The Goldfinch

By: Donna Tartt

Narrated by: David Pittu

A young New Yorker grieving his mother's death is pulled into a gritty underworld of art and wealth in this "extraordinary" and beloved Pulitzer Prize winner from the author of The Secret History that "connects with the heart as well as the mind" (Stephen King, New York Times Book Review).

Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by a longing for his mother, he clings to the one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into a wealthy and insular art community.

As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love—and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.

The Goldfinch is a mesmerizing, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention. From the streets of New York to the dark corners of the art underworld, this "soaring masterpiece" examines the devastating impact of grief and the ruthless machinations of fate (Ron Charles, Washington Post).

©2013 Donna Tartt (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

Narrator David Pittu accepts the task of turning this immense volume into an excellent listening experience. Pittu portrays 13-year-old orphan Theo Decker with compassion, portraying his growing maturity in this story of grief and suspense…Pittu adds pathos to his depiction of the troubled Theo as he deals with addiction and finds himself in a dance with gangsters and the art world's darker dealers. (AudioFile)

"Dazzling....[A] glorious, Dickensian novel, a novel that pulls together all Ms. Tartt's remarkable storytelling talents into a rapturous, symphonic whole and reminds the reader of the immersive, stay-up-all-night pleasures of reading." (New York Times)

"A long-awaited, elegant meditation on love, memory, and the haunting power of art....Eloquent and assured, with memorable characters....A standout-and well-worth the wait." (Kirkus, Starred Review)

A Not So Secret History

Any additional comments?

The good news:
∙Easy to read, interesting, and thought-provoking.
∙Lots of words for the money, and for the most part, it doesn't drag or seem like filler.
∙Called Dickensonian by many (e.g. Stephen King), the book has many of the elements of other accomplished author's works. Obvious ones are "On the Road", "The Catcher in the Rye", "The Painted Bird", "The Great Gatsby", "The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death", "Dark Places", "Snobs", and "The Kite Runner". Most of the Dicken's comparisons mention "Oliver Twist" or "David Copperfield", but I found that it borrows the most from "Great Expectations" if plot is excluded. It's probably pointless to make comparisons to Tartt's classmate, Bret Easton Ellis, but you can't read "Lunar Park" and escape the kinship.
∙It has a lot of what made "The Secret History" great.
∙The setup is as compelling as any book in recent memory.
∙One of the main character's friends is as developed and memorable as any character in popular fiction.

The bad news:
∙The first couple chapters are tedious. I was relieved when the book finally took off. You'd think the editor didn't get a say.
∙The painting serves somewhat as a MacGuffin, reducing its impact as a near-character in the novel.
∙The 2nd quarter of the book goes on an indulgent interlude. The book is the length of 4 standard novels, so this section could easily have been tightened up with no harm done.
∙Toward the end, the novel's themes are reiterated in narrative exposition as if the author doesn't trust the reader to understand them from the story itself.
∙At least one important character is very static and woefully underdeveloped.
∙It may be personal preference, but I tend to dislike characters that repeatedly behave immorally or amorally, but constantly fret about it. Fine if the character grows over time (or devolves), but frankly, who likes a shit that constantly feels bad that he's such a shit. There's Byronic and there's embryonic. I imagine Tartt might say, "But some people are actually like that". Yes, but perhaps that makes them more bland than a hero or an anti-hero.

Other thoughts:
Some movie comparisons might be "Closer", "Good Will Hunting", and "Ordinary People" with a little "True Romance" thrown in for feathers.

Wow

Where does The Goldfinch rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top Five for sure, probably second after Infinite Jest.

What other book might you compare The Goldfinch to and why?

Performances like this are difficult to compare

Which character – as performed by David Pittu – was your favorite?

All fantastic

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It's too long to listen to in one sitting. Also, this audiobook is not one to blow through as fast as possible. It is one to take your time with. It is one to appreciate for the writing and the narration.

Any additional comments?

This book starts off a little slow, but stay with it. You'll be glad you did. It incrementally gets better up until the very end. I didn't want it to be over. Some books, or audiobooks, give the listener/reader a sense of satisfaction after finishing it. I haven't felt that type of satisfaction since listening to Infinite Jest. And while The Goldfinch didn't strike me in the way that Infinite Jest did, it came close, and I never thought another book would. The narrator is amazing. The writer is amazing, and it takes both to create a performance so perfect. Listen to it. You won't be sorry.

All the Heart Eyes

What I'd heard was: "Dickensian!" "Art theft!" I was hardly prepared for a book so beautiful, mysterious, dark and strange; one that made me laugh and ache.

Slow Burner

A terrorist bomb explodes in a New York art gallery, killing many people and destroying priceless art treasures. Theo, the hero of this book, loses his mother in the blast, but before discovering this he is given a famous painting, The Goldfinch, by an old man dying of his wounds, accompanied by a young girl.

The rest of the book describes the effects of this initial trauma on the life of the boy growing into a man. He is taken in by two kind New York families and is eventually reclaimed by his dodgy estranged father, who whisks him off to Las Vegas. Theo still has the painting and has kept it secret all along.

He forms a friendship with a likable Russian-American rogue and they hang out together, getting drunk and experimenting with drugs. His father is then killed as a result of mixing in the wrong circles, and so Theo is alone again. He runs away to avoid Child Custody Services and rejoins the kindly New York antique dealer who had helped him after the bomb blast.

The book then shoots forward a few years to find Theo getting himself into trouble by selling fake antiques, and then he is reunited with his Russian Friend. There is a bit of an adventure at the end and I won't spoil it any more than I have already done.

Overall, I was disappointed by this book. It is well-written and the characters are well-drawn and engaging, but the plot is slow and a bit random. It sort of drifts along and you are thinking 'come on, come on, get on with it', and although it finishes with a dramatic climax you are still thinking 'what was the point of all that?'. It is all a bit shapeless and unsatisfying.

Hallelujah

Since I am a big fan of Donna Tartt, I was determined to be surprised. I read it the day it came out having intentionally avoided previewing any synopsis or advance reviews and am so glad I did! It was such a pleasure to move through the turnings and revelations with no expectations. Every element I value in a novel was rendered so satisfyingly: characters, plot, prose (exceptional), intricate themes, a sense of place and time… I’ve read both her previous books at least four times over the past 20+ years. I find them very rich and layered and compelling. I’m unashamed to say that I’ve read this one twice already in its first 6 months, a re-reading record for me. Truly great!

Best book I ever read.

And I have read many, many books. This book profoundly affected me. I never wanted it to end.

Lovely story, bombshell pacing

Wow....I absolutely loved this book. Everything about it was wonderful - the flawed but redeemable Theo and the cast of people in his life - from the honorable to the horrible. The pacing of the story, however, kept me hanging on every chapter. The lulls then the quiet bombshells were so well done that I just sat stunned several times.

I generally hate when people review by comparison, but this reminded me of Pat Conroy and John LeCarre combined - the lovely writing and characters of Conroy, the intrigue and twists of LeCarre. If you like either author, buy this book.

I highly recommend this book. I plan on buying and giving several copies as gifts.

Wonderful

Any additional comments?

Now and then, someone in work will ask me what I’m reading, and what’s it’s about. I’m often a bit stumped on how to answer that, as happened with the Goldfinch recently. I could say it’s about a guy who steals a painting after an explosion in an art gallery, and the consequences that followed. But of course the painting in The Goldfinch is a bit of a mcGuffin, and as with a lot of books like this, I found myself saying… Oh… god… what is it about… it’s about everything, love, loss, death, friendship, art, marriage, morals, parenting, growth, mental health, addiction, hedonism… LIFE.

Tartt, Euginedes, and Franzen really excel at taking a bunch of interesting and believable characters to tell a story that itself is just a backdrop to the broad canvas of life. Their novels are always an amazing experience to read. The books that come before and after always pale in comparison. And The Goldfinch is no different. A masterpiece.

As for the audio, I immediately recognized David Pitu's voice from The Marriage Plot and knew I was in good hands. He's very easy to listen to.

You will get value for your dollar or credit!

Do you know that feeling when you want to hurry through a book because it is hard to put down and at the same time you find it so enjoyable that you hate to see it end? This long book was a treat from beginning to end. I liked the story, I liked the characters, I liked the narrator. And it kept me enthralled for all 30+ hours. Reading the reviews of Tartt's other books which I have not read, I see comments for one having a lengthy end and for the other, comments about an abrupt end. I must say this one seemed about right. Yes, it ended with loose ends, but that's life - never tied in a neat bow. Yes, the author did some lengthy philosophizing at the end, but I was so reluctant for the book to end that I enjoyed this part as well. You will get your money's worth for sure!

A bit of art history, a bit about art conservation, a bit about furniture restoration and the antiques business, a lot about casual drug use, a lot of mystery and intrigue - a modern take on a who-done-it combined with coming of age in difficult circumstances. All in all, I loved it.

A long road to ????

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This book takes a really long time to get nowhere. Nine hours of this book could have been written in just two chapters. None of the characters thus far have any depth to them, and the plot is 90% unnecessary details. I doubt I'll be investing the time it takes to finish the rest of the story, and sadly it doesn't bother me in the least. If you are looking for a good read you are better of getting something like Shantaram.

Would you ever listen to anything by Donna Tartt again?

unlikely