The Secret History

559 pages

English language

Published March 28, 2004 by Vintage Contemporaries.

ISBN:
978-1-4000-3170-2
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
55139472

View on OpenLibrary

View on Inventaire

4 stars (4 reviews)

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 they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last - inexorably - into evil.

12 editions

I Wouldn't Recommend This

2 stars

This is a book that overstays its welcome, though I do feel like that's kind of the point.

Split into two parts (or 'books'), the first one is far more engaging than the second. Perhaps it's because all of the action for what transpires happens in the first book. You see the frustration and the conspiracy between the primary characters, and it finally culminates in what every other character in the book believes to be a tragic "accident."

The second part basically unravels those primary characters, both for the reader and for the characters. But this is where it feels like it overstays everything, and I stopped caring about any of what was happening. I had to force myself to finish this bit, and I felt compelled because I was already so far into the book. It was a slog.

This isn't helped because, at no point, are any of …

Cold, calculating fiction.

5 stars

Everything about this book is perfect, the writing flows beautifully and the plot is abhorrently complex. Donna Tarte pays perfect attention to events in the story, you can look back after all is revealed and see when these events happened, and what's most pleasant, is that it is hard to figure out why exactly the Murder takes place but you can still piece the story together just before all is revealed. The extensive reference to classical literature was a delight for me. Overall a thrilling read which I would recommend to anyone.

avatar for Lavina@bookrastinating.com

rated it

3 stars
avatar for maxheadroom

rated it

4 stars

Subjects

  • Teacher-student relationships -- Fiction.
  • College students -- Fiction.
  • Classicists -- Fiction.
  • Murderers -- Fiction.
  • Vermont -- Fiction.

Places

  • Vermont