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  • The Goldfinch

  • By: Donna Tartt
  • Narrated by: David Pittu
  • Length: 32 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (41,440 ratings)

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The Goldfinch

By: Donna Tartt
Narrated by: David Pittu
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Editorial review


By Sam Danis, Audible Editor

THE GOLDFINCH IS A COMING-OF-AGE EPIC THAT WILL STEAL YOUR HE(ART)

The Goldfinch was one of the first novels I listened to when I started working at Audible nearly a decade ago. I joined the team in September, and with this title releasing in a month’s time, I remember what a very big deal it was that a new Donna Tartt book was forthcoming (she only publishes about once a decade, after all). The plot is gripping: During a bombing at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, two events alter the course of 13-year-old Theo Decker’s life. His mother—the most prominent figure in his life—is killed, and he grabs the painting they were there to see (the titular Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius), thereby becoming an accidental art thief. What follows is a coming-of-age story of epic proportions—about fate, loss, consequences, and the intangibility of home and family. It is at turns sentimental, suspenseful, melancholy, and hopeful.

I watched as the glowing reviews poured in, with no real intention to listen myself. A 32-hour audiobook seemed incredibly daunting when I was new to the world of audio entertainment—primarily, a podcast and short audiobook listener. And this, after all, was literary fiction.

Why did I ultimately decide to pick it up? I can’t recall exactly, but I imagine it had something to do with peer pressure. My fellow editors and I influence each other in the best of ways—nobody wants to be the last one to hear something truly amazing—and I think it was our fiction editor, Tricia, who first sung the praises of this one. So, I buckled in (read: put on my headphones) and prepared for whatever was to come.

Continue reading Sam's review >

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)

Featured Article: 55+ Quotes for Whenever You Need a Little Encouragement


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What listeners say about The Goldfinch

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    24,268
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Hang in there...

Until the last 2 hours of the book my review was going to be much different. This story has a main character that although a lot of tragedy happens to him is nevertheless hard to sympathize with. It is a story about circumstances , choices and consequences. And how our conduct usually determines our fate, but not always.
I had a hard time listening to the alcohol and drug use throughout the book , and I'm no prude. At times it was just too much and not always necessary in order to tell the story.
I was going to quit by the last 4 hours because I just started to hate the main character and the choices he made , but I will say that there is some redemption in the last 2 hours or so.
I'm glad I stuck with it because over all looking back it was a good story. Long but good.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Tedious

I listened to all 20 something hours and finally had to put it on double speed to finish. It actually was better then. Good story that kept me hooked. Some rough subject matter at times.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Terrific novel; great audio performance

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

Best Donna Tartt since The Secret History. Compelling and moving story -- a boy's coming of age in terrible circumstances.

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

Yes-- I practically did. I listened every moment I could.

Any additional comments?

The reading on this is a tour de force. Multiple characters, foreign accents, all handled beautifully.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Masterpiece!

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

Beautiful, haunting and brilliant

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

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter because they share a fresh and modern voice and have a rare artistry to convey a haunting realness of the ups and downs of our humanity

What about David Pittu’s performance did you like?

HIs range and ability to portray the humor heart in dark characters.

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

Dinner with Boris would be epic

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful story which makes you think about art

If you like 19th century realism, with it's emphasis on description and emotions, this is it, only contemporary. I enjoyed it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Deep dive

The performance is so good I found myself actually imagining the different voices of all heroes. As for the story - seems to be a mix of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment and something of Burroughs.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Nice surprise

Loved it. A surprise ride through the life of this agreeable character. The road twists and turns and keeps you guessing.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Always kept you guessing

What made the experience of listening to The Goldfinch the most enjoyable?

Just to see the journey and the end place in life of "Potter"

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Goldfinch?

WhenPotter found out is coveted painting was not where he thought it was after many years

What does David Pittu bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think you keep the characters and their personalties much more in focus. You "feel" the personality

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No put I always felt for Potter!

Any additional comments?

Reccomnend for anyone

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    5 out of 5 stars
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The best book I ever read

Would you listen to The Goldfinch again? Why?

Yes. Very long but also powerful, emotional, beautifully written, profound, liked the every little details.

What about David Pittu’s performance did you like?

Definitely a favaroble addition to the story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Lengthy, detailed and very good.

Great story, a bit long and slow in spots, but I get why she set it up that way.

The narration/narrator is awesome. He did a great job with all of the character.

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