Finished reading The Goldfinch after months of on and off reading
So I read the Secret History before this book. I loved it. Honestly, I think it was the best book I’ve ever read, 18M. It just…hit different. Like the plot, and how all the characters tied to the plot etc.
But the Goldfinch felt really underwhelming to me. Like at the beginning I really enjoyed reading Theo work through his troubles and everything, but as the book went on I started to lose more and more interest. I feel like it could have been cut in half and it still would have had the same effect. I know a lot of people like the long winding sentences and rich imagery, but I still feel like TSH had that too and it managed to hit a different spot? I just feel like the book did not need to be that long. I’ve been reading it on and off for months and I only just finished it now. The last two pages seemed to philosophically make more sense to me, Theo wondering about how life shapes us, if we are truly free to pick who we are (which I kind of disagree with him on this topic, but I understand where he’s coming from) etc. But I just feel like the book would have hit a lot harder if it just wasn’t so long and sprawling and all over the place. What do you guys think? I’m moving onto The Little Friend next.