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)

To Long

I really enjoyed the performance so much that it kept me interested in a story that was only interesting part of the time.

Ok book; Excellent narrator

I generally love big books with lots of detail (Outlander series for example) but I found this book overloaded with detail which made the read tedious at times I am glad I listened to it versus read it because the narrator really helped the story. I liked about 60% of the book. I agree with other reviewers about the excessive drug use. If the main character actually did as much drugs and alcohol as the author describes I find it hard to believe he would still be alive!

Was good until the end. . .

it just fizzled out. The beginning was a lot better than the end. Would be a better short story.

invest the time

part crime novel part coming of age part history lesson. beautifully read. long, but worth the time.

Loved the way Mr Pittu voiced Boris!

Boris is such a breath of fresh air juxtaposed to Theo's darker character. This book is amazing and all the characters are crafted carefully and beautifully, Mr. Pittu made an excellent job voicing all of them. I specially loved Boris!

Overly Descriptive & Long

Any additional comments?

The story was good, the narration was good but the story was too long. The reason it was so long is that it was overly descriptive leaving you with no imagination; some scenes took 5 min./10 pages to set up. Many of the descriptions of character were set up repeatedly. The story should be cut by 25%.

Lovely, Intimate, Genuine

Truly an experience. The narration was superb and a joy to listen to. The story is complex and beautiful - a rare depiction as life as it truly is.

Unique, layered, depth

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

Never quite sure where the story was going. I enjoyed the detail, the characters flaws and gifts. Not your everyday story, kept my interest very easily.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters responses to love, friendships, stress, happiness, greed, generosity, addiction, illness in fact all things the impact the human spirit.

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

The accents, age of characters were brought to life for me.

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

Yes, but not possible as a lengthy book which to me was a good thing as the story never lost my interest.

Any additional comments?

I really liked the author, the detail made me !see' the characterso, the buildings, the environment, everything. I felt like I was there.

disappointing resolution

went strong until the end, where Donna left many story lines unresolved. fantastic narrator.

Optional?

An essay on drug abuse and philosophy, with a desperate attempt to tie up the loose ends at the finish.