ... familiar😁🫠
I noted down tons of quotes from this book. So perfect for me!
@BeeMagical Right, Bunny? 🐇🎀💄
(edited) 9mo
Branwen OMG WHAT A LIST! 😍📚 *fans herself* 9mo
Branwen @Ruthiella 😂😂😂 I can neither confirm or deny these allegations! 🤣 I think this is one of the reasons why Rae and I are such good friends! 📚 9mo
RaeLovesToRead @Yuki_Onna I hope I love it too!! I didn't like "13 ways of looking at a fat girl" (see my extensive rant on GR for details), but Bunny sounds completely different!! ?? 9mo
RaeLovesToRead @Ruthiella @Branwen Hopefully one day I will finally make it to the US and we can have a selfie together!!! 😁 (or should we be cryptic and make sure we're never in the same photo 😄) 9mo
BeeMagical 🐰Tis absolute perfection, Bunny😘👌🏻 @Yuki_Onna 9mo
56 likes19 comments
review
RaeLovesToRead
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

A masterpiece.

Gorgeous writing. Vivid, unlikeable characters. Atmosphere.

Now I know what all the fuss was about.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

ICantImReading I love this book! 💙 10mo
Ruthiella Glad you liked it! 😃 10mo
AmyG So so so great. 10mo
See All 8 Comments
sarahbarnes I‘m rereading this right now on audio. It really is so good!! 10mo
yourfavouritemixtape Ooh, I have this on my tbr for my next bookclub. Looking forward to it, then! 10mo
batsy Welcome to the not-so-secret Secret History fanclub! 10mo
Caroline2 Oh yay! Glad you liked it too! 👍 10mo
Branwen YES! One of the best books ever, right?! 🥰 So glad you loved it too! 9mo
90 likes1 stack add8 comments
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Moll
The Secret History | Donna Tartt

Hey all! Is anyone else unable to find Litsy on the Google play store for Android? :(

KateReadsYA I just searched it as well, and it didn't show up 😳 10mo
Moll @KateReadsYA ahh this is so sad; it must not be available anymore! 10mo
Karisa 😱😱😱😱 10mo
12 likes3 comments
review
Caroline2
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

Wow, just wow. I bailed on this book years ago, I thought it was just about a bunch of pretentious, snobby students killing their mate. And it is about that but sooo much more. I‘m so glad I gave it another go when I was in the right mood because I got completely sucked into their world to the point were I now feel listless and I don‘t know quite what to do with myself.

Caroline2 @RaeLovesToRead what did you think Rae? I absolutely loved it. One of my all time fav books ever! 😁 👍 10mo
RaeLovesToRead Book 2 is so compelling!!!! I'm not finished yet, but wow... this book!!!! 10mo
Caroline2 @RaeLovesToRead It is relentless isn‘t it! In a good way!! The twists and hits just keep coming!!! The tension and suspense that she maintains throughout the whole book is so impressive. It‘s so readable and easy to read but it‘s so immersive and thoughtful too. God knows what I‘m going to read now?!?!? 🤦‍♀️ 10mo
See All 8 Comments
TrishB I‘m still in the minority then 😁 10mo
julesG @TrishB Me too. 😁 10mo
TrishB @julesG 😁 we have a small gang! 10mo
batsy It's one of my faves! How cool that it worked for you on this try. Books are so surprising this way 🙂 10mo
CaramelLunacy I bailed on this one ages ago, but kept it...this may be the push I need to try again 10mo
116 likes3 stack adds8 comments
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RaeLovesToRead
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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"A November stillness was settling like a deadly oxymoron on the April landscape."

Is this the most pretentious sentence I've ever read?? ??

(I jest; this book is delicious ?)

Caroline2 Oh oh oh!!!! I‘m reading this book at the mo too!!! 😃 how funny is that?! I am loving it but I‘m at page 283. Kids are off school so I‘m not getting much time to read. It‘s really good but quite dense so it‘s taking me a while to get through. 😆 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @Caroline2 I am loving the atmosphere, the prose, everything really. My only beef is that certain narrative choices leave the reader feeling at a bit of a distance. A lot of the best bits are told in exposition / at a remove, and I do find myself lamenting the distance, because the premise is 👌🏻Just going into the second half now, so will see how things play out 👀😁 (yay for accidental buddy read!!) 10mo
Caroline2 Yes! Yes you‘ve hit the nail on the head there. Totally agree. Dyyyying to find out what happens next. 😁 10mo
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Branwen This book gives me life! 🥰 So glad you're enjoying it so far! 10mo
Clare-Dragonfly I think the pretentiousness is deliberate 😂 which is part of what makes this book so fun! 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @Caroline2 @Branwen Guys, it's getting more absorbing in the second half!!! 😯 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @Clare-Dragonfly Deliberate, and yet also earnest, I would say! (I.e. there's no self-mockery or knowing humour behind it.) Goldfinch was similar. Tartt is painting a thoroughly convincing world, despite the extreme nature of some of the happenings. It's impressive. 10mo
71 likes1 stack add7 comments
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RaeLovesToRead
The Secret History | Donna Tartt

"One likes to think there's something in it, that old platitude _amor vincit omnia_. But if I've learned one thing in my short sad life, it is that that particular platitude is a lie. Love doesn't conquer everything. And whoever thinks it does is a fool."

quote
RaeLovesToRead
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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"The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation."

#firstlinefridays

Gotta admit... it's an intriguing first line...

Clare-Dragonfly Ooh, is this your first time reading this book? You‘re going to love it! 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @Clare-Dragonfly It is! And it's just started to get good... 😄 10mo
Branwen I love this book SO MUCH! 💕 That first line gets me every time! 10mo
RaeLovesToRead @Branwen At first I wasn't sure I was going to get into it, but it's got me now! 😄 10mo
75 likes4 comments
blurb
RaeLovesToRead
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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My nephew, Jacob, was fascinated by my book. He wasn't quite as impressed when I started reading him excerpts, but I reckon we have a bibliophile in the making 🥲💕

Cortg Cutie 🥰 11mo
Leftcoastzen Awwww! 11mo
Gissy So cute ❤️❤️❤️ 11mo
Texreader Darling! 11mo
93 likes1 stack add4 comments
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RaeLovesToRead
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

Can't believe it's nearly May. I've not made much headway with this month's board, but I do keep starting new books, and wasting time doing very little!

This list has been heavily influenced by what is in my immediate eyeline!

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 11mo
46 likes1 comment
review
emmaturi
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

This was a reread for me, but as I read it probably at least 20 years ago, it was like reading it for the first time. And I still loved it. There was much I had totally forgotten. It was compelling and gripping

squirrelbrain This is one of the very few books that I‘ve read twice. 11mo
CollapsingLibrary I listened to it as an audiobook but after finishing and loving it, feel like I need to buy a physical copy to read as well. 11mo
41 likes2 comments
blurb
Susanita
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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With friends like these…

#themedthursday

dabbe Oh, yeah! I loved this book, and that's rare because I don't recall liking any of the characters and how they acted towards one another. It was just so well-written IMHO, and I loved the academic world they inhabited. Thanks! 😊💚🤗 12mo
37 likes1 comment
review
eol
The Secret History | Donna Tartt
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Pickpick

Not my usual genre, so I knew nothing about this book going in. Vaguely—based on how hyped it was—I expected to dislike it. It has few elements I usually seek, and some that I openly loathe, and yet.

And yet.

A POV of an outsider desperate to look in. Atmospheric, quiet darkness. Murder. Creation and dissolution of friendships. Loneliness, creeping in.

(Also, a second-hand hangover all the way through—man, but do those kids drink)

5/5