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)

Narrator enhances an already beautiful story

The book itself is such a beautiful story, and so well written. If it wasn’t for the modern day references, I would have thought it was a classic written a hundred years ago.
And the narration! So amazing. Truly enhanced the story. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Masterpiece

Brilliant and beautiful. I loved every single thing about it. The narration was perfect! I’m so glad I bought this. I’ll definitely listen to this one over and over.

Interesting, ending is worth the rest

The performance was great. So easy to get forget all the characters are voiced by one person. They are so distinct. I grew up in an abusive, traumatizing home. So the story was hard for me to get through and I had some bad dreams. A close friend was re-reading it, so I thought I'd try it. Even though it was a rough listen, I knew the book had to be worth it. Beautiful ending. Explores views on life, fate, and characters' life journeys. I thought the ending was redemptive of all that had come before.

Worth it.

Hot damn the last 30 minutes were beautiful too. Took a break about 10 hours in but eventually got back to it. Worth going through to the end for sure!

A Work of Art

At times I wanted to fly away but I was tethered by the tiniest gold chain. I found this to be poetically dark and twisty, and satisfyingly contemplative.

A must read!

I read this first when it came out hardcover and then listened to it on audio. A great book. Incredible character development. An incredible description of the experience of trauma and psychological response to trauma. The author also created age appropriate characters which was pleasant. Love this book. Have recommended it to many. Always looking for her next novel!

Unforgettable

Just finished this book and felt it important to write a little review which I normally do not do. I was stuck from the moment I started listening to this book, I couldn't put it down, hours and hours of listening. Head phones on at work, playing it in my car while I drove, listening to it on my speaker while I cleaned the house, as I lay down for bed. Some parts were rough, hard to listen to, hard to get through, the days in Amsterdam seemed never ending and depressing. But I understand it's importance, the author created this world that we saw through the eyes of a boy who had suffered a huge traumatic event that changed the course of his life forever, changed who he was, and was never able to get past. It was necessary to depict this and Boris was the opposite, sees and walks through life a completely different way. I loved when Boris was around. I feel like this accurately depicted the struggles and thought/life of the character. Plus living in New Mexico "art" has never been something I was exposed to, imaging these famous works of art and museums full of art made me really feel like I have missed out on something. I definitely view art in a different way.

Unforgettable

I was at first daunted by the length of this listen. It was compelling in every way. David Pittu is masterful with giving voice to many different characters. This is going down as one of my favorite listens! Truly unforgettable!

Best Narration Ever

There are so many things about this book that I love. I fell in love with the characters-even the bad people and never wanted it to end. I'm so grateful for the pleasure I got from it.

Recommended Listening

Donna Tart’s words create images that transport you in a way a movie never can. The narrators keep you engaged throughout.