The Goldfinch

By: Donna Tartt

Narrated by: David Pittu

Length: 32 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Winner, Solo Narration - Male, 2014

Audie Award Winner, Literary Fiction, 2014

The author of the classic best-sellers The Secret History and The Little Friend returns with a brilliant, highly anticipated new novel.

Composed with the skills of a master, The Goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through present-day America and a drama of enthralling force and acuity.

It begins with a boy. 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 his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.

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 novel of shocking narrative energy and power. It combines unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language, and breathtaking suspense, while plumbing with a philosopher's calm the deepest mysteries of love, identity, and art. It is a beautiful, stay-up-all-night and tell-all-your-friends triumph, an old-fashioned story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the ruthless machinations of fate.

©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)

Strangely good

performance was great. story line hard to track at times. Jumps back and forth alot

This book succeeds in being an amazing work

My interest was captivated all the way through and I loved the thoughtful ending, though also felt that it could be trimmed and polished a lot. There are unrealistic aspects to this book -- like perhaps nearly the entire thing -- and that prevented me from being fully a fan. I recommend it for sure and I won't forget this one.

I was hooked.

If you could sum up The Goldfinch in three words, what would they be?

Thought-provoking, sad, satisfying

If you could take any character from The Goldfinch out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would like to spend time with Holbie, the kindly furniture-restorer and mentor. He was strong, kind, understanding and humble. His knowledge of furniture was only matched by his ability to open his heart to others.

Any additional comments?

The lengthy passages of wordy descriptions concerning feelings and impressions were at times bordering on excessive. The style reminded me of Stephen King. Right when I got to the point of thinking "enough already - I get it", I realized I needed only stick with it and the intended mood would grab me and suck me in. Indeed it did.
The history of art and antiques was interesting and presented in ways that I could absorb and appreciate. The characters were so well developed that I could now sit and converse with them without preamble. I felt very much like I was a character in the story, able to navigate their worlds without issue. The life of addicts was revealed in a way I could relate to and even feel empathy for - a first for me.

I am still wondering if I truly loved the tale or just stuck with it out of a sense of obligation after devoting so much time to it already. Yet I wanted to know how it all came together, and the ending wrapped things up nicely. Perhaps it ended satisfactorily. I am still befuddled by the whole thing. Yet I liked it and found myself looking forward to returning to it whenever possible. Yes, I am confused by my reaction to the entire book.

Beautiful story!

This is a beautiful story, but I read and listened to it, and I enjoyed reading it more, probably because this is a tale to be savored, enjoyed slowly, wallowed in.

Very long, but wonderful story

The performance was amazing! I really felt like I knew the characters! The story was a little long, but worth the read.

Left Me Unsatisfied

Any additional comments?

I was immediately captivated by The Goldfinch and found it to be the perfect immersive vacation read. The prose is beautiful, the characters are distinct, and the premise is entertaining, if not a bit depressing.

My disappointment comes from a discordance between my expectations of the book and the actual intentions of the author.

The way the story was written gave me the sense that it was either not fantastical enough or not realistic enough, and Tartt should have chosen which direction to go in more clearly.

The way the plot is built up in the beginning chapters, I was anticipating more of a mystery, more of an interweaving of details that would add up to some bigger meaning in the final pages.

Instead, I discovered that The Goldfinch is much more a story of human desperation, of existential quandary, and the discordance between longing and physical reality.

Had I approached the book with this understanding I might have enjoyed it more, especially toward the end.

My primary criticism of the book, in fact, lies within the final chapters.

After a relatively enjoyable plot progression, in the final portion of the book Tartt suddenly changes the writing style to one of philosophical rambling. I get the sense that she arrived at her book's conclusion and realized that the moral wasn't explicit enough in the preceding pages, and thus decided to hit the readers in the face with what she was actually trying to get at the whole time. It would have been much more effective had she woven those musings into the previous chapters.

Moreover, aside from the plot, I found that there were numerous other loose ends that could have been tied together more elegantly, but the manner in which she attempted to do so felt a bit contrived.

I was addicted to listening to the story and found it to be the perfect companion as I traveled between airports, but I was addicted in anticipation of a conclusion that never came.

Instead I was left with a bored and dissatisfied feeling at the end of the book which tainted my reflection of the whole experience.

Would I recommend this book? Sure, but only to readers who are seeking a study of an unfulfilling and often desperate reflection of human potential (or lack thereof).

Great book, Fantastic narrator

I really enjoyed both the content and the audio experience of this book. The narrator was brilliant in his personas and accents.

Worth the time invested

I've had this book for three years. I started it soon after getting it but was slow to get into it. Despite gaps in reading, it was easy to remember what had happened when I picked it back up. Once I was roughly half way into it, I got the Audible version and, thanks to several long flights, really picked up momentum with it.

The story is really beautiful. Pathos is the word that comes to mind in reflecting on it.

Additionally, having read half and listened to half, I was really impressed by David Pittu's performance. The varied voices and accents were handled beautifully.

Would definitely recommend this rich story.

The book and the narrator were excellent.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Multi faceted story
Family, Death, Art, Crime, and Money

Who was your favorite character and why?

Potter's best friend. Name is escaping at this moment; reason being from the beginning of his character was thank for what he was given or thankful for what he had taken. He didn't put excuses or embarrassment for what he did each day. He loved most all he met and was able to see the best in everyone ( even if someone wanted to put an end to his life, he would understand and still care for the one who would kill him if given the opportunity.

Have you listened to any of David Pittu’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No but again he was exceptional.

If you could rename The Goldfinch, what would you call it?

I wouldn't . As the story moved along I became more understanding of The Goldfinch.

a little too bleak

a little too bleak and nihilistic for me, good ending but the rest of the book felt a little long.